Wild hogs in Wisconsin!

[randyrat]

The hogs are here http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/wildlife/PUBL/wlnotebook/Pig.htm Now i gotta get prepared. We do not have very many but a few is too many. They say accurances all over the state. Kinda spotty according to the map they provide. Got any tips on hog hunting when there is only a few. I've seen the tracks before, i thought they were a big white tail , big and more rounded. My guess these nasty mud wallers will be in the nastiest brush/low land swamp, yet possibly near crops. I've wanted to shoot a wild hog for a long time. How do you hunt wild pigs?

[NSP64]

Never done it, but sounds like a hoot. Most I've seen on T.V. looked to be baited in.:Fire:

[NavyRedneck]

If you can bait, try setting out some corn piles with kool-aid sprinkled on them. These piles should be set around heavy, recent hog activity. Then check them a few days later. The ones that get hit should be restocked. Eventually you will probably walk up with hogs on the corn pile.

If you can't bait then I would recommend stalking them. You can do this best at just before sunset. If they are feeding you can walk within 30 yards. The key to stalking is identifying wallow areas and rooting areas and watching them closely. Sitting in a treestand near a wallow can be effective. If you listen you will likely hear grunting and feeding noises at just before sunset. Scent control will be a must for all stand-hunting and will help during stalking as well.

Head shots are best and I recommend hard cast slugs. Usually I use a hard cast slug made by Dixie Slugs from a 12 guage but a 30-30 or other similar hard hitting round would work. I prefer head shots because you either miss or they go down. If they fall down and don't start the death kick then you need to quickly shoot them again in the head or else they will get up and run. I've lost many lung shots as they run into swamp areas that I often can't get into.

I also recommend carrying a heavy revolver or handgun shooting lead slugs. You can outrun even a slightly wounded hog so don't be afraid to chase them down. They will charge if wounded or if a sow is guarding piglets, or a boar is guarding a sow in heat. In that case you will want a heavy revolver but a shot to the head will stop all charges that I have seen.

When they move I typically see the piglets come in first to feed, followed by the sow(s), followed by the boar which may be spread out over an hour. In my opinion the sows are the best eating with piglets requiring a lot of work for a little meat (which is very tender). Boars need to be quickly de-nutted to avoid ruining the meat. I can't confirm this but I will tell you that the last really big boar I killed was a 260 pounder and we couldn't get him of the swamp for over 2 hours and the meat was kind of rank. I haven't tasted the last pig I shot but I removed the testicles immediately so I'm hoping I saved the meat.

For cooking, the ribs are excellent, better than any store-bought. The backstrap and tenderloin are also excellent. The rest taste good with ample use of spices, particularly onion and garlic. I usually save a roast or two and then make sausage out of the rest.

Good luck!

[Nueces]

Thanks, Navy, very nice essay. Consider yourself piped aboard. :mrgreen:

Mark

[Dutch4122]

According to an A/P article I read in the local paper about a month ago it seems we now have them here in Michigan, too.

Haven't seen any activity in this area yet. None the less it would be a great excuse to work up a .444 load with the 290 grn WFNGC Group Buy boolit that .357 Max ran a while back...........................:cbpour:

[randyrat]

For cooking, the ribs are excellent, better than any store-bought. The backstrap and tenderloin are also excellent. The rest taste good with ample use of spices, particularly onion and garlic. I usually save a roast or two and then make sausage out of the rest.

Thats what i wanted to hear, OOOOOHHHH YYYAAHHH ...... Great tips at least i have some know how... I'll keep my ears open for any sightings and be ready to jump into action. Corn is easy to find around here and coolaid. Sprinkle coolaid over the pile...I'll try it. Thanks

[randyrat]

According to an A/P article I read in the local paper about a month ago it seems we now have them here in Michigan, too.

Haven't seen any activity in this area yet. None the less it would be a great excuse to work up a .444 load with the 290 grn WFNGC Group Buy boolit that .357 Max ran a while back...........................:cbpour: Wow i would like to see that. A hit with a 290 gr bullet on a big pig, lets say a 300 pounder. If you could get that on a vidio it would be Great! Although i would rather be on the end of the stock and my finger on the trigger. I'm working on locating by WDNR right now,hopefully they will give me some leads on where they where last spotted and possibly some wallowing spots. I want my picture with a big wild pig hanging from my tree and a sign saying; "shot with my own cast boolit" Then another picture showing me next to the grill( charcoal not gas) cookin up some pork with a smile like this:-D

[I Haines]

How do you hunt wild pigs?

There's lots of hogs in central CA. I've had the best luck hunting them late in the summer when things are dry. Creek beds are ideal places to find them at dawn or dusk. Hogs need the wet soil. As Navy said, you can sometimes hear em way before you can see em. They have great sense of smell but can't see well.

I like to eat the smaller ones, under 100 lbs. If I shoot a larger hog I will usually get the hams done and make the rest into sausage. IH

[EMC45]

Hogs are tasty! Got one a few years ago with a 30-30. Ate real nice!

