Spot and stalk vs. setting up for pigs

[mike_the_wino]

Been out to this spot twice now. Get onsite, in a corner entrance, by 5:30-6am. Still dark. First time we waited around til it started to brighten up and set out. Checking wind the whole time. There was frost on the ground but we saw sign that didn't have any frost so the pigs had been through between the frost and us walking past.

Went this last Sunday morning and it was a touch foggy so I was hoping the pigs might stay out a bit longer. No frost but definitely some fresh signs. Like that night fresh. Reversed the loop this time and possibly heard one crashing through a creek 25 yards ahead of us but didn't see any live piggies. This piece isn't very big, takes about 2 hours to walk the perimeter.

My buddy this time had some game cameras so we set those up. Kinda curious what we will see. From the amount of sign, holes in the fence and dedicated paths I am guessing it will be quite the parade.

But I am pretty new to hunting and I thought you just set out and walk around until you find something. Do you guys use game cameras for pigs? Funny, seems like I see them whenever I don't have a rifle but never when I do have one.

[spamsucker]

I sit when I know they're likely to be through some patch of dirt. I walk when I have no idea. Once I get an idea, I sit. I've seen more hog walk hunting than I have sit hunting. Looking back, I wonder why I ever sat down.

[dskit]

Pigs can move a lot. A game camera would be useful at well used fence crossing or water holes with fresh sign. Other than that, pigs are just too nomadic to have any reliable trails.

Couple things about pigs - Think: Feeding area, watering, bedding area, transition area. What area is this spot you are hunting? If the spot is small, like you say, it may not hold pigs 100% of the time, so it may be hit and miss.

Are they bedding there? Well, maybe they slipped in before dawn and are hunkered down. So you may want to bust some brush or do a drive. But be warned, with a small plot of land, you run the risk of pushing them out and not seeing them again for some time.

Are they feeding there? This time of year, look for rooting. Maybe they slipped out to water or bedding elsewhere before dawn.

Sometimes you can catch them around a feeding area or moving after dawn. Or they will come out of bedding before sundown. Sometimes they are 100% nocturnal.

That's just pig hunting - they are where you find them.

[180ls1]

Spot and stalk is what i like because i enjoy being active and hunting them down rather than waiting. Either method works though.

[deerhnt87]

spot and stalk is what I primarily do. I prefer to cover more ground and will go from vantage point to vantage point in search for them. I find as it warms up, then it is time to drop down into the creek beds and chaparral to either find them bedded/cooling or bust them out.

[bigbossman]

Public land or private land? Hogs behave differently, depending on habitat and pressure. They're much easier to find and pattern on private land.... not so much on public.

Most importantly, hogs wander. They're transient. They don't use the same trails regularly like deer do, at least not on public land. Every time I think I KNOW where they are gonna be, they end up being somewhere else.

I've sat and waited, and and sometimes that works. It really works great when you have other hunters stirring things up and you can put yourself between them and where the pigs they're stampeding off are trying to get to.

Most times though I've been more successfull slowly walking about and paying attention to the little things...... noises, terrain, shadows and movement.

It always surprises me how such a big brutish animal can glide so quickly past me without making any noise. I've spotted and ultimately killed several hogs that were passing close to me, just because I happened to be looking in the right direction at the right time.

[mike_the_wino]

It's private land. With a creek (12'-15' deep canyon) running along the northern border, covered in berry bushes so only a few spots to drop in and flush them out.

It's a vineyard so no grapes this time of year but plenty of fresh sign. Near as I can figure the pigs move down in the night and have their clock set to boogie on out again before first light.

Well the game cameras are set so we will see when they come through.

[bigbossman]

It's private land. With a creek (12'-15' deep canyon) running along the northern border, covered in berry bushes so only a few spots to drop in and flush them out.

It's a vineyard so no grapes this time of year but plenty of fresh sign. Near as I can figure the pigs move down in the night and have their clock set to boogie on out again before first light.

Well the game cameras are set so we will see when they come through.

Yeah - then get those game cameras up on that creek bed or wherever the heavy traffic is showing and see when they come through. If it is private land then they probably use the same trail to go to/from food and beds, and they probably do it at about the same time every day/night.

All you have to do is figure out what path they are taking, and what time they are blowing through (and in which direction). Then you just set your alarm clock to get there an hour or two early and throw them a nice surprise party.

When you have the camera data to look at and if you if you have enough guns, plan it out a bit to cover any obvious escape routes. Go out there during the day and look at the terrain where your going to stage tha ambush and get things figured out. When the first shot goes off the sounder will scatter like roaches when the kitchen lights go on. If it's just one or two pigs that's one thing, but a larger group with go in all directions of the compass..... it could be a real melee.

Don't F#$k it up though - once you set off the fireworks they'll change their habits and you'll have to find them all over again.

[Jules Winfield]

Hey Mike - I can relate to what you're saying. I had a nice private property pig hunting spot but as soon as they received any pressure, the hogs went nocturnal. There was no movement during shooting hours. I swear they had a "DFG shooting times" manual!

If your property owner is getting crop damage, consider suggesting a depredation permit.

[MJB]

Are you playing the wind? Sounds like your just walking too fast it's not about the ground you cover its about being in the right spot at the right time with the wind in your favor.

[mike_the_wino]

If your property owner is getting crop damage, consider suggesting a depredation permit.

They have one so I may wait for the next full moon and set up in the sweet spot dictated by game cam data.

First time out, my neighborhood this little plastic jar thing that when squeezed shot out a fine mist of pink powder. So we checked that quite often. On the northern border we did have the wind on our backs which is why I reversed the trek the next time. And the wind was better that way but it still shifted a bit as the sun came up.