Hunting wild hogs (boar)

I find that the easiest way to hunt wild hogs really isn't even hunting in the sense

of sport but it will fill the freezer pretty quick. The best time seems to be on a night with a lot of ambient light (full moon)this is when wild hogs tend to move alot .We load up in the truck with spot lights and rifles. Check with a few landowners and get permission. Call and notify the sherriff department. Then the fun begins.

Open fields are good escpecially one you can see across from the road. First make a pass along the road shinning spot light to check for hogs not too much though it will scare them off. I have heard hogs can't see red light though gonna have to try that out pretty soon. Pull into field moving fairly slow with just park lights or no lights. Get as close to group as you can but dont spook them off.

DISCLAIMER: THESE ANIMALS ARE DANGEROUS WHEN SPOOKED

Then everyone get out of the truck, turn on the spotlights on and unload your rifle in a rambo type fashion. If anything is still movin you should really be prepared to dive into the bed of the truck or climb the nearest tree. Likely though if they are still breathing they will be in the next county. Load up (a second truck may be needed) and head home to butcher.

This technique will work in the woods around a wild life feeder or really anywhere. Just remember be safe you need to be able to get off the ground in a hurry.

Hunting a feeder at night.

This has yet to be tested but it is in the planning stages. If you have a feeder set out for deer and the hogs are eating all your corn. You can get one of those solar lights that charges all day then comes on when its dark cover the lens or replace the lens with a red covering. (Supposedly hogs can't see red light) This will help with the scope or open sights on your rifle. Position your stand or blind so that you can cover your feeder pretty good or even trails leading to it. A trail camera that stamps photos with a time may help determine when to be there. It has been said that it will take several shots before the wild hogs get anxious and leave. I would suggest that you need access to this area with a truck or large atv because dragging 200 to 300 pounds out of the woods several times in a row is gonna wear most people out. And there is still butchering to do.

What can be done about wild boar?

There is both an opportunity and a need to increase recreational hog hunting opportunities on both public and private land. Despite the problems hogs cause for wildlife, habitats and people, they also provide recreational hunting opportunities. There is already much hog hunting being done, in many states, hunting is in fact the major reason hogs are released into the wild.
Other control measures include trapping and removal, at fencing to exclude hogs from critical areas: however, both these methods are time-consuming and expensive, and neither provides foolproof control.

Arkansas has very few regulations on hunting wild (feral) hogs.

Feral "Wild" Hog Hunting Season

Wildlife Management Areas:Any open daytime hunting seasons or special deer, elk or turkey permit hunts. hunters may use the weapons allowed for that season or hunt. During special permit hunts, only permit holders may shoot or possess feral hogs. There is no bag limit, but shooters must have a hunting license and may not pursue hogs at night. Feral hogs may not be taken on WMAs with the use of dogs, bait or traps. Dead feral hogs may be removed from the WMA or left where they were shot.

Other Public Land :Open Hunting Seasons Subject to methods allowed for hunting season.

Private Land: All Year 365 day or night With owner's permission.

Where i live in south west Arkansas we just call the sheriff and let them

know where will be hunting in case somebody calls us into the game warden

for spotlighting. They rarely even come by and never hassle us.

Wild boar cause problems and serious damage.

Damage caused by wild hogs has been reportedin many states. Crops commonly damaged by feral hogs include rice, sorghum, wheat,corn, soybeans, peanuts, potatoes, watermelon and
cantaloupe. One of the most common types of damage to these crops occurs when the hogs root in the fields. Hogs not only consume, but also trample the crops.
Hog predation on livestock is a serious problem in some states. Wild hogs kill and consume
lambs and kid goats, especially during lambing andkidding seasons. Physical evidence of hog predation may be hard to detect because the entire animal may be consumed. Ewes and nannies with swollen udders but no nursing lambs or kids may bean indication of hog predation. Hog tracks and droppings may aid in identifying the predator. If hog predation occurs when kids and lambs are larger, the entire carcass may be turned inside out, leaving the hide with little or no flesh except on the head, neck and hooves.

With hogs, the problems are numerous.
Habitat destruction : Wild hogs are rooters and wallowers, and their feeding and wallowing activities destroy terrestrial and aquatic vegetation, ruin water holes used by other wildlife, and contribute to erosion and siltation, which can adversely affect water quality.

Ground nesting bird predation:

Hogs are omnivores and eat anything that gets in their way. This includes nests of ground nesting birds, such as turkeys, quail, terns, and many other birds.

Damage to endangered or sensitive plant/animal communities:

Many sensitive habitats are small and fragile, such as the unique acid seeps in portions of the Ouachita mountains and the cedar glades in the Ozarks. These places are attractive to Wild hogs, and they cause major, sometime irreparable, damage.

Disease transmission to domestic livestock and pets:

wild hogs carry brucellosis, which has been documented to have been transmitted from wild hogs to domestic stock, pseudorabies, which causes domestic pigs to abort, and other diseases. These problems can result in direct economic loss and indirect loss through quarantines.

Disease transmission to humans:

There have been cases documented in Arkansas of Wild hogs transmitting diseases such as brucellosis and trichinosis to humans, either directly or indirectly.

Direct food competition with native wildlife:

One of the mainstays for many wildlife species is acorns. Deer, squirrels, ducks, turkeys, birds, bears and many other species depend on acorns for a significant part of their diet. Hogs also love acorns, and are very efficient at finding them (in the process, incidentally, tearing up wildlife habitat).

Crop depredation:

A hog in a cornfield is every bit as, destructive as a hog in a woodlot. Hogs often cause heavy damage to row crops; gardens, flower beds, pine plantations, orchards, tree farms and pastures.