First time hog hunter

[ToyotaDude22]

Hey everyone

I’m looking for some advice on how to get into hog hunting. I’ve read that FT. Stewart is the place to go.

Are hunting clubs the best way to get involved? Can any of you recommend a good one for a beginner? I can handle a gun well and go shooting quite frequently. I just haven’t been hunting!

Thanks
Adrian

 

[24on48hunting]

There are some hunting leases that offer a Hog only membership that allows you to hunt any time it’s not deer or turkey season. Otherwise a private tract or lease will be a good way to go about it. You can place bait and even hunt at night if you choose.
Public land like Ft Stewart allows daytime hunting only and no baiting allowed. You’ll need to go down there in person and register your firearms before hunting. It’s a 72 hour wait, so plan accordingly. Make sure that you have a copy of your hunters safety course card as well. If you never took it, you’ll need to do so. The over 26 years of age law not needing a hunters safety course card doesn’t apply there. After that you are good to go provided that you have obtained your permit. Use the I Sportsman app to log in and out of the spots that you plan to hunt. Our group just started hunting Stewart this year. I missed out on the maiden trip, but I plan on going this Winter.
I’ve always done spot and stalk hunting, that’s just my preference. I like getting down into the thick stuff with them and shooting them at point blank range. It gets hairy at times and isn’t for the faint of heart.

 

[ToyotaDude22]

There are some hunting leases that offer a Hog only membership that allows you to hunt any time it’s not deer or turkey season. Otherwise a private tract or lease will be a good way to go about it. You can place bait and even hunt at night if you choose.
Public land like Ft Stewart allows daytime hunting only and no baiting allowed. You’ll need to go down there in person and register your firearms before hunting. It’s a 72 hour wait, so plan accordingly. Make sure that you have a copy of your hunters safety course card as well. If you never took it, you’ll need to do so. The over 26 years of age law not needing a hunters safety course card doesn’t apply there. After that you are good to go provided that you have obtained your permit. Use the I Sportsman app to log in and out of the spots that you plan to hunt. Our group just started hunting Stewart this year. I missed out on the maiden trip, but I plan on going this Winter.
I’ve always done spot and stalk hunting, that’s just my preference. I like getting down into the thick stuff with them and shooting them at point blank range. It gets hairy at times and isn’t for the faint of heart.

Thank you a ton for the helpful information. I havent taken the hunter safety course yet, but I believe I can do that online pretty easily.

 

[24on48hunting]

Thank you a ton for the helpful information. I havent taken the hunter safety course yet, but I believe I can do that online pretty easily.

You can. I took mine back in the 1980’s but I’m sure some of the younger folks on here can give you some info on that.

 

[rockyfatcat]

I have posted this before:

For a novice hunter, I recommend buying a guided hunt the first time out. There's a hundred things you need to know and any 1 you don't know could cost you. It could mean either never seeing a pig, or getting gored by a pig, or anything in between.

As a minimum, a guide should put you in a place to see a pig. If you shoot one and pay attention you'll learn how to gut the animal and prepare it as food. Ask lots of questions and make sure they know that this is your first hunt, and you want a guided hunt.

The wild pig is the smallest of the big game. When they are injured, they attack. Wild Boars can weigh as much as an NFL linebacker (or more) and run at 30 mph. Think about it! 200-500 pounds, 30 mph, 30 inches off the ground, and looking to mow you over.

The first pig I ever saw was a 300 pound boar, 15 feet away. My .357 shot to the head hit 1 inch below my aim point, the ear opening/brain. It dropped him and he got right back up and was looking to charge. BTW lesson learned: never take your eye off the front sight until you know he's dead.

 

[Earl Adams]

Anyone have any guide recommendations?

 

[Piglatinhater]

Anyone have any guide recommendations?

