[DeepSouth]

I hunt a large piece of family land in the central part of Mississippi.In recent years the pigs have started moving in and are now around in very large numbers.The piece of property that I hunt is very thick I mean some of it is so thick you have to crawl on your hands and knees to get through it.I have cleared out a small clearing for a rye grass patch and I also have a corn feeder there. I have been trying to kill some pigs and having no luck at all.I have a game camera setup and I'm getting some nice pictures of good pigs.(If i could figure out how to post pictures I would should ya'll some)My main problem seems to be that they are almost totally nocturnal.Out of about 600 pictures only 15 show pigs during any type of shooting light.When I'm deer hunting I will hear them squealing and snorting off in the distance but they never come into the feeder.I've tried adjusting my feed times on the feeder but nothing seems to work.It's kinda funny because the deer now come in to the feeder between 11am and 1pm and the pigs after dark. Is there any way to shift the time they come in?Do I need to just start hunting them at night?Do they respond to any kid of pig call?(I know that sounds goofy thought I would ask though).some of the problem is that I live 2hrs away.Any help would be appreciated.

 

[destroyer4570]

Hello DeepSouth, I don't know if there is much you can do about trying to get the hogs to come in to the feeder during shooting light, I might suggest you start to hunt them at night with a good spotlight if it is allowed in your area... In Texas it is legal to hunt hogs at night. A friend of mine and myself have gone out before to spotlight them using a red filter which seems to work very well and have had great success using that method. Another piece of advice is if you do choose to go out spotlighting for hogs it is a good idea to let the local gamewarden know your plans just to inform them of your intentions so that they do not get called in the middle of the night thinking someone is spotlighting or poaching deer. That is just my opinion I hope it helps for what it's worth and I am sure others will chime in and offer you good advice as well...

 

[Capt Rick Hiott]

Here in the lowcountry of S.C. we set our timers on our feeders just after sun-up,,,and then again about an hour before sun-set.

The hogs will eat all night if you have food on the ground. But very seldom during the day.

If it comes from a feeder with a timer on it,,,,you will get a shot at one...................................

 

[Guest]

You might try burying some hog feed so they have to work to get food, which will keep them in one place longer. There are many recipes for this type of feed, most start with just plain feeder corn and add everything from beer to strawberry jello. As has been mentioned, if they can get food all night when they feel safe that's what they'll continue to do, so it's up to you to get them on your schedule. If it's really thick in there you may have to go to hunting with dogs to flush them out, but I would also consider getting some red LED spotlights for night hunting. Hope that helps.

 

[Capt Rick Hiott]

Can you burn some of the property where you hunt? Sounds like you need to get rid of some of the thick growth

 

[rooterpig]

I think pigs have a certain travel route that starts during the last hour or so of daylight where I hunt( central Florida ). Like the other guy said , if there is something you can do to get them to stay around longer, bury food, put more out, pig rollers, or attractants , that would help . I think the pigs that are coming to you feeder might be coming from to far away to make it before it is dark. You need to get them to make the thick stuff around your feeder there bedding area. That way they start at your feeder at the end of daylight and then move on to other spots during dark. 99 percent of the time the pigs come to my feeders the same way, same trails. There are 20 trails coming to one of my feeders, but the pigs will just use one or two during daylight hours. The other trails are used during the dark, and I have never seen a pig on them in two years. There travel routine starts at the feeder and then they move on and complete there night time routine.

 

[Festus]

I have been bow hunting a piece of property for 8 years now that has very thick brush/palmettos that the hogs lay up in during the day. The land owner does not allow any feeders or alternate food sources and no guns, just bows. The first couple of years we hunted along the fringes of the cover and as you said we could hear the hogs running, squealing and having a good ole time but never presenting a shot. As much noise as they were making we thought what the heck, lets start busting through the cover to see if we could get a shot. To our surprise it worked even with a bow! We make sure the wind is in our favor and then just work our way through. As you stated some of these areas are so thick that you pretty much have to be on hands and knees so shooting in these areas are impossible. We have actually taken a number of hogs still on the bed while making a fair amount of noise moving through the cover. I guess they are use to the other hogs running around in there making noise so they pay little attention to it.

I returned from our annual hunt last Saturday. I took two hogs with one of the two being shot on the bed in the thick palmettos while I was "slipping" through.

Festus

 

[ClintV]

As soon as the available natural food sources dry up, you'll likely start seeing them hit the feeders in daylight hours. But only for as long as it takes to clean up whatever the feeder is putting down.
Try setting your feeder to go off right at first light, and an hour before dark, to take advantage of the pig's mostly nocturnal habits, and you will eventually catch a hog in the corn.

 

[Capt Rick Hiott]

Did you see this DeepSouth?

http://www.marlinowners.com/forums/index.php/topic,81016.0.html

 

[Horryleverman]

believe it of not hogs are very smart. what you should do is put a second corn pile elsewhere and I bet the pigs will come right to it about twice for you to shoot at them before they then stay away again. the trick is to move it again right away. it doesnt even have to be 75 yards and it will be effective. this seems to work for me

 

[DeepSouth]

Thanks for all the replies.No can do on the burning,just to big and to much fuel on the ground.Part of the property borders theNational forest and I would hate to catch that on fire.What do ya'll think about setting the timer for 6am and thats it.The deer would eat most of the corn during the day and the pigs wouldn't get any.Do they like eating corn enough that they would start coming to the feeder so they would get some?The pig pipe is cool.I'm going to give that a try.One side of the property has a 60acre pine thicket borderin it.This is the pigs domain.That place is tore completely up.I believe this is where they are laying up.I may try moving the feeder to the edge of that thicket.I been in there,the pines are about 8yrs old.The low brush and briars are unbelievable.It is almost impossible to move in it with out crawling.I spent about a 1 and a half in there one day,saw alot of sign,rubs,rooting,poop and beds.No pigs though.I have never been so happy to get out of a place.

 

[Capt Rick Hiott]

Is there any creeks or swamp close to where the lay up at? The edge of that would be good for that feeder

 

[ochretoe]

Take post hole diggers and dig a hole near the feeder. Fill it with corn and sprinkle strawberry jello on it. Then fill the hole with water. In a few days the hogs will be there for long hours trying to dig it all up. I would put the hole about 50 to 100 yards from the feeder.