Never been hog hunting, but would like to go. Is it ok to go alone? Can you use a folding chair and sit on the ground as long as you surround yourself with limbs etc? I have heard deep fork in creek county is ok for possible harvest. Where else in creek county? Directions?
Also, if anyone wants a hunting buddy let me know.
Never swim alone. Actually you should really find someone to show you the ropes before you strike out on your own, plus if you kill a big one it's real tough to drag something twice your weight very far. I have used a cheapie deer sled, and I'm old, but it's still tough.
About safety, hogs can be aggressive. I never hunt them without a backup weapon. I use a .44 mag and have needed it a couple of times. I like to shoot from a tree stand. You might look at portable self-climbing stands if you are young and fit. (damned things are hard to use unless you are in great shape)
As a primary weapon, use enough gun. Lots of folks like little guns, but to make humane and safe kills something in the .30 range makes lots more sense. I use a .375 H&H sometimes, and I know that's overkill--just have the gun and like shooting it . . . Have fun, be careful. CB
About safety, hogs can be aggressive. I never hunt them without a backup weapon. I use a .44 mag and have needed it a couple of times. I like to shoot from a tree stand. You might look at portable self-climbing stands if you are young and fit. (damned things are hard to use unless you are in great shape)
As a primary weapon, use enough gun. Lots of folks like little guns, but to make humane and safe kills something in the .30 range makes lots more sense. I use a .375 H&H sometimes, and I know that's overkill--just have the gun and like shooting it . . . Have fun, be careful. CB
Going at it like this assures you a nice peaceful morning in the woods... and maybe not much else. Hogs are extremely nocturnal this time of year due to the heat and don't move a whole lot during the day. I've been catching them out in the pastures occassionally before sunrise lately, but after they sun is up they are back in the thickest, swamppiest, wet muddy places that you can find. Unless you have done extensive scouting and know where they are going to be at sunrise, I wouldn't waste a morning sitting and waiting. In my experience, pigs are harder to pattern than deer and turkey. They may hit a spot good and heavy for a week or so, then all of the sudden they are gone. They usually come back at some point, but it may be days or weeks. Best advice I could give for knockin one down right now is to do a lot of scouting... or find someone with some dogs and run them out! If you don't have the time to scout, I would do some spot and stalk huntin. They are somewhat noisy creatures, I've walked up on them many times and heard them before I saw them. Their main defense is smell, so you have to make sure you play the wind properly.
I may get a lot of objections and criticisms for this, but don't let hunting alone stop you. Good Lord, if I had to wait to around for someone else to be free to hunt all the time, I'd spend a lot of time doing other things. I've heard all the horror stories about getting chased by one and blah blah blah. Yeah, I'm sure it happens, but I have never known anyone that this has happened to. But don't be a fool. Any time ANY animal is cornered, wounded, or protecting their young... use your head and be cautious. That is when your chances of gettin hurt increase. Backup weapon... well, if you get in a situation that your primary is out of bullets or malfunctions and you need protection, I think you'd be better off looking for an escape route than fiddling with another weapon, taking the safety off, aiming and firing. By then the pig is going to be gone or crawling up your leg.
But my opinion is just like boogers, everybody has their own...
But I do agree with CB on bringing a friend to help drag it out! There is nothing heavier than a dead hog. My preference is to just leave them where they lay, or shoot one close to the truck.
The backup is just my safety background driving me. Guns jam, especially when hands are scared or in a hurry. With bows or muzzleloaders, you have one shot. I like a backup and won't go without one. Unless you have a concealed carry license, you are over the legal edge carrying, even while hunting. CB
If you use enough gun and place the bullet where it needs to go then why do you need a backup weapon?????????? If the primary weapon malfunctions then a) it sounds like operator error and b) sell the d**n gun.
One hog, one gun. Makes sense to me. However, on my lease, there are dozens of them. I have only been charged once, and that was during deer archery season. If you are comfortable in such an environment, go with God. I am not.
You are operating from the premise that everything will go as planned. Sometimes it doesn't, and that's when backups become worth the trouble.
A couple of years ago a friend of mine left his rifle at his stand and went to "relieve himself." No handgun. He spent four hours in a tiny little tree hoping four big boars would go away. The tree finally broke and he fell into the middle of them. It scared them and they left, allowing him to get back to his stand and his rifle.
<from Dennishoddy> Holy Crap! Is there anything left??
Dennis, the .375 does lots less damage than smaller, higher velocity rounds. You can use the meat right up to the hole, even with deer. The 300 grain soft point expands a little, gives immediate knockdown, and leaves a hole through and through. At about 2400 fps it plows through whatever it hits, including bone. Most Africa rifles for really big game have similarly slow big bullets. My 25-06 does lots more tissue damage.
