Night Time Hoghunt

[wtfooptimax200]

Has anyone been on a nighttime hog hunt? I was just reading about them in a magazine (can't remember if it was F&S or OL). Are they as fun as a typical daytime hunt?

I have always wanted to go on a hog hunt, and this unique type of hunting has the potential to put a bunch of bacon in the freezer. Any input is appreciated.

Thanks,
Branden

[Hamish]

On foot, in the dark, barking dogs, pocket knives, and screaming, wicked nasty hogs.

You ain't lived till,,,,,,

(Guns, bows, whatever. It's all a blast.)

[para45lda]

Are talking about sitting in a stand or tracking/catching by hand with a roll of electrician's tape?

If its the latter I would suggest a daytime test run first. I don't have the nerve anymore (as in fatboy don't run and hogs still bite).

Wes

[-06]

Several yrs ago I bought a nice starlight scope just to hunt hogs with. Have yet to play with it at night-hunting hogs that is. I think they can see IR so that is the reason for the starlight. Have two buds who want to go so it is getting time.

[mx5tc]

Hamish,

Is there decent wild hog hunting in S. Illinois??? I attended SIU many moons ago and remember good deer and wild fowl hunting in that part of the state.

[L1A1Rocker]

It's a blast! This is not my video but you get the idea.

http://video.search.yahoo.com/video/play?p=texas%20night%20time%20silenced%20hog%20hun t&tnr=21&vid=1650324340949&l=94&turl=http%3A%2F%2Fts2.mm.bing.net%2Fvideos%2Fthumb nail.aspx%3Fq%3D1650324340949%26id%3Df6e166845ceb9 b2cfadd1f0d28b76e95%26bid%3DqsDl5MkyhyoCSg%26bn%3D Thumb%26url%3Dhttp%253a%252f%252fwww.youtube.com%2 52fwatch%253fv%253dwYlgY4vyivc&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DwY lgY4vyivc&sigr=11adrnteb&newfp=1&tit=NightHogs.com+night+vision+coyote%2Fwild+boar+ hog+hunting+.44+mag+...

[Hamish]

I was lucky enough years ago to work on the 74 Ranch, 60 miles south of San Antonio. 34,000 acres of redneck heaven.

We *do* have a few wild hogs about 25 miles east of me in some of the old Amax Coal Co. ground. But, deer? We got **lots** of deer, and the turkey ain't bad either. The stinking snow geese are moving the the Canada's out though. In the 70's the sky would be black all day long with honkers.

I'm 9 miles east of SIU. De Crab Orchard NWR been beddy-beddy gud tu me, ya!

Sure do miss Texas bacon though,,,,,

[x101airborne]

Several yrs ago I bought a nice starlight scope just to hunt hogs with. Have yet to play with it at night-hunting hogs that is. I think they can see IR so that is the reason for the starlight. Have two buds who want to go so it is getting time.

Interesting observation. In my experience, they do not seem effected by IR lights. I have been using passive and active night vision for about 3 years now and have not noticed a difference. But..... that is just me. They seem a lot more afraid of a pickup and a red lense spotlight.

You ought to knock the dust off that thing and use it. As my old CAV units slogan states.... "Death waits in the dark".

[Katya Mullethov]

I just had a good chuckle with your incredulity that they had dug up your caliche road , 101st . I wonder what they smelled under there ?

We use hillbilly night vision .

My shooting buddy has one sideline of making signs and he collects WHITE scrap plastic sign backer like they make campaign signs out of . Then ya plant some t-posts and wire up a rather short fence out of the stuff for them to sillouete against . Works really well even without a moon .

After a while it gets pretty spattered, so you gotta flip it .

[Blammer]

hog hunting at night is no bigger thrill! No matter how you do it!

I've done it three times and everytime it was the best fun you could have with your clothes on!

[x101airborne]

I just had a good chuckle with your incredulity that they had dug up your caliche road , 101st . I wonder what they smelled under there ?


This is my guess and only a guess, but our June-Bugs are larval and starting to come out of the ground. I guess that they were coming after the larvae. But, yeah, a tractor could not dig through that road, but a hog could tear it up quite easily. Sons of butches.

[crawfobj]

It's a blast! I started going with some buddies who did it for fun. They have since turned it into a business. Check them out at tacticalhogcontrol.com. They were featured on in the WSJ not too long ago, (front page no less!) and have been on a few Discovery Channel shows. They have a couple of videos on their website that are pretty cool.

