Super Duper Hog info thread

[aussiebowhunter]

ck really enjoying reading ur info on hogs,first spotted on ozbow..i am up in weipa,cape york australia,some say one of the best places for big tusked aggressive hogs..we run open range,500,000 acre boar hunts each year during the dry...we hav large lagoons,swamps and as the dry sets in the waters drys up in the creeks and ull find boars anywhere there is water..we always hunt for the solo boars as he will be the old fella with the good ivory..

im up here in  the wet on my own and im trying to think of ways to track him down when food and water is so plentiful..u can just see  them anytime or not at all..

once again really enjoy ur posts all the best pat...

[Lee in S.C.]

The deer and hogs were togther because of the food. On my lease the deer leave when the hogs move in.

[Littlefeather]

Ted, beware of hogs that don't seem to show fear. Some will false charge and hackle up when they don't want to part from a food source or share the food. Most will leave as soon as warnings are not heeded but once in awhile they will stand their ground and even run at you.

Hello Aussie! I got notified by one of your Countrymen that they were cutting and pasting this thread to OZBOW to share over there. That's a nice honor! Hope we can help one another atlhough half a world appart. It would be nice to see some of the techniques prove to be the same on two different continents. Lets chat! I do believe you are looking at a very difficult situation in finding hogs when the water has dispersed them into the unknown. I think I'd start on the highest ground on the East facing sides as we've already talked about. Even hogs get sick and tired of rain after awhile and will seek a dry spot. Can you describe things a little better on the lay of the land and the general feeding habitats and bedding areas? Thanks, CK

[Mark Normand]

Emile, I like that river running boat, warm and dry!

Yesterday I shot a small pig out of a bunch, and the squealing brought in moma and the calvary of backup adults, about 4-5 in all. They didn't give me another shot, just a bit too far +/-40 in the woods, a-woofing and blowing, but I wonder if I could have showed myself and bullied them into coming closer. Before anyone freaks out, I'm not talking deathwish like Emile's marsh pics above,  this was woods with trees and tops everywhere to get clear if necessary.  Man I wanted another shot badly.

Any realistic suggestions from the experts here?

[Littlefeather]

Mark, that is one of the "specifics" I was talking about when I say calls work but only in specific situations. If you'd have had a varmit call in your pocket at the instance that the hogs got upset, you could have dropped to one knee, blew like a squeeling piglet, and held on for the ride. They'll come for that! I promise! I've seen it with my own eyes and will try it again the next time I shoot a pig and the rest get upset. Congrats on getting the pig you did get. Good on ya! CK

[Littlefeather]

BTW, Advocating blowing a varmit in distress call while in close proximity to upset pigs holds the possibility of personal injury. Please keep in mind that this technique hold the very realistic possibility of injury. If you are not in physical shape to defend yourself or climb a tree, please do not attempt this technique. I probably shouldn't even be talking about it but I am assuming we all know the very realistic possibilities that lie within these tight boundaries. Please excercize your best judgment when attempting this. If you have no escape route, leave em alone! CK

[Mark Normand]

Thx CK, thats exactly what I meant, I was in control of this situation and already had contingencies worked out. Its not for everyone for sure.

Good suggestion on the varmit call, dang I wish I would have thought of that quickly.
[and held on for the ride]  LOL
What a great suggestion for stand hunting at a feeder!

[Mike Byrge]

The pig that Mark shot had a BIG Momma.

I crossed paths with her and her bunch a couple of times and she was very protective...a smart old pig.

Curtis what's your take on bow-quivers and bright-fletch?   I've been two weekends in a row and I've had pigs see me when I was still and in good cover.  Dark woods, overcast days..everything is black or gray right now and I suspect my yellow and lime fletch is "standing out" even to an animal that isn't supposed to see in color.

Most of my pig hunting has been in South Texas where it is generally bright and much more color.

[Doc Nock]

Yeah, CK..in today's "litiguous society" they couldl whup you for advocating gettign unzipped!      :D  

Been to TX 2x (never saw hair) and once to Shiloh and had the chance to watch many, stick one and after all the doins were done, snuck up on a big hampshire sans bow...what a thrill that was! Po boy's griz!

[the Ferret]

Mark..too cool Bro. Apparently your shot put it down quick. If it had kept squealing you'd probably have had momma in your lap.

Death Wish naaa, a little excitement OH YEA!

[Mark Normand]

No Ferret, I was pizzed cause he ran off squealing with my arrow slapping the trees, then the big party started about 40-50 yards away. The quiet woods just came alive! Ended up losing that nice heavy 750gr ramin and 160 snuffer, dangit! Never could find it, will have to look again when I go back.

It was absolutely awesome and exciting to hear all that grunting, woofing, teeth popping, snorting going on. Man it really got loud at one point when the whole bunch was wired up.

I had a large barrier of blowdowns in front of me, I could see/shoot over it, but couldn't climb over quickly or quietly, otherwise I would have immediately closed the distance for a followup.

[Littlefeather]

Yea Mark, keep a squeeler handy in the event that it happens again.

