In the Ear? Really???

[scrmblr1982cj8]

Packrat - I took an AR with me to the woods with me this morning to check my trail cameras and move a tree stand. My bad luck stayed with me, as I didn't see hogs in any of the spots I've baited.

I had over 1,400 pics from 5 cameras, and only had 2 pics of hogs. 2 pics of the same small pig. Lots of does, squirrels, opossums, but basically no hogs.

Maybe I'll start hanging out at intersections with a cardboard sign - "Will hunt hogs for free!"

 

[Packrat 6]

Must be the time of year....You having a bad streak of no Hogs to hunt, djones is also having bad streaks, mainly in his underwear, but also no Hogs to hunt. Haven't heard from Coy in a while so don't know if he is having problems also. Only one finding hogs is Double Naught and he's finding them in places he didn't normally expect them to be.

Been so much rain in SW Texas this year that the farmers down around the ranch had to wait to get their crops in the ground because they couldn't get into the fields to plant, so my brother hasn't gotten any calls so far this year. Only thing been shot at the ranch this year is one of the owners son's got a Whitetail earlier this year. My Brother and Jim, the owner were down there just before he came on through to take me to the VA and they didn't even see any Hog tracks. Said there was water everywhere and one of the reasons we had such good hunting over the years was that the 3-4 acre pond on the ranch was about the only standing water for several miles in all directions.

Feral hogs been really thin on the ground here in Southern Arizona, but that is no surprise since we've never had them here before. I surmise that is because they can't carry enough water to cross from El Paso, TX to the San Pedro River, near Benson, AZ, but have heard that further up North, there has been a couple taken, but haven't been able to verify that.

Well, maybe Galveston can get us some pictures here shortly. Seems like he may be into a good thing. Only problem Galveston has is that it has rained so much down where he is that he's having to learn to walk with webbed feet!

In the meantime will just keep the usual line of Bullsh.......ah......line of educational thought going.

Packrat

 

[Packrat 6]

Packrat - Maybe I'll start hanging out at intersections with a cardboard sign - "Will hunt hogs for free!"

If i was you, would go talk to that Farmer that planted the peanuts. Just let him know that you're available if they start creating a problem like djones has with them eating all his peanut plants.

Don't know how you could night hunt them though with a day job and a 3 month old baby at home. Usually it takes two people swapping off unless Mama is also the lunch wagon for that 3:00 A.M. feeding.

Anyway, with your luck, I'd stay away from any Casino's and Poker games!......

Packrat

 

[scrmblr1982cj8]

Because of my friendship with my friend and his family, I'm "persona non grata" to the peanut farmer. The same families have lived in this particular for at least 5 generation, and they still harbor anger over a land transaction back in the 1930's. It's kinda like the Hatfield's and McCoy's except they don't kill each other.

I put up a ladder stand in a swamp bottom yesterday morning. I've got a 3' deep hole and 100 lbs of corn out. I'll check my trail camera next weekend for hog activity. Hopefully Mr. Pig is in the area and visits my setup.

 

[Packrat 6]

Scmblr
Look up in the back of the truck in the picture and you will see shiny bags of Peanut bait that djones calls Peanut stuff. I think it is processed Peanuts, but not quite good enough for Peanut Butter and apparently djones uses it for bait. It may be the reject from the 8000 acres of Peanuts he had processed last year........ Could see where it would attract hogs, but not sure if it is available in your area or even in other parts of Texas cause my Brother has never heard of it. No idea of pricing or skin(?) size, but if a peanut product, looks like it was effective.

Actually, if it is rejected Peanut Butter, the hogs probably started eating and it gummed their mouths so much they couldn't breathe and suffocated and Mr. Jones and Coy just went out and collected them. I only see blood on one hog and that could have been from dragging them out of the fields or maybe a mercy shot. Even the piglets don't have any blood on them. Just goes to show that a Peanut Butter sandwich, without Jelly, can be dangerous.

Click to enlarge

On the other hand, it could be processed sewage sludge from the plant and he's putting us all on! You just never quite know with djones and the consistency would be similar. Anyway, in either regard, wouldn't consider it sandwich material.......

Packrat

 

[scrmblr1982cj8]

There is a peanut processing place between Darlington and the Nucor steel plant. I get slag for my driveway so I'll stop by there the next time I'm on a slag run and see what they do with the reject peanuts.

I bought a few bags of "special" feed a few years ago. It was a mix of corn, sweet feed, peanuts, and a few other things. The deer absolutely destroyed the pile I left for the hogs, but the pile didn't last long enough for the hogs to find them.

The hogs are very nomadic where I can hunt. They'll destroy a field over 3 or 4 days, and not show up again for months. Hopefully I can find something to bring them back.

In the past I used several jars of Wal Mart's cheapest peanut butter to try to attract hogs. I didn't get any hog pics, but got a few pics of a large black bear. Maybe I'll try peanut butter again.

 

[Packrat 6]

Hey djones,
Would you please tell Coy that it's not polite to be playing pocket pool when your picture is being taken!.....ROFL Packrat!

