44 Hog Hunting Tips for a Safe, Successful Hunt

In some southern states, hog hunting has become incredibly popular due to the increase in the hog population. They’re aggressive animals. They breed incredibly quick, and they can threaten livestock and farm crops. With the high breeding rate of the animals, some states like Texas have millions of hogs threatening local farms. Feral hog hunting is a dangerous sport, but it’s become necessary to reduce the population. In some states, the sport isn’t regulated at all because of the very real need to reduce the amount of hogs.

If you’re thinking about hunting hogs, these tips should help you on your journey. Even experienced hunters will need tips for dealing with these aggressive and dangerous animals. With their sharp tusks and mean attitude, they can be deadly creatures. They’re also incredibly intelligent, which makes them even more dangerous. When they are hit, they can play dead until a hunter gets within range of attack, or they can run and hide in the woods nearby waiting for the hunter to lower his guard.

There are so many hogs that hunters are being encouraged to hunt for hogs in the overpopulated areas. When hunters in states like Texas purchase a hunting license and the annual permit, they will receive information on the local area as well as maps and legal box descriptions for hunting.

Hunt Where There’s a Huge Population

1. Texas Licensing

With an estimated 2.6 million feral hogs, this can be a great place for hunting hogs. You’ll need a general hunting license to head out into public land for these animals. You don’t have to worry about hog season since it’s year-round, but you can’t night hunt with a spotlight without the game warden’s permission.

2. Louisiana Licensing

There are approximately half a million feral hogs across the entire state, which will make it more of a challenge than Texas for hunting. This state has legal shooting hours for taking down hogs. During day, there are no restrictions on hunting, but at night, there are a few restrictions. The hunter only needs to have a general hunting license for the state.

3. Florida Licensing and Hunting

Hogs are seen in all of the counties within Florida, and it’s the second most hunted animal there. Hogs can be hunted in any season except turkey season in the spring. Like the other states listed, Florida and it’s sixty-seven counties requires a general hunting license for those who plan on heading out in the woods to track hogs.

Tips for Beginner Hog Hunters

Detect and Track Hogs

4. Rooting Tracks

Hogs will use their noses to root through foliage and vegetation to find food. Detecting their rooting behaviors in a certain area will allow you to find them easily. You can look for uprooted soil where the hog has used its nose to dig up food. They compete with other animals to find pecans, acorns and other plant-life like corn in fields.

5. Wallowing

Hogs like to dig in the mud near lakes, ponds and water holes to wallow, which helps to keep them cool. Once they’ve wallowed in the mud cooling themselves, they’ll rub themselves on trees, fallen logs or poles to remove the mud from their bodies along with hair and parasites.

6. Tracks and Signs

Similar to deer, you’ll be able to find hogs by their tracks, which will be wider and rounder than deer. If you’re following prints, there will be a dew claw that will register the track wider than that of a deer. Hogs can leave behind feral hog rubs on trees and poles, which can be a sure sign of hogs in the area. The rubs are blackened areas on the pole from the hog rubbing itself against it.

Use Calls

7. Predator Sounds

You can manipulate the aggressive nature of these animals to your advantage by using calls that mimic predators. They won’t shy away from chasing a predator, and it’ll bring feral hogs out into the open. They’ll respond quickly, so be sure you’re ready when you make the call.

8. Baby Pigs in Distress

Along with being aggressive, they are incredibly protective of their young piglets. A call that uses the sound of pigs in distress will likely bring a sow running. If they think their young are in trouble, they can often charge recklessly towards the sound.

Hog Hunting with Dogs

Training Dogs

9. Begin Early

It’s best to start training hog dogs early when they’re just 3 to 4 months old. Let them see a pig from outside the pen first. When your dog becomes excited to see the pig each day, that’s when the training can begin.

10. Hogs Their Size

Once you’re ready to start training, use a hog that is smaller than the size of your dog. You don’t want the puppy to lose confidence. Tease the dog with the pig to get them excited and aggressively wanting to go after the hog.

