Hog Problem

BlaserF3

New Member
Hey Everyone, just found this website yesterday. Started reading a few post but need a crash course on exterminating hogs. I live west of Houston on a little over 100 acres for the past 4 years. During that time I have never seen a hog (still haven't) but recently hogs are tearing up my pastures. I'm a competitive sporting clays shooter and have hunted my whole life but never really targeted hogs (especially at night) to keep them from tearing up my pastures. Where is the best place for me to gain quick info on what I need to lure in these hogs and the right equipment in need to purchase to kill them at night. If possible I would like to have gun that would be good for killing coyotes at 300 to 400 yards.
 

FrankT

Destin FL
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Welcome to the site...help is on the way!
 

Ratdog68

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Welcome to the fray.
 

RattlesnakeDan

San Antonio Texas
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Just stick a couple sabot slugs in your best skeet gun and have at it! lol
Welcome! Asking rifle shooters and hunters what is the best gun and set up to use for any situation can start a whole new thread or two.o_O
 

Brian Shaffer

Hog Hunter
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Welcome!

Where is the best place for me to gain quick info on what I need to lure in these hogs and the right equipment in need to purchase to kill them at night. If possible I would like to have gun that would be good for killing coyotes at 300 to 400 yards.

So the 100 acres is primarily open land?

While medium calibers like 6.5 Grendel/6.8 SPC are great for typical hunting distances (less than 200 yards), I would suggest going with something more substantial for 300-400 yards if that is going to be your typical hunting, something like 6.5 Creedmore or .308. At 300-400 yards, you are probably going to be doing more sniping than fast and furious eradication hunting that folks do more up close (inside 100/75/50 yards), so you could probably do just as well with a bolt gun as a semi. Pick a good hunting bullet. A favorite here is Hornady SST, but there are a lot of good choices out there. Stay away from FMJ and super amazing miracle ammo and stick with tried and true stuff.

Luring hogs? Plain old corn works well. Get a feeder and have it only spit corn when you plan to hunt. I have my feeders running only in the evening. That keeps other animals from devouring much corn during the day when I am not there to hunt. You can try all the concoctions/variants of corn such as soured corn, jello corn, beer corn, Big Red corn, Kool-Aid corn, honey corn, etc. and no doubt the hogs will eat the stuff, but I have never been able to see where it actually produces any sort of better results given the extra time and expense. Some people swear by such mixes, but I can't tell where they actually get more hogs or get them any quicker.

You can also try a Pig Pipe or Pig Barrel that will slowly dole out corn when pushed around by hogs. It will help keep hogs in place longer, but also works well in combination with a feeder.

Optics....at 300-400 yards you are probably going to want something with some good magnification. The question then is whether you want Night Vision or Thermal. If you go with night vision, you are likely going to want a good IR illuminator, such as an IR laser to help light up the target area on particularly dark nights (which are great nights for hunting).

So what is your budget?
 

scrmblr1982cj8

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Welcome! Ignore a guy named DJ on this site. His court date for exposing himself to a group of blind nuns is coming up and he is out of his mind that worry.
 

slim_shady

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How far are you from bastrop/elgin?
 

BlaserF3

New Member
So the 100 acres is primarily open land? 85% open pasture.

While medium calibers like 6.5 Grendel/6.8 SPC are great for typical hunting distances (less than 200 yards), I would suggest going with something more substantial for 300-400 yards if that is going to be your typical hunting, something like 6.5 Creedmore or .308. At 300-400 yards, you are probably going to be doing more sniping than fast and furious eradication hunting that folks do more up close (inside 100/75/50 yards), so you could probably do just as well with a bolt gun as a semi. Pick a good hunting bullet. A favorite here is Hornady SST, but there are a lot of good choices out there. Stay away from FMJ and super amazing miracle ammo and stick with tried and true stuff.

Luring hogs? Plain old corn works well. Get a feeder and have it only spit corn when you plan to hunt. I have my feeders running only in the evening. That keeps other animals from devouring much corn during the day when I am not there to hunt. You can try all the concoctions/variants of corn such as soured corn, jello corn, beer corn, Big Red corn, Kool-Aid corn, honey corn, etc. and no doubt the hogs will eat the stuff, but I have never been able to see where it actually produces any sort of better results given the extra time and expense. Some people swear by such mixes, but I can't tell where they actually get more hogs or get them any quicker.

You can also try a Pig Pipe or Pig Barrel that will slowly dole out corn when pushed around by hogs. It will help keep hogs in place longer, but also works well in combination with a feeder.

Optics....at 300-400 yards you are probably going to want something with some good magnification. The question then is whether you want Night Vision or Thermal. If you go with night vision, you are likely going to want a good IR illuminator, such as an IR laser to help light up the target area on particularly dark nights (which are great nights for hunting).

