I think Clay Fragulia, whom you’ll meet momentarily, says it best: “Hogs are the perfect big game animal. They’ve got everything, and the working man can go on a hog hunt once a year without breaking his wallet.”
Wild hogs are probably underrated as the ultimate big game animal. They’re cagey and smart. They offer a variety of hunting opportunities. You can spot and stalk them in open country. Or you can hunt them from a stand over bait. If you’re looking to hunt a hog or two or 12 with your feet on the skids of a LOH (that’s a Light Observation Helicopter) and sitting behind a fully automatic M60? Yes, sir; you can do that too.
As for table fare? In Fragulia’s words,“Eighty pounds or 373 pounds, I’ve never eaten a bad hog.”
Plus, feral hogs are damn near everywhere throughout the South. Thanks to few restrictions, liberal or non-existent bag limits, public-land options, and reasonably priced guided hunts, there’s no reason not to sally forth, shooting iron in hand, to chase a wild porker. But where should you get started? I’ve got you covered.
Top 5 States for DIY Hog Hunts
The highest concentrations of wild hogs can be found in a big block of the U.S. roughly from the eastern third of New Mexico straight east to Florida and from the Gulf Coast north to the Mason-Dixon Line. To the west, California is covered up with wild hogs, with smaller pockets expanding outward into parts of Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and north into south-central Oregon. In the Midwest and East, pigs reside in southeastern Ohio, West Virginia, south-central Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
While there are a ton of ways to chase hogs, there are just a handful of ‘traditional’ hog hunting methods, those being over bait, with dogs, still hunting, sitting over a travel route or wallow, and spot and stalk. In this article I’ll focus on the latter three.
Florida
Burmese pythons. Iguanas. Tilapia. And wild hogs. If it’s an invasive species it’s probably thriving in Florida. Wild hogs have inhabited Florida for hundreds of years, possibly being introduced to the mainland in the mid-1500s by the Spanish explorer, Hernando DeSoto. Today an estimated 500,000 feral pigs are now rooting their way across The Sunshine State.
Like most of the places you’ll read about here, when it comes to Florida and wild hogs, it’s primarily a pay-to-play proposition. The nice thing is there are full-service spendy types of guided experiences, or on the flipside, more affordable semi-guided hunts where the outfitter helps put you on hogs and from there you’re basically on your own.
Fortunately, hog hunters will find there’s plenty of public-land opportunities from the top to bottom of the state, as well. In fact, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation outlines the “Best Hog Hunting (Wildlife Management Areas),” including a common denominator piece of state ground by the name of the Apalachicola WMA. A part of the Apalachicola National Forest, the WMA encompasses more than 582,000 acres south of Tallahassee. From what I’m told, the hunting won’t be easy and you might have plenty of company, considering it’s a short drive from the metro. Still, there’re plenty of hogs and plenty of ground to explore.
Texas
The Lone Star State and wild hogs are practically synonymous. Baiting is without question the way most Texas hogs are taken; however, there are plenty of other options available.
Back in the day, my new bride and I traveled to Texas from our home in Iowa to chase Rio Grande gobblers. After tagging out in a day-and-a-half, the outfitter asked us if we’d like to hunt hogs. The next thing we knew, we were sitting a box blind alongside a well-travelled two-track ranch road, armed with a borrowed .454 Casull. Before long we had one weaner pig in the dirt and another, courtesy of my wife, about to become the fodder for our next backyard barbecue.
Biologists reckon that half of the six million wild pigs roaming the U.S. them call Texas home. And there, pigs have made themselves comfortable in all but El Paso County at the extreme western tip of the Panhandle. Unfortunately for DIY hunters, roughly 95 percent of the state is privately owned. Thus, the majority of hog hunting here is done on private ranches, often in conjunction with deer, turkey, or exotic big game hunts.
But before you discount Texas, there are about a million public acres within the borders, most of which are located in East Texas. Some areas worth a wander include the Old Sabine Bottom WMA (Lindale), Pat Mayse WMA south of the Red River, and the Texas/Oklahoma state line, and Richland Creek WMA south of Dallas.
California
California has a current pig population of roughly 400,000 animals. Much of the hunting here takes place on private lands, either individual out-of-pocket leases or by employing the services of a guide, such as the aforementioned Clay Fragulia. A resident of Sunnyvale, California, Fragulia, 55, has been guiding for Christopher Hall’s Western Wildlife Adventures for the past 25 years.
“We have barley, wheat, and oats planted for the cattle,” said Fragulia, talking about the property he works near Gilroy. “We border an 80,000-acre park (Henry W. Coe State Park) that doesn’t allow hunting, and the hogs come out of there pretty thick at times.”
In other words, Fragulia’s private-land hog hunting program is locked in.
But the Golden State also features quite a few public-land opportunities for DIY pig hunters, with more than a handful of those serving as the better-producing draw or limited entry types of situations. The state fish and game agency posts a rather lengthy list of special hog hunts, many of which are offered in the spring and early summer on select WMAs and Ecological Reserves. California’s SHARE (Shared Habitat Alliance for Recreational Enhancement) Program, which involves partnerships with private landowners willing to provide recreational opportunities to the hunting public, lists several hog options. Also consider California’s many national forests, like Los Padres and San Bernardino.
Georgia
Though overshadowed by Florida, Texas, and California in terms hog hunting popularity, Georgia is home to roughly 600,000 wild pigs.
To hunt pigs on public land in Georgia, you must be willing to invest time, energy, research, and boot leather. The state is home to some big, gnarly Wildlife Management Areas. Located just inland and along the river sharing her name, the Altamaha WMA is one spot to consider; the Big Hammock WMA upriver is another to consider. Then there’s the 19,000-acre Swallow Creek WMA, Warwoman WMA (15,800 acres), and the expansive 96,000-acre Cohutta WMA on the western fringes of the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest in northern Georgia.
