Hog hunting at night tips

[Chaps]

I have access to the adjacent farm land near me to hunt hogs at night and deer depredation permits. I'd like to hunt hogs. The guy that farms the land has trapped quite a few and shot some at night so i Know theyre around. What's the best way to sneak up on hogs and hunt at night? Should I walk the fields or drive my truck with parking lights and somebody in the back? My AR is equipped with a red dot and a green light. Is that adequate or should I try and access at night scope? Thanks

 

[Clay]

You'll spook them driving your truck and still hunting hogs at night is asking for trouble IMO, A good green light is fine, just practice lowering the light from about 10 o'clock down onto them slowly, don't turn it on directly in their eyes or they will bolt. I'd setup some bait daily for a few days before you hunt them and use a ground blind if you don't have access to a stand. A dark tarp or sheet with a lawn chair, anything to provide cover. If you don't have time for making sour corn, get some pancake syrup, vanilla extract, rotten produce, something that will STINK and put it around some corn. We use that catfish blood crap in a tub, it's nasty stinky and cheap. Don't just dump the corn in a pile, toss it in a giant circle and put a few small piles in the circle. You want the targets tp spread out, not 15 of them over a pile of corn. Check your wind and setup according to how the seem to be moving into the baited area. You don't need to be far away from them, 40-50yds is perfect. They can sneak up very quietly, many times I don't know they are there until I hear the grinding of the corn on their teeth. Be quiet always and learn their anatomy, differs greatly from a deer and shot placement is important, put it in their ear if you can, if not spine or learn where the heart and lungs are. Good luck.... Oh and carry a sidearm, ground hunting hogs is inherently dangerous and you may not be able to get the AR shouldered if you jump one and it rushed you.

 

[Clay]

Nobody else will chirp in? Damn, I know my shit come on Frank, you didn't teach me everything you know, lol

 

[Chaps]

Nobody else will chirp in? Damn, I know my shit come on Frank, you didn't teach me everything you know, lol

Yes! More tips would be great.... I want to head out soon when the peanut fields start to be harvested.

 

[Daezee]

My tip: I have a thermal unit. I'd be happy to come out with you and let's see what the thermal can detect. I won't even bring a firearm, just the thermal and point them out to you so you can stalk them.

Do you have an AR with at least 4 1/2" of upper rail on the hand guard in front of the objective lens of your day optics? If yes, my thermal will clip-on in front of your day optic. If you are downwind of the pigs, and it's a dark night (little to no moon), you should be able to walk softly/quietly to within 50 or so yards if they are busy eating...freeze if any lift their heads up looking around; stalk when they go back to eating. We spot hogs, mount thermal to your AR's top hand guard rail, and you go stalk them. Happy to help, and one never knows when it could open a door to me or Sawman being able to hunt some place new. Thermal can handle up to .308 recoil.

Is your red dot mounted to the forward edge of the upper receiver? If yes, there may be enough room to put my PVS14 behind the red dot. Does your red dot have a Night Vision setting? What caliber is your AR? (Trying to determine if my night vision would work on your AR set up.) PVS14 can handle .223 up to 300 Blackout in recoil; cannot handle .308 recoil.

 

[Z28931]

I've had great luck sitting in a shooting house. Set up a deer camera so the red light comes on.... When it comes on, start looking

 

[Chaps]

My tip: I have a thermal unit. I'd be happy to come out with you and let's see what the thermal can detect. I won't even bring a firearm, just the thermal and point them out to you so you can stalk them.

Do you have an AR with at least 4 1/2" of upper rail on the hand guard in front of the objective lens of your day optics? If yes, my thermal will clip-on in front of your day optic. If you are downwind of the pigs, and it's a dark night (little to no moon), you should be able to walk softly/quietly to within 50 or so yards if they are busy eating...freeze if any lift their heads up looking around; stalk when they go back to eating. We spot hogs, mount thermal to your AR's top hand guard rail, and you go stalk them. Happy to help, and one never knows when it could open a door to me or Sawman being able to hunt some place new. Thermal can handle up to .308 recoil.

Is your red dot mounted to the forward edge of the upper receiver? If yes, there may be enough room to put my PVS14 behind the red dot. Does your red dot have a Night Vision setting? What caliber is your AR? (Trying to determine if my night vision would work on your AR set up.) PVS14 can handle .223 up to 300 Blackout in recoil; cannot handle .308 recoil.

The only optics I have on my AR is eotech 512 and a magnifier. I also have a green flashlight mount on the side. I am a newbie at all this. I did trap some hogs out here last year but I haven't pursued it this year. The farmer has trapped quite a few on the south side of the land and shot a few. I have a friend that has a mil issue night vision monocle that goes out to about 1000 yards. I'm going to try and borrow it. I realize being stealthy is key but I understand you have to see them to shoot.

 

[FrankT]

Take Daezee's generous offer, you are not going to learn by typing on here.

 

[Daezee]

Eotech 512 is not NV computable...intensity of the reticle would damage night vision. But no problem have thermal in front of it. The thermal uses your day optic sight settings; no need to re zero your optic. While you are stalking, I'll watch the fun though the PVS14. Oh, where are you located/where will you be hunting?

