Hog sign. What to look for.

[cincoranchhntr]

Try putting some bait out on the trails with tracks and a game camera watching the bait. See if you can get some pictures of them and the times they are moving.

x2

 

[cincoranchhntr]

What I'm making is I'm grinding deer corn to a powder, some attractants, and koolaid powder. My plan is to try to keep each bucket around 12 lbs to make it easy to carry and then mix it with a beer or two so it will ferment then I can take it out and mix it with soil. They won't be able to eat it (legal) and it should draw them in

That's the Idea!

 

[marineimaging]

TLM........this is a great addition to this forum. I find that 80%+ of even the experienced and dedicated hog hunters do not know what these items look like and consequently what to look for during their scouting adventures. Most do not know the differance between deer and hog prints.

Please allow me to add: In my area(extreme NW Fla)of the country this is what I have learned about the above.
1. The scat will smell like......well.....crap. In the swamps or feeding thru the bottoms, hogs will go after worms,grubs,moles,lizards,snakes,etc. This will make their scat somewhat darker and smelly. Sometimes you can actually smell it while it is on the ground. It will be sticky,pasty,slimy. If they are feeding on vegitation it will be more like horse scat. Dry,and will be easily seperated if moved with a stick. Like a black bear,if it is 2" in diameter the hog is approximately 200lbs. Usually +/- 10lbs or so. It cannot be used to lure or help draw other hogs into an area. I have tried this. Most of the hog scat that I have seen both in the swamps and in the pine barrens is somewhat rounded and they are individual pieces,not attached to each other. This....depending on their diet. Here,in the swamps and oak filled bottoms they love to feast on white oak accorns and wild pecans. They pass up this years crop and root for the already fermented last years crop that has bee buried by leaves for a year or so. They absolutely love these....
Don't you love talking about poop just after dinner with a glass of merlot..., LOL. Anyway, also remember that the scat might contain remnants of bone and hair from having ingested a fawn or rabbit or possibly any other live creature since they are opportunistic feeders and meat is on the menu on occasion. If you are hunting them to eat keep in mind that in addition to their scat their meat is going to have hints of whatever they ate. If they ate white acorns (which we can grind for human flower and roast for a coffee for human consumption ourselves) the meat will be sweet and mild. If you find them rooting around other than white oak be ready for a strong meat from the red oak, black oak, or live oak acorns which are medium to strong with tannic acid.

 

[marineimaging]

That's the Idea!

Are you saying that legally it is not a bait to create an attractant by making it something that they can't "eat"? How would that differ from using a whipped blend of fruits to mix and carry with you and let drip from a tree into the dirt? Is that an attractant like deer urine? Or, is it a "bait" as defined by TP&W? I did keep all of our fruit scraps and blend them with a Bullet to let the mixture ferment. I took it hunting with me but at the last minute could not use it on a known trail because I chickened out. I don't want to lose my CHL over some silly misunderstanding of the law.

 

[FrankT]

bait is bait mixed w the soil or not, each state has different regs but trust me on this, the game wardens have seen it all and can ID your well thought out ploy...lol

 

[marineimaging]

Exactly! As a former reserve officer working more hours than some paid officers at times, the one thing I know is that the officer is going to approach the contact with the violation in mind and you are not going to sway them. If the judge for that area says that baiting is dropping a 1" orange peeling on the ground as you walk and eat the orange and have three pounds of peelings in your field dress that you didn't drop because you were packing it out and the little orange peel was an error on your part, that is bait.

 

[Hard_ware]

Guys don't over think it, just call your local game warden and ask them what is ok to do.
After all they are the one that is going to give you the citation.
If I have any questions I just call them and clear things up.
Now if y0u are trying to get one over on them, the smarter the harder.

 

[FrankT]

would be nice but when the law changed here not to need a permit at night for lights I had to tell them for them to change the website and correct their officers, they did not know it had changed 4 mos after it did...lol

 

[Ratdog68]

Ask a specific warden, get his email addy and f/u with the proverbial "per our conversation on such and such, I was told by you thus and thus. If my understanding was incorrect, please advise with a reply here to clarify." Cautionary steps by a prudent and reasonable person... no?

 

[Hard_ware]

Yes human nature is human nature, the better the person you deal with the better the dealing.
Some will be helpful some will think they are the law, best to talk with the person before you are in a situation and find out what kind of person you are dealing with the hard way. The person with the badge will be in charge, the outcome may change in court with the judge but that will come later.

 

[pruhdlr]

If the substance is a naturally occurring substance IN THE AREA it is not bait. White oak acorns under a white oak tree is one example. Corn on the ground in a corn field that has not been knocked off the cob is another example. Apples under a post oak tree in NW Fla. is a no-no.