Ooof, a hard question. A brief history of hog hunting: About 10-15 years ago someone thought it would be cool to post a compilation hog hunt video on youtube. It really caught on and other followed suite. As a result, tooooons of people started getting into hog hunting, you know because of all those videos with 100's of kill shots and running hogs and squealing, you've seen them. It wasn't long until people with an 'entrapenural spirits' realized they could profit from the hog hunting demand. This ranges from a land owner or farmer leasing his lands to rid of his crop killing pests to full on high-fenced lands that you can kill a 500lb hog guaranteed.
Now, most hog hunting places, unfortunately, are closer to guaranteed hunts then you'd imagine. They advertise thousands of acres of fields and unlimited hogs, for like $300-$400 per hunter. They have facebook, websites, etc with a lot of pictures, people with kills (red flag if all the dead hogs are about the same size/color and ONLY one), etc. Normally with a tag line of "if you don't shoot a hog, get a shot off, see a hog, etc you're trip is free." They have a plot of land with stands, feeding spots, mud holes, etc for hunting and either have a separate spot where they breed pigs (to release on the hunting land) or pay people who catch wild hogs w/ dogs and release on their lands. Again, it really ranges from hog guide to hog guide on how 'real' the experience is but most (all really) aren't the straight forward "I have 10,000 acres of land and 2 million hogs that need killed, pay me beer money" type. It's a legit business for them, and hogs=money.
Unfortunately, most all landowners/farmers do NOT allow people to hunt their land (even if you pay) and if they do want people to take care of their hog problem, they let their family/friends/pastor do it, not you the stranger.
Not trying to burst your bubble/discourage you, but educate you. Most people don't realize it's a big business here in the South. This question comes up about once every few months and there are really never any good recommendations. All of the above comes from the past 5 years of experience of trying to go on a hog hunt.
To answer your question, two places I would avoid
-Hog Wild USA
-Shaddy Grove Outfitters

 

[REDX]

I have posted this before:

For a novice hunter, I recommend buying a guided hunt the first time out. There's a hundred things you need to know and any 1 you don't know could cost you. It could mean either never seeing a pig, or getting gored by a pig, or anything in between.

As a minimum, a guide should put you in a place to see a pig. If you shoot one and pay attention you'll learn how to gut the animal and prepare it as food. Ask lots of questions and make sure they know that this is your first hunt, and you want a guided hunt.

The wild pig is the smallest of the big game. When they are injured, they attack. Wild Boars can weigh as much as an NFL linebacker (or more) and run at 30 mph. Think about it! 200-500 pounds, 30 mph, 30 inches off the ground, and looking to mow you over.

The first pig I ever saw was a 300 pound boar, 15 feet away. My .357 shot to the head hit 1 inch below my aim point, the ear opening/brain. It dropped him and he got right back up and was looking to charge. BTW lesson learned: never take your eye off the front sight until you know he's dead.

^^^ This,
For your first hunt I would recommend a Guide or find a group of experienced friends. Like rockyfatcat said a wounded hog WILL charge you, its happened to me twice in Hawaii while bowhunting.

 

[24on48hunting]

For the money that a hog hunt costs, I’d go with hogswat or something similar.

 

[Earl Adams]

Ooof, a hard question. A brief history of hog hunting: About 10-15 years ago someone thought it would be cool to post a compilation hog hunt video on youtube. It really caught on and other followed suite. As a result, tooooons of people started getting into hog hunting, you know because of all those videos with 100's of kill shots and running hogs and squealing, you've seen them. It wasn't long until people with an 'entrapenural spirits' realized they could profit from the hog hunting demand. This ranges from a land owner or farmer leasing his lands to rid of his crop killing pests to full on high-fenced lands that you can kill a 500lb hog guaranteed.
Now, most hog hunting places, unfortunately, are closer to guaranteed hunts then you'd imagine. They advertise thousands of acres of fields and unlimited hogs, for like $300-$400 per hunter. They have facebook, websites, etc with a lot of pictures, people with kills (red flag if all the dead hogs are about the same size/color and ONLY one), etc. Normally with a tag line of "if you don't shoot a hog, get a shot off, see a hog, etc you're trip is free." They have a plot of land with stands, feeding spots, mud holes, etc for hunting and either have a separate spot where they breed pigs (to release on the hunting land) or pay people who catch wild hogs w/ dogs and release on their lands. Again, it really ranges from hog guide to hog guide on how 'real' the experience is but most (all really) aren't the straight forward "I have 10,000 acres of land and 2 million hogs that need killed, pay me beer money" type. It's a legit business for them, and hogs=money.
Unfortunately, most all landowners/farmers do NOT allow people to hunt their land (even if you pay) and if they do want people to take care of their hog problem, they let their family/friends/pastor do it, not you the stranger.
Not trying to burst your bubble/discourage you, but educate you. Most people don't realize it's a big business here in the South. This question comes up about once every few months and there are really never any good recommendations. All of the above comes from the past 5 years of experience of trying to go on a hog hunt.
To answer your question, two places I would avoid
-Hog Wild USA
-Shaddy Grove Outfitters

Thanks for the education and who to avoid. If you run into someone reputable please let me know. Thanks again.