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HogZilla... probablly larger on the internet than in life.
Hunting Hogs
So what should a hunter do to successfully find and take
these hard to hunt hogs? First of all it's fair to assume that the population of wild hogs in a given hunting area will
strongly determine the success of a hunter. In areas with high population or overpopulation the easier it will be to successfully
hunt wild hogs.
In most any situation hunters can improve their odds on taking a hog by following some simple guidelines.
In many cases the first signs of wild hogs are noticed in open fields where they have begun rooting up the ground. Rooting
is one of the highly prevalent sign hogs can make. They're easy to spot and keep track of.
The first mistake hunters will make after noticing rooting is to go in the woods and search of the hog's hide
out. That is the last thing a hunter should do. The first thing that should be done is to study the sign and determine how
fresh the sign is and for how long, or how many days the hogs have been rooting in one area. This is important information,
because wild hogs are creatures of habit. The one thing that hunters can and should try to take advantage of is the hog's
repetitive behavior or patterns, which is a weakness. A hunter should look for trails leading into the rooted pastures. Hogs
will often use the same trail over and over again making a clean path under a fence and into the fields or pastures. They
will often root in same areas for days and weeks at a time. By studying and identifying these sign a skilled hunter should
be able to determine whether or not the hogs have established a consistent pattern.
Hog
Wallows and rubs are also signs made by wild hogs that a hunter can watch for and establish patterns on. By judging the activity
at these locations and combining the rooting in pastures and other areas hunters can put together and establish a solid pattern
of hog activity which is a must for a successful hunt.
It's not necessary to establish a complete pattern from the
bedding area to the rooting area. All that is needed is one firm piece of the pattern, such as the rooting in fields. Once
that pattern is established a hunter can begin developing a method or strategy to hunt the hogs. Which will be discussed later.
BAITING HOGS
A hunter can also change and alter the patterns of hogs to suit his needs. In fact deer hunters shoot many
hogs, over corn feeders. There are many reasons why corn feeders are an asset to hunting hogs. The main reason is that they
can alter and strengthen hog patterns and bring the hogs to hunters instead of the hunters having to find the hogs. This goes
back to the basic principal, mentioned earlier, of not going in to find the hogs because it runs them off and they may not
return. That's a big mistake when it comes to hog hunting.
Again, the idea way to a
successful hog hunt is to take advantage of the hog's weaknesses.
The most popular way to do this is with bait.
In some states this may not be legal, to some hunters it may not be ethical, but none the less it is a highly successful strategy.
By routinely baiting one or more spots whether with automated feeders or other devices hogs can be lured into a routine or
pattern that can help make any hunter successful. With care and proper hunting techniques it can bring in hogs and in many
cases it can hold hogs on the hunters property.
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