First time hog hunting. Checklist help.

[Kamm1004]

Hey gang, here in a couple weeks i'll be going hog hunting and hopefully getting my first trad kill. Hog hunting is new to me so I have to ask you pros that do it all the time, what all should I bring? Not the obvious stuff like my bow and arrows. But what about gloves? are they a necessity for gutting hogs? I was also thinking a skill saw for halving and cutting off the heads quick and easy. As far as getting the meat home we were thinking of using some of that Blue styrafoam insulation board to build a big "cooler" in the back of the pickup and put the quarters in game bags inside maybe trash bags and pack it all full of ice. Does this sound like it'll work? Help me out guys, I dont want to forget anything critical.

[rastaman]

i use disposable gloves.  i use a little meat saw to cut the legs (or a knife to cut them them off at the knuckles if i forget my saw).  i use the gutless method so i just take the quarters and back straps and pack that in a cooler full of ice when i get back to the truck.
If you are hunting in the south, bring a thermacell.  If you are afraid of snakes, bring snake boots.  
Good luck to you!  Where are you going?

[willfred219]

Good sharp saw and knife. Latex gloves a must. When we go out expecting to kill several hogs and have to drive a ways, we have a non-working small freezer we put in the truck and fill it with ice after the fact. Picked it up for free and it's sure cheaper than a big cooler and seems to work fine.

[BowHunterGA]

A decent set of compact binos if you plan to spot and stalk. They do not need to be of the $1000+ variety but should be better than a $50 set from Wally World. These come in real handy to determine which end of the hog is which!

Anything for wind direction identification. I like using a marabou feather on a 3-5" string on my upper bow limb. Always there and easy to glance at.

[Kamm1004]

Thanks guys. I'm going in southeast Oklahoma. Do I need a thermal cell there? Could I get away with using bug spray or will they smell that? How bad is the bug situation there?
Oh and I'll be hunting over feeders so no spot and stalk.

[Cavalry Scout]

Thermacell if there mosiqtoes.  They have an amazing sense of smell!!!  use the gutless method in the summer.  Quarters and back straps. Done quick and get it on ice.  The dont see real well, but they can see movement.  If they have been pressured, they will be in the next county if you get busted.

[killinstuff]

Hogs are not that big most of the time and there is no need to drag them out to the truck. A couple of zip lock bacgs, a carpet blade in your razor knife and you are all set. Zip down the back bone, cut out the loins, zip down the back legs and bone out the hams. If you are so inclined to go after the shoulders, have at it but I'd rather go after the next pig.

[Dave Lay]

Its been so hot and dry the skeeters may not be a issue or at least here in Arkansas they havent been as bad as normal, but take a thermocell and refills just incase, as noted above I always use gloves when cleaning em . have a plan to get them on ice asap and have water available for washing the meat etc as needed..  pork wont last long in the heat and as you would deer hunting take a good light for night tracking incase you shoot one at dusk  you will need to find it asap..  good luck ! I hope to go in 2 weeks

[Robertfishes]

If your going with an outfitter they can tell you what to bring or what not to bring. I keep a "deer cart" in my truck for big hogs and 8ft of 1/4 inch rope in my pack or catquiver to drag the small hogs. In Florida we  use thermocells along with a headnet/facemask, I spray my clothes with  permanone, I avoid  DEET when possible. I  dont use a saw for legs or head, a knife works fine just cut and twist...

[The Vanilla Gorilla]

Mosquitos ain't so bad lately here. Seed ticks are horrible.

[Kamm1004]

vanilla gorilla, what do you recommend for seed ticks? we don't have none of that in colorado. Permanone? if so, where do you get that at?

[The Vanilla Gorilla]

The permrethrin will work on the seed ticks, but make sure you apply it to your socks and footwear.  

I forgot to use it this evening while filling up my pigpipe, and now I'm on the crapper with a pocketknife scraping them off my ankles, feet and shins.

The directions say to not use permrethrin directly on the skin. I do, though, and it don't bother me.  But on some folks it'll break em out or make em feel like their skin is burning.  Weird.

Different brands of permrethrin based sprays can be found at Walmart in the sportin goods section.  If you are coming thru Mcalester, stop in at Hilltop Archery and get the Coulston's tick repellent.. Permrethrin based and endorsed by the gorilla himself. Plus, you're helping out a local.bowshop.

[The Vanilla Gorilla]

I hit post before I was done...

