APOD Firearms

42nd Hog

The #1 community for Gun Owners of the Gulf Coast States

Member Benefits:

  • Fewer Ads!
  • Discuss all aspects of firearm ownership
  • Discuss anti-gun legislation
  • Buy, sell, and trade in the classified section
  • Chat with Local gun shops, ranges, trainers & other businesses
  • Discover free outdoor shooting areas
  • View up to date on firearm-related events
  • Share photos & video with other members
  • ...and so much more!
  • Daezee

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    13   0   0
    Joined
    Dec 17, 2012
    Messages
    3,355
    Points
    113
    Location
    Milton
    Twice now we've seen a sounder of mostly sows with piglets rooting in a peanut field. We did not have permission to hunt in that field. I called the owner just to let him know hogs are rooting in the peanuts and not to ask permission. I explained who we shoot hogs for and thus why we were out at night to have been able to see hogs in his field. It probably helped that he knew all the property owners/farmers and Chaps. To my surprise, he said you have my permission to shoot hogs in that field. "Shoot all you can and have fun." He does want to go out with us at night some time, so of course, Yes to that. I think he may have more property than just that one field, so there could be more opportunities.

    So, tonight I went out, not to sit and watch, but just to take a look. The same sounder of about 20 was in the field. The wind was right so I stalked. I like to get close. At under 50yd, one of the sows suddenly looked up and stared in my direction (must've heard me walking through the plants). I took aim and hit her between the eyes, maybe an inch higher and right into the brain. The eyes bulged out from the hit, as you can see in the photo. 16" 300 Blackout, 125gr Nosler ballistic tip hand load, Crux Ark30 suppressor.

    Chaps' house is nearby, so I went over and got him to help drag the sow out. I have a meat hook. Sawman taught me to make a cut into the lower jaw, insert the hook and drag via a strap attached to the hook. Hook stays put and the legs don't snag as you aren't dragging against the bend of the legs. Estimated weight of 150.

    E0038772-0DF8-41C3-9662-06EC662C4088.jpeg
     

    SAWMAN

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    9   0   0
    Joined
    Oct 21, 2012
    Messages
    13,937
    Points
    113
    Location
    Cantonment,Fla.
    Thats the one you wanted. A breeding sow.
    Did she appear to be the leed sow ?? Most likely in a sounder that big there were more than one.
    As we have seen in a bunch/group,if they are even slightly devided there are more than one. The bigger groups that we have seen in the NE field,I have noticed three groups. The night that I was with John there were 10-15-and 5or 6 distinct sounders. The one that John killed was from the biggest sounder.
    Obviously a big bunch of hogs cannot be from a single sow given the age of the hogs. If a bunch of piglets is closely following one sow,they are obviously hers. (Sows have been known to give birth to 14 or so.) But it is when the hogs advance beyond piglets into shoats and a little bigger is when the who's is who's thing is questionable.
    And when the hogs get big enough,and smart enough,some break off to form sounders of their own. How exactly this works I have never read or heard. It probably works kinds like . . ." I'm big,tough,and smart,and want to be the boss. Who's gonna follow me".
    Please email me and let me know the details. ---- SAWMAN
     

    Daezee

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    13   0   0
    Joined
    Dec 17, 2012
    Messages
    3,355
    Points
    113
    Location
    Milton
    FLIR RS32 35mm (2.25x native power with digital going up to 9x). I normally get close enough to use the native 2.25x without digital zoom. I also carry and use as a hand held an UTAC 32M thermal. It's 1x with 2x digital. Note: I DO NOT recommend anyone buy a UTAC 32M (many times it had to be sent back for repairs/lens alignment when used as a clip-on in front of a regular optic...fine as a stand alone gun mounted thermal though...even with them giving me an extra year a warrantee).

    Could have been the lead sow...very alert, with none of the others looking around at all. I was 50 yd or less when I shot. She was not the biggest sow that I was gonna shoot, but the biggest's head never came up for me to get a good aim. With the peanut plants being green, I don't think I could have made much noise. Could see a boar off to the side, but I was in a good position to take one of the sows in the middle this time. About 15 seconds after the shot, suddenly there were around a half dozen little ones running to the east (hadn't seen them as they were smaller than the peanut plants). They were in addition to the little bit bigger small ones that initially ran off with the group. Tried to count hogs before I shot, and kept coming up with 14-15. The extra little ones made it about 20 total. They were really going to town rooting in the peanuts with heads kept down and not much moving around. Wind from north, and I was stalking going east once I got even with them.

    Safe shoot direction towards the swamp area. Could not have/would not have shot with anyone in the SE field, but I'd already contacted Chaps, so I knew he wasn't out.

    From east to west in the field, they were about halfway. About 75 yd south of the dirt road. There were 3 deer on the east edge of the field. They didn't know what to do or where to run as the sounder of hogs ran between them and off the field. With the little ones running about 15 seconds later at them, the deer ran to the north. The one boar I ID'd for sure was about 30-40 yd SE of the sounder..."normal" size boar, not huge.
     

