For many hunters, deer season has come to an end. Some will work on predator control or maybe do some ice fishing. Still, others will just take the time to rest or start whittling down the honey-do list that piled up while they were in the woods before turkey season gets here.
There's another option for filling your time during this mid-winter lull, however, and for many it may mean an escape to sunshine and warmer weather. There's hardly a better time to schedule a hog hunt than right now.
Far too many times hunters who live in areas without hogs will say something like, “Man I wish we had hogs around here so we had something else to hunt.” No. You don't. Ask anyone who has hogs around, and they will tell you the last thing you want is hogs. Where hogs are, they are hunted more out of obligation than enjoyment, and that is your first stop in planning a hog hunt if you aren't in a hog area.
CHECK WITH FRIENDS
Head straight to your social media pages. Where are your friends or connected hunters? Chances are, if you know people that hunt in the south, they have a hog problem they can't keep up with all alone. Reach out to friends and connections and see if anyone has hogs. Chances are you've already seen them complain about destroying feeders or tearing up food plots.
If you're lucky, you'll have several folks all but begging you to come down for a few days and hunt hogs on their property. This is obviously the most affordable way to go as well. As a bonus, you're able to spend a few days with an old friend you have seen recently, or make a better friend out of someone you've only known online.
OUTFITTERS
If you aren't able to connect to anyone directly, the next place to check is with outfitters. Very few outfitters run hog hunts exclusively, rather, they are using the opportunity to bring in hog hunters as a way to improve habitat for more desirable game like deer, turkeys, or exotics.
Outfitters will afford you more of a choose-your-own-adventure option than going with friends. If you want to make your hog hunt into more of a getaway vacation, you can find a place with other local attractions that might appeal to the rest of the family and take them along.
Or, if you prefer, you can find an outfitter that specializes in trophy hogs with nasty cutters and weights that will make your head spin. After all, what man cave is complete without a snarling boar hog on the wall?
AFFORDABLE FUN
Most states with feral hogs have done all they can to remove barriers for hunters in or out of state to keep their numbers in check. Texas, for example, just removed the licensing requirement for hunters in pursuit of hogs. All of this means the opportunity to chase hogs is more and more affordable because the problem is so pervasive.
For those hunters, especially in the north, in need of some sun and who just aren't ready to put the hunting gear away for the next few months, see if you can put together a quick little hog hunt to help keep feral swine in check.