[LET-CA]

There's lots of hogs in central CA. I've had the best luck hunting them late in the summer when things are dry. Creek beds are ideal places to find them at dawn or dusk. Hogs need the wet soil. As Navy said, you can sometimes hear em way before you can see em. They have great sense of smell but can't see well.

I like to eat the smaller ones, under 100 lbs. If I shoot a larger hog I will usually get the hams done and make the rest into sausage. IH


Do you hunt public or private land? I've gone out in Texas with my brother, but I live in Sacramento and need a place to find some piggies!

[I Haines]

LET-CA,

I've only hunted on private property. I think most of the hogs are found on private land. Check the coastal counties for public land. Also Hunter Ligget Military Base. The DFG has a "pig hunting guide" that may list some public ground. It's a free booklet from DFG in Sacramento. Best of luck to ya. IH

[Freightman]

They are getting so bad here in the eastern Texas Panhandle it isn't safe to sit in a ground blind. A friend was in his during bow season and a hog got in the blind with him, he finley got a sloid kick on his nose and he left. His blind and new cammo paints were ripped, he is not a CCW license holder so he can't have a pistol during bow season. Another good reason to have a CCW.

[Russell James]

Fellas I use to trap heaps of hogs over here and after trying many baits to encourage them into the trap, the best by far was "roadkill".Yep any dead carcass the smellier the better! They even eat there own!
Tried everything, molasses, sugar, meat,corn etc but nothing beat the dead meat!
Plus we get about $ .60cents a pound when we sell to the wild game exporters!
Happy hunting.
Russell James.

[Lloyd Smale]

I live in the up of mich. and heard there were some here. There was even an article in a magazine that said it. I had buddys living in the area that was mentioned and they laughed when i told them. they said that a couple got out of a game farm and they were shot within a week. I would guess that the same is the case in wisconson. I think the dnr just says crap like that to get out of state hunters to come and buy a licience. I know my buddy owns a game farm and he has to tag each pig and keep records and if one is missing hed better be able to account for it. The drn really frowns on them getting loose. If a couple get out he has to hunt them down and kill them asap. i know as ive helped him do it. I asked him if they would make it in the wild up here with our cold and snow and he thought they would probably make it but wouldnt grow very big because of lack of food in the winter. As a matter of fact he said if pigs escape the enclosure in the winter all you have to do is post about 50 yards from the fence and after a day they will come back to eat.

[BBA]

In Michigan, wasn't there an anti-cruelty group that busted loose several hundred pigs from a farm around Midland? There is a map on the DNR website showing pigs in Mi, some are wild , some aren't. There was a report the pigs around Midland/Saginaw area were breeding. There have been several car/pig accidents on M10.

[randyrat]

I can't locate any in northern Wi. Via people i know and WDNR, but i'm hearing reports of some sightings in southern to mid state. I'm not sure how accurate these reports are yet.

[Bret4207]

We have some that escaped from a game farm. I'm amazed they make it through the winters up here. Tough.

[Lloyd Smale]

I know the southern boys hate the buggers but if i knew for sure theyd make up here and knew i wouldnt get caught id be awful temped to buy a half a dozen and turn them loose at camp. Maybe in a couple years wed at least have somethng to shoot. the deer heard is so dammed crappy up here anymore that its hardly worth hunting..

[charger 1]

I know the southern boys hate the buggers but if i knew for sure theyd make up here and knew i wouldnt get caught id be awful temped to buy a half a dozen and turn them loose at camp. Maybe in a couple years wed at least have somethng to shoot. the deer heard is so dammed crappy up here anymore that its hardly worth hunting..


I cant see why they wouldnt make it, there farmed for hunting all through our west far north of you. As a matter of fact in north manitoba their considered a nuisance. Now I'm assuming their more or less the same creatures. The ones up here came over a long time ago with polish settlers. Their grey and rip the he11 outta the sod.. You might have more of a survival garauntee if you could bring northern ones down as opposed to southerns up

[randyrat]

Word of mouth says; They are just east of Superior 5-10 miles, but on privite land. I'll find dem der pigs yet. Nobody is reporting the sightings. Check the slaughter houses and meat stores where they butcher/process not everybody cuts/wraps their own meat.

[firestick]

sorry to hijack the thread but has anyone heard of wild hogs in Alberta?
If so, where? I'd sure like to find some. Tasty critters

[Topper]

http://www.texasboars.com/hunting/baiting.html
Some good info here on hog hunting in Texas.
Hopefully it will provide some help.

[mazo kid]

Randyrat, when I was a kid in southwest Wis, there were wild hogs on farmland in the area. Nothing much was done about hunting at that time as the terrain is pretty rugged. Emery

[qajaq59]

If there is a pair of them in your area just wait a while and you'll have plenty of them to shoot. They can have 3 litters of 12 each in a year, if enough food is available. One nice thing about hogs is they do so much damage to crops, lawns, and golf courses that no one minds you whacking them.

[charger 1]

If there is a pair of them in your area just wait a while and you'll have plenty of them to shoot. They can have 3 litters of 12 each in a year, if enough food is available. One nice thing about hogs is they do so much damage to crops, lawns, and golf courses that no one minds you whacking them.


