Wild hogs can be a fierce and nasty-tempered animal if cornered, wounded, or protecting their young. Planning your hog hunt carefully is important in keeping safe and helping to guarantee your success in harvesting hogs. They are a wary quarry for almost any hunter and often are shot by deer hunters as a matter of chance, being in the right place at the right time.

Hogs rely mostly on their sense of smell; always approach from downwind or if on a stand, hunt them like you would deer. Many hog hunters use scent control just like deer hunting to minimize their scent so hogs do not detect their presence on stand or stalk. Don’t ever underestimate their senses of hearing and eyesight as most of them hear and see better than hunters give them credit for, which they rapidly turn to their advantage. I would recommend hunting with a hunting partner especially if night hunting to keep them from getting to close to your stand if hunting from the ground. Use a well-equipped light gathering scoped rifle at night in order to make a good killing shot.

The weapon you use can be varied depending on the style of hog hunting you are doing. Generally, a powerful rifle is needed in most incidents like a .270 caliber and above with heavier bullets in the 200 grain range. You may also use a shotgun, muzzleloader, or pistol if equipped with heavy penetrating adequate bullets, sabots or slugs. Hogs have been killed with smaller weapons in ideal conditions, but not penetrating to the vitals can get you an angry wounded hog which could be a danger to you or other people in the woods. Bow hunters often hunt from tree stands to get closer to the animal to make a double lung shot with a penetrating razor sharp broad head. Many hog hunters carry a backup pistol or revolver if separated from their primary weapon as a safety measure.

Shot placement is critical due to their durable frame, heavy muscles, scar tissue on the shoulders, and the deep penetration needed to reach the vitals. Most hog hunters swear by the center broadside neck shot. Usually the shot will hit the spine or several of main veins and arteries in the neck that feed and drain the brain. This shot either puts the hog down in its tracks or it runs a short distance with an easy blood trail to follow. Shots quartering away aiming for the opposite shoulder are more difficult but with the proper weapon and bullet it can be attempted, many a dead hog has been the result. Do not take a shot if the hog is quartering towards you or facing directly away as this usually results in a wounded hog. Brain shots can be taken if the hog is below a hunter like in a tree stand or the hog is charging due to being wounded previously or just mad. Remember a hog is like a cape buffalo and lifts its snout to look at you and thus flattens the angle of the brain shot if you are standing on the ground facing them. If a hog comes for you and you attempt the brain shot, aim between the ears and drive your bullet down through his skull and if your shot is high you still may break his neck vertebrae or cause spinal shock knocking the hog down for a quick finishing shot. That is why heavy bullets are recommended for these shock absorbing heavy tough animals. Take a good rest and make that first shot count and be ready for a fast second shot if the hog gets to their feet.

Utilize a blind to help ensure a successful hog hunt. A good hog box blind which should be camouflaged into its environment allows a hunter to muffle sounds he makes and helps reduce a hunter’s odor. Ensure that the floor of the blind is sound proofed with scent reduced carpet and the walls need to be painted black inside to assist in hiding the hunter. The blind should be at least 5 feet in the air or higher to get the hunter’s scent above the hogs. The best blinds should have 4 windows that open and close quietly to allow for maximum visibility in shooting and keeping the hunter’s scent reduced. Lastly, construct your box blind so it can be easily moved to another location with the minimum of effort and time.

Scout for several days to mark potential stand sites for your blind and then choose carefully based on sign like tracks, wallows, rubs and main trails going to feeding areas used by hogs. Remember, hogs often travel great distances from area to area and may not spend a long amount of time in an area of even heavy sign. There are tricks you can employ to increase your chances of hog sightings and keeping them in your blind area longer.

Make a hog heaven or improve habitat for them by creating nesting areas for the sows by piling up large brush piles for them to birth their young under in your blind area. Create supplemental feeding stations for them, food plots, and plant additional mast trees for shade and another food variety, place creosote timbers or oiled timbers for them to rub on, and create water and wallow areas to keep them cool. To keep your creosote log fresh place old axle grease or motor oil to recharge and replenish the post. The odor of this post will attract hogs from great distances to rub and rid themselves of vermin that gets on and into their skin. If using feeding stations in your blind area, equip with a solar night feeder light to allow you to see them, place your shots more accurately, and get the hogs accustomed to the light at night. This is all you will need with a good 50mm rifle scope for night hunting as the feeder light will ensure enough light for you to make your shots. If using a bait station in the ground, dig a hole with pole diggers first and pour your bait down the hole so that the hogs have to dig to get at the bait. This keeps them in the area longer fighting and competing over the bait in the hole.

Another trick is to create a roll barrel about 33 gallon size and fill with shelled corn, drill ½ holes (10-30 holes in the sides of the barrel) to allow corn to trickle out when the hogs move the barrel, attach the barrel to a stout tree with a heavy rope or cable with a swivel or ring on one end to allow the barrel to roll but not twist up the line securing it to the tree. Place the barrel on an incline if possible to not let it set in a mud puddle etc. and allow drainage after a rain storm. Sprinkle flavored instant Jell-O favors of cherry, berry, fruit punch etc. to help the hogs find the barrel sooner. Finally, the remaining hog attractant is similar to a deer scent drip dispenser but last longer. Get a 1-2 inch PVC pipe about 12 inches long and cement one end cap on to prevent leakage. Drill a hole in the second cap slightly smaller than the diameter of a 6” piece of nylon cord. Don’t glue this cap on as it has to be removable for refilling with sow-in-heat scent. Fill with sow-in-heat scent place the second cap on with the nylon cord and secure cap with duct tape to prevent leakage or spillage from gravity. Place this PVC bomb on a limb or post and secure with heavy wire and duct tape to hold in place high enough so boars do not rip out nylon cord or tear the PVC from its post etc.

Hog’s aren’t fussy eaters and eat plant and animal matter with relish indiscriminately. Vegetables or tubers in the ground are heavy favorites of hogs along with deer food plots and must be fenced off to protect them unless you are using them for bait to attract the hogs. There are dozens of hog recipes used by hunters to attract wild feral hogs to their blind locations and I will not bother to go into any detail about these time honored successful bait formulas.

Lastly, hunt with a buddy for safety and good common sense. Hogs can weigh up to 200 pounds or better and dragging one out that size by yourself is not recommended. By taking the animal out whole instead of quartering it helps keep your meat clean before processing can be done under more controlled conditions. The buddy system allows you to drive separately and assists in saving walking by spotting vehicles and helps in the loading of the harvest also. There is much more to learn in the fine art of hog hunting but I hope this primer assists you in getting started. Remember when turkey and deer hunting season is closed, hogs are available in most areas to keep your hunting skills sharp and your enjoyment of the outdoors fulfilled.

By Brad Gordon

Brad “Hawghunter65” Gordon began at the tender age of eight years old with a .22, rabbit and squirrel hunting with his father on their family farm.  He was lucky enough to add pheasants and finally deer to his list of quarries during his teenage years of life.  In his fifties, he also began turkey hunting after Michigan began a exchange program of Canadian geese for wild eastern turkeys from Alabama.   Brad’s passion in hunting is equally divided between trophy mature bucks and big boss gobblers that roam his current hunting grounds.  He is married with five grown children and 5 grandchildren.  His hobbies besides hunting are fishing for bluegills, growing food plots, and the game of golf.