Pigs

[parishioner]

So after no pigs for 5 years on our property, we checked one of our cameras last night and counted 15+ pigs in a plot. I've heard they can really tear shit up and I have no experience in dealing with them. I'll be damned if they tear up the land we just bush-hogged and planted. Too much time and money.

How have you dealt with them?

Traps?

AR-15 time?

I know in Mississippi which is where I'm located, you can hunt them at night.

Really wish I had a NOD and a suppressor right about now.

[n517rv]

Sounds like a good opportunity to test the terminal ballistics of 223/5.56.

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[parishioner]

Sounds like a good opportunity to test the terminal ballistics of 223/5.56.

Sent from my Sprint EVO via Tapatalk

Yea, that was my initial thought. I guess I'm more interested in successful tactics like what time of day, calls, bait, long range shooting, up close ect...

[n517rv]

I wish I could say I have a lot of experience with piggys, but I don't. I've been trying to find a place to use my 6.8 in MO for months, but to no avail.

I do know you need to check with your local dept of wildlife if you haven't already. I live in KS and they are illegal to shoot, but right across the border in MO it is "shoot on sight" with no hunting license required. Weird.

There is a lot of information on hog hunting on the 6.8 forums, you might want to check that out.

Best of luck getting rid of them.

[liaisons]

They're fun to hunt, but they do a lot of damage to land/crops. Your best bet is a combination of hunting them and trapping them. It seems like they go nocturnal once you start shooting at them. You can always put lights on your feeders to shoot them in the night - although night vision makes things easier.. and fun!

If you're looking to recover the hogs for meat, then I'd recommend the 62gr or 70gr Barnes TSX (.223/5.56 AR). They aren't cheap, but they'll stop them in their tracks. The Winchester 64gr PP is a good alternative.. at a lower price.

Lookout because they reproduce really fast!

[swsmailman]

Even though the picture was taken at night, I got this one on 10/14/11 at around 6:00pm, sun was just starting to go down, shot it with 55gr FMJ at about 50 Yards he jumped a little and ran for about 30 yards and then dropped. This is in Texas also, so temp was about 80ish.

Before I shot this one, I counted about 14 others including about 4 hoglets. Only reason I even heard this group was because two big males were fighting in some heavy growth and the rest started moving.

If you know a location about where they are bedding down at, I would say to put up a tripod feeder and put some corn in it, and then underneath it put some smelly food product to attract them to that feeder. If you can set up a camera facing the feeder that would help to learn the times they go to it. Then just set up with some friends an hour or so before they come and wait for them to come up.

If you can, take out the sow's first, helps to keep them from reproducing.

Makes me really want a suppressor and some night vision equipment...

[J-Dub]

If you really want to get rid of them, start trapping.

If you want to have fun, shoot them.

[parishioner]

I guess a combo of trapping and shooting with more emphasis on trapping would be best if trapping is the more effective. I'm sure they're fun to shoot but I really just want them gone asap so we can focus on deer.

About how close can you get to them before they run off? Is it possible to take more than one at a time once the element of surprise is given up? I know deer do that from time to time if they are in a group as they aren't aware of whats happening. Sometimes you can get two.

Would you recommend a scope over a red dot on the AR?

[anatolian B]

Hogs are a big problem here in Texas. Many folks have been convinced they need a "hog light" or night vision to be successful hunting at night. I have found a SureFire with a red lens cover is plenty of light for the alignment of my Trijicon front sight bead on my AR. You can also get a red cover for a spotlight so as to nail three or four at a time when working with a partner.
As you mentioned trapping is very effect. It can be somewhat labor intensive after a while, but it works. You can find hog traps at all of the local hardware stores, that’s how prevalent the problem is here. Happy hunting!

[lethal dose]

one of the greatest hunts in america is feral hog hunting with a revolver.