Instead of SHOT this year, our group is headed to way SW Georgia near Donalsonville to hunt hogs on a friends peanut farm.
We all hunt and shoot a lot, but never been hog hunting
We are taking mostly ARs in 5.56, some thermals (Trijicon REAP IR 60mm, SIG E3 2-12), and some NV (PVS30, Knights SR, BNVD ).
Just not sure what to expect. Hunt late at night ? Earlier in the evening ? Typical ranges ? Tripods ? Do they spook easily ?
I dont see it as particularly challenging, but more an opportunity to get some experience with all our cool stuff.
I'll be watching for any advice ya may have, and appreciate it in advance
Sure brother I will share what I know.
They are going to be most active at sunset, night, and sunrise. With NV, I'd say start the hunt at sunset. Thermals and night vision are a huge advantage, and they are more nocturnal in these warmer months. At sunrise, you can find them down by the water. At sunset and through the night, they are active foraging for food. Familiarize yourself with their tracks and droppings, bait or scout ahead of time for increased chances of success.
You can even track and kill a wild boar on foot in the day with a spear like in the old country, hogs are very simple. In general, the more effort you put into preparation, such as scouting and baiting, the better luck you have. This is what outfitters will do as a service, all the prep work and heavy lifting, guiding clients on the hunt. But with modern rifles, thermal optics, you can hunt all night and bag dozens of hogs in one trip.
Some use baiting, feeders, trail cams, pit blinds, or just scout out bedding areas ahead of time. Compared to staying up all night sticking pigs with spears, it's far more efficient to hunt with semi auto and fully automatic rifles. Especially with thermal optics. You can document the hunt and review what went right and what went wrong to improve on your next hunt. You may need to fire rapidly when a large group begins scattering. Coordinated shooting helps to eliminate stragglers. In other words, glass and select separate targets ahead of time, then fire simultaneously or in rapid succession.
5.56 is enough, and you should stay accurate and lethal at 500 yards, especially if you do government work or have prior training. If you have the time, and the ammo, it is a productive use of ammo. Yes, they spook easily, you can even startle them to freeze up for a good shot. With night vision, moving quietly, you can get very close to hogs before they notice you.
The challenge is not to bag a single hog, that's not that hard really. The challenge is to eradicate and process many hogs in a single hunt. It's a public service and a professional service as well, which also yields a ton of meat and hides. Hundreds or even thousands of pounds of pork. Whatever you process yourself can be quickly stored safely in a cooler with ice. Even cheap foam coolers. Otherwise, would load up the truck to haul to the processor.