HD Tactical

Last night's hog

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  • Daezee

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    Yesterday upon checking the peanut field, I felt sick. Wednesday night hogs came and rooted up freshly planted peanuts in an area of approximately 200yd by 10yd. Upon discovering this (late in the day) and knowing it was too late to round up my night hunting partner, and I had guests staying over, and a late dinner out was planned, I felt I had to do something. All my normal people that have taken hog meat were still stocked up on the meat, including me. I'd always prided myself and my hunting partner on always removing the hogs and using the meat.

    The farmer had already told me that as far as he is concerned "kill them all and dump them in a ditch" "they are not a native species" (he HATES wild hogs). So I did a quick meeting with the land owner and got his OK to drag hogs to one far corner of his ranch, if needed, and dump them where he's dumped hog bodies either after cleaning them or if they were too big/too old of boars for his taste.

    Went out after dinner and got to the field about 10pm. About 11pm I'd been watching a heat signature at the south end of the large field about 500yd away, trying to ID what it was. Couldn't ID that far away, so I gave up looking at it. As I sat back down, a dark movement caught my unaided vision. It was going at a trot north to south just inside the field. Pushed the ON button to the thermal on my rifle, picked up and shouldered the rifle (its thermal turns on in about 4 seconds). A hog had trotted in the field and stopped directly across from me at a small pile of corn 45yd away with its rear end to me. I waited, hoping others would show, but none did. Finally the hog turned more broadside, I aimed at the head near the ear, fired, and it went down. This was at 11:15pm. I stayed until 12:30am, seeing no more hogs, and went home after examining the hog. Large female, estimate an easy 150 pounds (revised to 175 by 2 people...she is a bigger girl in the daylight). My brother and I will now see if we can drag her to the dumping area. If not, the land owner will drag it this evening, but I'd rather do it for the owner. Update: Hog successfully dragged to far corner of ranch.

    300 Blackout, suppressed, 125gr Nosler Ballistic Tip, FLIR RS 32 2.25-9x thermal. Oh, this morning another farmer we've know for several years texted me that he's planting peanuts starting today (Sawman and Chaps, thats the NE and SE Jerry fields).

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    Daezee

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    maybe I need to start putting out peanuts instead of corn


    Yes, they sometimes like for someone to do some of he food finding work for them. A great time to be out us when the peanuts have been turned up to dry.
     

    Jester896

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    I have seen them destroy close to 100 acres of peanuts in a night....straight down the center of the rows from the woods to the pivot road.
     

    SAWMAN

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    I believe that you have one too many zero's in your above.
    OR . . . ?? :smile:
    How many hogs would you say that it would take to root up 4,368,100 sqft of soil in one night ?? --- SAWMAN
     

    Jester896

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    not sure which of us your asking.

    I "understood" that it was a 200 acre pivot circle, I didn't measure it, there were 7 links on the pivot. I also "assume" that the pivot road is the center of the circle, but it just looks that way since it goes from the edge of the field to the center to the pivot head and beyond to the wood line. Just about every row from the wood line to the pivot road had been rooted right down the center of the row as stated above, not every sq ft of 100 acres. I was there the next night and nothing came onto the field but 1 lone yote. The next night he brought a film crew from a magazine to the site and they counted 1 group of 100+ hogs twice or 2 groups of 100+ hogs that night.
     

    Glock31c

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    not sure which of us your asking.

    I "understood" that it was a 200 acre pivot circle, I didn't measure it, there were 7 links on the pivot. I also "assume" that the pivot road is the center of the circle, but it just looks that way since it goes from the edge of the field to the center to the pivot head and beyond to the wood line. Just about every row from the wood line to the pivot road had been rooted right down the center of the row as stated above, not every sq ft of 100 acres. I was there the next night and nothing came onto the field but 1 lone yote. The next night he brought a film crew from a magazine to the site and they counted 1 group of 100+ hogs twice or 2 groups of 100+ hogs that night.
    They was still full from the night before. Cause the deer’s brought beer to go with the peanut.
     

    kidsoncoffee

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    I'll have some NV capable optics in the next 3 months or so and would love to come slay some hogs with you. I work 20 days on and 10 days off, so that 10 off means I can do anything and everything I want any time of the day. You call in those 10 days off and I'll be there. It's gonna be about 6 months before I get my dead air to throw on the end of my barrel to keep things quiet. In the mean time I have plenty of disposable income for bait, beer, ammo, or whatever the hell else you need for a hog hunt...
     

