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Post by Brikatw on Nov 20, 2005 10:48:18 GMT 12.75
If y'all have any tips or tricks you'ld like to share throw on in here. If there are any questions you may have go ahead and ask. I'll do my best to answer or find the answer for you. Please keep in mind that my experience base is kind oflimited to this area (NW Louisiana) But most of it is general in nature. The most important thing I can tell you right now about Hogs is to be careful. These critters can get mean quick and they have no problem hurting you. I once saw a small hog (about 90 lbs) bite small oak trees about 2 inches in diameter clean off after being shot. I'll add more as we go along here and time permits and hopefully so will others.
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Post by Bro. Freddie on Nov 20, 2005 11:57:55 GMT 12.75
Brian, I guess my main question is what to expect. I have never been hog hunting and don't really know what to look forward to.
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Post by Kirbyhill on Nov 21, 2005 2:57:30 GMT 12.75
Its like Freddie just said for me too! Am I too old to be doing this sort of hunting? Nite or day hunts? Do you use dogs or stalk? I never hunted hogs but would love to give it a try. Thanks........Bill
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Post by Carter Northcutt on Nov 21, 2005 3:09:13 GMT 12.75
And what about field dressing and such?
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Post by Brikatw on Nov 21, 2005 4:00:05 GMT 12.75
Ok guys, no problem. I guess you could compare Hog Hunting to deer hunting. In fact most of the hogs I get are taken while hunting something else. Hogs and deer run pretty much the same stomping grounds around here with the exception that the hogs will stay closer to the wet areas or water. Their home range is bigger than a deers too and they travel alot more through out the area and the day. If your healthy enough for deer hunting, your ok to hunt hogs. The major thing about hog hunting is alot like deer, you gotta find where they're hanging out and get into their area. This can be quite aways into the swamp or bottoms. What we usually do is start out in the general area looking for fresh rootings and then try to work our way along in the general direction of their route. We look for wallows and signs of hogs on the trees. You see after they wallow in the mud awhile a hog will come out and rub his sides on the trees and his belly on downed logs to take way the extra mud and bugs and such. We look for the trees they've rubbed on and use those as a pointer to show which general direction they went. Walk slow and quiet as if you were hunting deer. Your watching and listening. Hogs can hear as good as a deer, their nose, in my opinion, is better than a deers but their eyes are only about as good as ours. They make alot of noise as they feed through the woods. Especially in the morning as the sun is coming up and the evenings. They're rooting and throwing the dry leaves around and fighting as they compete for food. When we hear them, we try to work our way out in front of them and set up or once you have an idea of the bedding areas and wallows you set up around them. Hogs will bed when they and where they decide to. I took one last year that was in a small depression in a kind of open hardwood stand about 20 yards off the road. He was sleeping hard too. Matt and I walked past him once, just BSing as we went, Then coming bac, Matt spotting him still fast asleep next to the road we were walking. We cover a bit of ground when we hunt but no more than maybe 3 miles or so. Waders are handy, since when pressured they will get out on the islands where they feel safe. After we get on we usually field dress right away but don't remove the skin until we get them out. To skin, we cut the hide in strips about 3 inches wide length wise and then remove the strips as we go. I hang then from the lower jaw to skin and breakdown. Then I cut them up for what ever I plan to do with them. Large hogs usually get ground up for sausage or just plain grind for use with your venison or in recipes instead of hamburger. Smaller hogs, I usually breakdown to 5 or 6 pieces and use them as BBQ meat or the smoker unless I'm lucky and get one just right to cook whole. Basically, hunt them in ways you would deer. Now around Matt's area, along the Red River, the farmers have a hard time with hogs tearing up new crops. If you ask nice some will let you take all you want, even show you where to set up. It may be the same around your area so go ahead and ask them, the worst that can happen is they so no. A good website for info is TEXASBOARS.com . I hope this answers some of your questions, let me know what else I can add for you. Hopefully n2 can add to this too.
