Hog Hunting Q&A (Part 2): Strategies, Shot Placement, and Common Mistakes

By Nick Jones with Outdoors with Nick and Penny

Haven’t read Part 1 of Hog Hunting Q&A yet? [Read Part 1 here]

Q6. What’s your go-to strategy — over bait, spot-and-stalk, dog hunting, or something else?

It depends on who is in the truck that night on how we hunt. If I’m taking the girls out for the night, I am going to hunt over bait. Both Penelope and my wife cannot make it all night running field to field and walking several miles, so to keep them in the game, I have several corn feeders running on the deer lease. For this method, we will either take the side-by-side or the truck, park about 200 yards from the feeder, and then slowly stalk down the trail to the clearing. I am usually leading the way scanning. If something is there, we set up and take care of business; if not, we will sit and wait for about 20 minutes. If nothing shows up, we pack up and move on to the next feeder.  

Now, if me and the guys are in the truck, this is where things start to get spicy. We have several local farmers in our area who have graciously given us express permission to hunt their property. On 99% of our fields, we can access them by driving the truck down either farm roads or levees. As we are driving, everyone in the truck is scanning out of their window, and if someone sees anything, we stop and all take a gander at it. You think you can recognize a hog until it's 3 am, you’re on your fifth energy drink, and you are bouncing up and down in the truck—so we all check each other’s work.  

Depending on the field, sometimes we use a thermal drone to quickly fly the property and see what’s out there. What takes an hour to drive, we can fly in about 15 minutes and move on. If we don’t see anything on a farm, we just move on to the next one.  

If we locate any hogs, now the fun begins. Everyone eases out of the truck as silent as can be and gets their guns set up on tripods. We will then stalk single-file to the target. If we have cover, we will utilize it as much as possible, and if not, then we move slowly to try and not be seen. Upon reaching our designated stopping point (we try to get within 100 yards, but that’s not always possible), we all get about a shoulder-width apart. The lead man is always in the middle, and we stack two on the right and one on the left, or vice versa (typically only running four per group).  

The lead man then asks if everyone is ready, recording, and off-safe, and begins the countdown. At this moment, time freezes, the ambient noise fades, and it’s just me, the trigger, and my quarry lined up on the crosshair—and then reality comes back. 3, 2, WHA... we don’t wait for "one" because if you do, you're late. As soon as the lead man breaks wind for the last number, we start shooting. The guy on the far right shoots the furthest right pig, while the one on the far left shoots the furthest left pig, and we try and compress them together. The lead man was the one who started the show, and usually, he is the one who will ultimately say cease-fire.  

But there are instances where a cow decides to start walking over or a piece of farm equipment suddenly appears, and at that point, whoever sees it is the one responsible to yell cease fire. 

Q7. Do hog calls actually work, or is it mostly about scent control, bait, and boots-on-the-ground scouting?

Yes, hog calls can sometimes work. I have only ever had success using a hog call when it was a sow (female pig) with piglets.  The best thing I have found is being in constant contact with my local farmers. Those guys know their fields and they know when the hogs are around. They will reach out and drop a pin stating the hogs are in this pasture or in that pasture, and that is usually my best information.  Scent control does play a huge part in it as well once you locate the hogs. I check the wind probably 30 times a night to see which way is the best way to enter certain fields, especially if I know a possible hangout location. Hogs have a great nose and can smell from a great distance. Several times I have been watching a sounder, the wind swirls, they throw up their nose, and off they go. 

Q8. What time of day or night produces the most action, and how does season or weather affect hog movement?

I have found that during deer season (September through January), I have fewer hogs because they are all under deer feeders eating. As soon as the corn runs out, the hogs tend to go back and start destroying crops.  It’s tough to put a time on it because I have had 30 pigs come out at 3 pm and then not see anything all night, and other nights within the first hour we have killed 10. Some nights they don’t start moving until after midnight, and other nights we don’t see a single hog. At the end of the day, they are wild animals and they move when they want to move. You can’t kill them from the couch, so you just have to go hunt.  

Q9. How do you locate hogs on a new piece of property — what sign are you looking for?

I am looking for anything that is torn and rooted up. When hogs start doing work, it looks like someone pulled a plow through the area.  

Depending on the size of the property and how drivable it is, most of the time I drive the property in the daylight hours, scanning the fields looking for this torn-up ground. If it is a larger property, or I don’t have the time, or the owner has asked me not to drive in the field, throwing a drone up gets the job done very quickly. 

Q10. How do you set up to stay downwind and undetected when hogs are known to be in the area?

Knowing your property, how to access it, and wind direction is a must. For instance, if the field has a main road that runs North to South and I have a south wind, I am going to make sure to enter from the north so the wind is in my face. Typically, by going into the wind, I can scan far enough ahead of me that the noise of the truck and/or gates being opened doesn’t bother anything.  

Before the hunt even starts, all parties involved are looking up the weather forecast to see what wind direction and speed we are going to be encountering. This pre-trip discussion determines which fields are hit first and where we come from. 

Q11. Shot placement on hogs is different than deer — what do hunters need to know before pulling the trigger?

The first shot needs to be surgical and the follow up shots are more general.

Hogs are extremely tough and can take a lot of lead. Usually, me and my hunting buddies aim at the ear, or the base of the ear, for our first shot. This well-placed surgical round incapacitates the hog, ensuring a quick, clean kill.  

Now, once freedom has rung and it is every man for himself, you try and hit them anywhere to slow them down. Usually, if you are shooting a heavy enough round, shots to the front shoulder, hindquarters, or even the guts start slowing them down, allowing you to make a finishing headshot.  

Q12. What’s one mistake most new hog hunters make that costs them opportunities?

Making too much noise and taking too long to get set up. Hogs have excellent hearing along with smell. If you jump out of the truck, slam the door, slam gates, or bang chains together in the dead of night, they know something is up.  

Time and time again, new people coming with me will close their doors "normally," but at night, it sounds just like slamming it in the daytime. You have to be very quiet and avoid making any unnecessary noise when getting out and getting ready. Also, if you are taking your sweet time putting a gun on a tripod and getting ready to stalk, the hogs can see you or ultimately go on high alert, and anything can set them off.  

Q13. How do you handle the meat after a successful hunt — is it worth processing, and what’s the best approach?

It depends on the time of year whether I am harvesting the meat. In SW LA:

• Summer Months (80s): In Southwest Louisiana, summer nighttime temperatures sit in the 80s, meaning the meat spoils almost instantly.  

• Cooler Months (60s & Below): Once the temperature drops to the 60 mark and below, it affords me a little more time to mess with the meat.  

I always have my Olive Knife with me—whether it’s my Venari everyday carry or my designated skinning knife, the Arbor. I stay ready to clean and can quarter up a hog in about 30 minutes.  

If the weather is in my favor and time is on my side, I like to bring the entire hog back to the house, and once skinned and gutted, I hang it in a walk-in cooler for a few day. If neither time nor temp is on my side, I will quarter one up on the tailgate of the truck, take the backstraps out, and toss the rest.