# why can i never see a hog!!!



## 02stroker (Dec 26, 2013)

I have been out quite a bit lately and see tons of tracks and I can see where they have been and where they are going but I have yet to see one when I am hunting. any one can and should help me out! its driving me crazy. I am hunting ft stewart by the way

any special spot that any one knows I can bag one?


----------



## Djtrout81 (Dec 26, 2013)

I don't know of any spots but I'd be more than happy to go out there with us I'm in Hinesville as well


----------



## Bama B (Dec 26, 2013)

How are you hunting stalk or stand hunting.


----------



## 02stroker (Dec 26, 2013)

Pm me. And both I'll walk a little and stop and wait a little bit but I was in a stand today for hrs and got nothing but every one talks about how these hogs are everywhere and I have seen one and it was dead on the side of the road


----------



## Bama B (Dec 26, 2013)

pm sent


----------



## tree cutter 08 (Dec 26, 2013)

Hogs are bad nocturnal. If you can figure out where there bedding you might try to slip up on them during the day. I've jumped a bunch that are bedded. Be ready to shoot because if your quiet and the winds right you can get within 10 to 20 yrd a lot of times. Here in the mountains I've bumped a lot on ridges and leads during cold weather. Warmer weather and I'd look around creek drainages. They like thick stuff also.


----------



## bluemarlin (Dec 26, 2013)

Listen for them too. They tend to be vocal.


----------



## Drew dumas (Dec 27, 2013)

Man I've been having the same issue in Stewart. I can get into areas that are rooted up for 300meters in every direction and never see any pigs.


----------



## 02stroker (Dec 27, 2013)

yeah me too I always see signs but never any actual animals and I have not jumped any at all


----------



## Old Bart (Dec 27, 2013)

I don't want to hijack this thread but I'm having the same problem. Found great pig sign near creeks with a lot of fresh wallowing but haven't seen a pig after several sits. 

Would pigs in the mountains prefer bedding in low, thick areas near a stream or on top of a ridge with good cover?


----------



## johnnyk2000 (Dec 27, 2013)

I think all the rooting is being done at night. I went on the prowl for swine pretty much all day the day before Christmas and didn't see any hogs. Went into my honey holes on post yesterday morning a slipped around and didn't see any either. Walking out I had to walk through some really thick stuff on the edge of a swamp. I smelled them and all of a sudden a very large group busted out. They were only about 10 yards from me and running circles but I was not able to get an eye on one. So, I had a thought, why not bust some brush and see if the hogs are hanging out in there. As I walked this very thick stuff along the edge for about 80 yards I busted up another group but heard them before they heard me. So, I am convinced, they are rooting and moving at night and staying in the thick stuff. So, I grab my deer rifle and tree stand and hang out in the tree. Just as I was about to climb down, 2 large black things move along this edge. I look in my scope and there he was, 100 lb boar. Dead.


----------



## Apex Predator (Dec 27, 2013)

If you guys can't get on hogs on Stewart, maybe you'd better take up golf!  

You have to wear out some boot leather, and always keep the wind in your favor.  If the wind is swirling, you might as well go fishing.


----------



## Bkeepr (Dec 27, 2013)

From my very limited experience up in the mountains, pick the coldest, wettest nastiest day and hunt them in their nice snuggly beds!


----------



## Mark R (Dec 27, 2013)

hogs are not the ignorant pest some people think they are . especially hogs that have seen plenty hunting pressure . be mindful of the wind because they smell ya first . movements slow and quiet . same as if you were stalking any other critter . i know you already know this stuff, just some folks seem to think they can get out the truck and stomp threw the bushes a few feet from the road and find pigs .


----------



## Bama B (Dec 27, 2013)

Johnnyk2000 you are on the right track. I have been fortunate to kill a few hogs on stewart and the majority of them from my climber. I have learned they are a little harder to kill during deer season. My guess is the extra pressure with the hunters banging around in the wood. My 2 cents. Always had better luck a couple of weeks after deer season. Dont give up 02stroker


----------



## johnnyk2000 (Dec 27, 2013)

I hear ya Bama before deer season it was like a challenge to see how fast I could get a hog, cut it up and be back to the house....not that I got one every time...but once deer season opened it was like they disappeared. I still love to hear them fighting in distance from the tree stand


----------



## 02stroker (Dec 27, 2013)

oh I aint gonna give up just yet, I am getting all the hints and tips I can get and I am gonna hit it tomorrow morning. that was another thing, is morning or night better? well not night but evening? cause I have done both and got the same results.....a big fat nothing. and today I seen a guy hangin one up at pass and permit office lol I was real jealous but one day ill be there attempting the same thing. ill worry about gutting and skinning one when I get one cause youtube has my back on al that stuff haha.


----------



## NCummins (Dec 27, 2013)

Can you hunt on post at night time? Optics planet has Streamlight TLR-1 Gamespotter green bulb flashlights for $125.


