Mud hole, Hog rubs and Cell Cam.

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buttonbuck
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Mud hole, Hog rubs and Cell Cam.

Unread postby buttonbuck » Wed Mar 25, 2020 4:14 am

Public land, found a mud hole next to clear cut bedding. Followed mud rubs on the trees for a 100 yards up and down a hill to a creek, all the ground tore up on the way. Found fresh tracks in the creek, and bumped a hog by the creek out of thick privet, a field is located 50 yards from the creek. I put a cell cam on the mud hole. I can bow hunt this area April 1st while folks are turkey hunting. Id like any advice you can give. I am anticipating heavy pressure from turkey hunters and am thinking that perhaps with the pressure, the hogs will get pushed into this clear cut and that mud hole will become their water source. Also do hogs notice trail cams, I heard their just about blind but I know their really smart.

I am brand new to hunting hogs, any advice at all would help.


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Re: Mud hole, Hog rubs and Cell Cam.

Unread postby Bio1 » Wed Mar 25, 2020 4:32 am

Is it closed til then? First off wear some orange - hogs won’t see you but the turkey hunters will. If it was me I would hunt it in the evening and avoid most of the turkey hunters - I always killed way more hogs in the evening anyway.

Sounds like you already found them - if your camera shows them in daylight throw up a stand over the wallow - excellent noses so be mindful of the wind.

To me the fun of hogs is you can stalk in tight to them. I’ve killed a bunch out of a stand opportunistically while hunting deer but if I’m hunting hogs it’s on the ground stalking in tight and arrowing them (probably arrowed a 100 or better off the ground). They are a blast to stalk. I’d start at your wallow an hour before dark with the wind in my favor and slip along SLOWLY until you hear them - you will hear them rooting, grunting, fighting, etc. once you hear them slip in quickly and get an arrow in one (or two or three - I’ve killed multiples as often as not). If you take too much time sneaking in tight the wind swirling could get you. They make a ton of racket and they won’t know you aren’t a hog as long as they don’t smell you. You can get away with a LOT - just not the nose.

Reason for the last hour is if they aren’t on their feet you will likely go by them and tip your hand - go slow and you will hear them get up - go to fast and you might get by them before they ever get up and they will be on to you (wind as you pass).

Good luck and have a blast! They are fun.

Lee
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Re: Mud hole, Hog rubs and Cell Cam.

Unread postby Bio1 » Wed Mar 25, 2020 4:52 am

One other thing - check out their anatomy - what looks like a good lung shot on a deer is likely guts on a hog - shoot tight to the shoulder and the lower 1/3 - you almost can’t shoot low enough - kill zone is small and low - the spine dips down much more than you’d think. A quartering away shot is always preferable to a broadside shot on a big one. I always tried to drive the arrow out in FRONT of the opposite shoulder to make sure I got into the boiler room.

I used to experiment with all manner of heads on them - best I ever found was the old Rothaar Snuffer. A two blade plugged so fast it was a body search after the shot. Mechanicals - good on sows not so much on big boars (boars have a thick, gristly shield covering their vitals that I have literally bounced a Spitfire off of at 20 yards). Snuffer would bury to the fletch if not give you a complete pass through and I’ve arrowed some big ones. If it was me I’d shoot something similar to the solid VPA head - I shoot 175’s for deer - design profile is almost identical to the old Snuffer (which you can’t hardly find any more) minus the vents which in my opinion creates less drag on meat, hair and bone since there is nothing to catch on.

If you make a bad hit on a hog let it lay up overnight - they can be pretty cantankerous when wounded and are almost always in thick crap plus their eyes don’t shine at night - couple no eye shine with them being black for the most part and it can be a recipe for disaster at night.

Have fun,

Lee
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Re: Mud hole, Hog rubs and Cell Cam.

Unread postby JakeB » Wed Mar 25, 2020 8:29 am

I find that usually hogs move around a lot. I’ve ran across a handful of areas it seemed like you couldn’t run the hogs out of, but I think that’s the exception. Finding really fresh sign is important. Even with week old sign the hogs could be a mile away.

I’ve found only 2 areas where the hogs really weren’t hunted hard and they seemed to feel safe, while jumping them they would only run about 30-50 yds and then stop thinking they are good. In that situation you can really put a hurting on them with a shotgun! Especially if you can get a few buddies together!

Most of the time though they are extremely skittish and will go nocturnal pretty quickly. Even completely vacating an area.

Their sight doesn’t seem very good and if you catch them up and feeding around making lots of noise, stalking them works really good. They are pretty noisy when grouped up and you can hear them from a good ways off. They really get into feeding and can give you some good opportunities.

Their noses are what will get you though. Man can they smell good! I really think they can smell better then deer can. I also think they are pretty smart creatures. They will do dumb things sometimes though.

You will find them bedding in very similar areas to bucks. But their beds will be a lot more obvious. And they really like to bury into the thick stuff. They will even cut palmettos and grass and make beds which is pretty cool when to find.

