When should I expect the hogs to return to rooting the pastures? They always seem to leave them alone once the winter weather sets in but eventually return once the Spring warmup begins. Are they waiting on certain grubs that become more active in the warm up?

TIA

March 17th 2021 at 8:55 PM

Precisely

I'll go out on a limb and say the best time to see them return to feeding in pastures is when pasture grasses are well out of dormancy, which perhaps also leads to the return of grubs that feed on the roots of emerging plants. Not sure but it may also be the roots of these grasses themselves and other plants that feral hogs begin to go after with the Spring green up. While I've never paid close attention to see if there are specific weeds or grasses that hogs seem to like best, I've seen them return to the same spots every year for many years. Of course, this would leave one to believe they do carry a preference, for whatever reason, for certain vegetation and the grubs they attract.

I remember well a food plot in which the hogs would hit the same small section, year after year, and around the same time each year. I've just never been a good enough horticulturalist or biologist to figure out why and thought someone might have their own observations to share. In other words, when you see the emergence of specific grasses and/or weeds, you know the hogs will be hitting the area soon.

Criminy, aside from the nationally sanctioned day and time Pig_Popper mentioned (which I strongly believe is nothing more than a political designation for recognition and funding purposes), hogs were rooting the pastures in January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, and then in December. Here are a couple of pics from Tuesday night.

A little more background might offer some benefit here.

Mine is a relative small, roughly 80-acre lease in East Texas where the landowner has asked me not to use feeders due to the damage the hogs have done to his place through the years. In fact, I suspect the only reason why he looked for a hunter to lease the tract was in hopes he could find help in controlling them. Not being able to use feeders is fine with me because it works well with my preferred style of hunting. I enjoy hunting hogs and want to kill as many as I can but also want to hunt them more efficiently since it's still a two-hour drive from my home.

I've seen no rooting activity in the pastures since early December, but know it's just a matter of time before the hogs start hitting them again. If there's something I can identify that's a tell-tale sign that rooting activity in eminent and where to focus my efforts, a lot of time can no doubt be saved.

It'll be a St. Patrick's Day pig parade.

Next time you see a hog on the lease, you might consider trapping it and interrogating it before shooting it.

It may reveal what specifically they like about your 80 acre field and when it might be hit next.

Without baiting you limit your chances to random encounters - If the landowner doesn't plant a crop in the 80 acres then you're even further limited.

Now.

Now.

There's a small pond on the tract that hogs frequent, but mostly at night based on game camera photos.

I must have killed at least eight in the two seasons that I've hunted the track, but surprisingly only one was taken at the pond. All the others were shot while moving and feeding in the pastures, which warrants my earlier questions.

I'll be back next week to see what might show up.

In the meantime, here's a nice photo of a couple of bobcats that I've been watching for about a year now. The setup function on the camera was on the blink when the photo was taken, which explains the time stamp being way off.

That moultrie takes a pretty good pic. Good luck with the hogs.

Pig popper nailed it.

When will they stop rooting in my pastures?

The second you shoot them

Awesome pic.

Just because they aren't rooting doesn't mean they aren't there. Poop and tracks are pretty good signs as well. Hogs do a lot of grazing.

I was told it was 8:56....

It just means there is a better, more accessible, and more secure place for them to feed than your pasture. My neighbor has had his pasture rooted all year. I have never seen a pig on my place. I have dogs he does not. Guess what, the pigs like his place better.

I don't use feeders and suspect that's why I see far less activity during deer season when there's so much corn being scattered elsewhere. Still, my observations on other properties and from speaking with landowners is that they seem to "free range" in a given area, perhaps being drawn to specific food sources as they become available. While I don't believe there's any doubt feeders can keep them somewhat localized to a given area, I'm convinced they're also much like deer and will move out in search of more preferred, natural food sources. For example, I've seen nothing that can pull deer away from a corn feeder any better than honeysuckle, not to mention sweet acorns like those from white oaks. It was information on any natural food sources that feral hogs seem to prefer that was the true focus of my post.

Nice cats!

Thanks for the kudos on the kats.

Got a chance to hunt earlier this week and check the cameras. Photos show hogs at the pond just one night over the last eight days. Still no sign in any of the three pastures. Just more evidence how hogs sometimes seem to travel much like deer in search of natural food sources as they become available. Hope to try them again next week.

I have a small 133 acre place South of Bowie. I see no indication that they move/leave and go anywhere else.

Nice cat!