String Tracker for Hogs (pics now added)

[TexasStick81]

I'm going to try out a string tracker on a big pig I'm going to hunt at night.  Most of what I've seen on string trackers has been with Turkeys, anybody use them with hogs?  I'm particularly interested in what setup you used and how you dealt with the arrow breaking off and keeping the string attached.

Thanks,

Zane

[TexasStick81]

So does this mean that nobody has used one on a hog?

[Brent Hill]

Use it everytime.  I shoot a 48 lb bob lee td recurve with 55/75 goldtips and bear razorheads.  I wrap the string 3 times around the threads of bh insert and tighten up the bh.  Only issue is when the string gets caught in the thick texas thorns and cactus and breaks off but it has only happened a few times.  I have shot pigs and deer with em for the last 3 years and I'm taking the unit with me to South Africa for anything except the impala and warthogs.  They jump a string faster than whitetail does.

[Mo. Huntin]

Bud I did a search for string tracker for deer. and come up with a bunch of stuff.  I have never used one but know a compound guy that loves them. I would think if the arrow does not go through the hog or stay in the hog you are left with just blood.  Just kind of a little extra insurance.  Like I said never used one so good luck.

[Brent Hill]

Worst case scenerio if the arrow falls out is that you have a blood trail just like hunting without the unit with some string indicating the general direction that the animal ran and possible clues as to the lethality of the hit (color of blood or ??? on the string)  Most of the time, my arrow would be lodged in the pig or deer and I automatically knew if the animal was hit (the string flies out) and I could better gauge where and how long the deer went from the direction of the string and the amount of time the string was pulling out.   Its only drawbacks are the noise and they are geting harder to find.

[Robertfishes]

I used one 11 years ago on 2 small hogs, the property we hunted was flooded after a tropical storm so we bought and used them ,I duct taped mine to the riser of my bow, both shots were pass thrus with arrow stuck on dirt so the string double tracked, hogs went less than 50 yards and one fell in sight. made a rope from the string that came out to pull/float hogs out. there is some noise when the string comes out but I kept my shots less than 12 yards

[Jason R. Wesbrock]

I'm glad Brent chimed in. Aside from him, I was going to suggest talking to Curtis Kellar. They both have a lot of experience using string trackers for hogs.

[joebuck]

Practically all string tracker left on the market is 17#. It takes about 10# of linear stretch to break the 17# line. Hogs tear off to thickest brush when shot. Your tracker will get wrapped up in brush and break.........but there are exceptions i am sure but it will probably break like my 4 times have. i quit using it

[Brent Hill]

I agree with keeping shots under 15 yards to remedy the string tracker noise.  However, since I have had stabilizer inserts put into the risers of my bows and screwed the unit into the insert versus taping the unit to my riser, the noise hasn't been as much of a corcern.  Another selling point is you can sometimes tell if the animal is being pushed while you are trailing it.  When i took my last pig with Curtis at 7th age bowhunting, it was big (my biggest with a bow 215)and I was shaking and the shot, well it wasn't great.  We started trailing (following the string)after about 45 minutes and I immediately noticed the string moving so we backed out and recovered the pig the next morning.  There was little blood and I probably wouldnt have known where to look without the unit.  
The string could be stronger but I'm corcerned that heavier string would affect arrow flight.  The unit will not cure bad shot placement and you can tell if you made a bad shot because you will loose all 1800 yards of string in seconds but thats not the fault of the unit.  (I'm still sick about a little shoulder shot pig i couldn't recover from last season) However, I can't bloodtrail my own animals and love the 3 minute tracking jobs when everything goes well.  Oh ya, thanks Jason, I just got off my vacation and saw the disk ou sent.  I realy enjoyed hunting with you and appreciate your help with the clicker info and all.  The photos are great.  Thank you

[TexasStick81]

Hey guys, just got back in town from a hog hunt though I didn't try a string tracker this time.  Had a really nice boar (pushin 300) about 15 yards down wind of me.  The key word is "down" wind because despite my best efforts at eliminating my scent he winded me.  Anyways, I appreciate all the feedback.  I'm going to give it a go this next weekend.  I've got two different boars coming in between 12 and 4 am every night that I'm going to go after.  I'm at the in-laws currently but I'll post a few game cam pics tonight so you can see what I'm dealing with.  Is there a particular brand of string tracker y'all would recommend and from whom?  I was told by a local guy the other day that he used to use them on hogs and they would super glue a thick fish hook on the shaft close to the BH with the string attached and reported that it would come off and lodge itself in the hog and that way he didn't have to worry about the arrow staying in or not.  It sounds like a neat idea my only concern is how a fish hook facing barb forward would impact penetration.  Let me know your thought, I'll post those pics tonight.

[Brent Hill]

String tracker 2500, I think the fish hook would constitute a barbed head and would be illegal in TX and regardless, wouldn't let the arrow fall out should you make a less than lethal shot.

[TexasStick81]

Thanks Brent, I didn't realize that the fish hook thing was illegal for TX, good to know.  I have tuskers with inserts that are glued in so how would you recommend attaching it?