So what is your budget?[/QUOTE] Sounds like I may be needing two different guns....better focus on this hog problem first. As far as a budget....don't have a number in mind but I will buy whatever I need to get the job done as effectively and efficiently as needed. I doubt it will come close to my annual shotshell cost...haha.
 

slim_shady

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I started with an AR in 556. As Todd has shown us with proper shot placement you can knock them down with a .17. It didn't however take me long to jump up to a bolt .308 for the knock down power even with poor shot placement. A good friend of mine still often hunts with his 30-06 and a red light. I tried the red light but gave up after the first and last time I spotted a hog and spooked her after clicking on the light with her coming right at me 40 yards away.

The one time I was successful without NV or Thermal, I had two motion activated green feeder lights under a feeder. I was able to see the hog well enough to take aim with a daylight scope.

A Photon digital NV scope will only set ya back about $600, but depending on moon or sky glow from a city close by, will determine how far out you can see and identify a hog. I've been successful with mine within 100 yards consistently even on the darkest of nights when I use a external UV light. When hunting at night, a Thermal scope is the ticket. If you can see most of the 100 acres your on during the day, You would easily be able to spot potential targets with a low end thermal scope in complete darkness from a single point on the property.

If you don't want to spend that kind of cash, I'd setup corn feeders and game cameras. The more corn you put out the longer they will stay at a feeder and the more often they will come back. Other types of feed cattle feed works good to if you have neighboring farmers. The hogs around my part of TX love and run to sweet feed. Also put out feed where they have been rooting. On the 1000 acres I hunt, most of the land is untouched. Sure they at one point or another have hit much of the property but like deer they frequent the same spots over and over. Not always night after night, but if they have hit up a spot once, they will be back again and again over time. Check the camera often, and plan on getting into position early and down wind.

Your not that far away from me, It has been slow around here, and I don't expect it to pick up till the corn is up and the hogs can resist hitting the corn fields. Id be happy to meet up with ya, between me and Lonepun man we have two different thermal scopes and two Photon NV scopes, two different Thermal mono's and a couple different NV mono's. At very least it would give ya an idea of some of the gear that's out there and how it looks and works.

David
 

Jhop

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I'm visiting my Daughter down in Tomball on Friday and Saturday. I could come buy and do I show and tell on the thermals I have. Give you an idea of what you might need or want to buy. I have a couple of Armasight Zeus 640 3-24X75 in 30hz. One of them I have mounted on a 6.8. The other one I scan with and mount it on a 5.56 as a loner gun. I also have a Gen 3 monocle I use to drive with so I can stay blacked out. I don't have it helmet mounted like a lot of other folks do. Send me a PM if you're interested.
 

theblakester

Got a black belt in keeping it real.
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Welcome!
It really depends on your budget or how much u want to spend. Fair warning though, Nightvision and thermal is pretty addicting and pricey! Lol
$350-2000 - digital nightvision
$1800-4000 night vision
$2000-25,000- thermal
Suppressor-$750-1300 (tax stamp included, but trust not included)
Rifle- $400-2200
Ir lights and misc gear- $20-????.
getting addicted to night vision/thermal hunting and killing 14 hogs out of a sounder..... priceless!!
Just some vague ballpark figures I'm throwing out.
 
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Ratdog68

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BlaserF3

New Member
I'm visiting my Daughter down in Tomball on Friday and Saturday. I could come buy and do I show and tell on the thermals I have. Give you an idea of what you might need or want to buy. I have a couple of Armasight Zeus 640 3-24X75 in 30hz. One of them I have mounted on a 6.8. The other one I scan with and mount it on a 5.56 as a loner gun. I also have a Gen 3 monocle I use to drive with so I can stay blacked out. I don't have it helmet mounted like a lot of other folks do. Send me a PM if you're interested.
Thanks for the kind offer but I am tied up today and will be in Huntsville all day tomorrow at a sporting clays tournament.
 

BlaserF3

New Member
Your not that far away from me, It has been slow around here, and I don't expect it to pick up till the corn is up and the hogs can resist hitting the corn fields. Id be happy to meet up with ya, between me and Lonepun man we have two different thermal scopes and two Photon NV scopes, two different Thermal mono's and a couple different NV mono's. At very least it would give ya an idea of some of the gear that's out there and how it looks and works.
Thanks David! That is some very good info.
 

Jhop

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Most folks hunt pigs at night. I'm used to staying up all night hunting.
 
D

djones

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Welcome! Ignore a guy named DJ on this site. His court date for exposing himself to a group of blind nuns is coming up and he is out of his mind that worry.
don't fall for scram's games. he tells new comers he's having a little get together to discuss killing hogs at 300 to 400 yards. it's a trick... here is his real party

scram party.jpg
 
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