When do hogs move the most?

Kizmo

New member
To make a long story short, yesterday there was a 4 hour hole in our ever-present rain in the middle of the afternoon, so I hit the woods. I usually still hunt/stalk, but the spot where I usually stalk is now completely overgrown with smilax, wild grape and Japanese climbing fern from all this rain. You can't see more than 10 yards in most directions. Of course, this is hog central. Anyway, at 4:00 PM I set up outside the fence around this area at a mudhole that had about 1000 fresh tracks. After sitting there for 2 hours, I heard a grunt less than 50 yards away in the woods. I found a trail and walked to within 10 feet of 5 bedded down hogs under a big mess of wild grape. I heard them getting up and even got down on my belly trying to see under all that undergrowth, but all I could see was movement as they sauntered away. As I came out of the woods in disgust, I looked at my weather app to check on the progress of the next storm heading my way, I noted that the "feels like" temp was 105.

Anyway, I'm getting frustrated with these hogs holing up in this little chunk of jungle in the middle of my property. I don't have any dogs and don't know anyone who does, so I'm pretty much relying on them moving/feeding to get them. I only hunt the place once a week at most, so there's not a lot of pressure. BTW, night hunting is legal in Georgia.

When do you guys see the most hog feeding activity?
 
Maybe you could "clear" some spots or shooting lanes with some Roundup. Since I don't know when fall starts and leaves drop...it might be a little late in the year to be worthwhile.
 
I have found one of the best times to catch them in the open is after a good rain, they seem to really hit the fields and pastures to root for grubs and such while the ground is soft, and yes at night for the most part after the heat of the day has subsided, you might try salting a field with corn if there are no cattle around , pretty common trick in these parts to salt a field then come back a few days later and bust hogs, spread it far and wide the will hunt for each piece of corn and stay in the open longer

I have a new feeder and camera up now and during my scouting noticed a lot of wild grapes and looks like it will be a good crop of acorns this fall, this will result in the hogs being scattered more if there is an abundance of water. Resulting in more spot and stalk hog hunts than hunting over feeders or wallows.

good luck
 
I don't know how much help it is to you, but I've been following the USDA feral swine guidelines. Namely, hogs have a fairly high body temperature and they don't sweat to regulate their temperature as do some other mammals. Every hog I've killed this year has been within a few hundred yards of a creek, pond or some body of water and none has been killed between the hours of 10:00 A.M. and 6:00 P.M.

I've followed a few into some thickets as dense as any equatorial jungle, but without dogs, it's been a wasted effort.

Any time there's been a substantial amount of human activity, the hogs have simply changed their routines and area of activity. The most recent hogs I've killed (described in another thread) were killed in a hay meadow. I've seen beaucoup hog activity over the past six years in that one pasture, killed a spotted boar there in May and a gilt and a sow there in June. Hay was cut near the beginning of July and the hogs ceased activity in that area until about two weeks ago. I haven't baited any or planted any sort of food plots for anything.
 
We see most activity at night in hot weather. The rain holds them in fields a little longer after daylight if it is overcast, and they'll walk some during and right after the rain, especially the big boars.
I have noticed that midday in hot weather we will see a number of hogs walking the logging rds and open areas in the woods, kind of a secondary activity period. First noticed this when we'd go to check feeders after lunch and run into hogs. Maybe it's just too darn hot for them to sleep!
Dogs will run them out of thick stuff, but unless its rainy and cool like the last few days here in Georgia, the dogs can't hunt long or they'll overheat.
Night vision equip and/or dogs at night work well to get these pigs. Scattering corn helps pull them out for a shot but may also encourage them to stay in your area. Might be counterproductive if you are trying to get rid of them, especially if you can't hunt them hard.
By the way, you'd be amazed at how even a single little dog will distract and bay these pigs to allow a shot. Feists, rat terriers, jack russells, and little mutts will make the hogs get up, but they won't always run from a single little dog if they haven't been dog hunted much, they just stand there and look at him like he's no threat. My buddy's little squirrel dog will bay several a year, and he goes easing in looking up for a squirrel........ it's hilarious!
 
