Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Bowhunting Hunting in the dark

I have night hunted for 40 years -fox calling as a teen in the 70's.

Night time hog hunting in Florida is a common thing -they rarely come out until late at night at our lease -most of the "night hunters" are gone by 10p and the hogs have adapted to that.
I have a cool set-up at my lease spot ---we have our own area nobody else comes onto your spot--- I built a shooting house that's 7' off the ground -legs 1' in the ground treated 4x4's and is 8'x8' square 7' headroom .

I use a motion detecting/solar powered 60 LED light actually three of them now and a texas boars 60yd. too 120yd. light . It has two green and one red lense .The motion light is to alert me that I have a customer.

Hogs will get smart when hunted quite a bit -I've seen them 60 yards away at the feeder -they will not snort -fight or make a peep and will listen for the slightest sound . If I make a peep they walk away and won't come back that night.

Early in the night I like to reduce the number of coons/possums with a bow -from a hang-on treestand -20-25yards shots.

Here's a list of some ideas & stuff I use .

We have bear problems -they tear down the feeders and rip open the motor etc. ruining them.
If you have trees like we do I hang a cheap walmart hang-on stand -$38 sale price- about 10' up -cut a small hole in the foot platform -put a 31 gallon galvanized trashcan on the platform with hole in bottom -funnel and thrower mounted to bottom.
Wrap tree with aluminum roofing flashing so bear can't climb tree. It will hold 150lbs of corn .
I have three of them going -it keeps big boars from running other hogs off and 450lbs. of corn will last a month.
I can kill one or two pigs off that much corn if I want to .

Lights -look at harbor freight for Bunker Hill- 60 led motion solar light -only $34 locally here , $59 @ amazon.
I put green cellophane over the light or red -white will work too but they have to get use to it.

Texas boars -go to their site.

Another good set-up is a roll barrel - google "olive barrel" . Many farm feed stores have them for feed storage .
The barrel will have a large diameter lid so it is easy to pour 50lb. sack of corn in .
Tie the barrel off between trees or an overhead limb so that it can't be wrapped around anything -put a swivel or two on the rope. Drill small holes in the barrel so that a few kernels of corn come out each time it's rolled . Hogs will learn how to use it immediately -have a motion light or two on it .
Also a small bell or a can with a rock in it -that way you can hear them rolling the barrel getting corn.
Hogs sometimes get in a feeding frenzy with these barrels -they roll it and eat the kernels that came out -another hog will roll it and do the same . They'll scurry around wanting to be behind the barrel to get the corn then the barrel will roll side ways and they keep going and going .

If the wind is still or not switching around this is a great way to stalk the roll barrel feeder area in the dark . They make a lot of noise when 6-8 hogs are playing roll the corn dispenser and seem to drop their guard - I have arrowed one hog doing this .
Very exciting sneaking up a step at a time -I move pretty fast in order to keep the wind from changing - but once I stand fully up and take a deep breath and picked the target -motion light goes off -hogs move light comes on draw and shoot.
I've had the wind turn on me twice and lost my opportunity that's a bummer after driving 65 miles to the lease -mostly use rifle now.

I agree JJHack -night hunting is a lot of fun .