USA: My First Hog

[John Camp]

This was fun. I had the wind and a sandy service road so I took advantage of both. I startled a coyote 2/3 of the way there, so I knew I was going to surprise any animals in the creek bottom. There were about 30 pigs in this sounder. Eight were big sows and the rest offspring. Most were on private land (which I can not hunt). Four, including the sow I took, were on the WMA. I got to about 75 yards and waited a few minutes for a shot. When I saw her shoulder I took it. She ran with the rest but dropped in some nasty mud at about 30 yards. I am really starting to like the combination of the Tikka T3x in .270 win and those cheap PPU soft points.

 

[Ridge Runner]

Congrats on your first piggy.

 

[cpr0312]

Congrats and thanks for sharing!

 

[Shootist43]

Hunting hogs is an absolute blast. They are very destructive to agricultural fields. Have you tried asking the farmers / landowners for permission to hunt hogs on their property?

 

[John Camp]

Hunting hogs is an absolute blast. They are very destructive to agricultural fields. Have you tried asking the farmers / landowners for permission to hunt hogs on their property?

I have not, but I was already researching to identify the land owners. We don't yet have the hog problem in West Georgia they have in other areas. Still, I would think some of the land owners would not mind if I removed a few from their side of the line. A lot of the bordering property, however, is leased by a couple of large hunting clubs. I doubt they would allow it.

 

[BigSteve57]

Nice porker! WARNING: you might find hog hunting addictive.

 

[John Camp]

Nice porker! WARNING: you might find hog hunting addictive.

They are not so easy to find around here.

 

[WAB]

Nice porker! WARNING: you might find hog hunting addictive.

Take this seriously. You will soon find yourself buying all sorts of equipment to chase these rascals! If you run out in GA we have plenty in Bama!

 

[John Camp]

Take this seriously. You will soon find yourself buying all sorts of equipment to chase these rascals! If you run out in GA we have plenty in Bama!

I think there are more than enough in South Georgia, and North Georgia is eaten as well. They are just now getting to our West-Central Georgia. I can kill more. I am just wondering what to do with them.

 

[WAB]

Well we shoot them as vermin. We pull the odd backstrap but when you’re shootings 30 or so a night there’s a limit to what you can do.

 

[Ridgewalker]

Great fun! I’ve hunted them spot and stalk, still hunt, blind hunt and helicopter hunt. All great fun!

 

[John Camp]

Well we shoot them as vermin. We pull the odd backstrap but when you’re shootings 30 or so a night there’s a limit to what you can do.

I know that in South Georgia they leave them to rot in the fields. All the shooting and training is still not going to stop the growth unless they can slow down their reproduction.

 

[WAB]

We put a dent in them with thermals on AR’s at night, but you’re right, it’s hard to get ahead of them.

Nothing quite like 3 or 4 AR’s opening up on a big sounder at 2 in the morning! We use 6.5 Grendels.

 

[John Camp]

We put a dent in them with thermals on AR’s at night, but you’re right, it’s hard to get ahead of them.

Nothing quite like 3 or 4 AR’s opening up on a big sounder at 2 in the morning! We use 6.5 Grendels.

How big do some of these sounders get? This one had around 30 in it.

 

[WAB]

30 is at the top end. 15 to 20 is a big sounder where we are although we do get into bigger. I remember one night our initial kills were:
1) group of 4 pigs, 4 killed
2) sounder of 6 pigs, 6 killed
3) sounder of 10 pigs, 6 killed
4) sounder of 20 pigs, 10 killed
And it went on from there.

 

[John Camp]

30 is at the top end. 15 to 20 is a big sounder where we are although we do get into bigger. I remember one night our initial kills were:
1) group of 4 pigs, 4 killed
2) sounder of 6 pigs, 6 killed
3) sounder of 10 pigs, 6 killed
4) sounder of 20 pigs, 10 killed
And it went on from there.

WOW, how much moving around are you doing. For me, I actually had to hunt these hogs. I tried a lot last year up in North Georgia, but those hogs are hard to pin down and almost impossible to get close enough to see. Of course, we can only hunt in daylight on the WMAs.

 

[WAB]

Driving around farms at night (with permission!) scanning w thermals. See a group, get out, stalk to within 50 yards or so, line the guns up in a safe line on sticks, open up on three. It takes a little time to get accurate and fast with a thermal.

We take the big sows first. The younger ones get confused and often run back into the kill zone.

 

[BigSteve57]

They are not so easy to find around here.

We hunted at night with HOGSWAT south of Americus, GA. We saw plenty there!

 

[John Camp]

We hunted at night with HOGSWAT south of Americus, GA. We saw plenty there!

I can believe that. There are a lot more down there, plus we can not hunt at night. That would be fun.

 

[Nyati]

Congrats for the first one !