Feral swine - eastern forests

[Doyle]

Stony, there are a few reasons that souring corn is "better" than plain corn.

Firstly is that while pigs love stinky sour corn, deer and coons don't seem to like it. That keeps those animals out of the picture. In areas where the game wardens get upset about baiting deer, having soured corn lets them know your intentions aren't for shooting deer.

Secondly, putting soured corn in a hole in the ground makes them work for it rather than gobbling it up. If your intention is to hunt them then that gives you longer time on the bait station in which to shoot.

Thirdly, you already mentioned the scent thing. It tends to draw them in from further away.

 

[Old Stony]

I'll probably still sour a little now and then for the traps, but most of the corn I put out is right out of the bag. I average around 1,000 lbs of corn a month and try to keep my activities with this stuff on a manageable level. I just don't have the time and energy to do all I would like to do in this regard. I need to start concentrating on trapping some more of the coons from around the hog traps and deer feeders as they are getting thick again....but I just have so much time to devote to the fun stuff.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

Stony, there are a few reasons that souring corn is "better" than plain corn.

Firstly is that while pigs love stinky sour corn, deer and coons don't seem to like it. That keeps those animals out of the picture. In areas where the game wardens get upset about baiting deer, having soured corn lets them know your intentions aren't for shooting deer.

Interesting, deer and coons here will eat soured corn after it dries out here. So if the hogs don't come right away (mine never have), other animals definitely will eat it.

Secondly, putting soured corn in a hole in the ground makes them work for it rather than gobbling it up. If your intention is to hunt them then that gives you longer time on the bait station in which to shoot.

This really isn't a soured corn issue but buried bait issue. It can also result in huge holes being dug by hogs which are going to require backfilling.

Thirdly, you already mentioned the scent thing. It tends to draw them in from further away.

Does it really? How much farther? Just because it smells more means that hogs will bypass other resources to get to it? I know that is the logic and the oft repeated claim, but I don't think anybody has any sort of actual clue as to whether or not this actually happens.

As Stony noted and based on the testing I have done, use of soured corn really doesn't seem to make much difference in attracting hogs over regular corn.

 

[603Country]

I do think that the stronger smell of soured corn is a benefit to bringing pigs in from further away. That's helpful in bringing in pigs the first time, but once they know where food is, they'll come back, so the smelly corn probably isn't needed after that. That's what I've observed, and what I think, but can prove none of it.

A couple of years ago I decided to feed corn all year long. We live on our property, so other than an expense, it isn't tough to keep the feeders full. And I finally got good feeders that don't need battery replacement. Year round corn brings deer and pigs. It also brings in squirrels, coons, and mice, which then draw in coyotes, foxes, and bobcats. The deer and pigs will travel from feeder to feeder, which I see from the game cameras, and which will bring them in range of my rifle.

If I quit feeding corn, the deer and pig travel patterns change, becoming more random and less favorable to my hunting.

 

[T. O'Heir]

You should read this first. Something there about no off road vehicles except on trails and no cross country driving of ATV's.
http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/wayne/landmanagement/resourcemanagement/?cid=fsm9_006087
And this.
http://wildlife.ohiodnr.gov/hunting...g-regulations/feral-swine-hunting-regulations

 

[Jack O'Conner]

We have some feral hogs in Pennsylvania but they're largely feeding during the hours of darkness. The destruction they cause is incredible. I've had good luck with my Marlin lever gun in 35 Remington shooting a 200 grain core lokt bullet.

Jack

 

[Capt Rick Hiott]

This site will help you guys out a lot. http://lonestarboars.com/

Also,,,Here is a video that I'm sure you will like. Glenn Guess is the man when it comes to calling hogs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYKGFbbYwbU

Nothing like hunting hogs with a .454 Taurus Raging Bull

 

[Gunplummer]

Yeah, in PA, they opened up shooting wild hogs. Can't say as I heard any complaints in my area yet. Years back the guys that raised hogs used to just build small open, roofed shelters back up against the woods along the mountains and let the hogs fend for themselves. That is saying something. We have really big bears around here. The only good thing about them(Hogs) is they will clean out the snakes. A lot of people don't know just how nasty hogs get. I have seen them pretend to be asleep and grab a full grown chicken. In my book, they are pretty much omnivorous.

 

[Capt Rick Hiott]

Yes Sir,,,,,the only snakes we have on our hunting club are black snakes. They cant catch them there so fast.....

But yeah,,,they eat the hell out of snakes

 

[Double Naught Spy]

In my book, they are pretty much omnivorous.

Well, they are classified as omnivores. They have omnivore teeth, with bunodont molars, not that different from human teeth in form and function, save for the tusks which do not play a significant role in diet.

 

[briandg]

we just got a legal ban on hog hunting here. The hog destruction teams working for the state were really tired of traps and long term work being ruined by the yokels who go rummaging around in the forest hunting them and dispersing them. One hog out of a pack of a dozen is nothing. The conservation department can take out several at a time, sometimes cleaning out nearly a whole pack with traps or snipers.

I believe that legally you are responsible for reporting them. allowing them to escape or putting them into the wild is a criminal infraction with serious penalties. Hunting a hog on public land is a crime now. Once the hogs are on your own property or on other private property you can do whatever you want.

 

[ligonierbill]

Yokels rummaging around in the forest?! I'm shocked! We certainly don't have any yokels here in OH-IO. And I believe rummaging is strictly forbidden.

 

[briandg]

We had a yokel hear who was busted for letting hogs onto open land that he owned that backed onto state park property. He claimed that he was experimenting with free range pork production and things got a little out of hand.

I think that he meant it. Turn them loose to grow, then hunt and eat them.