Alabama
Last but not least, there’s Alabama, another ‘under the radar’ hog hunting destination. Yes, there are guides and outfitters here who will charge reasonable rates (think $250) to hunt hogs. But the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources holds title to more than 720,000 acres of publicly-accessible ground, much of which contains wild pigs.
The 91,000-acre Black Warrior WMA (Lawrence and Winston counties) has a healthy population of hogs, and allows hunting during “any other scheduled WMA hunting season using weapons and ammunition approved for those hunts. No dogs. No bag limit. Daylight hours only.”
This said, I’d bet that a lot of hogs taken at Black Warrior are done so in conjunction with deer gun seasons. Of special note, the Black Warrior WMA lies within the Bankhead National Forest, where hog hunting is permitted year-round.
Read Next: 11 Wild Photos of the Hog Hunting Dogs from Alabama
How to Scout for Feral Pigs
“On the property I focus on,” Fragulia told me, “I drive and look for where they have been rooting up the ground. It’s obvious. It will look like someone took a rototiller and turned up the dirt. You can usually tell where they’re hitting the fences,” he continued, “because the barbed wire will be arched at the bottom, with hair stuck to it. And there will be a definite trail.”
For deer hunters who are new to hog hunting, Fragulia had this to say about pigs being creatures of habit: “As long as they’re not being pressured too hard, I can pretty much tell where they’re going to be and when. Water is always key. They’ll usually be close to water. Early morning and late evening. But again, and if you’re not (pressuring them) too hard, they’re going to stick to the same trail and do the same things they do every day.”
A colleague of mine now living in west-central Oregon, Scott Haugen is a well-known author and international hunter who loves to hunt hogs.
“On the absolute hottest days of the summer or fall. [Those temperatures] slow hogs’ movement and they will congregate in the shady areas,” Haugen says. “Some of my best hunts have been in August and September. The creek beds might be dry, but the deeper they’re carved into the mountains and the more brush, shade, and cool dirt, the better. It can make for some excellent spot and stalk hunting.”
Tips for DIY Hog Hunting
Use technology to scout from afar. Once you’ve picked a state and narrowed it down to a handful of public parcels through web research, using a mapping app like onX, it’s time to get specific with your approach. Zoom in and identify water, fields/food plots, shade and natural food sources (like acorns). Also pin potential travel routes from private land. Like deer, hogs will follow the natural contours of the land and filter through funnels.
Find the hidden water. Locating game, be it band-tailed pigeons or wild boar, is often about first finding the water. A creek. A pond. A wallow. Mud. Soggy ground. Anything that can help cool that old pig down when the mercury climbs. You should be able to find those small out-of-the-way hidey-holes through onX research. And you don’t have to find big bodies of crystal-clear water. In fact, hidden wet spots that will receive less pressure are more attractive to hogs. A cattail swamp. A bog. A low spot in a dried up riverbed that might hold water, or moisture close enough to the surface that the animals can root and dig down to it.
Identify trails. From there, identify travel routes, running to the water. In hilly or mountainous county, pin benches between two ridges. It’s important to remember that wild hogs are survivors. They’re smart. And they’re shy. So a heavy canopy, a thick brush funnel, or an old skidder road far from human traffic is definitely worth investigating through digital scouting.
Run trail cameras. Once you pinpoint some of the above jumping off points, position cellular trail cameras accordingly (and with stealth). You can learn valuable intel about if (and when) hogs are using the area. Remember that Fragulia did says that unpressured hogs are creatures of habit. So a trail camera at a wallow, or a tight barbed wire fence crossing with a missing bottom strand, or a narrow levee between two bodies of water, can really help dial in your approach. Just make sure to check local regulations before hanging cameras on public land.
Talk to the area biologist. Every management area has a manager and every wildlife district has a biologist. There’s a good chance part of their job description is feral hog control and/or eradication. These folks can help point you in the right direction. Don’t be shy about picking up the phone and asking your questions.
Have lunch with the locals. Go to the local diner or bar and chat it up with the patrons. If you’re in a small town, there’s a good chance they’ll notice that “you’re not from around here” and they might be curious about what you’re up to. That brings the conversation around to hunting … and from there you just never know where it could go. There’s a chance that they’re dealing with feral hog problems — and you’re the hunter for the job.
Always consider the wind. A hog’s eyesight is all right. His hearing is a little better. But his sense of smell — that’s what you need to avoid. Regardless of how you’re hunting, you always have to watch the wind. A little talcum powder in a ‘poof’ squeeze bottle, (like Hunter’s Specialties’ Windicator) can save you from a long empty-handed walk back to the truck. Use the 3D mode in onX to see how a property lays out and plan for how the wind will likely work down ridges or through canyons.
Try calling them in. “I like calling pigs,” says Haugen. “They can respond pretty aggressively to calls in the right situation… it can be hit or miss, but it’s definitely a challenge and rewarding when it comes together.” As opportunistic omnivores, hogs will eat damn near anything. Bird distress calls, Haugen explained, can work well. Rodent and fawn distress sounds work too. “Even squealing pigs,” he said, “can get them intrigued and on the move.”
Read Next: The 5 Best Whitetail States for DIY Hunters
Final Thoughts on DIY Pig Hunting
Okay, so maybe wild hogs aren’t on every big game hunter’s bucket list. But they probably should be. If you have hogs around, there’s a good chance you have an overabundance of them. They’re a challenge to pursue. They can be hunted year-round in many places. They can be hunted affordably, especially compared to other big game critters like elk or mule deer. And lastly, there are still plenty of places to chase them on public ground. Oh, and did I mention the barbecue?
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