Pic showing thermal mounted in front of Leupold 1.25-4x scope. The gray cover between the scope and thermal is just a flexible shield to prevent light from escaping between the two and preventing outside light from coming in and making it harder to see. Thermal unit has a quick release mount. Last pig killed with above setup...alas where the pig was killed has now been sold to a campground, so no more hunting there. Hope they enjoy camping at a swamp.

 

[Clay]

Eotech 512 is not NV computable...intensity of the reticle would damage night vision. But no problem have thermal in front of it. The thermal uses your day optic sight settings; no need to re zero your optic. While you are stalking, I'll watch the fun though the PVS14. Oh, where are you located/where will you be hunting?

PM that info guys, my 2 coins. You don't need a bunch of desperate dudes showing up or knowing your 20

 

[w69dy]

I have a few toys we can try out if you need some help night vision and a thermal scope ... Do t know how to hunt hog but we can figure that out pretty easy. Hit me up if you still need help.

 

[Daezee]

Guess I'll make a report of what happened when I went to Chaps' place. It turned out he was very close to my place, as in about 3 miles away! First I met his lovely wife. She was baking cookies, and gosh were they delicious. Gave me a few to take home, but I ate them in the 5 minutes it took to drive back to my house.

We walked and walked in the dark (moon was out) (the walking did this 66yo in towards the end, and I was glad when we got back to the house). Saw a total of 3 rabbits, 5 armadillos, and 6 deer. Saw pig and deer tracks along the edges of the peanut field, and Chaps showed me several pig trails, but saw no pigs. Heard 1 coyote. Was glad we saw some animals so Chaps could view them through the thermal and PVS14 and could get some experience in their capability. The deer were completely unaware of us about 75yd away until they got downwind and immediately spooked. The armadillos acted strange compared to what I'm used to...you could walk right up to them, as in at your feet in the dark. The ones I'm used to take off running at the slightest hint of a person. At one point I decided to touch one with the end of my suppressor equipped SBR. It immediately jumped up and scared Chaps and I with its sudden movement.

We rested from the long walk at his house and quenched our thirsts. Had a nice conversation on hunting ethics and he and his wife's viewpoints regarding harvesting animals and using what you harvest. Discussed a way to sit on a slight rise and scan the large field using thermal and night vision and then stalk any pigs detected Vs walking as much. Another possibility is scanning from his hunting stand or trying to attract pigs to you via a feeder he has. He showed me a short video of the 3 pigs he caught in a trap.

I had offered to only carry my thermal and night vision, but Chaps had no problem with me going armed and felt it was best that I carried a firearm. Even though no pigs were seen, it was a good evening.

 

[Crazydoc68]

Frank taught me so damn well with just a red light. Got one first time out. Bout 140-150lb range! Frank knows his shit. Frank we need to go out again. Soon here. I'll have to fill you in on what's been going on here.

 

[w69dy]

Sounds like a good time. A lot of learning which is always good. Sucks y'all didn't shoot anything. Maybe next time.

 

[FrankT]

Daezee, you are a good man..

Doc I miss seeing you man..Been waiting on my new night vision for the fun of it, but have been out other places w friends.

 

[Crazydoc68]

Daezee, you are a good man..

Doc I miss seeing you man..Been waiting on my new night vision for the fun of it, but have been out other places w friends.

Let me know a good time for you. Maybe Labor Day weekend. I'm starting paramedic school here soon. But I still have free time.

 

[FrankT]

Well now that the tourists are giving me back the roads, I will be out more. Been only going out on weekdays as of late.

 

[Chaps]

Bruce was correct, it was a lot of a walkin but he did great. Next time i will have my wife make home made ice cream.
I've been riding my atv daily looking for signs along the perimeter of the field and haven't seen any. I have noticed more deer tracks though. The farmer trapped approximately 40 hogs this year so I wonder if that really thinned them out????? I'm figuring once the peanuts get ready to harvest, that's when I will probably see more signs if they're around.

 

[Kanaloa]

Interesting thread. My son and I got a hog in South Texas last month. First hog hunt. Shot it with a 270. So here is my question - is a 556 too small a round to hunt hogs? Obviously it will work with good shot placement, but want to know thoughts from those more experienced.

 

[Daezee]

Interesting thread. My son and I got a hog in South Texas last month. First hog hunt. Shot it with a 270. So here is my question - is a 556 too small a round to hunt hogs? Obviously it will work with good shot placement, but want to know thoughts from those more experienced.

I've only taken 3 pigs. 1 with my 6.8 and 2 with the 300 Blackout. In MY opinion, a .223/5.56 loaded with an expanding big game designed bullet, would be fine. Not with a varmint type bullet. To that end, I've worked up a load with the Sierra 65gr Gameking bullet I will take hunting this fall for pig or deer. Based upon bullet and hunting reviews, an expanding big game type bullet will both expand and hold together to go through the vitals of a pig. Based upon my pig and deer hunting experience, a pig and deer are similar in what it takes to kill them.

I did try some Barnes 62gr ones, but couldn't get the accuracy I wanted. I still have a partial box of them and might try again with some other powders.

Note: My experience has been with "hunting" pigs and not eradication. Others on this forum have more experience than me.