Everything you need to know to consistently harvest hogs and fight against
rapidly expanding populations that need to be kept in check.
If
you’ve ever had any dealings with feral hogs, then you already know that these
stocky and hard-nosed critters can be very destructive animals when populations
are left unchecked. Excessive rooting and trampling activity for food can
inflict major damage to natural habitat. Hogs also carry a variety of diseases
and compete directly with livestock and other wildlife species for food. In
fact, a large group of hogs are fully capable of wiping out both natural and
agricultural food sources within a short period of time.
Plus, they’re
prolific breeders, very adaptable and almost impossible to fully eradicate from
any given area. At the end of the day, expanding hog populations are extremely
detrimental to your game management practices, and can prevent you from reaching
your long and short-term goals. This is exactly why you have a responsibility as
a hunter to help manage and control hog populations. The following high-impact
tips and hunting strategies will provide you with the knowledge and skills
needed to consistently bring home the bacon this season!
Food
Preferences & Habits
Feral hogs are classified as being
omnivorous animals, which means they will eat both plant and animal matter. In
other words, hogs are opportunistic feeders and will consume almost anything.
Foods include roots, tubers, grasses, forbs, fruits, bulbs, mushrooms,
agricultural plants and mast such as acorns. They also have no problem dining on
a variety of insects, reptiles, amphibians, birds, mammals and even dead
carcasses. Prime feeding periods generally occur after dark, but hogs are also
active during the twilight hours and sometimes throughout the day according to
current weather conditions.
As mentioned earlier, feral hogs are very
adaptable and can survive in numerous habitats and terrains. For the most part,
hogs prefer rich bottomlands that contain rivers, creeks, swamps and drainages.
However, they can also be found living inside of moist pine forests, vast
sections of hardwoods timber, thickets and just about any place that provides
dense vegetation and water. During periods of hot weather, feral hogs enjoy
wallowing in cool mud holes that are located close to thick or protective
cover.
Scouting & Patterning
Like most game
animals, daily patterns and routines of feral hogs are primarily going to be
based on current food sources and access to cover. Their home range is generally
less than 6,000 acres, but it can expand to more than 60,000 acres depending on
the availability of food and cover. Once they’ve located a consistent food
source, hogs will often congregate and feed until the source is exhausted or no
longer available. In most cases, you’ve hit the jackpot when you can locate a
heavily used feeding area that offers quick and easy access to protective
cover.
Other signs to look for are wallowing, rooting, rubs, or
worn-trails and crossings. Muddy wallows are fairly easy to identify and often
used by hogs to simply cool off. However, building up a protective covering of
mud on their skin also helps them combat both biting insects and direct
sunlight. Rubs are made when hogs scratch themselves on trees, fence posts, and
rocks, which typically leave behind obvious signs such as mud streaks and hair.
You should also search for areas where hogs have been rooting. These locations
are easy to recognize, because it looks like someone or something has plowed up
the ground and left behind numerous deep holes and craters.
Within
high-traffic areas, you should also find numerous tracks, patches of rubbed off
hair and piles of scat or droppings. Hog tracks are somewhat similar to deer
tracks in appearance, but their toes are more rounded and wider in comparison to
overall length. The hair is unlike any other animal and will usually be stuck to
tree trunks, stumps, or boulders. Hog scat or droppings almost look like small
piles of calf manure, and will often be found spread out across several
locations. One of the fastest ways to pinpoint hogs is to rely upon a network of
game cameras to cover key locations. Monitoring current food sources, wallowing
holes, and heavily worn trails or crossings can take the guesswork out of where
and when to hunt.
Deadly Hunting Strategies
There
are a variety of techniques that can be utilized to hunt hogs and manage overall
numbers. However, it’s important to note that feral hogs are very intelligent
and sometimes hard to handle, especially if they have been exposed to periods of
intense hunting pressure. Deer hunting tactics such as strategically positioning
a tree stand over high-traffic areas and food sources can be very productive.
Your game-cam surveillance should tell you what locations are red-hot and when
to hunt a particular setup. In states where legal, creating bait-stations or
hanging a timed feeder will really crank up the action. With a timed feeder, you
can actually dictate key feeding periods, which enables you to be in the right
stand at the right time.
In addition, spot and stalk techniques are also
lethal, and this technique adds a new level of excitement to the hunt. Glassing
food source and high-traffic areas from a safe distance and using the terrain to
move in close on unsuspecting hogs can be very challenging. In states where
legal, hunting hogs with a spotlight at night can definitely generate some
action-packed hunts. The trick is to target current food sources and open
feeding areas that hogs generally visit after dark. Hogs are very active at
night and this can be one of the best times to target them. Just make sure you
understand and follow all hunting laws, rules and regulations.
If you
really want to turn things up a notch or two, then try going with someone who
owns several well-trained dogs. Listening and watching the dogs work is special
and unique in itself. Once the dogs have a hog locked down, you basically get
front-row seats to a show that will kick your adrenalin into maximum overdrive.
Witnessing just one of these ultimate showdowns firsthand will get in your blood
and make you want to see it again and again. Regardless of what strategy you
prefer, hog hunting can be very addictive and challenging. Plus, it gives you
something to do during the off-season, and allows you to help manage expanding
populations.
When hunting feral hogs, it’s important to note that these
critters have super thick skin, which serves as a protective layer of heavy-duty
armor. This means you really need to hunt with a .243 or larger caliber (we
recommend a .270 caliber or greater) when targeting hogs. Handguns,
muzzle-loaders and bows are also fun to use during any type of hog hunt. Another
good piece of advice is to try going with an experienced hog hunter and pay
close attention to their hunting tactics and techniques. Undoubtedly, this is
one of the most effective ways to master the art of hog hunting within a short
period of time. If an opportunity presents itself, be sure to give one or all of
these deadly hunting strategies a try this season and bring home the bacon
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And thanks to Code Blue for lettting me repost this story.
Question and Comments:
Shelby Byrd
alakingfish@gmail.com
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