Mike, I hate to admit but in all I've gathered on pigs over the last few years, I've never known whether they see in color. I really never needed to know I suppose. I've never seen pigs pic off a hunter that is remaining still due to colors. I've not know it if this has happened anyway. One thing I know for certain is that pigs detect movment far greater than deer from my experience. I've done movement experimenting with deer in close proximity. Very slow movments, no matter the distance don't seem to be detected. Pigs on the other hand seem to detect the slightest movments. I know the general eyesight of a hog is not superior to that of a deer but when detecting movment is concerned, the pig seems to have the upper hand. Deer do seem to detect camo patterns that don't mix and color variations. Im not too sure if deer see in color or not either. Maybe I need to study more. One thing I see in lots of hunters who use bow quivers is that when the bow is raised or lowered with bright, matching fletching is what is called flagging. Look at the measurable surface area of all the fletching next to one another. If everything is one color, it looks like one continuous flag of color raising up and down. Of course my side quiver does the same when I am moving through the brush. Keep testing Mike and let us know what you find. CK

[Ray Hammond]

I think they DO see in color, Curtis. I say that because on the place we hunt if you are wearing ORANGE of any kind you cannot get within 300 yards of the pigs around here and they will haul buggy! If you move straight at them and are wearing only dull colored clothing and move slow, you can almost always approach within 75 yards without so much as a nod from the hogs.

I experimented by pulling an orange watch cap out of my coat pocket after getting within 75 yards three different times, three different groups of pigs, and EVERY single time they hauled butt like nobody's business!

One of my favorite times to hunt pigs in SC is during the period from June 20- July 10th. I know, its HOT with a capital H, BUT, the blackberries are ripening in the clear cuts and the hogs are absolutely WILD about blackberries. They will be out there chomping berries till they are all gone...morning, noon, and night feeding on those berries...you can hear their lips smacking way before you ever see the hogs they love them so much.

I highly recommend berry time for pigs in SC and GA!

[Paul R]

G'day fella's, I've been following this thread with great interest since CK started it and there's some fantastic information here. I have also been cutting and pasting some of the info to an Ozzy Trad site called Ozbow, so I hope nobody minds.    

I've got a question for you regarding the calling of dominant Boars. There have been numerous times while stalking in really thick cover, that I have woken up big boars and had them jump up out of their beds in front of me.
Nine times out of ten they haven't got a clue what woke them up but they sure are cranky, snorting and growling and clicking their tusks. They are normally within 10-15 yards and it can get pretty exiting, only problem is that it's normally too thick for a shot and eventually the boar moves off. If I try to follow through the thick stuff I get heard and the boar heads for the hills at a fast rate.

My question is can I get them to come closer and present for a shot, without making them rush straight in and eat me or alternitivly run away? I've tried a couple of grunts as they were moving away but to no avail.

[Whip]

Boy these pigs seem like they are quite the adversaries for a bowhunter!  Somehow I always had the idea they were pushovers, but I'm learning fast that is not the case!  Has anyone ever tried a ghille suit or the 3D camo for hogs?  Think it offers any advantages over regular camo?  It's hard to fly down with a blind, but I sure could pack a gillie suit.

[aussiebowhunter]

ck thanks for ur reply and email..thought i might post here,as some others may be interested,if thats ok?

well where i am we hav two seasons.wet and dry..wet last for around 4 mths,rains of and on most days,where there was no grass is suddenely 3 to 8 ft high,creeks and rivers are following and some may come up 20 metres...so water is plentiful and so is feed...

during the dry,the best times for hunting boars is later sept to dec as everything is drying up and water is only in the dams,the odd waterhole in the creeks. so u know if u hunt through the heat of the day they are going to be laid up near the water...

as i am here on my own over the wet,i get plenty of time to play..but where before if u had a carcass down ,u could be sure of boars coming in early morn or late arvo..

i only hunt the loners as they are the older and wiser pigs as u hav mentioned and they are sure to have the best ivory...and they are very aggressive,they will hav u for dinner as quick as if u pis them off..they basically arnt scared of anthing up here..they only hav dingos as an enemy..

now the lay of the land is mostly flat with some small rises,creeks etc,there is the odd ridge..as i said mostly the grass is high now and heaps of water and feed..

i have had mobs of pigs below me rooting up the ground,going down to 3 ft in places all around these beans trees..we also hav small land crabs that come out in the wet,so im sure they are dihgging for them too..
they dont seem as keen on a carcass now as they would before..

i havent been able to find there bedding,u would think it would be in the higher ground?? what u think?
i hav seen a regular set of good size tracks close by crossing one of our roads here,and also a good size walllow on the same road,,hes been having a wallow  during the heat of the day..

im thinking maybe the trick might be to try some of ur baiting techniques,grain and jelly maybe combined with treestand...but i do like ur ideas using a grunt call plus also a animal in distreess call..what do u think and what calls would u recommend to try..
i also caught three little fellas a couple weeks back,been feeding them up,and i have noticed tracks coming around,maybe some have heard them??

so theres a bit of info,what r ur thoughts?/
many thanks pat

[Littlefeather]

Good post Ray! Good info there. I'll be back in awhile for the rest. CK

[aussiebowhunter]

ck and guys,thought id share with ya all my first ever trad bow harvest,first ever shot,taken today..young fat boar,shot at 8 odd metres went 30 to 40 and dropped..really enjoying this topic,i put a story up in the right spot..cheers pat
 

[the Ferret]

What Curtis said is true to a point about hogs catching movement. It's kind of wierd in that sometimes you can sneak up on them in a wde open field just by moving when their head is down and stopping when they look up. And we have hidden behind palm fronds and walked clear across a field slowly while they are wayching us.I do believe that pigs can distinguish color or at least have read that pigs have enough either rods or cones (can't remember which)in their eyes to distinguish color, however flight doesn't seem to be a response to just color alone in the pigs we have chased in Texas or Florida, it must also be accompanied by another clue to danger ie movement or scent.

Our son Brian (Boris 196) leaves for Florida to hunt pigs tomorrow and is taking several boxes of raspberry jello mix with him to try on the pigs down there. A tip he picked up on this thread. He's also taking a javie squealer. I'm sure he'll give us a report when he returns.

[the Ferret]

Congrats Pat...I'm sure that one won't be your last eh?