Question for the pig hunters of the night

ozyclint

WKR
Joined
Apr 27, 2012
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Location
Queensland, Downunder
I've got a point on a travel route between feeding and bedding areas where pigs are travelling back and forth.

By midnight they have travelled past and by day break that have travelled back again.

They come from the west to the east and back again. The wind is a good constant easterly so that dictates that I get into stand at about 2am after they have finished moving past the stand from the bedding area. Plan is to be ready for them as they move back to bed with wind in my face.

Now since this is a stand over a travel route at a fence crossing and I don't expect them to stop should I put a small amount of corn on the trail to make them stop long enough for a shot?

I also don't know what to expect when I shine a light on them. I have a red LED light on my recurve bow that I can adjust intensity on.

I'm set up for my tree saddle with a 5 yard shot to the trail.
 
They are constantly feeding at night. I’d begin to add corn as often as you can. If using mounted light lower it super slowly on top of them. Don’t suddenly just turn it on. Good luck!
 
I've got a point on a travel route between feeding and bedding areas where pigs are travelling back and forth.

By midnight they have travelled past and by day break that have travelled back again.

They come from the west to the east and back again. The wind is a good constant easterly so that dictates that I get into stand at about 2am after they have finished moving past the stand from the bedding area. Plan is to be ready for them as they move back to bed with wind in my face.

Now since this is a stand over a travel route at a fence crossing and I don't expect them to stop should I put a small amount of corn on the trail to make them stop long enough for a shot?

I also don't know what to expect when I shine a light on them. I have a red LED light on my recurve bow that I can adjust intensity on.

I'm set up for my tree saddle with a 5 yard shot to the trail.
Curious how you have affixed the red light to your bow, as I’ve been trying to think of a good solution.

Do you have a picture?
 
I would start putting feed out there now just to get them used to it . Then I would mount a green light maybe solar power in few days they should get used to it. Only after they start getting used to feeding and milling around would I hunt this setup. Green light you should be able to shoot your bow at 5 yards without the red light. If you have arrows ready you might get off several shots before they blow totally out.
 
Curious how you have affixed the red light to your bow, as I’ve been trying to think of a good solution.

Do you have a picture?
I have a Z Visions JP303 light with an adjustable mount that I use on a few of my rifles.
I made a bracket to mount it to the stabiliser bush on the bow.
I can turn it on and off and change light intensity with the ring finger on my bow hand. It works really well. 20250301_080836.jpg20250301_080713.jpg
 
Use that corn and hunt it two days later. Red or green light - I prefer green. They won't recognize or at worst they will freeze up. We shoot pigs every day. Every. Single. Day.
 
You know where they are moving, is that correct?

Corn, they love corn that has some diesel fuel on it, make it sour.

Lights, use a green light, I use a few cheap garden lights I can set the color. The pigs get used to them quickly coming on. Now, they aren't huge lights, just enough to see them in the area. They make very nice pig lights, man those things are expensive. Yeah, every now and then a pig will push one over, if you have trees, mount them in trees. not too high. They run off solar, so they constantly give off light all night, the pigs get used to them easily.

One thing the pigs will not get used to is you shooting at them. Shoot a few, they are going to find a new route.
 
If you don't want to use corn and I suggest you do, add a motion sensor light on their trail although pigs are random animals unless they are coming into bait and tend to not stick to a trail. It may take them a few weeks to get used to the light. Also to note pigs hardly ever pause between bedding and food, they usually trot or even run you may have a hard time trying to shoot one without corn but it can be done.
I have had some amazing nights sitting over an almost dry river bed. The pigs would come running in and you could hear them for hundreds of yards. They would water, play in the water and then hit my feeders. Good luck, just make sure to cook the meat well, I got trichinosis which was no picnic.

Sent from my Pixel 6 using Tapatalk
 
Corn will help, just be aware they will be constantly moving while feeding. Lights and hogs are challenge. Some hogs pay absolutely zero attention to a red light while others bolt at the slightest hint of a light, even red. What worked best for us is to start the light out at nothing using a rheostat switch and bring up the brightness slowly until it is just bright enough to see to shoot. I have killed dozens with a bow and a red light, but I have been busted several times using the same setup.
 
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