I'm trying to figure why there isnt any in ontario canada...Manitoba is loaded. Although we get waste deep snow and severe temps,northern manitoba is way worse yet they gottem we dont...Dont get it

[hornetguy]

I know the southern boys hate the buggers but if i knew for sure theyd make up here and knew i wouldnt get caught id be awful temped to buy a half a dozen and turn them loose at camp. Maybe in a couple years wed at least have somethng to shoot. the deer heard is so dammed crappy up here anymore that its hardly worth hunting..


If you did that, and if there are any farmers around there, they would be lynching you within a year....

pigs are PROLIFIC... I think a sow can have 3 litters a year, usually about 6-8 piglets, I think...

they tear up fences, and destroy crops... looks like a tiller has gone through. Literally.

I don't hate em... but I don't own land or crops. They are fun to hunt, and, as mentioned, are mighty tasty. At least the young small ones.

[Boz330]

If you did that, and if there are any farmers around there, they would be lynching you within a year....

pigs are PROLIFIC... I think a sow can have 3 litters a year, usually about 6-8 piglets, I think...

they tear up fences, and destroy crops... looks like a tiller has gone through. Literally.

I don't hate em... but I don't own land or crops. They are fun to hunt, and, as mentioned, are mighty tasty. At least the young small ones.

I just talked to my F&G biologist the other day since I'm in a couple sponsored programs. I told him about the Feral pig I got last July and his first comment was why didn't you shoot all of them in the field. He was quite animated that these things had to be wiped out. As much fun as they might be to hunt & eat, the damage they do far outweighs the benefit.
So far I haven't seen any activity on my place but it is just a matter of time. The one that I shot and her 30 or so mates were less than 2 miles upstream on the creek that runs through my farm. The biologist said that he heard a rumor that these had been turned loose, which is exactly what I heard from another pretty reliable source. He was not at all pleased with this and said something like they should be strung up by the you know what.
I've put in a lot of trees and wildlife food plots and I really don't want them torn up. I saw some of the damage where I shot the one last summer and they are really distructive. I will be waiting for them when they show up. Might have to just have more pig roasts and invite the neighborhood.

Bob

[sundog]

pig in the ground and beer on ice... Haven't I heard that somewhere else?

[Boz330]

pig in the ground and beer on ice... Haven't I heard that somewhere else?

You've been to my place EH!
The guy that taught me to cook hogs used to fish with Hank Jr. before he was famous. I always hoped that he might show up at one of my friends hog roasts, but by that time he was too busy being famous.
When you sit with a pig for 24hrs, you better have some beer on ice.:drinks:

Bob

[Wayne Dobbs]

Here's the way to hunt feral hogs: FLIR and a suppressed .308!

http://www.jagerpro.com/video.aspx?false

[Four Fingers of Death]

Aussie hunters sometimes get a drum of used cooking oil from a hamburger joint and put it in a trough or some just spread it on the ground (I think a rough trough made from half a drum would work best). The pigs can't resist it, dine like swine and it goes straight through them, leaving a very distinct trail.

[jim4065]

Here's the way to hunt feral hogs: FLIR and a suppressed .308!

http://www.jagerpro.com/video.aspx?false

That is one great video. :bigsmyl2:

[Slowpoke]

Aussie hunters sometimes get a drum of used cooking oil from a hamburger joint and put it in a trough or some just spread it on the ground (I think a rough trough made from half a drum would work best). The pigs can't resist it, dine like swine and it goes straight through them, leaving a very distinct trail.

That reminds me of the time I came upon the scene of a couple of black bears that had just turned about $5000 worth of bee hives into kindling. There was about 100yrd square area that you couldn't throw your hat down without it landing on a piece of hive, that much honey and wax must be a terrible good laxative because there was loose bear crap everywhere. One bear had a arm load of frames going up the side of the MTN and everytime he would dig in with his hind legs, well you get the picture. : )


good luck

[725]

Somehow I don't think some brie eating Sierra Club type would think this is as funny as I think it is.

[floodgate]

Slowpoke:

Reminds me of the time back in the '50s when my wife's BIG (6' 8") older brother was running bees in Owens Valley, and had problems with bears getting into his stands and tearing them up, so one night he staked out in his pickup with his 12-ga. double. Woke up to the racket of a bear tearing up a stand, let fly one - two and - without his glasses - missd her cold. Still half asleep, he jumped out and beat her head in with the butt; then REALLY woke up and realized what he had just done: busted the butt off a perfectly fine old L. C. Smith - and kinked the barrels to boot!

floodgate

[smokemjoe]

RandyRat: I wintered out a couple times in Daytona Fl. They have a gun club and range like a golf course. I see it was always gruped up. I asked the fellow at the ticket booth what did it, wild pigs. He would come out there and sit in the booth early mornings and shoot the them. Nothing to it,Then drive down to Titusville rifle range and all dug up there also. Seen more dead hogs throwed down in the weeds then taken home and eaten. By the looks of them I see way, Try early morning hunting, Joe