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Thread: Back in hog heaven

  1. #1
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    Default Back in hog heaven

    Back to Florida a day ago. Went out on the leased property to put down bait and put up a trail camera.
    A year ago the leased property seemed void of hogs, they just weren't out there possibly to much water and flooding. Driving down hwy 19 I could tell the streams and ponds weren't flooded or high. I was pleased to see the road leading to my lease was rooted up. So rooted up I was afraid of getting stuck in the loose dirt parking the Focus on the shoulder. The hogs even had dirt on the pavement. The rooting continued back to where my blind will be set up. In 3 or 4 hours I'll check the trail camera and put down more bait. Later today either put up the blind or a tree stand then hunt tonight.

    I also found the Homosassa WMA and attractive place to hunt. Different rules though, no center fire rifles, no baiting, no night hunting. No hunting license required for hunting hogs. Not a lot of hunting pressure on this WMA and I seem to have the place all to myself on weekdays. I put up a trail camera last year and had pictures of hogs so I know they are in there. I have my old goose & duck gun (Winchester X2) setup for shooting slugs. It has a "SeeAll" gun sight mounted on the receiver. Never hunted with slugs before but trips to the gun range indicate this setup is deadly accurate and should bring down a hog no problem. Also bought a used Summit climbing tree stand to use in the WMA and plan to leave the tree stand out there while I'm in Florida about a mile back in.

    Stay tuned
    Last edited by jim Glass; 11-06-2019 at 05:18 AM.


  2. #2

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    Good luck Jim, and be careful with that climbing tree stand.
    A man full of grits is a man full of peace.

  3. #3
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    Not terribly fond of the climbing tree stand so far. Lots of things to go wrong!!

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    Senior Member Phaedrus's Avatar
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    Haha, anything to climb subjects you to gravity! Still, I'm glad you made it back out hog huntin'!

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    Better check back here tomorrow, I'm already lining up wild hog morticians, Called up the local VFW commander to see if they still accept killed hog donations. The VFW provides wild hog meat to the poor and the homeless. HE said they will take anything I kill.

    Checked my trail camera, 178 pictures, one camera, one night, over 25 hogs photographed from 7 pm to 7p am. A record night for wild hog photography. I'm so excited since last year my lease was void of hogs, to wet I guess. If the hogs turn out tonight like last night I hope to make multiple kills.

    I think this is going to be great!!

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    Senior Member Phaedrus's Avatar
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    Nice! I'm glad they use the nuisance animals to feed the hungry. A win/win situation!

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    I'm a bit surprised the county health department allows that. I think it's great but not being able to ensure the source of the meat most health departments forbid it especially free range pork.

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    Senior Member WolfVanZandt's Avatar
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    It's probably according to where you are, Rick. A friend of mine in southern Alabama used to donate a lot of his hunting and fishing produce.
    True enough, my final home is still out there, but this is most certainly my home range and I love it. I love every rock I fall off and tree I trip over. Even when I am close to dying from exhaustion, a beautiful sunset doesn't lose it's power to refresh and inspire me and that, in itself, is enough to save me sometimes.

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    Yeah, you may be right. You can do that here as well. A lot of meat is donated by private individuals. However, I was surprised the VFW is allowed to do it. Years ago, churches in Illinois would do chowders where wild game would be cooked for hours in a pot with corn and other vegetables until it was a mush then sold. Sort of like a chili sale. The county health departments put a stop to it. Churches had to start using hamburger or other store bought meat. I suppose private clubs might be exempt in some states.

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    Yaa but Rick this is Florida

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    A neighbor was also hunting a couple of hundred yards away and we were texting everything we saw and heard. I could hear something moving out in the jungle, keep panning the area through my Pulsar thermo imaging scope but the vegetation was to thick to see far. Suddenly a wave of hogs was seen charging toward my bait pile. In the past the hogs come in single file in a line but this time it was a wave of hogs 100 feet wide. Trying to decide which one to shoot and strategizing a multiple kill. At one point the hogs were inline, oh crap, maybe 2 with one shot. I click off the safety of my AR-15, and the hogs heard it but ignored it. Dam hogs 30 feet away. I'm in a tree stand and not very comfortable. This is nothing at all like the bench at the shooting range. I decide there is the shot, right behind the head, I take the shot then swing to a second hog, fire 3 shots hopping to get a hit. I texted my neighbor "I got one". I climb down from the tree stand and begin searching for dead hogs, nothing I missed them all. I'm an idiot, spent all summer target shooting, I have a $3000 gun sight and I-missed!!!!!