11. Release

One of the most important parts of dog training is teaching them to release. You want the dog to release as soon as you’re ready to take care of the hog yourself. Use a rope or other item and teach it a command to release.

Best Types of Hunting Dogs

12. Rhodesian Ridgebacks

These dogs were bred in South Africa to distract lions during hunts. If they can distract lions, they can certainly distract feral hogs. They’re very smart and have great detection skills.

13. Bulldogs

This breed of dog is considered a classic catch dog, and they’ve had a history of being great hog catchers in the southern parts of the U.S. The best choices in dogs are the ones that can hold their own in a fight with a hog. While most hunters will have more than a few dogs in their pack, each dog must be able to hunt and defend themselves.

14. Pit Bulls

The pit bull has a reputation that makes people consider them unsafe around children. While this may be true or not depending on the animal, they do make great dogs for hog hunting.

15. Training Bay or Catch Dogs

You’ll need to decide what kind of dogs you want to train. Some good tracking dogs will be able to bay when they catch scent of a hog, they might not be the best dogs to chase down and capture a feral hog out in the wild. This process involves some research.

Protecting Your Dogs

16. Dangerous Work

The work of a hunting dog is dangerous when they’re catching feral hogs. The same tusks and teeth that could hurt a human will absolutely hurt a dog. Make sure they are properly trained before bringing them hog hunting. They should never be brought out to a hunt unless they’re able to defend themselves. They can learn from an older, experienced dog too.

17. Vests

Getting the proper equipment for your dog is vital for their survival. Vests can perform double duty since they can be used for detection during night hunts and for protection too. Kevlar vests will protect a dog from a wild hog’s aggressive attacks.

18. Neck Protectors

A gouge to a hunting dog’s neck could nick an important artery. Protecting the dog’s neck can mean the difference between life or death for the canine, so buying a neck protector is vital for the hunt.

Tips for Night Hog Hunting

19. Use Food

In the summer, feral hogs will often wait until sunset to start hunting for food. You can set and stake out the food to catch them from a nearby blind. Flashing red lights on the feeding area can help you see at night without ruining your night vision.

20. Examine Tracks

Often, the route to and from a feral hogs sleeping area will exist of tunnels through the brush. If you can stay downwind of the hogs, you might be able to stake out their sleeping area. When they come back from a night hunt, you’ll be able to ambush them.

21. Night Vision

Whether it’s night-vision binoculars or a night-vision scope, hunting at night can’t be done easily without one of them. There are some restrictions to the type of light that can be used while hunting hogs at night, so make sure you’ve checked with the game warden in the area before heading out at night.

22. Light on Feeders

Along with lights on your weapon, consider a light on the bottom of a hog feeder. It’ll help illuminate the scene when there’s a hog close, which acts as an alert, so you can get ready. Lights with motion-detection don’t have to be bright blinding lights, they can help you illuminate the scene to take down the hog while you’re in shooting distance.

Weapons to Use for Hunting

23. Gun Silencers

When you don’t use a silencer on your gun, you risk scattering the other hogs in the area. This is especially bad when you’ve been in your stand waiting for them to come back from night feeding. You’ll have lost the opportunity to shoot more than one hog. In some cases, you risk angering other hogs in the area who will wait and try to ambush you. Hogs are incredibly intelligent and aggressive. They might scatter only to wait for you to show yourself and attack.

24. The Right Knife

The knife that you choose to bring with you on a hog hunt should be long and able to puncture the thick hide of the hog. It should be at least 8 inches and feature a non-slip grip. The blade material should be rigid and have a sharp point.

Dangers in Hog Hunting

25. Hunt with a Partner

While you don’t have to be in the same location, you should be within radio call or cell phone distance depending on service availability. A two-way radio is a reliable method of communication between you and your partner in case of emergency. You shouldn’t be having meaningless conversations to pass the time, but you might need your buddy if there’s a problem.

26. Never Approach Wounded Hogs

A wounded hog is still a serious danger, and the pain can make them unpredictable. You may think the wounded animal will retreat, and it could attack instead. Other animals might have heard the call of the wounded, which could make the area extremely dangerous too.

