By Chris Eger
Odds are, if you live within any distance of a heavily wooded area in the state, you live in hog country. According to Richard B. Minnis, Assistant Professor, Department of Wildlife, and Fisheries with Mississippi State University, a feral hog population can double in a 4-month period because hogs breed throughout the year and can have up to 13 young per litter. Further research indicates that at least 80% of feral hog populations need to be harvested every year just to maintain the population at a steady number. Luckily, the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks count the feral hog as a nuisance animal and the gloves are allowed to come off, at least to a degree.
Dogs
In Mississippi, Wild hogs may also be hunted, taken, killed, chased, or pursued on private lands with dogs, except during the spring turkey season. Many Mississippi hunters use dogs to help track, corner, and catch wild hogs in the thick undergrowth that the state is well known for. These include both Bay Dogs and Catch Dogs.
Bay Dogs are chasers, usually long-legged hounds such as Catahoulas, walkers, and currs. The job of the Bay pack, normally of three to five dogs is to find and track the hog, they pursue and corner it, holding it "at bay" by preventing its escape. Two varieties of these are encountered, trailing dogs that bark and cover large areas, and silent dogs that do not. Many hunters prefer the silent type, as they often do not have to run the hog as far. These dogs are contained once the sportsmen and their catch dogs arrive at the scene. "Bayed up!" Is the call that every hog hunter who runs dogs loves to hear.
When the hog is surrounded and contained, outcome the Catch Dogs, normally two or three American bulldogs, or pit-bull terriers that physically latches onto the hog's ears and brings it down. While some hunters have success in training pit bulls to both bay and catch with good results, most keep the two jobs separate.
General Rules and Regulations for Hog Hunting
The Mississippi Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Parks considers wild hogs to be nuisance animals and they are treated as such. In a except from the MDWFP, "Wild hogs may be hunted, taken, killed, chased or pursued on private lands during daylight and nighttime hours throughout the year with no firearm restrictions." Of course, no hunting can occur without a license and all hog hunters "must possess a valid Lifetime, All Game, or Sportsman License, unless otherwise exempt."
In so much as hunting over baited fields, if looking for hogs this taboo is lifted as well. Wild hogs may be hunted with the aid of feed/bait except whole, chopped, or ground-up grains. Bait/feed may be placed on or above the ground, year-round, in any type container for the purposes of hunting wild hogs only. In addition, it is wise to not bait during any active hunting season, lest it be misconstrued by your local game warden.
Night Hunting
Passive night vision scopes, once the realm of Special Forces and Navy SEALs are now readily available. These 'starlight' scopes take ambient light and intensify it to enable you to see like a cat at night. Many movies and TV shows have shown footage of these green-washed devices in use. It is not uncommon to find handheld monocular 1st generation scopes made in Russia and Israel at gun shows and online for as low as $75. By using the monocular to spot hogs in the darkness, then switching to a portable Q-beam light to stun it and illuminate it, a two or three person team can have a safe and effective night hunt.
Dedicated night vision riflescopes, complete with mounts, target crosshairs and magnification can be bought from companies such as ATN for $300 and up. The downside of these scopes is that on moonless or cloudy nights they are next to impossible to use without an IR illuminator, which can add more figures to your night-hunting kit. It must be stressed however that safety and knowing where your rounds are headed downrange is preeminent in all night hunting. No one wants to clip their neighbor on the next property walking his dog by accident.
Thermal FLIR scopes, which show heat in bright colors even in complete darkness, are very effective at night. However, these scopes are on the more expensive side with even the smaller entry-level models costing upwards of $2,000.
Cautions and Warnings
As with all wildlife, be sure to cook your harvest with care to prevent having it take you with it down the long hallway. In a 2005 study by MSU, 41% of feral hogs sampled around the state of Mississippi were infected with Toxoplasma. Because of this it is prudent to thoroughly cook wild hog meat to at least 170-degrees, or freeze the meat for no less than 20-days to kill the parasite.
For more information on hog hunting, please visit http://www.ms-sportsman.com
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