    Daezee

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    Last night's hunt:

    Sawman counted 29 deer before he stopped counting. He was watching over 3 large fields and had his quiet electric buggy to move around in. In the field I was watching, I saw 2 coyotes, 2 feral cats, 3 rabbits, 1 deer, 1 possum, and 1 unable to ID heat signature (in an adjacent field that wasn't planted). Neither of us saw hogs.

    A check this afternoon showed no evidence of hogs coming after I left at midnight. I also just got word a few minutes ago that the farmer will be out replanting the area where hogs had rooted up his planted peanuts a few nights ago.

    It seems (at least in this area of Florida) that one can never absolutely pattern when hogs will come to eat crops...maybe a couple of nights in a row followed by nothing for a week or more, and even then it might be early or late in the night or just before sunrise. A fresh rain sometimes helps hogs to move from the creek/swamp/moist areas they live in, as it makes rooting easier in our opinion. As far as permission, it takes time to build up 100% trust with farmers, landowners, and clubs. Even then, sometimes the situation just isn't workable. For example: 2 hunt clubs wanted us killing hogs that were eating their deer food. 1 club gave us 100% access 24/7 by ourselves. The other club would only let us there if a club member was with us...unworkable, as we are retired, and the time to be hunting is at night when most club members would be home asleep or with their families. With us, one thing has helped has been referrals from one farmer/landowner to another. Another thing is volunteering and participating in helping the farmer/landowner. For example, I've participated in multiple hog cleaning/killing/trap construction events that have paid off with permission to hunt. We've also went to every seminar/meeting in this area on hog/animal pest control, meeting with FWC, agriculture, university, and forestry representatives. Our presence on private property has scared off trespassers...farmers like the human presence, as they can't be everywhere. Even encountered a FWC officer at night checking on poachers. As soon as Sawman said the farmer's name, the situation was immediately diffused.
     

    Realtor

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    If you're ever looking for a trustworthy respectful person (and his son) to thin the herd, PM me. We don't eat them, but I may be able to find some people that will....
     

    SAWMAN

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    IMO - - -> there is a X number of feral hogs per square mile. This changes as per their food source,cover,water,breeding possibilities, and several other factors.
    Where we hunted there are many,MANY,acres of planted peanuts. I get the feeling that not the same sounders of hogs visit the same fields,and the area of the fields,ever night. Even if they get all they want to eat in a field,there is no guarantee that the same hogs,will show up in the same field,or part of the field,night after night.
    Hogs roam. Where we hunt,within 2 miles square,I would guess that there are several thousand to possibly five thousand acres of planted peanuts,soy beans,and young cotton.
    Hogs freely cross tared county roads. We have learned that. So that is not a "natural" barrier.
    I watched dozens of deer feed in the freashly planted peanuts. Some less than 50yds distance. They were not pawing them up. I talked to a farmer friend this AM at breakfast. He told me that a good percentage of the planted peanuts are not underground. Some are on top or partially buried. That is what they are after. Also,just by the fact that they are walking across a plowed,soft field,they turn up some peanuts. The deer walked along,putting their head down briefly to pick up something to chew on . . . PEANUTS. ---- SAWMAN
    ADDED: From watching both hogs AND deer feed thru the peanut fields and over a pile poured on the ground by me during deer season . . . hogs eat the entire pod,deer shell it and just eat the nuts.
     
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    SAWMAN

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    Realtor, sorry sir. If you hunt with us it is required to eat the still beating heart of the first hog you kill.
    This is typically why Bruce's beard is red colored. He is a beast !! --- SAWMAN
     
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    Realtor

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    Realtor, sorry sir. If you hunt with us it is required to eat the still beating heart of the first hog you kill.
    This is typically why Bruce's beard is red colored. He is a beast !! --- SAWMAN

    Sort of like when you go fishing on my boat, you eat the first Tuna heart and the first swordfish eye ball... lol
     

    FrommerStop

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    Be nice for someone that knows more than I in post to go over the equipment best suited to nigh time hog hunting. A link to another place with that information would also work.
    I eventually plan to make the investment to go into the night vision gear for both 2- and 4-legged evil doers. I figure I could spend some thousands of dollars getting the right set up.
     

    Daezee

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    Sawman will chime in...he's used red and green lights before.