If I had to guess they are buried in that cutover. Which could be good or bad. If the cutover is too thick you might not be able to bow hunt in it. But it will likely hold the hogs in there especially if hunters are tromping around all over the woods around it. If it’s too thick to bow hunt you might be forced to hunt the edges. Getting between the wallow and cutover sounds like a good strategy. Id set up right on the edge of that cutover! If they don’t pass by you, you will likely hear them and can adjust your setup the next day. If they aren’t coming out of the cutover until after dark you’re gonna have a hard time making something happen with a bow. Possibly get a few buddies to walk through it to push them out.

Good luck and post some pics when you lay one down!
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Re: Mud hole, Hog rubs and Cell Cam.

Unread postby Wannabelikedan » Wed Mar 25, 2020 2:33 pm

They probably take less pressure than deer do before they bail out. The larger the thickest, nastiest stuff they’re inhabiting the better your odds are of having more opportunities at them. They don’t stray far from wet stuff. FRESH FRESH FRESH SIGN. Definitely more active in the evenings and night. WIND HAS TO BE RIGHT. With their crappy vision, cameras don’t bother them. The big old boars are just like the smartest oldest bucks. Not the easiest to kill. Straight up the leg. Bottom 1/3. COC broadheads that are extremely sharp. Arrow weight, the higher the better. Or a bullet behind the ear will drop them.
Teaching is only demonstrating that it is possible.... Learning is making it possible for yourself.
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buttonbuck
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Re: Mud hole, Hog rubs and Cell Cam.

Unread postby buttonbuck » Thu Mar 26, 2020 1:11 pm

Bio1 wrote:Is it closed til then? First off wear some orange - hogs won’t see you but the turkey hunters will. If it was me I would hunt it in the evening and avoid most of the turkey hunters - I always killed way more hogs in the evening anyway.

Sounds like you already found them - if your camera shows them in daylight throw up a stand over the wallow - excellent noses so be mindful of the wind.

To me the fun of hogs is you can stalk in tight to them. I’ve killed a bunch out of a stand opportunistically while hunting deer but if I’m hunting hogs it’s on the ground stalking in tight and arrowing them (probably arrowed a 100 or better off the ground). They are a blast to stalk. I’d start at your wallow an hour before dark with the wind in my favor and slip along SLOWLY until you hear them - you will hear them rooting, grunting, fighting, etc. once you hear them slip in quickly and get an arrow in one (or two or three - I’ve killed multiples as often as not). If you take too much time sneaking in tight the wind swirling could get you. They make a ton of racket and they won’t know you aren’t a hog as long as they don’t smell you. You can get away with a LOT - just not the nose.

Reason for the last hour is if they aren’t on their feet you will likely go by them and tip your hand - go slow and you will hear them get up - go to fast and you might get by them before they ever get up and they will be on to you (wind as you pass).

Good luck and have a blast! They are fun.

Lee


Thanks for the advice, yeah its closed till April 1st. I just got cell cam picks (9:30am) of pigs at the that wallow.
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buttonbuck
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Re: Mud hole, Hog rubs and Cell Cam.

Unread postby buttonbuck » Thu Mar 26, 2020 1:29 pm

JakeB wrote:I find that usually hogs move around a lot. I’ve ran across a handful of areas it seemed like you couldn’t run the hogs out of, but I think that’s the exception. Finding really fresh sign is important. Even with week old sign the hogs could be a mile away.

I’ve found only 2 areas where the hogs really weren’t hunted hard and they seemed to feel safe, while jumping them they would only run about 30-50 yds and then stop thinking they are good. In that situation you can really put a hurting on them with a shotgun! Especially if you can get a few buddies together!

Most of the time though they are extremely skittish and will go nocturnal pretty quickly. Even completely vacating an area.

Their sight doesn’t seem very good and if you catch them up and feeding around making lots of noise, stalking them works really good. They are pretty noisy when grouped up and you can hear them from a good ways off. They really get into feeding and can give you some good opportunities.

Their noses are what will get you though. Man can they smell good! I really think they can smell better then deer can. I also think they are pretty smart creatures. They will do dumb things sometimes though.

You will find them bedding in very similar areas to bucks. But their beds will be a lot more obvious. And they really like to bury into the thick stuff. They will even cut palmettos and grass and make beds which is pretty cool when to find.

If I had to guess they are buried in that cutover. Which could be good or bad. If the cutover is too thick you might not be able to bow hunt in it. But it will likely hold the hogs in there especially if hunters are tromping around all over the woods around it. If it’s too thick to bow hunt you might be forced to hunt the edges. Getting between the wallow and cutover sounds like a good strategy. Id set up right on the edge of that cutover! If they don’t pass by you, you will likely hear them and can adjust your setup the next day. If they aren’t coming out of the cutover until after dark you’re gonna have a hard time making something happen with a bow. Possibly get a few buddies to walk through it to push them out.

Good luck and post some pics when you lay one down!


Thanks man, that wallow is right at the edge of the thicket. I noticed when going through the thicket off the main trails where very low tunnel like trails that opened up to very large bedding circles. Btw these thickets are young pine and briars. Really hard to get in quiet but I think its doable in a rain storm.


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