Hog hunting gear

[wolfe]

Sorry if this is posted somewhere else but I did a search and didn't find anything.

I'm not much of a hunter. In fact the biggest animal I have ever shot was a quail. A friend of mine invited me on a hog hunting trip in February or January and I want to know what kind of gear I will need in order to not be a burden to the experienced guys?

Most likely be using my AR-15 but what other stuff do I need. Most likely a 3 day trip in Georgia

Thanks

 

[adelbridge]

I hunt them in Texas and they are 80% nocturnal. I use a Vortex scope with illuminated reticle and a green long range light. I have had good luck with Laser Genetics ND-3 and a $15 Ultrafire green CREE LED. Not sure about night hunting laws in GA but perfectly legal in Texas.

 

[sleepyone]

Like adelbridge said. I rarely see our hogs in daylight. We have at least 80 (and growing I'm sure), but they only show up on my trail camera at night and usually between 9pm and 3am. Sometimes they will show up right at dusk after they have stopped by one of our stock tanks after their siesta for a drink and a dip. They are not as easy to hunt as I thought they would be. I have been told they are about the 5th smartest animal. I have a long range (250 yards) green LED flashlight and a AimPoint Pro on my AR-15.

 

[Sav .250]

One thing is certain, it`s not like shooting guail. You didn`t say what cal that AR-15 of yours was but make sure it`s legal to hunt with in Ga. There are requirements as far as cal`s go. Check the Ga DNR site. Could be no problem but you never know.

 

[wolfe]

Plan on using.223 unless my friend tells me different. Yeah, won't be anything like quail at all. I actually have not hunted in years, mostly trap and skeet guy and like guns so I've bought a few nice rifles and handguns.

I think it will be fun, if I just relax and let it be fun.

 

[MCgunner]

A good light or night vision, a feeder full of corn, maybe some strawberry jello to help the bait. I'll use the game camera to find out when they're showing up. Legal in Texas, ymmv, works for me. BUT, I don't much like staying up at night just to shoot a scraggledy ol' pig, so my favorite way to "hunt" hogs is with my trap.

.223? Plan on multiple shots, torture him to death, or shoot the head. Might not even make it through the gristle plate on a big boar. I've seen better calibers fail. Bullet construction is important. I'd use a premium load. FMJ may not be legal in your state and I wouldn't use FMJ anyway. Barnes or Partition or some other controlled expansion bullet with good penetration is your best bet.

If you have a shotgun, maybe bring some slugs. Hunting hogs is not long range normally.

 

[helotaxi]

Not sure about GA, but here in NM and many other states there are no caliber restrictions when shooting hogs because they are not regulated as game animals. They are treated the same a coyotes: vermin. Last I checked, hogs aren't bulletproof. Tough maybe, but far from invulnerable. Guys hunt them with archery equipment and successfully. A good bullet from a .223 is going to penetrate a lot better than an arrow and do a lot more internal damage in the process. You do have to use a game bullet, not a varmint bullet. That does mean a Partition, TSX or TTSX. Not cheap, but they do perform extremely well on animals larger and tougher than coyotes and other varmints. The reason that the .223 has a reputation of poor performance on larger game is poor bullet selection on the part of the shooter. Doesn't matter if you're shooting a .300 Weatherby, if your'e loading it with a varmint bullet it isn't going to get the job done reliably. I like the 6.8SPC for AR hunting mostly because of the wider selection of inexpensive hunting grade bullets from the Sierra ProHunter to the Hornady SST to the Speer HotCor. The extra power is nice but secondary.

That said, here we have restrictions on using artificial lighting after dark while in possession of a firearm (I know that growing up AL was the same way) and discharging a firearm after dark. Those are what prevent night hunting hogs (and mountain lions and bobcats) here.

 

[wolfe]

I load for .223 but I'll buy some hgher quality ammo. I need a goodlight for my AR anyway. Any other gear I might need resides gun, ammo and light? I won't be responsible for feeding or baiting so ill leave the corn to someone else.

Thanks again

 

[MCgunner]

You going to keep the meat, of course you'll need a knife and a cooler. About all I can think of. I bought one of these the other day. Used it for a buck. Will be even handier for hogs. I wish I'd gotten this a long time ago.

http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result?q=gambrel

 

[BP Hunter]

When I used to hunt hogs in TX, I brought a good rifle, my truck and a good light. That's all the equipment you need. Having friends with you also espcially at night is highly recommended. They also help carry the pig onto the truck. Otherwise, that's all you need. Also, carry a cellphone.

 

[Patocazador]

If you're hunting with dogs or stalking on water holes and wallows, use one of your 12 ga. shotguns with 00 buckshot with a modified or full choke. You might want to wear chaps to protect your legs in case a hog tries to cut you. If you're hunting from a stand, use a bullet that doesn't blow up easily in the gun of your choice.