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Post by Kirbyhill on Nov 21, 2005 5:41:32 GMT 12.75
Brian, do you know of any places where they guide hunters for a reasonable price in the La./North Texas area? Sure would like to give 'er a try,but don't want to travel a LONG distance to hunt anymore..........Bill
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Post by Toby Benoit on Nov 21, 2005 7:58:46 GMT 12.75
Wild hogs...God's gift to bowhunters!
I've hunted these darn things about every way imaginable. I've bowhunted them with longbow, recurve, and compound. Nailed them with shotgun pistol, muzzleloader, and centerfire rifle. We've trapped them, snared them, caught them with dogs, and once we even ran one over with the airboat and stunned it enough that we could hog tie it with the hog hunters secret weapon...duct tape!
My favorite way to hunt them is over a bait pile. Just like they say in that Costner movie, "If you build it, they will come." I know Kevin wasn't hog hunting, but the line is true enough. Hogs think about two things and two things only; eatin' and breedin'.
If it's legal in your area, get a corn feeder up and let it draw them in. If a bait pile isn't n option, then hunt them like you would a rutting buck. There's several companies that offer a sow in heat lure and they work. Buckstop Scent Company, recently released a product they call Boar Beads, which is a fake corn pile. It's yellow beads impregnated with the scent of soured corn.
It provides a killer scent for hogs as well as offers a visual appeal to get them in and positioned, but isn't against the law because it's not a food.
I like Vanilla also! I've been using a product called the Cracker Candle made here in Fl. that has a super strong Vanilla scent and it's been really lucky for me for bringing in a bunch of sows and pigs.
Hogs get lice and they itch all of the time, EPA regulations aside, a really good draw for hogs is a piece of old carpet soaked in burnt motor oil wrapped around a tree and nailed in place. They'll come from miles around to rub on that oilly carpet to help get the lice off of them. But, be prepared to wash the heck out of them before you start skinning them, you don't want the oil on your meat.
I love hog hunting at night too! I have access to an orange grove where they move in to feed at night and we stalk them with bows. No sights on my recurve, just fling away at the silhouette and give them a ride home on the tailgate!
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Post by tgriffin on Dec 24, 2005 3:18:30 GMT 12.75
Hey Brian, how you doing? We have a tremendous hog population here in GA. No season, no limit. Most of the hogs I take are taken while hunting something else. Most of the time, we hunt along the chattahoocee river. Good food areas and water. I have killed 5 since August. The younger ones are good eating but the old ones stink like h*** when you cook em. We concentrate on areas that have good oak, persimmon, and pecan tree populations.
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Post by Brikatw on Dec 24, 2005 4:51:20 GMT 12.75
Your right Tom, the older boars can really put on the stink. That's why we boil them first outdoors with some taters seasonings and stuff in the water. After they are just about done you stick 'em in the smoker or on the grill. They come out pretty good. Other than that, we just turn them into sausage. The younger ones go straight to the smoker or grill. Sounds like you have some real places there. We can hunt themyear round no limit on private property here. The WMA's allow hunting for them during any other legal season.
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Post by Toby Benoit on Dec 24, 2005 7:52:39 GMT 12.75
Hey guys, I'm going to try something out. I'm gonna put a bottle of sow-n-heat in a scrape dripper and see if it'll hold any boar in the area.
A WMA is opening for eight days beginning tomorrow and I'll put a couple of drippers out and hunt them next week. I'll let ya' know how I do.
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Post by Brikatw on Dec 24, 2005 10:33:11 GMT 12.75
cool n2. I'll be waiting to hear
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Post by Toby Benoit on Feb 10, 2006 13:08:36 GMT 12.75
Update on the scrape drippers filled with sow-n-heat.
It works, although I didn't hunt over them or get a kill. I went back to check on them after having forgotten about putting it out.
The tree was chewed to pieces from boars hookin' it and the ground underneath and all around was torn up!
I think I'll hunt them like that. I'm cinvinced that's a way to draw them big tuskers out!
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