7 Essential Hog Hunting Tips And Tricks For Beginners

Over the past few decades population of Feral Hogs has increased exponentially, and as a result of the hunting community now has a new favorite game to hunt, you guessed it.

With the sudden and abnormal rise in the hog population, it has led to an imbalance in our ecosystem. So, hog hunting is technically being considered as a type of favor towards Mother Nature.

In this article, we aim to provide 7 essential hog hunting tips for beginners to help them get started.

Note

As you know feral hogs are potentially dangerous creatures when they are attacked or cornered, they tend to get quite aggressive.

Needless to say, you can't be careless around them, if you plan on avoiding any injuries.

Learn How to Track A Feral

Ferals are no exception when it comes to tracking them, although there are a couple of unique ways in which they leave their tracks.

For instance, if you happen to cross a pond look for disturbed soil area near it, as they naturally lack sweat glands, they dig up soil near a water resource and use it as a bathtub.

Also, make sure that you are well versed with the distinct nature of a feral track.

Be Quiet (like really quiet)

Not just a good sense of smell ferals also have a keen sense of hearing, so activities like sneezing, coughing, even your rifle sound can give away your position.

So yeah, you gotta be quiet.

Stalking Carefully

A veteran hunter knows how to stalk, if you have hunted before then by using those same hunting principles you can hunt hogs as well. 

Even though they have an excellent sense of hearing and smell, their eyesight is relatively poor which gives you an advantage. Nevertheless, they are still quite intelligent so don't make the mistake of underestimating them.

Word of advice; try to maintain some distance between yourself and your game, that way you won’t end up giving up your position.

Where to shoot?

This is actually quite important, once you have your feral in your sight, the next obvious thing that you have to do is shoot. But where?

As a neophyte you must know about ferals anatomy, an unsuccessful shot would either put your life in jeopardy, or the feral might just run away.

So, for a fatal shot, you either have to aim for the heart (just above the elbow), or the lungs (few inches behind the shoulder).

There's a humane way as well, for that you have to aim for the brain (behind the ear).

Use Ammunitions

Ferals have thick skin and high-density bones, which are strong enough to render weak bows or bullets useless.

If you hope to take down a hog with a single shot, then opt for those ammunitions which can penetrate through such feral defenses.

Choose A Populated Area

One sure way to increase your success rate is by choosing those places where they have a high population.  As of now, there are 3 such states Florida, Louisiana, and Texas. 

Since these areas have an ever-increasing population, the state is bound to have some leniency when it comes to hunting them.

Make Use of Scents and Call Devices

The tried and tested method in the hunting arena is the use of scents and calls, the latter is available in the stores. Males are attracted when you use a call that imitates a female`s voice, sows are attracted upon hearing a distress call of piglets.

As for the scents, ferals are particularly drawn towards the smell of molasses and berries, you can either make your own, or you can buy a readily available baiting scent from a store.

While we are on this subject, you also need to mask your own scent, like I mentioned before hogs have a heightened sense of smell.

To achieve that you have to avoid deodorants, colognes, detergents, etc. most importantly wash your hunting appraisals thoroughly with hot water and baking soda.

Conclusion

If you have never been on a hog hunt before we hope that with these 7 essential tips, you feel confident enough to venture out in the wild and bring home some bacon.

So, happy hunting...!