----------



## 02stroker (Dec 27, 2013)

im not to sure, I was gonna ask but I wasn't even sure if it was legal or not so I didn't.


----------



## Bama B (Dec 27, 2013)

I perfer evenig hunts.  I usualy blow them out trying to set up on them in the morning. I think the hogs on stewart are just as hard to kill as the deer sometimes.


----------



## Bama B (Dec 27, 2013)

No you  cant hunt on stewart at night. Military installation.


----------



## Bama B (Dec 27, 2013)

You have to log out at least an hour after sunset.


----------



## 02stroker (Dec 27, 2013)

ok, thanks Bama


----------



## johnnyk2000 (Dec 27, 2013)

Bama, never thought about that idea of busting them up in the evening and setting up on them. Also agree with you on "I think the hogs on stewart are just as hard to kill as the deer." I prefer evening hunts because I really dislike getting up in the morning but pigs are pigs. they like to eat all the time so I have seen them all hours of the day but have had the best "luck" right before dark. In July and August I hunt the midday when it is 95 degrees because they like the water and you can ease right up on them when they keep their heads under the water line.


----------



## Bama B (Dec 27, 2013)

Your a better man than me hunting in the summer. I applaud you. I get lazy after may. You can normally find me about 30 miles offshore burning gas watch lures bounce off the water. Have you ever hunted sapelo in march on the walk on hog hunt. Some buddys and I are thinking about it next year.


----------



## Greg45 (Dec 27, 2013)

I have killed a few the ones I killed have been headed to the bedding area early my avatar was killed at shooting hr and it was not alone find where they bed be very quiet stay down wind and dont get overconfident because when ya shoot one they dont always run lol


----------



## klown (Dec 27, 2013)

Sit on a food plot in the evening I've seen hogs the last 2 days I've been at benning


----------



## buckmanmike (Dec 27, 2013)

From my experience, hogs go to the least resistence. We had commercial hog hunters on our properties and it seemed like if the hogs were shot at one property on a particular day, they moved north or south the next day. They ran up and down the creek bottoms. So hunt the bottoms.


----------



## Bob2010 (Dec 27, 2013)

Not a hog expert but I killed 3 this year so far. Our lease just really started getting covered up. Seems when the river bottoms flood we get covered with hogs leaving flooded areas.  Seems they move so much hunting sign is pointless.  They tear an area up and are in the next county 2 hours later. They are hammering our wheat and rye plots every day though.  Seems getting close to the plots at very first light and very last light pays off. One will pass by or one will squeal in the vicinity. Moving until I hear them other than that  they sound like a heard of elephants moving around.


----------



## 02stroker (Dec 28, 2013)

well I was out this morning early and got nothing again. I just want to see something though my scope. I want a deer real bad too but I gave up on that.....


----------



## klown (Dec 28, 2013)

If you come to fort benning I'll show you around can't promise you a hog but your chances are pretty good Christmas Day I had 4 sounders in the same food plot i would say 50 to 60 hogs really to many to count when I started I could not find 1 but keep at it and you will be seeing them all the time


----------



## johnnyk2000 (Dec 28, 2013)

Stoker, don't give up man. I can hear the frustration in your voice, well, see it anyway......They are out there. Give it a week after deer season. Just remember, to use "big guns" you have to be on the east side of 119 after deer season. Or use a 22lr and hit them in the ear.


----------



## Bama B (Dec 28, 2013)

Stoker. It will come and all the time you have put will make it worth it. What you need to do  is go climb a tree and relax. enjoy the woods.


----------



## Bama B (Dec 28, 2013)

Stoker. pm sent. I hope to hunt stewart if weather is decent.


----------



## Dennis (Dec 28, 2013)

I've had more luck in the evenings than in the mornings


----------



## tree cutter 08 (Dec 29, 2013)

Try to see if you see a pattern in the sign. Hogs are bad to tell you where they been but harder to tell you where there going. If you can find some sort of pattern instead of just random rooting you'll be ahead.


----------



## 02stroker (Dec 29, 2013)

thanks guys I appreciate all the hints tips and advice yall are giving me, I still need to buy a tree stand as I am still new to hunting. and you all know this is not a cheap thing to get in to.


----------



## klown (Dec 29, 2013)

I sit in a $40 turkey chair at the base of a tree and see as many animals if I were in a stand plus if I here some hogs off in the distance that don't come my way I just stand up and go stalk them also a lot lighter to carry only down fall you have to be still and if people tell you that they will smell you and won't come close I shot two does this year 30yards and had a hog come 15 feet from me when bow hunting you don't have to have tons of money just time to go out and find the way you like to hunt


----------



## tree cutter 08 (Dec 29, 2013)

Very seldom do I hunt out of a stand anymore. Sit on the ground that way if you hear some out of sight you can stalk them. Many times I've had to move some to get on a deer or hog