    I was so excited I caved under the pressure and missed. Thinking back over the years I think I have always missed my first hog shot of the season. I need to get my box blind setup where I have comfortable lawn chairs to hunt from and the edge of the blind to rest my rifle while I aim. Us old guys need to be comfortable.
    Last edited by jim Glass; 11-10-2019 at 10:35 PM.

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    Bobbin' and weavin'. They were bobbin' and weavin'. First rule of a good hog fight. Gotta keep the head movin'.

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    Another shot fired and another lost hog but it was a fun and educational night. I have been hog hunting with an electronic game caller called IHunt by Ruger. I'm convinced it really works. Got to my hog blind late tonight, around 6:30 but I haven't hunted the past two nights. Didn't expect to see much. Cranked up the volume full blast on the game caller and let her rip, a few minutes I thought I could hear a hog grunt and I could hear vegetation crackling in the jungle being walked on. I didn't know what to expect. Every 10 minutes or so I launched another hog call. I really got an owl upset with the hog calls so I switched over to do bared owl call. I hear more hog grunts and the crackling became more and closer. Finally I think I see a hog through my thermo imaging scope through the vegetation. Yep, it's a hog so I carefully take aim (In the hog blind this time) and take the shot, the hog flinched and ran away going from 0 to 35 MPH in in a couple of strides. I squeeze off a second shot but the hog keeps running. I can hear several other hogs running away from the gun shot, must have been at least three more. It was a great night for this old boy but I'll look for the hog in the morning. Sorry, I don't look for downed hogs in the jungle at night when I'm alone. To easy to get lost.

    I checked my scope just now and it is off maybe an inch at 100 yards. I hit the hog.
    Last edited by jim Glass; 11-17-2019 at 10:23 PM.

  14. #14

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    Anyone heard from Jim, he hasn't posted in almost 2 months. Hope he is doing well.
    A man full of grits is a man full of peace.

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    Its been crazy. Hog hunting every night. I have shot six hogs so far. A buddy from Canada brought his grandson (25 yrs old) down from Canada for hog hunting. Pretty good hunter even taught me a few things. First night out I sighted a hog through my thermo scope, handed the 300 blackout over to the grandson so he could take the shop. I had the wifi turned on so I could see what he was seeing on my cell phone. For some reason the hog wondered off without firing a shot. We went out 4 or 5 more nights without seeing anything. One night he didn't go out so I went alone. As luck would have it a 200 lb plus hog come into the bait pile. I watched the beast for 45 minutes. Didn't shoot thinking I would save the hog for the guest hunter. The grandson and I hunting 2 more nights, seeing nothing until he flew back to Canada.

    The next night I'm out alone and a large hog came in. The hog was nervous about something, didn't go to the bait pile. He started circling my blind and was on his way to the back side of the blind. He was close but didn't have a good ear shot. I shot anyway at the center mass of the hogs head, an angular shot. Damn hog shoot his head a couple of times and ran off. I looked couldn't find the hog. The next night a lone bore come into the bait pile a 200 pounder. I waited and waited for the perfect ear shot, finally took the shot and the hog dropped to his knees and rolled onto his back kicking his feet. I shot him again and he was motionless. We roasted him 4 days ago.

    A night or two later, I'm out alone. Played with my Ihunt game caller by Ruger. Minutes later I heard vegetation cracking and saw a lone hog almost under my blind. I waited for the hog to go to the bait pile. Then 5 more hogs appeared for a total of six all the samw size around 100lb. I waited for the perfect shot thinking I might get two of them. Decided I better take the best shot so I did. A sow, shot in the ear. Thought she was dead and the hog got up on her legs, I shot again only to find the 300 blackout was jambed it tried to load 2 rounds. I took out my pocket knife and cleared the jamb. I shot the poor hog, she let out a squeal and jumped several feet in the air. She hit the ground she was kicking and squelling so I fired again. That was it, dead hog. But it was rather brutal. Nice 100 pounder.

    The next night 2 more hogs came in. I called my cook and asked if we wanted another hog. He said no wait till we cook what we have. Called the neighbor and he said he would take another hog. The 2 hogs never came back but a single did. Again the hog was headed behind the blind. It was a shot just like before so I passed on the shot.

