Need advice Setting up this property for success

[theblakester]

To preface this long uneventful thread, THANK YOU to those who read and respond. I worded it elaborately to give the veteran hog hunters a detailed picture of my scenario, and also for the new hunters to maybe learn a technique or trick.. And hopefully tell a cool enough story to hold your attention.....

Ok for those who don't know i have a 200 acre property that I can hunt in east texas (humid, flat, low lying, swampy, pine trees and heavy cover... Did I mention Mosquitos...) but I'm having trouble being as efficient as possible. I hear them, see signs and sometimes see them in thick cover close by before I can get a shot (after getting stuck in the mud I walked to the road for help and when walking back, startled a big boar sniffing out a bag of corn less than a foot away from the back tailgate of my truck as he bolted for cover.. [grabbed my gun and looked through the cover with thermal and spotted him and then turned on the recorder, aimed about 2.5 inches high for the close range/w1000 and then pulled the trigger to realize that i didn't chamber a round. And then chambering a round without scaring him off and then pulling the trigger again only for it to click again and then realize i didn't put in a magazine... And then the pig leaving before u can insert the mag and chamber a round... Smh]. Also jumped them up from bedding and rooting/feeding at less than 20 yards while walking/carrying a 50 lb bag of corn. Speaking of, I need 4wd)...

The property has a few dirt roads spread out/ surrounded by cover and one main partially open baseball field sized area to bait.... unless u wanna put on some snake proof waders and start walking through the thick piney woods swamp (the hogs seem to love to feed/ hangout there and bed down on dryer ground with thick cover---I've startled large hogs multiple times while walking down a road at less than 15 yards in the cover only to have them run off into thicker cover).
Before spring, I wasn't allowed to bait anything out there except that main open area bc another guy was hunting for deer season..... Well I went out last week, scouted the whole property, got my truck stuck in the mud and now I've got 3 feeders running. 1 throws at dusk and dawn and the other two throw between 11 pm and 2 am. I've also got 3 roll barrels out there and may add a 4th... (6 months ago I set out a roll barrel but I added "pig out" goo in them which after wetting the corn made it sticky and the corn swelled up so it wouldn't come out the holes in the barrels (I fixed that last week-- see the bottom). After scouting, I've found 4 spots for feeders and 4 spots for roll barrels that I deemed spread out far enough and with enough sign of hogs nearby.. The way the crow flies each bait spot is/will be at least 300 yards apart (keep in mind the heavy cover) and most are at or over 500 yards apart. I guess if I had a question without having anyone actually walk the property with me, it would be what else could/should I do on 200 acres? its not my property and it's very wet so I don't wanna dig any holes with post hole diggers and bury corn on the road bc they would turn it into an impassable waterhole.

The hogs appear to be social and there are rubs everywhere (mostly on 3-9 ft tall pine trees-- I assume bc the smaller trees bleed more sap?) I've got roll barrels 5 yards away from "kiddy pool"sized wallows, intersecting heavily worn game trails and rubs on baby pine trees (one barrel has all 3 within 5 yards). This property has been a testament to the fact that the older larger hogs are smarter. The amount of large hog sign I've seen on this property is like no other. Plus there are few large ones I had on the game camera the past couple months. One of which I think is over 300##

Problem is, I've been out there a few times lately and have basically walked down a road to unknowingly get within 20 yards of a pig feeding 15 yards inside the tree line, then he hears me walking and runs off. It's ok for younger hogs, less educated groups, and timing it so that u walk out On a pig feeding in the open. But In certain areas this is just too thick of cover to even see with the W1000, and in some areas it's not. It's frustrating bc it's usually too thick and wet to walk through and they wind me if I go sit in a stand. I sat in 2 stands for 11 hours last night and no hogs ever came out to feed and there was definitely corn on the ground and hogs in the area would be an understatement. 1 large hog squealed long and loud almost letting me know he was pissed that I was there and and he wasn't gonna come feed.... and then I saw him from the stand through the trees walking past the feeder. An hour later he let out a god awful long loud squeal and a few minutes later walked back by in the background cover ... (either that or he pissed off a sounder that was too skiddish to come to the corn twice in the same spot (and I didn't hear see or smell that "sounder" at all last night).

1. How to get them out of the swamps or atleast close enough to the tree line to use a thermal scope. (Imagine looking down an airport runway and there are small ditches on each side of the runway and heavy cover/tall pines on each side of that). It quickly becomes hard to see beyond 50 yds on either side of the road bc of angles/thermal etc. I need a Q-14!! Someone buy me one!! Jk

2. Hogs not hitting roll barrels, how do I get them to start? It's almostike they know that roll angels are a death trap. So many hogs out here and they won't get on em---- Frank,each barrel is a 15 gal barrel with 1-2 holes that are at least 9/16ths inch each and no more than 25 lbs of dry corn in them and each barrel has a large container of powder jello or koolaid mixed in with it and are staked/anchored into the ground with a 5ft chain and 360 free rotating swivels at both mounting points

 

[FrankT]