In most places a BAIT and an ATTRACTANT are two different things. Bait is a food substance that draws the deer and they eat it. If they do not eat it it is still a bait. An attractant is usually a scent made from non food items. This,made for the smell and not for the animals to consume.

Where we hunt here in NW Fla. we are surrounded by management area's. This land is either owned by the state or Feds,or leased from the big paper companies. The rules and regs to hunt these area's are IMO,super restrictive. This is simply why I do not hunt these area's anymore and have hunted private land for the last 8 years or so.

On private land(hunting clubs)I have never been approached by a warden. I have never worried about it though since I am always legal. I carry all the documentation for the weapons that I use and make it mandatory for the people that hunt with me to do the same(SBR's,suppressors,etc.).

A game warden is the last person that I would expect to explain any game law for me. I respect the job they do as long as they respect me as a legal hunter. Any thing different ..... I will have my day in court. I WILL consider myself innocent until I am proven guilty. --- pruhdlr

 

[Hard_ware]

If the substance is a naturally occurring substance IN THE AREA it is not bait. White oak acorns under a white oak tree is one example. Corn on the ground in a corn field that has not been knocked off the cob is another example. Apples under a post oak tree in NW Fla. is a no-no.

In most places a BAIT and an ATTRACTANT are two different things. Bait is a food substance that draws the deer and they eat it. If they do not eat it it is still a bait. An attractant is usually a scent made from non food items. This,made for the smell and not for the animals to consume.

Where we hunt here in NW Fla. we are surrounded by management area's. This land is either owned by the state or Feds,or leased from the big paper companies. The rules and regs to hunt these area's are IMO,super restrictive. This is simply why I do not hunt these area's anymore and have hunted private land for the last 8 years or so.

On private land(hunting clubs)I have never been approached by a warden. I have never worried about it though since I am always legal. I carry all the documentation for the weapons that I use and make it mandatory for the people that hunt with me to do the same(SBR's,suppressors,etc.).

A game warden is the last person that I would expect to explain any game law for me. I respect the job they do as long as they respect me as a legal hunter. Any thing different ..... I will have my day in court. I WILL consider myself innocent until I am proven guilty. --- pruhdlr

The wardens in my area have been helpful , they have even referred me to areas where farmers had a hog problem.
This has all been from talking to them, not getting stopped in the field.

 

[DaveABQ]

man, would this count as baiting, because I LOVE watermelons, I can scarf a whole one down in a day, I don't sleep much that night though lol

 

[FrankT]

Quit screaming after the shot and get more than one...good grief!

 

[marineimaging]

That is the way to teach kids. Let them have their excitement. Later on they can settle down and shoot a dozen before they get a way.

 

[marineimaging]

If the substance is a naturally occurring substance IN THE AREA it is not bait. White oak acorns under a white oak tree is one example. Corn on the ground in a corn field that has not been knocked off the cob is another example. Apples under a post oak tree in NW Fla. is a no-no.

In most places a BAIT and an ATTRACTANT a.... --- pruhdlr

Same way here in Texas. I used to hunt river banks and bayous, forest land owned by the paper mills and sawmills, just about anywhere you wanted because we were careful where we were shooting, we took our garbage out with us, and we respected the land by respecting the owners. Today it is so restrictive I have to drive 2 hours to find a compliant spot to hunt and I can just about bet you that will be gone soon.

 

[marineimaging]

Sorry, I meant to quote, "Where we hunt here in NW Fla. we are surrounded by management area's. This land is either owned by the state or Feds,or leased from the big paper companies. The rules and regs to hunt these area's are IMO,super restrictive. This is simply why I do not hunt these area's anymore and have hunted private land for the last 8 years or so. "

 

[chthump]

One thing I've noticed in the cow pastures,I've found manure (dry not fresh) turned over, you can see where it was and its flipped over, . Hogs will move through and eat grubs , insects under the CS. Also find broken rotten logs in the woods where I've found pieces of snakes. I've watched some hogs travel across wheat fields and graze like cattle then continue on there way and I've checked later and found tracks but no rooting

 

[FrankT]

Interesting, I have 2 plots this year and no rooting to speak of but both are mowed like a golf course, they love to graze. As long as I don't toss bait on the ground they typically will not root

 

[RattlesnakeDan]

I have raised wild hogs and when I would let them out in the morning to roam they would always run to the grassy areas and start eating the weeds especially the seed tops of all the plant material. There would be corn and food in their pen but grazing was very important to them. Also about the cow pies...I had a field I hunted and wondered why the hogs were out there every night, it was mowed flat by the cattle. I went and checked to see and yes, they were tipping over the dried cow pies and eating all the bugs. Pretty interesting.