    These hogs are large this year, 200 pound and larger hogs are common. I have shot at several hogs only to have them run off. I decided to only take brain shots. It appears the 300 blackout isn't big enough for these large hogs. Look at AR-10s today. Thought about converting what I have to a .450 bushmaster, 458 socom or .500 Beowulf. I really hate to spend more money on hog hunting. I can buy a AR-10 from Palmetto State Armor for $600 to $700. .308 would certainly do the job.

    Having a great time and warmer than normal.
    Last edited by jim Glass; 01-16-2020 at 08:38 PM.

  16. #16

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    Good report. glad all is well and you are just busy popping pork. How far is your stand from the bait pile?
    A man full of grits is a man full of peace.

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by chiggersngrits View Post
    Good report. glad all is well and you are just busy popping pork. How far is your stand from the bait pile?
    About 30 yards. That’s how wide the clearing. Dense jungle beyond that. I love this place. And to think I was afraid to be out here alone Now I love hunting alone

  18. #18
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    People say it’s dangerous out there. I say it’s all part of the thrill

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    The wild hog hunting a'dventures continue. Invited a friend, Ken, out for a night time hog hunt. Told him I'm seeing hogs on my trail camera. Odds are fifty fifty we will see some hogs. We were still walking on a road toward my blind and Ken whispered, "the hogs are already out there I can hear them". I looked through my thermo imaging scope and sure enough hog were on the bait pile. We were not loaded up at that point, the hogs saw us and wondered off. We continued toward the blind and got set up. Ken had a new fangled night vision setup where a night vision lens is mounted to an existing scope and the shooter had a monitor connected to the night vision lens. Well, Ken says the hogs are in the jungle I can hear them. I look through my scope and yes a hog is headed toward the bait pile. I whisper to Ken, then i whisper, "he's in the bait pile". I whisper to Ken, shoot, shoot. He whispers back, I can't find him in my scope. Ken fumbles around, the hog leaves, comes back, leaves again. I tell Ken, "here use my gun". He shoots missed. We didn't see any more hogs that night but we had fun.

    Time goes on in Florida, I play golf twice a day and hog hunt almost every night. I have two bait piles and trail camera on each pile. Every night the deer and raccoon devour the bait pile. I'm going broke feeding these animals. Thinking one day my trail cameras have never photographed deer and hogs eating my bait together. I have heard from deer hunters deer won't eat with hogs. I begin thinking, if I had hog decoys would the decoys attract the hogs and repel the deer? I discuss with friends and they all said try it. Off to Home Depot for Plywood and paint. I make to silouet hog decoys and paint them flat black. They seem to work. The deer are staying away and I have a picture of a hog standing next to the decoy. Question is for how long.

    Returned from a cruise ship from Haiti and Jamaica and I'm ready to get back into hog hunting. Put down bait the first night. Next day no pictures. Next night I go out hunting thinking I probably won't see anything but go out anyway. I have this electronic game caller called IHunt from Ruger. It play animal sounds from my cell phone.
    I do some hog calls, sit and wait, read messages on my cell phone. Around 8:30 I figure may as well go home, I'm cold. I was packing up when I heard this noise comming from behind the blind. I figure it is probably raccoons. I look through my thermo imaging scope and it's a hog crashing through the jungle. Then I see 3 more. It is a sow with 3 75lb youngsters. I wait for the hogs to get into the bait pile. I had a couple of good shots but wait. Next the hogs begin to wonder off. I think nice going idiot you blew your chance. The hogs wondered 75 to 100 yards away but I could still make them out through the scope. I fumble around for my cell phone and do some hog grunt calls. I watched the hogs for 30 minutes. My AR-15 started to feel like it weighed 50 pounds. Finally the hog came back. I new they were close, I could hear them. I set way back in my lawn chair and finally saw 2 of them. They seemed so close I could touch them. Finally I took the shot and the hog dropped to the ground.
    Hog number 9 for this year. The hog gets roasted today.

    In conclusion, wild hogs are so unpredictable. That group of hogs had know interest in my bait pile, they never got there. They must have responded to the IHunt caller.

    Stay tuned I'm in Florida for 3 more weeks

  20. #20
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    As a group we killed 3 hogs in one week

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