I have to apologize to the viewers. I forgot that the above picture was one where Coy was playing pocket pool. Wouldn't be so bad, but I understand he cuts the pockets out all of his Britches..............

Scrmblr...Get a couple cheap bottles of Jelly too!....Bear tastes pretty good too, but then again, haven't ever tasted Eastern Black Bear. In fact only Western Brown Bear, and he'd been gorging himself on Apples and other fruit for several weeks over in Eastern Washington. Since he was mainly eating the stuff off the ground, he wouldn't have gotten shot, if he hadn't decided to start tearing down branches and trees to get more after he had cleaned up the ground. Pretty chunky Bear, kind of looked like djones in a fur coat!

In fact, there's a an old 8 track movie made by distant relatives where a bear was eating the Peaches at an abandoned orchard, off of the ground and they had been there for quite a while and I swear he staggers as he's leaving...Peach Brandy, anyone? Funny to watch. He falls over twice leaving, gets back up and kind of looks around like "What happened?".

Packrat

 

[Packrat 6]

The deer absolutely destroyed the pile I left for the hogs, but the pile didn't last long enough for the hogs to find them.

Smblr, Go back to the forum on Post Hole Baiting and try the Perforated sewage pipe. The deer can't get into it and haven't the patience to roll it around a lot. Would probably be more effective than a hole in the ground. Also, the reason for the Jello that some of use is the Scent. With the wind in the right direction, it'll carry quite a ways. Works well for us!

Packrat

 

[scrmblr1982cj8]

I've never tasted bear. The SC DNR has two bear seasons -one for the Mountain Bear and one for the Coastal Bear. For the Coastal Bear, they issue 100 permits for a 3 county area. There are two seasons, each a week or so long.

The use of bait is not allowed, so any encounters would be totally random. Only 8 coastal bears have been taken since 2011.

We've had a few bear encounters in town. Last year, a bear got into the dumpster at the Sonic. The workers chased it away, and DNR tranquilized it in the hospital parking lot about a 1/2 mile from the Sonic.

About 3 years ago a bear ran through the Nucor steel plant. From the panicked interviews on TV, you would have thought that a Pope and Young sized grizzly was on the loose. Women were crying, and one was taken away by ambulance due to all of the excitement. The TV crew was able to get a few seconds of footage, and all it turned out to young bear that couldn't have weighed more than 50 lbs.

The bears around here get pretty big, or at least I think they are big. I've attached some trail cam pics from bears in Williamsburg Co. SC.

 

[Galveston340]

Smblr, Go back to the forum on Post Hole Baiting and try the Perforated sewage pipe. The deer can't get into it and haven't the patience to roll it around a lot. Would probably be more effective than a hole in the ground. Also, the reason for the Jello that some of use is the Scent. With the wind in the right direction, it'll carry quite a ways. Works well for us!

Packrat

We use the pig pipe down here in our Pecan Orchard as it can be seen from the back porch at night, but for the property up in far East Texas I am building two Pig barrels. Using those 20 gallon or so blue plastic barrels like I use to haul non ethanol boat gas I pick up from the airport they can be left unattended for quite a while and the hogs love them. Using the same mix of dry corn and other goodies that won't plug up the holes in the barrel they roll them all over the place and the other critters can't eat up all your bait in one sitting.

Video shows the larger barrel in action, but I use the smaller sized barels.
http://https://youtu.be/cfZNpJq5Q24

 

[scrmblr1982cj8]

I tried the barrel about 4 years ago, but I didn't use a strong enough chain to secure the barrel to a tree. Went back to the spot about a week after I put the barrel out and it was gone. It was either a really big hog, a bear, or one of those two legged varmints.

I got a call from my friend a little while ago. The deer have been hitting his soybeans hard again, so I'm headed down there tomorrow evening to thin the herd a little. I can't wait!

 

[Galveston340]

I tried the barrel about 4 years ago, but I didn't use a strong enough chain to secure the barrel to a tree. Went back to the spot about a week after I put the barrel out and it was gone. It was either a really big hog, a bear, or one of those two legged varmints.

....doubt it was a hog unless Ya'll have some that are smarter than what we have down here!

 

[scrmblr1982cj8]

I think you are correct. I watched a video a little while back about pig intelligence. Apparently pigs are one of the smarter mammals. I'd have to disagree.

On my best hog hunting trip, I shot 4 hogs in the span of 9 minutes. A few days before the hunt, I put about 100 lbs. of corn in a hole. One the day of the hunt, I pull up in my pickup truck, get setup, and wait. About 25 minutes after I get there, a sounder wanders out. I pop mom in the head with a .308, and she drops. The rest of the group scatters. 3 minutes later, the group comes back out. I shoot the biggest one in the head, dropping her. The rest of the group scatters. This repeats itself 2 more times before they finally figure out that it wasn't a good time to eat. Think they would have decided to eat later after the first shot.

 

[Packrat 6]

I Think they would have decided to eat later after the first shot.

Heck that ain't nothin, you ought to see djones shovel it in at a buffet, especially if someone else is paying!

BBL

packrat