    SAWMAN

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    9   0   0
    Joined
    Oct 21, 2012
    Messages
    13,937
    Points
    113
    Location
    Cantonment,Fla.
    Did you park on the mid road down below,then walk S down the E edge of the field ?? --- SAWMAN
     

    Daezee

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    13   0   0
    Joined
    Dec 17, 2012
    Messages
    3,355
    Points
    113
    Location
    Milton
    Parked on west side about 25 yd from field in the tree lined area and walked east. Saw the hogs when I got past the burnt out tractor by 20 or so yards. Watched to see what they were doing/going and made my stalking plan, giving my heart time to calm down. Plan was go SE in the field thus getting closer and avoiding the wind from the north and to get in a safe shooting direction. Once even with them, I slowly went east until that sow got suspicious.

    Stopped at 3F on way home. Nothing there.
     

    850guns

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    7   0   0
    Joined
    Jun 7, 2020
    Messages
    1,143
    Points
    113
    Good shooting! I've always wanted to go night hog hunting. Especially if it helps a farmer or feeds a family. What gear would you recommend for entry level hog hunting. I believe in "buy once, cry once", but I don't have to have the latest greatest or spend lots of money on something I only do occasionally.
     

    SAWMAN

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    9   0   0
    Joined
    Oct 21, 2012
    Messages
    13,937
    Points
    113
    Location
    Cantonment,Fla.
    Great thoughts. The amount of time you spend actually in the woods and fields will (SHOULD) greatly influence the money you spend. There are several others but this is either first,or very close to it,depending on your family life.
    You also have to have places to hunt. For that . . YOU MUST !! . . do your leg work. You must gain permission from the land owner or lease holder(farmer). --- SAWMAN
     

    Daezee

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    13   0   0
    Joined
    Dec 17, 2012
    Messages
    3,355
    Points
    113
    Location
    Milton
    Good shooting! I've always wanted to go night hog hunting. Especially if it helps a farmer or feeds a family. What gear would you recommend for entry level hog hunting. I believe in "buy once, cry once", but I don't have to have the latest greatest or spend lots of money on something I only do occasionally.

    Gear kinda depends on what part of the country you hunt in. The farther west you go, the more likely hogs could be seen in daylight. Where I live in Santa Rosa County, I have only seen one in daylight in several years, so I use thermal at night. Many hogs have been taken during deer season by hunters sitting in stands during normal hunting hours. If hunting over food/corn, digital night vision can be an inexpensive option since you are not scanning large amounts of property. But the be all end all answer is 2 rifles: one with scope for daylight and one with thermal for the night.

    ***My wife also saw one in daylight on the neighbor’s property***

    I see you are a new member, so you may have not seen my and Sawman’s and Chap’s previous posts. It has taken years of patient work developing trust relationships with property owners and farmers, helping with labor, being interviewed by owners and spouses, being referred, baking food, following every rule the owner has, watching over the properties, and thinking safety safety safety. It is a wonderful feeling having trust in your fellow night hunters and having farmers and owners having complete trust in you.
     

    850guns

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    7   0   0
    Joined
    Jun 7, 2020
    Messages
    1,143
    Points
    113
    Thanks for the replies. All sounds logical to me. No problem with 2 rifles, and I would never ever hunt someone else's property (without permission) I've heard that some donate the hogs. What do you guys do with them? For personal consumption I prefer younger pigs to breeders. But I don't have much experience either. So I've been interested in night hunting for a number of years. What's a good night optic to look at? I'm considering the day to night shooting class I saw here to learn more. Oh, and do you guys hunt coyotes?
     

    SAWMAN

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    9   0   0
    Joined
    Oct 21, 2012
    Messages
    13,937
    Points
    113
    Location
    Cantonment,Fla.
    We have certinly killed coyotes while night hunting hogs. Our priority is hogs though. We have called them and just shot the passer-by's.
    Where we hunt we see yotes about every night. We have one property that the land owner will not allow us targeting coyotes,but we have killed many hogs there.
    As Bruce above mentioned re. NV . . . but remember,without the "right" IR illuminator,yotes can see the redish glow if they look at you.
    Thermal + total darkness is the best. NOTHING ESCAPES THERMAL !! ---- SAWMAN
     

    Daezee

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    13   0   0
    Joined
    Dec 17, 2012
    Messages
    3,355
    Points
    113
    Location
    Milton
    Actually there are two properties with no coyote hunting. On my little hobby farm with goats, if I see a coyote, it is dead. I also have coyote killing permission from each neighbor surrounding my property.

    Right now my freezers are full. If no one wants a hog and is willing to come take it, it is dragged out of the field and put in an out if the way area designated by the owner and given to the coyotes, buzzards, bears, cougars and Sasquatch. No bodies are left in fields...the bones could damage farm equipment.
     
    Top Bottom