27. Have an Escape

When using a call or the scent of a hog to bring in a target, you should be prepared to have an escape if things get out of hand quickly. While you will be waiting for the hog’s approach, they still might catch you unaware due to their pure speed. Have a place to climb like large rocks or a tree.

General Tips

What to Bring

28. Weapon

Choosing between weapons is mostly a personal choice. Some hunters prefer to use a deer rifle with a scope while others like a larger caliber gun. The weapon should always have a night scope if you plan on hunting feral hogs at night.

29. Ammo

Hunters of feral hogs should understand that they’ll need to place the bullet in a small, tight range near the shoulder as compared to a deer. They’re tough too. Many hunters compare a wild, feral hog to a large elk except in a smaller, squatter body. Make sure you have ammo that will penetrate while giving you great control.

30. Hog Urine

You’ll want to ensure that you’re not alerting the hogs to your presence. Hog urine should be used in moderation.

31. Medical Supplies

You should always have a medical first-aid kit in your pack. This should include bandages for your dogs as well as yourself. They’re risking their lives to bring down a hog, and they might need medical care out in the field.

32. Hog Hobbles

If you plan on bringing the hog out of the wild alive, you’ll need hog hobbles to ensure that you won’t be injured in the process.

33. GPS Tracking Dog Collars

Dogs and hogs are both lightning quick, so you might not always be able to follow right behind your canines. That means you’ll have to be able to find and get to them quickly before they can be in serious danger from the hogs.

34. Disposable Gloves

When butchering and cooking a hog, you should observe safe food handling procedures to ensure that you don’t end up with a serious problem. Wear disposable gloves when dealing with the blood of the hog.

What to Watch for When Hog Hunting

35. Diseases

Avoid contact with dead hogs since they can carry illnesses. Wild, feral hogs can also carry disease too. One of those diseases is brucelllosis. It can be passed to humans through contact with blood or tissue from the hog carrying the disease. They can also carry pseurdorabies, which is fatal to livestock and pets. Animals with the disease will scratch and bite themselves viciously. Be aware of the signs, and throw out the carcass carefully after the kill.

36. Parasites

Another problem with hogs is that they carry parasites like roundworm. You’ll be able to see worms in the droppings of the animal where you’re hunting or tracking them.

De-Scenting before a Hog Hunt

37. Remove Synthetic Smells

Some scents are overpowering to animals including synthetic smells like those found in colognes, perfumes, dyes and detergents.

38. Washing Hunting Clothes

You’ll leave trace amounts of smells and chemicals when washing clothes in a public washer and dryer. Make sure you’re using your own washer. Run the washing machine with hot water only to remove the chemicals. Wash your hunting clothes with baking soda, which will get them clean without leaving trace scents. Avoid using the dryer. Instead, leave your gear to dry outside on the line.

39. Deodorants

A few days before your hunt, avoid using chemical deodorants. You can purchase natural alternatives in health food stores. In some areas, a sporting goods store will be able to provide natural alternatives to soaps and chemical deodorants too.

40. Watch What You Eat

Spicy and strong-smelling foods like curry and garlic should be avoided before a hunt. Hot sauce and onions as well as some processed meats can leak scent into the pores of the skin while sweating.

41. Rubbing Your Clothes with Dirt

When you head into the hunt zone, you can stick your outwear into the dirt to gather a natural scent that should help mask your more human odors.

Adding Scent to Your Body, Clothing and Supplies

42. Around the Campfire

If you spend a few days in the woods, you might smell like you belong, but you’ll still need to cook and the rest of your gear might have a trace chemical smell. You can surround your camp with the smell of hog urine or other scent substitutes.

43. Bug Repellent

You’ll need to keep ticks and mosquitoes away from you while you’re out in the woods, but you’ll need natural-smelling repellents that won’t ruin your de-scenting procedures. Check with your local sporting goods store for natural repellents.

