Have you been struggling to catch a wild grunter? Do you come home empty handed and frustrated after your hunting trips?

Well, my friend, you wouldn’t be the first. Hunting hogs can be a trying expedition but not impossible. Hogs are nocturnal and love to graze at night. So, get all layered up and ready to hunt when the sun has set, and the owls come out to play.

 

We’re going night hog hunting!

The best way to hunt hogs at night comes with a few simple tricks. You can’t simply go out there and expect to nab a few just because they happen to be wandering around looking for grub.

With a few years under my belt with hunting, I can safely say that there are a time and a place for hunting most animals. Hard learned lesson came from realizing that wild hogs like to be up and about when most of the rest of the world is sleeping.

But hunting at night isn’t always the easiest, so take a look at our top tips to get you successfully catching a grunter.

 

The Check List

Before we delve into our awesome tips, let’s do a quick once over of what you will need for your next night hunting trip.

 

1: A Well-packed Hunting Bag

• Ensure you have loads of water in a bottle that doesn’t make a noise – a straw bottle works best as opposed to a pouring bottle
• Pack in snacks for when the hunger hits and ensure they are in quiet packaging
• A first aid kit is paramount as you never know when you may hurt yourself out there
• A good solid torch or light is essential, but with a low soft beam
• Ensure your pack is camouflaged and doesn’t have any lumo lines on it
• Check that your backpack doesn’t make any squeaking or detracting noises
• Pack your cell phone in for emergencies and make sure it’s on silent
• A good sharp knife that can cut through the piggies thick skin is paramount

2: Check your Outfit

Making sure you are kitted out properly for a night hunt is key.

• Your clothing should be camouflaged and dark, ensuring there are no bright or lumo lines showing
• Dress in layers. While you may start out cold, you will get enough warmer once the hunt starts and adrenalin pumps in
• Make sure your clothing doesn’t rustle too much – you want to be stealth-like out there
• Face paint works magic especially if you have particularly white skin – getting painting!

 

3: Callers and Scents

Hogs have a keen sense of smell, so ensure you have a good attractant to get the ball rolling. A quality caller will assist you in luring the porkies to your area.

 

4: Weapon of Choice

Whether you choose a rifle or a bow and arrow for your night hunting expedition, be sure to be quiet. Once that rifle goes off, you best have gotten the kill shot, or all the little critters will have run off.

 

Our Top 5 Best Way to Hunt Hogs at Night

 

1: Finding the Perfect Spot

Once you have secured the right area for your hog hunting, and the US has many, such as all around Texas, Louisiana, Georgia and Florida, to name a few, you want to find the right setting-up spot.

Most times you will hear the little grunters a good distance away, so to ensure they come to where you are, find a good open spot with a clear shot angle.

You are in the dark so they won’t get a good eye on you, but it is important to blend in and still be able to get a good clean shot in.

Find an area that is open, where your feeder can be visible, but also where you can hide.

The hogs have a clear definite trail from where they live to where they feed. Once you have established this you are ready to set up. Somewhere between this avenue would be good.

 

2: Setting up your Feeder and Attractants

Your feeder can come in various forms and dependent on the muscle you have with you, you may want to consider a portable type. The feeder needs to be low to the ground but sturdy enough that it won’t get knocked over by the eager hungry porkies.

If you decide to go with a larger feeder and plan to sit it out till all the munchers come looking, then be sure that it blends into the environment.

When it comes to the type of food to lay out, the stinkier, the better. Hogs are not fussy, so long as its food and honks a lot.

A good strong attractant scent will always do the trick in luring the pigs out.  They have a good sense of smell and love their food, so they will be sure to seek it out sooner than later.

3: Light it up just Right

Lighting is key but you don’t want it too bright. White lights just don’t work and will scare the animals away or even worse make them aggressive. And you don’t want an aggressive wild hog coming your way when you’re not prepared.

A red light works best and you can set this up under or near your feeder.  The light is soft enough not to make the grunter think something is amuck.

Or better yet, hunt with night vision goggles. This way you don’t have to worry about the light affecting your hunt, and you can see exactly what is happening.

You can go with simple night vision binoculars or night vision thermal strap on’s.

Either way, it does make it easier when hunting the piggies.

Check out the video, which shows you how it’s done at night with thermal assistance.

4: Settling into your Hiding Spot

Once your bait is set up, you need to find a good hiding spot. While, at night, you don’t need to be as well hidden as during the day, you still want to be as stealth-like as possible.

Find a comfortable spot cause it can take a few hours before a hog comes to hunting. Some good backpacks allow you a seat, but you can also find a jacket that has a longer back with a padded seat addition.

Getting a good angle is key and it would be advisable to set your rifle up with a holder so that you don’t need to hold it up all the time.

 

5: Getting your Aim In

 

Photo Credit: http://hunting.about.com/od/deerbiggame/a/wheretoshoothog.htm

 

With a hog, you want to get a kill shot for a few good reasons.

First is that they don’t bleed out much and if you just wound one you will have trouble trailing him. Second is that at night it will prove nearly impossible to follow him. And thirdly, it is just downright cruel to let a pig bleed out slowly, which is what will happen eventually if the shot is severe enough.

So be sure to aim at the kill shot areas. As per this picture you want to get either his heart which sits real low or his brain and spinal column.

 

Conclusion

In conclusion, hog hunting can be fun past time and also one to plan for.  But in the planning is where you will find success. Night hunting, in particular, can be a challenge, but it is the best time to hunt the porkers.

If you found our article useful and beneficial, please share and send us a note on your hunting expeditions. We would love to hear from you.

From one that has struggled to catch the wild hog, I am glad to have shared all I know with you. Hopefully, you could take one thing from all of this that will assist you on the best way to hunt hogs at night.

 

Author Bio:

Brandon Cox is the founder of StayHunting.com, who is passionate about all things of hunting and fitness. Through his hunting website, he would like to share tips & tricks, finest tech that will excite all of the intricacies of hunting whether you be an amateur or a professional.