According to the most recent FWC regulations, wild hog hunting is permitted all year long on private property with the consent of the proprietor. As long as the hunter gets the landowner’s permission, neither a hunting license nor a permit is needed to hunt hogs at night.
A collar or tag with the owner’s name and address must be worn by the dogs if you intend to go hog hunting with dogs. If an FWC or law enforcement official requests it, the landowner’s written consent to allow hog hunting with a dog must be produced for inspection.
In Florida, the most popular techniques for killing hogs include using a tree stand, a ground blind, a spot and stalk technique, hog hunting with dogs, or cruising through the swamps in a buggy swamp. Hogs are mostly active at night, so a good hog hunting light is very essential.
13 Important Things to Know Before Hog Hunting in Florida on Public Land
Table of Contents
- Tree Stand Hog Hunting
- Hunting Hogs from Ground Blind
- Hunting hogs on the sly
- Hog Hunting with Dogs
- Hog Hunting from A buggy swamp
- Day Time Hog Hunting
- Nighttime Hog Hunting
- Bow Light for Hog Hunting
- Hog Hunting Light Bar
- Gun Light for Hog Hunting
- How to Use the Veil of Darkness
- Know About How to Use Hog Tracking Tricks to Capture Hogs
- Know What to Wear When You Go Hog Hunting in Florida
Tree Stand Hog Hunting
One of the most popular techniques used in Florida to hunt hogs is hunting from a tree stand. The majority of hunters lure wild hogs with maize before sitting and waiting for them to appear. When combined with some excellent hog hunting lights, tree stands are an excellent method of hunting because hogs cannot see you from them.
Hunting Hogs from Ground Blind
Another popular technique for hog hunting that you should know is hunting from a ground blind. This is usually preferred to using a tree stand because pop-up ground blinds are so simple to set up. A pop-up ground blind is the fastest way for hunters to hunt a new hog trail when they find one.
Hogs are active both during the day and at night, but in high-pressure locations, they are more common at night. In order to illuminate the hogs for the ideal shot without frightening them, it is best to utilize a hog-hunting light.
Hunting hogs on the sly
The most satisfying hunting experience can be had by spotting and stalking hogs. It calls for in-depth knowledge of the wind, background knowledge, maintaining silence, and eventually forecasting hog behavior.
Knowing where to aim for a rapid kill is crucial since hunting hogs on the sly may also be risky given that the hunter is exposed to a retaliatory hog that might charge after them. The optimum time to spot and pursue an animal is during the day, but nighttime hunters must possess the top hog hunting lights.
Hog Hunting with Dogs
Florida is one of many southern states where hog hunting with dogs is popular. In locations with thick undergrowth, dogs are an excellent alternative for hog hunting.
The hogs can be located by bay dogs, who can then surround them and bay for the hunter to arrive. When the hunter arrives, a catch dog—usually a stalkier breed like a Dogo Argentino or Pitbull—is let out to pin the hog down so that the hunter can approach and tie it up or kill it.
Hog Hunting from A buggy swamp
Hunting from a buggy swamp is very exciting. Most swamp buggies have hog-hunting light bars installed so that they can illuminate the marshes at night.
Hogs are hardly ever pressured when hunting from a buggy swamp because the locations are inaccessible to other hunters. A buggy swamp is used to drive on roads that are underwater or don’t even exist. If you want to go hog hunting in Florida, we advise you to try hog hunting from a buggy swamp.
Day Time Hog Hunting
Hogs are active the most at night, early in the morning, and shortly before sundown if you decide to hunt them during the day.
If carried out on unpressured territory, daytime hog hunting is successful. The hogs will almost quickly become nocturnal if the land is under pressure from hunters. You can have a lot of success in the day the first time you hunt a piece of property. It is advisable to choose nighttime hunting if you intend to return to the property soon after.
Nighttime Hog Hunting
Hogs are more active at night during the winter because they are foraging more actively than ever. In the event that hunters put pressure on the hogs, they are more likely to emerge at night than during the day. The appropriate hue hog hunting lights are essential for a successful nighttime hog hunt.
Bow Light for Hog Hunting
With a good bow light, you may spotlight the hogs without their noticing you are there if you intend to hunt hogs with a bow. Hunting hogs at night also gives you better opportunities. You need a bow hunting light made for hogs’ color blindness to be successful at this.
Hog Hunting Light Bar
A light bar for hog hunting might make your visits more fruitful if you intend to use a buggy swamp, high rack, ATV/UTV, or even your deer blind. The hog hunting light bar and the bow light need to be created at the ideal wavelength to prevent hogs from experiencing color blindness.
Gun Light for Hog Hunting
For hog hunting, a good light bar, or bow light can also be utilized as a pistol light. The ability of gun lights to shine farther, beyond 300 yards, is a key requirement.
How to Use the Veil of Darkness
By avoiding the path of the hunters who are pursuing them during the day, hogs have adapted by learning to avoid danger.
The best course of action is to adopt this adaptation and pursue them at night while they are feeding. It is crucial that you are aware of the laws in the state you are hunting in when it comes to using lighting to locate hogs at night because you need additional lighting to hunt hogs.
Know About How to Use Hog Tracking Tricks to Capture Hogs
There are various hog tracking techniques to employ for successful hog hunts. One of them is to capture and playback the noises of predators so they will leave their hiding spots and run into an open area where you can efficiently hunt them. The thought is that they want to get away from predators thus they won’t worry about safety then.
Look for holes that have been excavated near creeks; feral hogs typically dig these holes so they may relax there. These kinds of holes indicate that they are nearby and are thus simple to find. They also leave tracks behind them when they walk.
Their footprints resemble those of a deer, except they are bigger and rounder in shape. Hog parents will rush to save their babies if you record and play the screams of suffering hoglets. No parent enjoys hearing their children groan in anguish, and wild hogs are no different.
If you want to go hog hunting in Florida, it is advisable to know what to wear. It is advised to wear jeans, brush pants, or chaps. Long underwear is recommended in the cooler months, and depending on the season, raingear may be required. Boots, gloves, and coats may need to be either insulated or uninsulated depending on the temperature.
In Conclusion,
If you want to go hog hunting in Florida, you should first locate the areas where you can get hogs. Interestingly, some of Florida’s largest hog concentrations can be found north and west of Lake Okeechobee, where the pigs thrive in extensive forested areas with lots of water, and restricted public access.