----------



## robert carter (Jan 7, 2014)

Like the Capt said they get tough during deer season. Nocturnal because of pressure and also because when the acorns drop starting mid Sept they get a whole lot of good eating with out having to work as hard for it. Meaning they can lay up in the thick pines and eat a belly full just after dark.
  with colder weather coming and the acorns about gone they will be forced to move and feed more to stay fat and sassy.I usually hunt elsewhere till after deer season then go spend a day or two over there. Seldom get skunked.RC


----------



## Kawaliga (Jan 8, 2014)

I had hogs on my place, swamp, acorns plus I ran four feeders. Hog sign at all locations,no one hunting them except me, and a couple of my friends. We never saw a hog during deer season, then tried hunting them at night, with green led lights, plus digging the post holes with sour corn. Here is the funny part, never saw a hog at night either, and with all of that food and swamp, they all just left one day. There were many, many of them, per trailcam pics. Hard to figure a hog. My friends tell me I'm lucky they left.


----------



## Hunter/Mason (Jan 8, 2014)

I've been feeding the ones on my lease since Christmas. I've got over 1500 pics in the last few weeks. The whole place is tore up. Not 1 pjc in the daytime. And there is No pressure. I lease it by myself. They are very nocturnal right now for some reason.


----------



## REDFOXJR (Jan 11, 2014)

Hunt hard in the rain,....warm, cold it don't matter, they love to move in the rain....Night, day, mid day, or the morning, hunt with the rain....


----------



## dshaw94 (Jan 27, 2014)

Hog hunting after deer season is kind of like playing a real tough game of hide and go seek.  Hogs are easy to kill from a behavioral stand point.  There sense of sight and hearing is poor at best and they have a rather robust nature compared to most other wildlife.  This being said they are extremely intelligent and learn as well or better than any other animal in the woods. After the pressures excerpted from being hunted/ harassed since bow season they are typical pretty shy by seasons end.  As earlier stated the trick is to bust the bushes and find the hiding spots there hanging out in during the day.  This requires a lot of walking and is by no means easy but when you find them it is typically a big payoff.  Plus you get to scout and become super familiar with the woods for deer season.

Good luck


----------



## ZombieSoldier (Feb 3, 2014)

02Stroker, funny to see you on here. haha. Anyways All my luck on seeing pigs have been late afternoon, as they are getting up to start moving around.

I havent gotten a pig yet either, I shot one on new years in the gut and blew all his intestines out with my .30-06 (it tried jumping over a downed tree as i squeezed the trigger), and sadly lost him in the swamp area. they are little freaking tanks!


----------



## 02stroker (Feb 9, 2014)

do I know you? lol you sure are making it seem like it. that's no good man sorry to hear about your lost pig


----------



## Bama B (Feb 9, 2014)

Stroker you should try coming out and hog hunting.  Johnnyk got a nice one last night. Rugar man and I jumped a couple


----------



## ZombieSoldier (Feb 9, 2014)

02stroker said:


> do I know you? lol you sure are making it seem like it. that's no good man sorry to hear about your lost pig



You sure do. You were at my house an hour and a half ago, and even went for a ride in my truck


----------



## dotties cutter (Feb 9, 2014)

Your hunting too early, your hunting too late, your being too noisy, your not making enough noise, you should have hunted at night, you should have hunted in the daytime , you wore the wrong camo, you should have worn camo, The wind was wrong, the wind was right but they smelled you any how and on and on. I have had days, weeks and whole seasons like that but then one day and several more days to come every thing comes together and I am giving some of my meat away. Just keep on and the good days will be yours.


----------



## Bama B (Feb 9, 2014)

You got to go hunting. To kill one


----------



## NCummins (Feb 9, 2014)

My problem seems to be getting there 30 minutes late or leaving 30 minutes early. Never fails.


----------



## dotties cutter (Feb 10, 2014)

Hunting is a lot like fishing without the scales unless you step on a snake. Be careful on the warm days.


----------



## Drew dumas (Feb 12, 2014)

This^^


----------



## Long Range (Feb 12, 2014)

*Sit and stalk*



klown said:


> I sit in a $40 turkey chair at the base of a tree and see as many animals if I were in a stand plus if I here some hogs off in the distance that don't come my way I just stand up and go stalk them also a lot lighter to carry only down fall you have to be still and if people tell you that they will smell you and won't come close I shot two does this year 30yards and had a hog come 15 feet from me when bow hunting you don't have to have tons of money just time to go out and find the way you like to hunt



Good advice I cover serious miles and also occasionally sit on a feeding plot or water at sun up or sun down. I like to lean up against a tree with favorable wind and good cover scent. I dont own a climber either. Several times I've heard movement in the brush too far off and stalked up on a deer, a beaver or marsh hen. If I had been up in a tree I wouldn't have been able to silently go check it out.


----------



## Bama B (Feb 13, 2014)

But in his case he was in a climber about 4.5 minutes when a hog walked by at about 30 yards. So both ways of hunting work.


----------



## Seth carter (Feb 15, 2014)

Don't give up it dosent take money I sit with my back against a treeno stand needed if you watch the feeding area be still and qiet you will get one


----------