They killed 21 pigs on a client hunt this week. So jealous!

[bbs70]

Went to the site for more info and to watch videos.
I read the "Facts about ferral hogs" portion.
One of the Facts struck me funny
"Most sounders consist of sows and their young. Older boars are more solitary"
Sounds like a married man.
Or maybe midnight at wal-mart.

[geargnasher]

Used to do it years ago on the northwest end of the Y.O. ranch, the buggars were taking over. We'd drive around pasture after pasture at night spotlighting for them, then you'd run into a huge bunch of them. The driver was an old ranch resident who had a knack for picking a trail quickly through open country while operating the spotlight at the same time, he could keep up with a running herd for several minutes at a time. With the benefit of the spotlight, two shooters could do pretty well with open sights and semi-auto carbines. I only got to go a couple of times when I happened to be home from college, but a good buddy of mine went dozens of times, great fun and really good eating if done right, espeically the little ones.

Gear

[TXGunNut]

Putting a good light on a target in low light is often better than daylight. Biggest issues are same as daylight, basic safety rule of knowing your target and beyond. An experienced ranch hand knows where the cattle are, also knows where the hogs are likely to be. Caution rule of the day (night).
101Airborne, I've often wondered how a hog could be such a prolific digger. Their noses are quite soft but their neck muscles are quite strong.

[Katya Mullethov]

hog hunting at night is no bigger thrill! No matter how you do it!

Just a little market research , an idea I have been toying with and I'd like to gauge the general interest in hunting an entire sounder of hogs over corn with a muzzle loading bronze cannon and a stand of quilted grapeshot/canister shot . At night of course .

To whom might that sound like a fun time ?

[kopperl]

Just a little market research , an idea I have been toying with and I'd like to gauge the general interest in hunting an entire sounder of hogs over corn with a muzzle loading bronze cannon and a stand of quilted grapeshot/canister shot . At night of course .

To whom might that sound like a fun time ?
Sounds like one very good idea. They have become such a pronlem that a nuke might no be overkill!

[x101airborne]

I just wish claymore's weren't illegal. I am already using full auto supressed with night vision and can't keep up. Funny thing about that is..... and I know it is hard to believe....... but I kill more pigs lining them up and shooting a 400 grain solid out of my beowulf than I do spraying with 5.56.

[Katya Mullethov]

I just wish claymore's weren't illegal. I am already using full auto supressed with night vision and can't keep up. Funny thing about that is..... and I know it is hard to believe....... but I kill more pigs lining them up and shooting a 400 grain solid out of my beowulf than I do spraying with 5.56.

Have you considered the judicious application of det-cord and caliche ?

So what's your record pig Quigley ?

[MT Gianni]

Went to the site for more info and to watch videos.
I read the "Facts about ferral hogs" portion.
One of the Facts struck me funny
"Most sounders consist of sows and their young. Older boars are more solitary"
Sounds like a married man.
Or maybe midnight at wal-mart.

No different than an elk or deer, or antelope herd. The bucks are there in the rut and not near them the rest of the year.

[x101airborne]

Have you considered the judicious application of det-cord and caliche ?

So what's your record pig Quigley ?

I prefer "Quigley Down Grunter", thank you. My record is not that big. About 325 pounds. My son's first was about 325, my buddy Lee's first was 400, and my dad killed a 500 pounder. I am not a trophy hunter... I am a QUANTITY hunter!

Kill em all!!!!!

[Katya Mullethov]

I prefer "Quigley Down Grunter", thank you.

I am not a trophy hunter... I am a QUANTITY hunter! Kill em all!!!!!


AAAHahahaha ! Yer welcome .

When I said Quigley ........I was referring to your proclaimed penchant for more than one kill per pill and was mostly just curious how many marranitos one of your expanded HP Beowulf boolits could penetrate .

[x101airborne]

In hollowpoint form, probably two, but I havent gotten two with the hollowpoints yet. but I havent recovered a boolit either. As for the solids that I am trying now..... I have gone through two smaller ones with little expansion, just a nice 50 cal hole in and another out. Still havent recovered a boolit. I am a little nervous about shooting around my feeders with that big a boolit coming out of a pig. Man, if I hit one of those feeder legs, a 500.00 feeder with up to 300 pounds of corn in it will come crashing down. And that, my friends, would suck!