44. Urination Pouches

One of the best ways to remove the scent of your pee is to use a pouch that has gel inside it to catch the odors as well as the urine itself. The scent of urine is pretty strong, and it’s why you’ll be using the hog’s urine to keep the hog from smelling you even after you spend time de-scenting yourself and your supplies.

Feral hog hunting can be an extreme challenge for the most experienced hunters. While beginner’s shouldn’t be discouraged to try hog hunting, they should follow these tips to be safe while hunting these aggressive, intelligent creatures.

Best States in the US to go Hog Hunting

Hog hunting is growing rapidly throughout the United States for good reason. Particularly because of the continual growth in the population of invasive beasts and because these beasts have caused a widespread transmission of harmful diseases as well as damage to crops. Luckily for hunters in the country, the rapid growth of invasive animals have created many opportunities for hunting. Meaning, there is no reason not to go after a few hogs.

Hogs are prolific breeders that live in places which are typically not easy to get to. They can also be difficult to approach (any animal with ears the size of a catalpa tree leaf and a nose as big as a quart jar is likely not to be a pushover). However, there has been a pig boom that has resulted in relaxed hunting restrictions. Even on privately owned lands.

Because of this, most landowners (whether farmers or paper companies) may allow hunters enter their property provided the hunter brings forth a written and signed permit. Whether you are an avid hog hunter who is looking for new ways to hunt or you just want to hunt as it is something you enjoy doing, below are some of the best states for hog hunting.

1. Alabama

There are 17 wildlife management areas in the region that are currently in support of wild pig hunting. In southwest Alabama, you can find the best opportunities in the Upper Delta, W.L. Holland wildlife, and the Mobile-Tensaw Delta management areas. Rob M. Boykin and Scotch, Frank W. wildlife management areas have smaller populations.

The southeast part of Alabama is home to small hog populations on Covington and Blue Springs wildlife management areas. Farther down the north, the Lowndes wildlife management area south of Montgomery is a good option. The Seven-mile Island, Freedom Hills, and the Black Warrior wildlife management areas are top hog hunting spots in the northwest region of the state. Finally in the northeast, you can check out Little River, James D. Martin-Skyline, and Choccolocco wildlife management areas.

2. Florida

Every part of Florida boasts a reasonable hog population. Private land hunters can kill hogs any way they like. Public land hog chasers may need to provide a permit or fulfill some licensing requirements. On wildlife management areas, hog hunting is restricted to certain seasons. There are quality spots for hog hunting on Uncle Sam’s ground. Apalachicola wildlife management area in Franklin, Liberty, Wakulla and Leon counties is a part of the Apalachicola National Forest and offers a good area for hog hunting.

The Apalachicola Bradwell Unit along the Ochlockonee River is home to old-fashioned Hog Management Still Hunts and Hog Management Dog Hunts on selected weekends from the month of May through September. To hunt there, hog chasers will have to provide a quota hunt permit. Another popular destination for hunting hogs in the state is the Aucilla wildlife management area in Taylor and Jefferson counties. Florida is blessed with millions of acres of federally managed land, or paper company land, public hunting land and wildlife management areas; that is home to fair numbers of hogs.

3. Missouri

Though largely regarded for trophy bucks, Missouri is a great hog hunting area in the Midwest. There are no special permits required (except on deer and turkey seasons). Many counties across the region have a broad hog population, but the best areas for success when it comes to pig chasing is the southern part of the state (particularly along the waterways). The more active hog populations are the Devil’s and Ozarks Backbone Wilderness area.

4. Georgia

Georgia is one state that should be on every hog hunters radar. There is no closed season on the private lands, no limits and you can hunt pigs at night. Though public land (on national or state forests, as well as wildlife management areas) hunters face stricter regulations, there are still opportunities available for the non-residents (they must present a valid hunting license. If a landowner gives a non-resident permission to hunt hogs on his/her land, the traveling hog hunter can chase hogs at night or hunt them with any firearm type or archery equipment. But during special seasons, the archery equipment and firearms used to hunt hogs have to correspond with the stipulated regulations.