Hey, a good deal of SEOK has gotten a good rain tonite.  Thats gonna bring out the mosquitos and make them ticks seem worse.  I'd go ahead and pack that Thermacell.

You asked about snake boots.  I dont bother with em. Snakes know better.  I hunt in either Chuck Taylors or New Balance shoes.  Just watch your footing and dont intentionally stomp on a snake.

Regarding rubber gloves...yeah, I'd throw a set or two in your protection. Sometimes I do, sometimes I dont...kinda like wearing my seatbelt. I never used to use anything..heck, I'd skin a hog barehanded while eating Doritos.  That was before I had a patient who had had cut his finger while skinning a deer, and the infection cost him his arm from the elbow down.

Good luck down here when you come. What county you gonna be hunting in?  

Cam

[Robertfishes]

The old way (before peritherin/permanone) to keep ticks off of your waist, ankles and legs was to dust yourself from waist down with sulfur powder.. I used to buy it from the drug store and the label read "flowers of sulfur"..pour some in a sock and slap sock onto your body to dust your self with the sulfur powder, dont forget your ankles. I tuck my pant legs into my boots most of the time too, or use "blousers" to hold pants cuffs tight to boots. I prefer to use permanone or peritherin on my clothing. good luck with your hunt!

[Sam McMichael]

Thanks Kamm1004. I'm glad to see this thread. I too have never hunted hogs, but this past weekend, I won a hog hunt raffle in  Florida at the TBOF Fall Rendezvous.  It seems that the advice in Oklahoma ought to work just fine in Florida as well. I already have the bugs and snakes scoped out, as I have been shooting with those folks for 5 years now. I use permanone, a Thermocell, and an all natural (no DEET)repellant. I was especially glad to see the reminder for latex gloves, because I would probably not have thought of it on my own. Hey Vanilla, what kind of infection did that guy have? Other than being current on tetanus shot, are any other vaccinations recommended for this or any other type hunting?  I do believe in snakeboots, because I  stepped on a copperhaead a few seasons ago. Luckily no bite resulted, but the lesson was well learned. Keep the good advice coming.

[The Vanilla Gorilla]

Originally posted by Sam McMichael:
Hey Vanilla, what kind of infection did that guy have?

I dont even remember...the doctors probably just charted it as sepsis.  

What the guy told me is that he had cleaned a deer at deer camp, nicked his knuckle with his knife, and just kept on tending to the deer.  Afterward, he just rinsed his hand off in the creek and crawled in his tent and went to bed. By the end of the weekend, the infection had caused his hand to swell and turn colors and he had developed a fever and his heart was acting funny.  Thats when he thought he best go to the ER.  Next day a surgeon up in Tulsa took his arm off at the elbow.  They didn't even let him keep it to make knifehandles out of his own bones.   Good news is, he still hunts, but with a prosthesis.  But things could have been worse if he didnt go in when he did.

[SKITCH]

Man I am here to put a BIG thumbs up to the Permetherin clothing treatment.  I posted a HELP post on chiggers a couple weeks ago and many here recommended it.  Picked some up at Bass Pro (just happened to be there before I got to Wal Mart)...treated my pants, boots and socks!  WOW what a difference.  Used a little deet on my shirt, neck and arms....and it's a completely new experience!  I'm still dealing with bites from that one time....been out in the woods a lot since then with very few problems since!!!
Thank you Trad Gang!!!

By the way, after reading up it is very possible that I had those darn seed ticks and chiggers!  Talk about an itch!!! (not to mention a bit of poison ivy)

[Kamm1004]

Thanks guys, and thanks gorilla. To answer your question gorilla its with Pennington Creek Hunt club in Ardmore, Oklahoma. As for the county, I have no clue. But if you have any experience in that area of the state or know if there is a good population of hogs i'd sure appreciate it. The guide says around 90% sucess rates for rifles and bows and its not a high fenced property so we'll see...

[TxAg]

If you don't have a saw handy, limb loppers make an easy and efficient way of cutting the legs and head off. The rest can be done with a knife. Good luck.  

I don't use gloves often (maybe i should) but an added bonus is they help your grip when the hands get bloody.

[TxAg]

If you don't have a saw handy, limb loppers make an easy and efficient way of cutting the legs and head off. The rest can be done with a knife. Good luck.  

I don't use gloves often (maybe i should) but an added bonus is they help your grip when the hands get bloody.