[BlackDog]

Have used them on several deer with no problems, but all in the hill country. Only shot one hog with it, in south texas. Shot a boar a little far foward and hit him right in the shoulder, not much penetration. String made it about 100 yds or so, then frayed and broke. Don't know if it was the brush that broke it or just bad luck.

[tarponnut]

I know Guru wrote an article about using them on turkeys. He mounts the unit to the hood of his quiver. It may not work in every scenario for hogs but I'm going to give it a try on my next  hunt.

[NorthernCaliforniaHunter]

Can anyone PM me a link with a unit I could attach to a longbow?

Thanks in advance!

[Brent Hill]

You could have a stabilizer insert put into your bow.  You could purchase a strapon bow fishing gadget adapter that 3rivers sells or tape/ screw the unit to the bottom or top of a bow quiver.  I used to tape mine to the bottom of my quiver facing the back of the bow.  Guru in TBM a few years back drilled a hole in the hood of his quiver and screwed the unit into the quiver.  I tried that and couldn't quite get it to work but others have.  He also had a neat idea on attaching the string to the shaft when using wood or arrows without screwins.  I think he wraped the shaft of the arrow closest to the bh with velcro (the hooked side not the soft side) and wraped and knotted the string around the shaft on top of the velcro.  I think you would want to make several wraps of string and knots to work but it seemed to work for him.  The article was in TBM a few years back and discussed using string trackers and turkeys.  Going back to attaching the unit to your bow, the two biggest issues I see with attaching is 1. making sure that the unit is close enough to the shelf and aiming in the right direction so arrow flight is not impeaded and 2. having a solid enough place to attach the unit to eliminate unwanted noise.  The only way I have been able to test my varying setups is shooting my bow with the system on and the arrow/broadhead combo that I plan to hunt with.  As for a longbow, the gadget adapter in 3 rivers looks like it would work but I would want to moleskin the attachment point to protect your bow and help silence the unit.  Lets be clear here, you don't shoot a string tracker because they are sexy or beautiful.  Everyone in my club said I and my old widow went white trash in 60 seconds when I first duct taped the string tracker to the bottom half of my quiver.  However, I assure them I would upgrade to camo duct tape before season started.  Good luck

[TexasStick81]

Here are some pics of those hogs, you'll notice him sharpening his cutters on my feeder leg in the last pic.  What do you guys think about attaching the string tracker to the tripod instead of worrying about putting it on my bow?  

 

 

 

 

[Brent Hill]

He's begging for an arrow.  I wouldn't because i think you need the arrow in line with arrow when you shoot.  But give it a try on a target.  I would also worry about putting out extra scent and getting your sring all wrapped up .

[Littlefeather]

Good thread!

The fish hook isn't a barbed broadhead. It's a fish hook. It is supposed to be connected behind the broadhead. NOT ILLEGAL in Texas. Just called my friend the local Game Warden. First he said"you're using it on hogs" and then just laughed.

Good to see you Brent. Just finished your skull mount on the hog you speak of. He had a trophy scar I found when doing the Euro mount. He had a bullet hole through the lower jaw that was almost healed. I'll post some pics if I get a few minutes later. It's a neat trophy. I see numerous bullet wounds each year. The bullet wounds that contact bone make some unique wounds. The bone growth after healing makes some strange anomalies.

Those are some fat hogs. The fat one looks like it isn't having to hunt hard for good food sources. My guess is that they aren't traveling far to get to that feeder.

The cuts you speak of are totally normal. Boars mark their rubs by slashing the high side of their rubs to mark their territory. These are the deep cuts you see on trees and electric poles. The deep cuts are generally found on the rubs close to natural corners, intersections of trails, and along pond banks where there are some sizeable trees. Next time you see mud rubs that have been used for many years on the same tree, look close at the upper end of the rub. You'll see scratches that angle 45% left to right across the tree or pole. The deeper and longer the cut the bigger the boar. They love to rub their tusks just like a cat likes to scratch trees with their claws. It serves to sharpen and to mark their territory.

Good luck with those piggies.     CK

[Littlefeather]

Something to take note of: See the racoon in the feeder pic? He is the reason that so many hogs decide to wait till after dark to feed at a feeder. The coons wait till dark to come out. They climb a feeder leg and start spinning the feeder and knocking corn all over the place. Hogs know that all they have to do is wait a few hours after sundown and then head over to the feeder where there is now a pile of corn. They also know that there are no hunters after them after dark. Wanna make your hogs move more in daylight? Stop the coons and only feed early.

You can also stop the coons from stealing from your feeder and then set one nightime feed setting on the feeder. Instead of the hogs coming any time they like, you can effectively make them come at a set time. When coons can't knock corn out of the feeder they'll have to wait for it to go off just like the hogs. Now they're in competition for the same food. It's a sure fire way to hunt them closer to the time you KNOW they'll be there. The coons are also a great alarm system. They'll run off when they know hogs are approaching, alerting you of their presence. Good luck! CK

PS, Carpet tack strips taped on your feeder legs will prevent the coons from climbing the legs. CK