Hog hunting locations

[ilcop22]

Good afternoon,

It's been a dream of mine to get into hog hunting. I've been gearing up for ages, but the fact I live in the Peoples Republic of Illinois means it ain't happening up here. I lost my hunting grounds in MO where hogs had started taking over a year before I had a chance to hunt them there. I'm looking for ideas/suggestions - Best states, any (non-bank breaking) clubs or pay-to-play lands, etc. Any input would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Brad

[HWooldridge]

They are all over the place - supposedly, Texas has more wild hogs than people and most of the Gulf States are covered up with them. The big ones come out of Alabama, Georgia, Florida, etc., but I expect you can find a place to hunt closer to Illinois.

[Winger Ed.]

Make your best deal with farmers who have crop destruction problems them.

You might find someone who will gladly let you bait them to a spot and trap or shoot them for free.

[koger]

Watching this closely.

[ilcop22]

While I appreciate the replies so far, I'm looking for something more specific or first hand hunted. I know what states are good, but I don't know any farmers in those states.

[Winger Ed.]

I don't know any farmers in those states.

Go meet them in drivable distances. I seriously doubt they will come to you.
And if it was easy---- everybody would be doing it.

I had a buddy that got access to properties for varmint hunting just by going around knocking on their doors and asking them.
Another got 'free' deer hunting rights from posting notices in local feed & seed stores wanting to trade hunting for labor.
There are lots of older folks still running farms & ranches, but can't do some of the heavier stuff by themselves any more.

[Shawlerbrook]

Great advice ^^^^^^

[cwtebay]

I can speak to both landowner and requester of hunting permission.
Ask early - I will definitely tell you no if you show up at 6am the morning you want to hunt, same if you show up with a truckload of orange or camo while I am trying to work cows. I will definitely tell you yes if you call early and ask if I need help with fencing or working cattle or whatever. I have elk and antelope and deer - not hogs. BUT...I offered the same as I expect to several places in Texas and Arkansas and followed up on my offers.
Guess proof would be that I am heading to Texas on 9 February to hunt!
(And a gentleman and his family from New Jersey killed their first elk my place this past October with the same effort)

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[Winger Ed.]

One of my old friends was on a job out of town for a few weeks and one of the locals he met had
a friend that had a big infestation of wild hogs.

He went and met the guy to ask if he could hunt them (for free).
The guy told him he had a bunch and they were tearing his place up.
He went back early one morning and shot three with his .300WinMag.

The farmer was glad for it, but said he was so loud, he'd gotten some 'ya-kitty-yak' from his wife.
So a few days later, he went back with a AR. He waited until they came down into a stock tank/pond.
Then hosed them off from back to front and got another twelve.

The farmer was laughing so hard he could barely say the 'yeah, he wasn't quite as loud this time'.
My friend went back a few more times, but the hogs were pretty well thinned out and had moved on.

[SSGOldfart]

If you see one there is two more you didn't see in East Texas most people hunt them after dark!!!! We killed seven last summer in two days I have hundreds coming into my deer feeders,we only hunt them during the off season(when deer season is closed),being wheelchair bound I can't get out to the lease very often anymore. Most land in Texas is under lease for deer hunting but you might fine a club willing to let you hunt hogs as most get kindly upset with them trashing there feeders and such.:Bright idea:[smilie=1:

[popper]

Pretty much have to find a high fence ranch. Know a guy who did the helo hunt thing, said it was a blast but not cheap. Unless trapped and released, open range hogs move around a lot to where the food is. GS and her nephew both got one but it's 'luck of the draw'. GS used ar15 walking friend's pasture, don't know what the nephew used.

[SSGOldfart]

PM sent,check your mail box.[smilie=w:

[Winger Ed.]

,we only hunt them during the off season(when deer season is closed),

A guy I used to work with did that. For him, just getting out of the city made the trips worthwhile.
He'd dig a hole under his deer feeders and bury powdered grape cool-aid and sugar several inches deep.

He said it would attract and hold them there digging it up like junkies going after free cocaine.

[OKMike]

Come to Oklahoma, hunt most any river bottoms. Public land everywhere


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[FLINTNFIRE]

A guy I used to work with did that. For him, just getting out of the city made the trips worthwhile.
He'd dig a hole under his deer feeders and bury powdered grape cool-aid and sugar several inches deep.

He said it would attract and hold them there digging it up like junkies going after free cocaine.

Winger when you wrote that I thought of hunter biden digging through his carpet looking for crack

[Winger Ed.]

Winger when you wrote that I thought of hunter biden digging through his carpet looking for crack

Next time, I'll compare it to 'A bunch of bums going after a bologna sandwich'.:bigsmyl2:

[wmitty]

My experience has been as Popper described; hogs range over an area in search of food and make it difficult to pinpoint their location at a point in time. I have had folks come to me saying “I am being overrun by hogs” only to go the next nite and find no hogs…. they had moved on. If you can bait a location and go check for hogs later, I believe you will have a better chance of success. Not trying to dampen anyone’s enthusiasm; but finding the hogs has been tough; at least for this old man.

[Rapier]

Hogs go for odd things to humans. Here bouts pro hog hunters use old used motor oil on trees, 5gal buckets with mixtures of corn, molasses, cool aide, and water, allowed to sit a few days in the sun, then bury it at least two foot under the dirt. Hogs can smell for 3 miles or better, so burying something that stinks is just fine. They find it and root it up.

I just shoot and bury the ones that come on my farm, front end loader, quick lime, gone, gone. They can have human transmittable diseases and parasites that can not be cooked out, around here. You can not get one processed in FL at a certified processor without a Vet certificate of health. So they are not worth taking a chance or fooling with to me.

[geezer56]

I'm on a deer lease in Georgia. We have hogs. Out of 14 members, I am the only one who actively hunts them. Feeders run year round, I'm old and retired. I've killed 60 in the last 2 years. I have access to about 3000 acres, just by talking to other hunt clubs and farmers. Everyone wants pigs gone, but nobody wants to take the time to actually get after them. Places to hunt them are available, you just have to ask. And be willing to help out the people who control the access.

[Medium_bore]

I haven't got many responses to outfitters in East TX. (I'm coming from far north Minnesota.) No night vision or thermal experience here, but would love to try. Meat hunter here: father and son hunt.