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Hog Wallow
#9056016
06/02/24 01:41 PM
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Joined: Feb 2024
Posts: 3
Old and Slow
OP
Green Horn
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OP
Green Horn
Joined: Feb 2024
Posts: 3 |
New member here with a question. I am 72 and just started hog hunting and finding that the only thing predictable about hogs is they are unpredictable. I have gotten a few but to say the least it, 'Ain't Deer Hunting'. I have located a few hog wallows and would like to ask the group the best way to hunt them. Old and Slow
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Re: Hog Wallow
[Re: Old and Slow]
#9056059
06/02/24 03:03 PM
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Joined: Apr 2019
Posts: 331
Douglas Tipton
Bird Dog
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Bird Dog
Joined: Apr 2019
Posts: 331 |
I'm not a pro at this by any means, and I've never hunted a wallow though I've come across countless. I think they'll roll around and cool off but not necessarily linger. The exception is low spots, creek bottoms, and densely covered wet areas where they'll bed up during the hot day. I've busted on them that way but by accident. Right now there's water everywhere. And you initial premise is right...they are unpredictable.
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Re: Hog Wallow
[Re: Old and Slow]
#9056381
06/03/24 02:15 AM
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Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 604
VAFish
Tracker
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Tracker
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 604 |
Best way to hunt them is figure out what their pattern is and then ambush them. Best way to figure out their pattern is to use game cameras. Next best way is to talk to the land owners about when they see the hogs.
But after you shoot at them once they will change their pattern and you start all over. Although if you have multiple sounders coming onto a property you should get shots off at each sounder.
"If your plan is for one year, plant rice. If your plan is for ten years, plant trees. If your plan is for one hundred years, educate children." -- Confucius
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Re: Hog Wallow
[Re: Old and Slow]
#9056393
06/03/24 02:41 AM
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Joined: May 2011
Posts: 8,424
Double Naught Spy
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 8,424 |
What VAFish said was real good. If I was in a hurry, I would figure out which one(s) are most active and see if I can find the most recent trail in to it. From there, I would set off down wind from that incoming trail as far back as I would like to shoot and can still see the trail or wallow, and wait and see what shows. If the vegetation allowed, I would prefer to be 75-150 yards away. That is far enough incidental sounds should not matter and movement is less apt to be noticed, even with a bright moon.
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Re: Hog Wallow
[Re: Old and Slow]
#9056856
06/04/24 01:09 AM
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Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 1,879
Bigfoot
Pro Tracker
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Pro Tracker
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 1,879 |
Well when I was young enough to go hike for miles in the woods I would walk creek bottoms in the SHNF till I found the freshest wallow possible. Once I found the freshest one I would just set up with the wind to my advantage and wait till dark. I was fairly successful this way. So if you have a very fresh wallow then set up on it because they will be back. A camera will work great also. Good luck!
GO TRUMP!
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Re: Hog Wallow
[Re: Old and Slow]
#9056899
06/04/24 06:50 AM
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Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 15,324
ntxtrapper
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 15,324 |
Corn. They will smell it from a long distance. Even if you don’t have a feeder going just bring some to throw around while hunting.
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Re: Hog Wallow
[Re: Old and Slow]
#9057032
06/04/24 03:15 PM
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Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 261
12th Man
Bird Dog
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Bird Dog
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 261 |
We have hogs on our ranch, sometimes a few and sometimes a lot and then too many. Patterning them is usually interesting. The best time to hunt them is evening and at night, mornings are so so. We have red lights on all our feeders for night hunting. Patterning "our" hogs kind of goes like this. Once we see them on camera on a given feeder at a given time frame, they'll typically be on the same feeder around the same time frame for maybe two days, three at most. They'll move pretty consistently from one feeder to the next. Then there pattern changes and we see them start on a different feeder at a different time and they'll work there way around to the other feeders for a couple few days. They might disappear for a day or so at most then it starts all over. The bummer is, sometimes they don't show up to the first feeder until after midnight or 2:00 am. During deer season, we see them a lot in the evening hours
I can usually put folks on hogs fairly regularly if they're willing to get up in the middle of the night. We also do what we call "walk abouts" on the south end of our ranch. We may go out after dark and walk the feeders at given times. Once we walked the five south feeders, we back track and check the remaining four. A good many times if we don't see any hogs on the first walk we'll catch them on the return back to the ATV's.
Then we check the two feeders on the north part of the ranch. Not sure that helps, but that's how we hunt them on our ranch! We have had luck calling in hogs with my fox pro game caller.
Last edited by 12th Man; 06/04/24 03:19 PM.
Distance is not the issue, but the winds can make it interesting!
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Re: Hog Wallow
[Re: Old and Slow]
#9057033
06/04/24 03:15 PM
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Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 7,657
hopalong
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 7,657 |
how are you hunting them, walknstalk, blind, sxs etc.
I am 70 and hunt them all 3 ways but I am lucky enough to live on and manage a private hunting property.
how you do it makes a difference.
like said, corn if in a blind or you have a good spot to sit n shoot, strawberry jello (the big pkg) dumped on the corn will also help a lot to attract. I use the cheap wal mart stuff.
lake fork FISHERMANS COVE MARINA - 903 474 7479 reservations
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Re: Hog Wallow
[Re: hopalong]
#9057038
06/04/24 03:28 PM
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Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 261
12th Man
Bird Dog
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Bird Dog
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 261 |
how are you hunting them, walknstalk, blind, sxs etc.
I am 70 and hunt them all 3 ways but I am lucky enough to live on and manage a private hunting property.
how you do it makes a difference.
like said, corn if in a blind or you have a good spot to sit n shoot, strawberry jello (the big pkg) dumped on the corn will also help a lot to attract. I use the cheap wal mart stuff.
Good point on the jello, tang or coolaid. We've used that a lot when we have folks come and hunt. We've used just the powder by itself. When my BIL comes out to hunt, he's gotten a lot of traction putting a 50lb bag of corn in a feed bucket, filling the bucket with water until it covers the corn then mixing in the jello or coolaid and letting it sit so the corn soaks up the water and powder. He corns the roads using a shovel near the feeders mid afternoon.
Distance is not the issue, but the winds can make it interesting!
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Re: Hog Wallow
[Re: 12th Man]
#9057291
06/05/24 12:13 AM
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Joined: Feb 2024
Posts: 3
Old and Slow
OP
Green Horn
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OP
Green Horn
Joined: Feb 2024
Posts: 3 |
Thank you 12th man and hopalong as it gives me some ideas on the scent angle. I mostly hunt blinds and have a couple of feeders going with corn. I have set the feeders to throw at 8pm and again at 9pm. I have a cell camera set up at the feeder and hope they become more confident in coming in soon. I will use the midnight oil to get them if I have too.
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Re: Hog Wallow
[Re: Old and Slow]
#9057304
06/05/24 12:39 AM
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Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 261
12th Man
Bird Dog
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Bird Dog
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 261 |
All of my feeders throw at 7:00 am and 5:00 pm. Not to say it never happens, I’ve never heard or seen my feeder go off and have deer or hogs running to them. My advice, have them throw earlier to give you a chance for an evening hunt. Best of luck!
Distance is not the issue, but the winds can make it interesting!
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