Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Hogs are getting hungry

Now that deer season is over, we are targeting the pigs directly. I snapped a few camera-phone photos the other day when we were baiting up.

This was just a 2.5' deep post-hole full of corn a few days earlier. My 3yr old could bathe in that hole now. You can see the box stand about 150yds back. I've got to do something about that horrid mint-green paint.





Here's one of our tripod feeders and the preferred method for filling it up. We back up the Tacoma underneath and use the short stepladder or just stand on the bedrails.




It's somewhat of a pain, but the taller solid-pipe legs get the feeder unit up high enough to keep bears from tearing it off. Also, the green posts and u-bolts keep the hogs from bumping the legs and spraddling them out, which will eventually dump the feeder. It's hard to tell, but all the legs on this feeder are suspended in mid-air, held up only by the posts and u-bolts, as the pigs have rooted holes around each leg. They are not as dumb as you might think. That pine plantation has game trails running through it like cattle have been feeding in there.

Then next step is some lighting on the feeders, as my daughters and I had 5 or 6 big black beasties come to that feeder Friday night, just past dark. We could hear them snuffling and grunting at the feeder, but it was just too late and dark to bring home any bacon. Anybody found an inexpensive (under $125) lighting setup that they like? I'd think that the motion lights would likely be a better bet for us, as we only hunt them once or twice a week and it would seem that a constantly "on" light would spook them when they see it only occasionally.

Go to Lowes and get some of the cheap solar driveway lights and put two of them on t post about 4 foot off the ground about 8 foot or so on each side of the feeder. they get used to them very quick and they give off plenty light to shoot. They will burn for 8-10 hours at night. I've been using them for several years now and had good luck with them. The last I bought come 4 to the box for 39.00

That certainly falls in the "inexpensive" category. I may give that a try soon. Cheap enough to be able to replace broken ones also.

Those pesky rascals can sure dig a hole.

Couple of ideas from TX:
Cattle panels flat on the ground underneath the feeder and legs will keep them from rooting up the legs and making a hole under the feeder.

A barrel with good lid and small holes in sides tethered (I-bolt in center of bottom of barrel) to a post by chain makes a good hog attractor without having a big hole in your food plot. As they roll it round and round to shake the corn out of the holes, it keeps them busy and corn lasts a little longer.

Lights do not scare the hogs. I have seen them many times under lights. But I prefer to hunt the moonlit nights.

I like the stands to blend into the trees for my benefit. Deer don't care. I mix extra paint and add black. Main benefit is to keep that stand waterproofed.

Attach some dead pig photos!

stumpy

You can also make a simple trap with cattle panels. Use four t-posts for corners but instead of making it a perfect square put the final t-post inside a foot or two so that the last cattle panel extends past it. Secure all the panels to the posts except for the last one. Leave it only attached at the far end. Bend that one disconnected side of the cattle panel inside the pen. It will curve inside the pen while pressing (as a spring) against the perpendicular wall. The hogs will force through panel to get to the bait and it will spring shut behind them. They will not be able to push it out past the post to free themselves. Make sense ? Bad drawing of it here:

You get the idea. Just don't be cruel and make sure not to leave it 'engaged' if not going to return same day. I left it with the trap section open and fed for some time before springing it . This is a smallish trap but of course you can make it bigger.

Sure glad we don't have feral hogs here.....

Hunting hogs on someone else's ranch is fun. Having them on your own ranch is a pain in the tail.
We are all about protecting the coming fawns and quail nests right now. That means killing every big hog we can.

stumpy

Guys, I appreciate all the good ideas so far.

The solar lights do work, but as far as your stand is from the feeder, a good red light system powered by 12v might be better. Texas Boars (Google it) has good lights for around the upper end of your price. Right now all the hog activity on my place is after dark, so lights are pretty necessary. Roll barrels and pig pipes work real well. Barrels hold enough corn to last a lot longer - they'll empty a pipe overnight. With the corn in a posthole, you can just about get them to dig a pond for you. I pour used fish cooking grease on it for favor, had them eat palmettos with grease on the leaves. I also dump all my shrimp heads and fish bones out for the pigs. Seem to be lots of pigs being born around now, keeping the hogs in the thickets and out of sight.

Nice Tacoma!Bet them Hogs are some good eating!

We use the same driveway lights on posts and they work great. Position them right around the feeder and you can see fine with optics and or crossbow hunting optics with aluminated recticles.

Scatter feeders or any feeder on a timer work nicely. We set them to go off twice a day, about an hour after sunrise and a couple hours before sunset. The hogs learn the pattern quickly and usually come in like clockwork once the feeder goes off. We hang them about 15-20 feet from the ground with steel cable from a pulley and run the cable down to a winch attached to the tree trunk. That way we can just lower the feeder to refill and then hoist it back up with the winch. Good luck on your depredation efforts! They're a big problem down here as well.

Take a good cordless spotlight. Possibly a partner to hold it while u shoot. If your far enough they won't run before you drop one. Or you could just use a corded spotlight from the Tacoma. Unless they are heavily hunted you should be successful. Not sure what the rules are over there but in TX they are targets of opportunity. To be shot on sight with any means possible. Lol.
Good luck.

Hunted hogs quickly become nocturnal over here.
One hour after daylight or before dark we seldom see a hog around the feeders.
Deer and squirrels love the pig free times.
Hard part for me is staying long enough after dark. Too boring for me when I can't see very much except the feeder. That is the reason I prefer clear, full moon nights. Lots of stuff out there to see after dark away from the feeders.

stumpy

I also hear that red or green transparent plastic sheeting taped over the front of your spotlight helps prevent spooking game if you light them up at night? We can spotlight them here in Louisiana now.

Hogs are new to me living up here in MN. Do they eat the fawns?

Omnivores like a bear. They are perfect for finding new fawns because they run in packs, covering large areas of fields while rooting and have great noses. Turkey nests and newborn fawns are great snacks.
Unlike a coyote or bobcat, they eat the entire carcass and therefore no evidence of the fawn's killer.
I personally have seen hogs eating dead deer on three occasions.
http://wildpiginfo.msstate.edu/threats-wildlife-wild-pigs.html
http://agrilife.org/texnatwildlife/feral-hogs/the-ecological-impacts-of-feral-swine/
http://agrilife.org/texnatwildlife/feral-hogs/depredation-problems-involving-feral-hogs/

stumpy

Thanks Stumpy

Thats incredible. I never realized how destructive they are. I would love to help with your problem! A little trigger time would be fun shooting mrs piggy. I like the idea of the driveway lights. I have also heard that the red light does not spook them.

Jpro-

You going 168 BT on them hogs out of the 308?