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That is the perfect situation for calling hogs. wind in your favor. If they hear you and the wind is right they will come.
 
Wow, that's a lot of good information. There's definitely plenty of opportunity to hunt after a rain. Problem is, my place is an hour from my house and sometimes lately it starts raining in the afternoon and doesn't quit until midnight. I'm definitely trying to eradicate them or run them off, since there's 1000 or so cows on the place and they are about to start calving. Need to get the hogs gone so I can focus on the yotes.

NcWhitetail-I had thought about getting a weed whacker out there and clearing some lanes. Earlier this summer, before our monsoonal rains, the hog trails themselves were pretty clear. Now, the vegetation is a canopy over the trails and you can barely walk them. I told the rancher that he MUST get a good burn in this particular block of woods this winter, so hopefully that will clear things up.

impactzone-this particular patch of woods and the adjacent small pasture has no cows in it. I may try a little salting to see if I can pull them out. The patch of woods they are in is 90+% pines and there is little food in there. It is primarily a bedding area. There is definitely an abundance of water now. I used to average 2-3 hogs a day just by stalking the mudholes. I had my circuit that covered them all. Now, the whole [beeep] 2400 acres is a mudhole.

Bricktop-I had good luck in this block before the monsoons. We stalked up and killed 7 in one bedding area there back in February, and it didn't become impossible to see until about a month ago. Nice to know it isn't just me.

canuroper-good point about the heat and dogs. I had forgotten we nearly killed my buddy's drahthaar quail hunting in the heat one year. Unfortunately, the dog has since died.

guess-I have some hog feeding sounds on my FoxPro. I read a thread you posted about calling hogs awhile back. I may give that a try, along with a little "salt". I'm definitel going to get out there one night this weekend if the monsoons stop.

Thanks everybody!
 
Hogs have core areas and it sounds like you found one. If there is no water in that area, go early in the morning just after day light. They will get a drink and wallow before bedding down for the day in their safe haven. Catch them on the way to that spot.
 
There's so much water down here I have to wear rubber boots everywhere I go.

However, sounds like this waterhole I found with all the tracks, which is literally 40 yards from a bedding area, just might be the ticket for an early morning hunt.
 
Well, I put out 100 pounds of corn Thursday and spent Saturday morning calling with soft feeding sounds. Nuttin'. Then I went to the south fenceline and it looked like they had used a backhoe down there.

You know, for something I don't really even enjoy hunting, these damned pigs have gotten me talking to myself.
 
They can be frustrating, but they are my favorites to hunt these days. I'll give you a shout after deer season and see if you need help shooting a few. Stay after them!
 
Made me a rub tree at the south fence yesterday. Wrapped burlap around a tree and soaked it in diesel. Didn't have any burnt motor oil but will put some on there today. Set up 40 yards uphill of it.

Not 10 minutes later, the smallest coyote I've ever seen in my life walks up less than 10 yards from me. Thought it was a screwed up red fox at first. All I had was my .454 with .260 grain Fusions. Would have rained coyote all afternoon if I'd shot him.

So, when I coyote hunt, I see hogs. When I hog hunt, I see coyotes.

My kerfrattamator evidently needs re-calibrating.
 
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Happened again last night. No hogs. On the way out, 2 coyotes. One so close I couldn't find it in the scope until it was just a rear end disappearing into the briars. I did manage to let one fly one handed while I held the light with the other. My buddy thought I singed his butt with the muzzle blast and swears, for a split second, he could see the coyotes' skeleton like an X-ray.

At least I know I can one hand a .454 Casull and not get knocked out.

Kerfrattamator definitely needs re-calibrating.
 
I went hunting Saturday afternoon with a Buddy and I killed one and shot another in the Butte. Saw around 30. We walked the same woods just yards apart and he never saw one.
 
Well, that's depressing daddyflea.

Well, I got my rubbing tree all soaked with diesel and burnt motor oil. Also deposited 100 pounds of corn and 2 1/2 gallons of molasses in the waterhole next to it. Going to get there before daylight tomorrow. Y'all wish me luck.
 
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