OK, after a quick read, I can think of a couple of things. Too many feeders/choices, so you are at one and they are at the others, give them 2 spots 1000yds or so apart that you can walk between w cover for a shot, then you know where they will be for food. Review Glenn Guess videos for calling with a grunt tube or foxpro. have your roll barrels in the same area as the feeders. Go to the day old bread store and they sell old bread for 5-6 a 40lb bag, great cheap bait. You can just scatter it out or sour it. Sour corn will work too to draw them out. I load my gun as soon as I am on the property w mag and 1 in the chamber and do not unload till I close the gate behind me. I will think about this later some more, have a VA appt this AM

 

[Curly Shuffle]

Yup above sounds gooder!! 200 acres is not much so a couple places with great food source I think would be plenty. If you would want to expedite the situation to edge them to the food source I suppose something that smells a bunch would help them along. Remember they have good smellers anywhos. Just a couple well baited areas far apart should be enough it keeps them in 2 specific areas you want them coming for food and then after you kill a few you can change location somewhere else. Hopefully it will dry up some and they will not feel so comfortable where they are at now and come out more often. They need a reason to come out you have to find out what that is. Next thing would be is to clear a little something inside the tree line a little ways in and set up a stand inside the brush with a food source??, you do not need much. That would be my take on it!! Good shootin!!! Hope to see some pictures soon. Also spray down with scent killer. Would like to see the pictures of the biguns!!! Best of luck to you!! BANG BANG!!!

 

[theblakester]

I'm basically trying to get it set so that I can show up an hour after the feeders go off and walk from the first barrel to the last feeder and pass everything along the way. I won't be hunting primarily from the stand.
It's too wet where the feeders are to put roll barrels right by them.
there are hog tracks and sign everywhere out there and there hasn't been corn out there in over 3 months until 6 days ago. And with all this rain recently and lots of fresh vegetation and natural food sources, I'm wondering if they're just enjoying those easy to get natural resources for now?

 

[FrankT]

yeah they do like the natural but soured stinky chow will bring them in.

 

[Curly Shuffle]

Then find a well open area and LOAD it down with the best sour sweet corn food you can get to the area (a mini feed lot) and a bunch of it and make them come out there to get it in one specific place and whack the snot out of em!!! Yup that sounds like a plan!! BANG BANG!!!

PS!! Oh ya and take another good shot with you and then whack em!!!!

 

[RattlesnakeDan]

I am with the others when it comes to too much food supply. Now just take some away and get them bunched up tighter for a treat.
The other thing is the wind, the wind, the wind. Always know where the wind is coming and going or it's all for naught.
One more thing is noise. If you go lay down in the brush you hear everything for 2 miles after your ears get tuned in. They do it everyday with pin point accuracy, if they are bedded they hear everything. Make noise on purpose in one area and slip into another.

 

[cincoranchhntr]

We have a similar situation down in Three Rivers. Hog sign a plenty, but it is hard to bring them in quickly. However, the pungent sour corn we put out does bring them in every time. It just happens when we are not in the stands and most often the third night just before we have to head back to Houston. We get lots of pics on the game cams. We have 3 feeders and blinds spaced approx 400 yds apart all baited with very strong smelling sour corn. I'm wondering now if they are smelling us. The stands are all over 100 yds from the feeders. I will be sure to spray down completely with scent killer next weekend. These feeders are just into the river bottom and are surrounded by prime hog habitat and bedding areas. The blinds are across a wide sendero from the river bottom. I'll post pics if we have success.

 

[FrankT]

When you walk in spray sow in heat on the soles of your boots, really works well as a cover scent and a draw to where you are going.

 

[theblakester]

Thank y'all for the replies. I went back out there and moved one of the roll barrels about 15 yards from a feeder and I now have 1 main feeding area with an elevated stand, 2 feeders and a roll barrel. I also have another area with a blind and 2 feeders and there are 2 misc roll barrels along the dirt road leading to the stands.

 

[Curly Shuffle]

Hope you get to whack em, and some dandy ones at that!! BANG BANG!!

 

[customcutter]

I would be there an hour before the feeders go off, not an hour after. Just my .02 I know when feeders were first legalized in Georgia, there were electronic calls being sold the next year that sounded like feeders going off, and the corn hitting the rotor.

 

[FrankT]

Thank y'all for the replies. I went back out there and moved one of the roll barrels about 15 yards from a feeder and I now have 1 main feeding area with an elevated stand, 2 feeders and a roll barrel. I also have another area with a blind and 2 feeders and there are 2 misc roll barrels along the dirt road leading to the stands.

Good luck that should certainly do it...let us know how it goes

 

[txhunter]

I agree 2 good spots is enough on 200 acres. It may take more than 6 days to get them coming to the feeders good. Get cellular game cameras at each feeder and wait until the hogs are coming to the feeders good before going out. You will know their pattern so you can get in the blind ahead of the time they come. Or better yet, once onsite, sit back grill some steaks and enjoy some cold beverages and go stalk them once the cameras tells you the hogs are there. When you know the hogs are at the feeder you can walk in quiet from downwind. Always get downwind.