There are dozens of wildlife management areas in the state that support hog hunting. The majority of them are in the southern part at the major river bottoms like the Chattahoochee, Flint, Oconee and Ocmulgee. River Bend, Big Hammock, and Beaverdam wildlife management areas are ideal spots. The wildlife management areas in the delta regions of the southeast coast like Altamaha, Clayhole Swamp, and Paulk’s Pasture are all good places. The private holdings at the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and anywhere around both sides of the Georgia and Florida state lines have many hogs too.

5. Oklahoma

It is believed that every county in the state of Oklahoma is home to a population of feral hogs. License requirements may vary in the state (depending on the particular time of year) whether the hog hunting is going to be done on private or public land. The Honobia-Three Rivers wildlife management area that covers the Upper Mountain Fork, Eagle and Glover Fork rivers in the southeastern region of the state is an ideal open hog hunting spot for the public. Its 930,000 acres (encompasses the Ouachita National Forest, and some timber company land) is home to a sizable number of wild hogs.

Hunters do not need to have a license to hunt hogs on private land all the time, but if they want to hunt during the big-game season, they will need a license. Feral hogs are a problem in Oklahoma to the point that the state’s Department of Agriculture keeps a directory of trappers and hunters that landowners can reach to help get rid of the nuisance. The chances that farmers with hog troubles in Oklahoma will allow you hunt for free are on the high side.

6. Tennessee

Originally, Russian boars were let loose in a few counties in the eastern part of Tennessee as game animals on private land. Today, around 80 of 95 counties in the state have wild hogs, the majority of which are good old-fashioned Durocs, Poland Chinas and Hampshires. They outgrew their welcome in 2011 after losing their status as game animals.

Feral hogs can be found in the swamplands surrounding Reelfoot Lake, the bottomlands of Mississippi, the Lands between the lakes, eastward to the Smoky Mountains and the Tennessee River Valley. Farmers are granted leeway to kill hogs on their property, which includes allowing hunters to help them. Hogs can be hunted on wildlife management areas during the deer season or on private land all year-round in Tennessee.

7. Texas

One premier destination for hunters looking to hunt feral hogs is the Lone Star State of Texas. Seeton as an exotic animal in the state, wild hogs can be subjected to state bag limits, closed seasons and possession limits, provided you are hunting on a private land. In other words, the state of Texas offers traveling hog hunters an opportunity to hunt pigs any time of the year. It is believed that the state’s hog population is as a result of the introduction of pigs three centuries ago by Spanish explorers (three centuries is plenty of time to reproduce and spread). Today’s population of hogs numbers in the region of millions and covers just about all of Texas.

The ranches and private lands that are overrun by hogs (particularly in the southern part of Texas) are reserved typically for fee hunting. If you are close to the croplands in the major river valleys like the Canadian, Red and the Sabine, seek a farmer permission for access. Additionally, you need a valid hunting license to enjoy bag limits or closed season. Hog hunters are welcome in the North Texas counties of Childress, Cottle, Briscoe, Hall and Motley. Hog hunters can also try regions like the Matador wildlife management area in Cottle County and the Caddo Lakes wildlife management area in Harrison and Marion counties. Another ideal option includes the walk-in hunts that are administered by Texas Parks and Wildlife.

8. California

While famously known for being the base of Hollywood the Golden State of California offers hog hunters many opportunities. In fact, hunters are likely to find hog hunting opportunities that can rival all the other states in the country. Hog hunters will need to acquire hunting licenses, individual pig permits, before selecting a good area to hunt in the region. Although California is thick with game baiting is prohibited, hunting only boils down to spotting and staking or stalking out agricultural food sources and waterholes.

Most hog hunters feel the best way to kill hogs is sitting next to the feeder and waiting for the animal to turn up, however, since bating is prohibited spotting some pigs rooting through a field of barley and attempting to crawl to bow range is an ideal method for hunting. The counties in the state are great sites for hog hunting as the region has a sizable hog population in both private and controlled public lands. Hog hunting is excellent in California.