[Hamish]

Well, here you go! Found this years ago:

http://www.buckstix.com/howitzer.htm

And you can cast for it!!

[Katya Mullethov]

Feeder trough ...........ENFILADE !!!!!

[Katya Mullethov]

""""Sounds like you shouldn't die when you touch them off, as long as you keep the muzzle pointed away from yourself. " - Ricochet """

Hey wait a minute ......... I know that guy . That's the engine collectin' ,nose melting , hot dog searing , sawbones from Bristol !

WTH is he, it's spring already aint it ?

[Crawdaddy]

I hunt at night all thE time. I sit over feeders any where from 30 to 100 yards away. A few things I use to be successful.

Small red light to put on the feeder
Night vision monocular
Night vision rifle scope
ND3 laser designator
Corn
Rifle scope with illuminated reticle.
Gun mounted tactical flashlight with red lense

All of these are not used in conjunction with each other.

I would say that the illuminated reticle and small red light are bare minimum to get started. Pigs don't see red very well but the can see contrast so you don't want the light very bright. Bait your feeder, point the light at the corn and wait. I can tell you from experience that without the illuminated reticles your cross hairs tend to disappear when you put them on a dark colored hog.

Pigs eyesight is not that great but their hearing and sense of smell are phenomenal. Stay downwind and don't make any noise.
The longer I hunt pigs the more things I try. My next trip to the lease I am going to try something new. I bought two motion sensor night lights, I will put red film over it and place on the two trails heading to the feeder. If it works out I will have advance warning.

I have used an AR15 with an ATN 350 night vision scope, a Marlin 1895 M with an illuminated reticle scope and my newest favorite pig gun is a AR 15 chambered in 300 Blackout, a Bushnell laser range finding scope and an ND3 laser designator.

Typically I get a shot anywhere from sunset to 3 hours after sunset.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7051/6966008213_ca8e957d0c_b_d.jpg
http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4026/4366256533_84b7c70074_b_d.jpg

[x101airborne]

There ya go!!!! Same thing as I do. I just havent really been happy with my ND-3. I dont know if I am using it incorrectly or not, but the hogs just seem spooked by it.

[x101airborne]

By the way, do I see an injury across the bridge of the nose there? or is it a "visual effect"?

[Crawdaddy]

I knew better than to post that photo. Would you believe me if I said I had to wrestle the pig down?

Ok, I'll come clean, I scoped myself with the 450 Marlin. Man did that smart for a while.

If you keep the ND3 beam small and dont let it hit their eyes they seem to be ok. I have limited experience with it, after I use it more I'll have a better idea.

The first time I saw an ND3 used was about 2 years ago, South of San Antonio. I was hunting with a buddy and the ranch owner asked me for a favor.

There was a local vet who lost his leg to an IED. The ranch owner asked me to take him under my wing and show him the ropes hunting pigs.

Went out that night, we sat 200 YARDS from a feeder (over my protest) and he plugs a pig in the ear hole. Pitch black 10 pm at night.

Turns out this guy was a special forces sniper. Needless to say he taught me a few things.

I have yet to get two hogs with one shot. Is it something you are trying to do or did it just end up that way? I may have to give it a try. Most of my kills are pass throughs so I definitley see how it is possible. I dont know if i have the patience to wait for two hogs to line themselves up. I have been content getting one in the crosshairs.

[x101airborne]

Mine just happened to work out that way. It was not on purpose. Although I know several people using cast and 45-70's and 444's that line em up intentionally and they have some success with that.

So come on, spill it. Unless it was a full moon night or yall had some type of spotlight, how did he see the hog?

[Crawdaddy]

Mine just happened to work out that way. It was not on purpose. Although I know several people using cast and 45-70's and 444's that line em up intentionally and they have some success with that.

So come on, spill it. Unless it was a full moon night or yall had some type of spotlight, how did he see the hog?

He did it with the ND3. It was set at its narrowest setting just like a laser, the laser was aligned with the crosshairs. He just put the laser on the pigs ear and pulled the trigger. There was a small red light on the feeder but all you could detect was motion of the pig. Nothing to aim with.

I take no credit for that kill, I wanted him about 150 yards closer. My best guess is that he ran the laser over the pigs body while looking through the scope until he found the head. I ended up being the student and him the teacher.

[x101airborne]

Well, lets be honest here. When you are hunting with an SF sniper, ALL of us are the students. Glad to hear yall did good!