Your trail cam shows a big boar dominating your feeder throughout the night. He gorges himself on all or most of the corn and then allows only other hogs at the feeder. You decide he’s got to go, so deer can come to the feeder. Given that feral hogs are nocturnal, your optimal opportunity to eliminate him is at night. With high intelligence, for an animal, and a superior sense of smell, he will likely detect your presence. Therefore, your hunting strategy should focus on concealing your presence, exploiting his weaknesses, and attacking with lethal force. Consider these tactics:
Conceal Your Presence
Hunt All Night: The hog is at the feeder throughout the night, making this the optimal time to hunt. Be prepared to stay awake throughout the night. It’s common for hunters to briefly doze off, only to awaken to a sounder of hogs at the feeder.
Change Location: Hogs often inspect (sniff) ground blinds before venturing into the open. Alter your pattern by setting up in a different location.
Increase Distance: Position yourself further from the feeder to minimize your presence (scent, noise, etc.). This helps maintain your concealment.
Exploit His Appetite
Adjust Feeder Timing: Set your feeder to throw corn during the night, based on how long you’re prepared to hunt, perhaps every 2 to 3 hours. Older hogs, especially if they sense human presence, often wait until the early morning hours before emerging from the woods/brush.
Use Attractants: Many commercial and homemade attractants are available, but sugar is a key ingredient. Hogs have a significant sweet tooth. Be aware that using attractants may draw raccoons and other animals to your feeder. Resist the urge to shoot anything other than your target hog.
Strategically Place Corn: After setting up in a new spot, ensure to scatter corn/attractant in your new shooting lanes.
Ensure Lethality
Weapon Choice: We like the AR platform (e.g., AR-10) because of its .308 ballistic capability and semiautomatic firing ability, which is effective against a group of hogs.
Shot Placement: Large hogs are tough and resilient. Many hunters have reported finding one or more rounds in their shoulder plate after bringing down a large hog. Aim for the head or neck area if possible. If not, target the heart/lung area.
Use Night Vision: Use a night vision scope or set up a feeder light:
Thermal Scopes: These work well at long distances to detect heat signatures, but they can be expensive. Ensure you have adequate magnification and resolution to distinguish targets at the required distance.
Infrared (IR) Scopes: These are less expensive and ideal for short-distance hunting in natural/ambient light (sun, moon, IR flashlight, etc.)
Feeder Light: If you don’t have a night vision scope, install a motion-censored light near or on the feeder. Hogs are not frightened by green/red lights unless they are shone directly in their faces at shorter distances.
This is but one approach to eliminating a dominant boar from your feeder. It’s a challenging task but with the right strategy and tactics you can effectively manage the hog activity at your feeder, even if it means losing sleep.
Contact us to schedule your hog hunt today!
To the Hunt!!!
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