    MY opinion: Thermal is the way to go. Or at least have thermal to easily spot and then NV to shoot. Lots of thermals out there...sorta like cars...each will have its own features and most every buyer will feel they made the best choice. Fortunately, the prices are coming down. I do have one definite opinion: Buy a thermal in which you can change the batteries yourself and then buy the batteries in bulk from a place like Battery Junction and/or get a set up in which you can use an external power pack when sitting in a static position. Bonus: some thermals allow the use of rechargeable CR123A's...not as much run time, but cheap to use. When my FLIR RS32 2.25-9 had to have its internal batteries replaced prematurely, I had to send it back to the maker.

    Also, as I used to post, but found 90% didn't take me up on the offer so I stopped routinely offering, come out to my place and look through thermals in the dark. I can see if we can get the goats to go out in the pasture at night or put my farm dog out to run around the pasture. 1 family that came over found deer in the neighbor's field. They could easily see them with thermal, but with night vision (PVS-14) it was hard to see the deer (lying down in the grass with only their heads and the top of the back showing above the grass).

    https://www.ar15.com/forums/Armory/Night-Vision/18/ Here's a forum will lots of info.

    http://lonestarboars.com/forums/night-vision-thermal.8/ More towards hog hunting with thermal.
     

    FrommerStop

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    Sawman will chime in...he's used red and green lights before.

    MY opinion: Thermal is the way to go. Or at least have thermal to easily spot and then NV to shoot. Lots of thermals out there...sorta like cars...each will have its own features and most every buyer will feel they made the best choice. Fortunately, the prices are coming down. I do have one definite opinion: Buy a thermal in which you can change the batteries yourself and then buy the batteries in bulk from a place like Battery Junction and/or get a set up in which you can use an external power pack when sitting in a static position. Bonus: some thermals allow the use of rechargeable CR123A's...not as much run time, but cheap to use. When my FLIR RS32 2.25-9 had to have its internal batteries replaced prematurely, I had to send it back to the maker.

    Also, as I used to post, but found 90% didn't take me up on the offer so I stopped routinely offering, come out to my place and look through thermals in the dark. I can see if we can get the goats to go out in the pasture at night or put my farm dog out to run around the pasture. 1 family that came over found deer in the neighbor's field. They could easily see them with thermal, but with night vision (PVS-14) it was hard to see the deer (lying down in the grass with only their heads and the top of the back showing above the grass).

    https://www.ar15.com/forums/Armory/Night-Vision/18/ Here's a forum will lots of info.

    http://lonestarboars.com/forums/night-vision-thermal.8/ More towards hog hunting with thermal.
    I will put down a visit on my future to do list likely in fall. First I need to look at the literature to have some idea and then to actually look at the equipment on the guns in the dark with someone that knows something.

    This is just a thought if more people were interested. That is something that could be done as a demo at the PRPC with the permission of the board. Without any live fire. I am on the board of directors there. There are rules about range use past certain times, but without live fire it could likely be waved and I believe the trap range shoots go into the evenings (3rd Thursdays, 6 p.m. (Nov., Dec., Jan., Feb., Mar.) so it is doable.

    At the moment I am working on other projects, but will later on in the year be looking for optics.
    I have several semi auto 308's and a 22-250 along with other rifles just gathering just at the moment that need to be fed.
     
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    Daezee

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    Met with one of the farmers yesterday afternoon and then went out to watch his fields 8:30pm to 1am. He brought over another half barrel of corn. Saw no hogs. Did get to see a bobcat walk past me 45yd away. Its tail was making the same slow back and forth motions that my American Bobtail cat makes...neat to watch. Made a squeak sound with my finger and mouth. Bobcat froze and looked in my direction, decided whatever made the sound wasn't worth attacking (we wear dark clothing to blend in to the background), and slowly continued away. Farmer told me he had to replant a total of 3 acres of peanuts due to the hogs.

    Near the end of my watch, I decided to walk closer to a couple of heat signatures to ID about 500 yds away that were making erratic hog-like movements, hoping they were small hogs...2 big possums.

    This time I set up a fan in the shooting house...made it much more comfortable until the temp cooled down. Had previously used a fan hog hunting, and felt it didn't bother animals, as it's on low speed and a steady noise, and makes much less noise than planes flying from Whiting Field. Didn't bother the bobcat, and I've had deer come within 50 yds and not seem concerned and hogs come within feet of us sitting. Also took a radio with ear buds to help keep me awake...it worked, but prevents you from hearing coyotes howling and hogs grunting and squealing.
     
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