Baiting hogs when you can't use traditional corn

Robert Salmon

Big Daddy
I'm trying to help out a friend of mine. He owns a cattle ranch and sells the meat (burger, steaks, roasts all the cuts etc) The challenge is that he runs an organic/pest-free/grain-free ranch and they busted their behind to get that cert and it's a pain to keep it. Inspectors come out and search high and low for a single dang grain of corn.
He's got an obvious hog problem and they are tearing up his alfalfa and winter rye pastures something fierce. I did a recon of the area earlier this week and did ID some fresh hog tracks near a stock tank (hog not deer) and could see where they are crossing from one fenced pasture to the tank and back. I also have a good idea where they're coming from - there's a creek bottom that crosses a neighbors pasture across the road into his pastures.
I've got a gen 3 PVS-14 and DBAL on one of my SBR, but I'm moving it over to my AR-10 so I've got green eyes and an IR laser which I'm very comfortable running. But I've got a couple of challenges. No trees or place to put a tree stand, so I'm hoping the hogs are patterning true to their rootin' and activity near the stock tank. I've established some fire lanes as well as some no-go areas due to structures. I want to be thinking ahead and so should general luck and patterning fail, has anyone been in a situation where you can't bait with corn or any other grain? Any ideas on what I could use to try and get some concentration?
 

erForman

Greenwood, TX
SUS VENATOR CLUB
LoneStarBoars Supporter
Sometimes Pig Out Hog Attractant will get their attention. Just a thick sweet smelling syrup that you can drip on a tree trunk, bush or post. They are curious critters and will follow their noses. They even find it when I bury a corn/syrup mixture in a foot deep hole in the ground.
 

scrmblr1982cj8

LSB Active Member
LSB TURKEY BUZZARD PRESERVATION SOCIETY
LoneStarBoars Supporter
When I lived in South Carolina, I got to know a guy that owned a BBQ restaurant. I got the grease from his fryer and dumped it out for the hogs. They loved it! Restaurants want to get rid of their grease so it may be worth a shot.
Make sure you secure the buckets in the back of your trucks. I rounded a corner too quickly once and had it all over the back of the truck.
 

J BAR K

Just trying to make a day.
SUS VENATOR CLUB
LoneStarBoars Supporter
I have had limited success with cheap dog food. I’ve also used table scraps and the remains from field dressing and butchering deer. I have a friend that puts out the pecans that have been on the ground and soured .
 

Robert Salmon

Big Daddy
Well I have an update. The landowner and his Ranch Manager gave me permission to put corn out, so I picked a couple bags of corn and some hog wild stuff that basically smells like strawberry jello, which I have seen used in East Texas. I'm not going to pressure them, but go out today, maybe around lunch time and check and see if they are eating. If they are I'll put out more corn and bring my post hole digger and bury some of that jello smelling stuff. I might pick up a bottle or two of corn syrup and spread that around. I needed a break anyway, I had been going out every night until about 0300, after working all day, sleep a few hours, work all day and go back out around 2230. That cold front we got Tuesday wiped me out, after laying on the wet cold ground for 5 hours in my little hide, I was bone-dead tired. Tarred!!! So I'm not going to pressure them but let them get comfy eating that corn and then go out this weekend and hopefully put some down.

Thank you guys for all the suggestions.
 

Robert Salmon

Big Daddy
Yeah, hunting should be fun. When it starts to feel like work it's time to back off.
Yep, that's absolutely right. I have gotten in some good training with my nods though as far as driving and working on my night observation skills, but I am going to enjoy sleeping in a warm bed for a couple of nights. :)
 
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