How smart are pigs?

[Eric S]

To make a long story short as I can. I'm new to hunting feral pigs here in Florida. I recently got very lucky and was granted access to a small piece of private land inside city limits. The property is smallish being only 12 acres with another 4.5 land locked inside it. There is another larger tract, almost 300 acres not far from it but it's mostly suburbia.
So the question is,  in your best opinion, how fast could I burn this place out?

[Steelhead]

Yes they are very smart.Though I have never given one an IQ test.They are rated very high in intelligence by experts who study such things.

Where I have hunted them in Florida if they got wind of you being in an area they would change habits immediately.You need to be careful of the wind and other details just like your hunting a big buck IMO.

[Matt Quick]

Without knowing a lot more detail the short answer would be run a feeder and hunt the 12 ac property once a month.  No way 12 acres will consistently hold pigs without baiting.  What’s the 12 ac comprised of?  Hardwoods, pines, clearcut?  Where are the pigs coming from?  Are there other tracts of woods and swamp near by?  Pigs near the city limits will likely be nocturnal.  Even if you run a feeder it could be difficult to see them in daylight if there isn’t a way for them to move around in heavy cover.

[Possum Head]

I read what’s been posted and agree with these men.

[Cory Mattson]

Agree you have a good plan posted here - hogs are smart so pay attention- treat em like deer and you will take them regularly- take shortcuts game over.

[BAK]

Depends on what you mean by "smart".  I raised them as a kid and the domestic variety can be trained just like a dog. 

[Eric S]

I have been dumping half of a fifty pound bag of corn daily for 8 days. They found the corn on the second day. The 4th day I shot a sow and saw five pigs total. I hunted it last night again but only two little ones came in and didn't shoot either but when stepping off of my climber had a pig grunt very close to me.
The woods are very thick (my stand is 5 yards from the bait because you can't shoot any farther die to vegetation) with a small creek running through it. I've only gone about 50 yards into them from the only access point I have due to fences and other property boundaries.  So they are unmolested by me but I don't know what's happening anywhere else in there.
I guess some exploration is needed. I'll pick up a feeder. That will save a ton of gas money since I live almost an hour away in one direction.
I would post a pic of the sow but was rather excited a didn't think about posing or cleaning her up. So the only picture is rather graphic.
Any other advice? All is welcome and needed.
Thanks

[Matt Quick]

Get the best feeder you can afford.  We have used South Texas Tripod feeders and I know others that have had good luck with Sweeney's.  Do not waste your money on a moultrie or an Ontime.  The timers are unreliable, the motors are cheap, the lids collect water and the support legs are weak.  You'll hear some folks say they have had good luck with the box store models but if you want to consistently feed pigs year round you need to spend the money and get a good feeder.  I can't overemphasize that enough.  Also get one you can hang or stake the legs down with heavy gauge rebar.  Pigs will knock your feeder over if you don't.  Five yards is too close.  Bad shot angle from a tree and eventually they will smell you when they come in. Trim a shooting lane and move back at least 15 yards.  As you feed the area the pigs will start knocking down the the brush.  You've probably already noticed this.  You'll probably want to move your set-up  to another location in a couple of months.  With consistent feeding the area around your feeder will look like the lunar landscape after pigs eat and root up all the vegetation.  Also just for fun run a camera.  You'd be surprised at what's coming through there.  Be disciplined and don't over hunt.  Watch the wind and only hunt when the wind is right.  Good luck!

[NY Yankee]

I read an article once that said the average farm pig is as intelligent as the average German Shepherd.

[gregg dudley]

Matt has some great advice.  Be planning now for second and third sites on that 12 acres.  Clear the shooting lanes and place stands and feeders and give it time to settle before you start hunting it.  You don't have to move too far to change things up and it will give you a fresh area to hunt.  If you only have one setup, pigs will quickly learn where the danger is and how to come in and wind you without giving you a shot.  It is tough to hold out for the right wind and circumstance when you are dying to get to the woods, but on small property it is a must.

[Wudstix]

Everything above is good.  Especially, hang feeder or stake it down, big pigs will root up the stakes and knock it down anyway.  Treating pigs like deer is good advice, I have had boars circle down wind of a feeder and bust me just like an old doe or buck, only thing you'll hear them for sure.  Deer sometimes you'll never know.  I also use sour corn in a bucket with small hole in lid to allow rain water in and nail holes in bottom to allow dripping.  Good stink bait that pulls 'em in from far away.  Good Luck.
           

[BigJim]

They are unbelievably smart! You can burn an area 20 times that size out in a night if not careful. Even when careful, they will figure you out and they never forget. Much more difficult than deer in my opinion.
We still use some feeders, but will likely never kill a big boar at one. Piglets are easy... sows not so much. I mean, the good eatin size is still nervous. I have also found that all sows are of the good eatin size, at least on our place.

Couple of years ago, a friend on this site shot a 300 lb sow (weighed) and she was very tasty!

BigJim

[Stump73]

 

[KSdan]

Read, watch Jerry Russell on here w that massive pig he hunted for years. Its an amazing story.  Virtually unhuntable it was so intelligent and wary

[David McLendon]

They are way smarter than deer, and smarter than your dog.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Read, watch Jerry Russell on here w that massive pig he hunted for years. Its an amazing story.  Virtually unhuntable it was so intelligent and wary

The story of Kong, it was a good one. 

[Eric S]

Just found it

[Wudstix]

The story of Kong is epic.              

[Jerry Russell]

Many people that don’t think hogs are hyper intelligent are basing there opinions on encounters with  young hogs of up to 2 years old. 

My favorite North American big game species is a 4+ year old hog. I consider them the most intelligent animal in the world.  Furthermore, I don’t think any animal is even close as a second place.  There are old hogs that frequent many heavily hunted areas that will never fall to a hunter.  On a scale of intelligent behavior combined with vulnerability to hunting, a 5 year old hog is a 10. A mature whitetail buck is a 5- at best. 

[hawkeye n pa]

I definitely  underestimated their IQ, anything but a dumb pig.  I wasn't hunting feeders but where they bed is not by accident.  And I also thought alligators would keep their escape route on ground...wrong again.