Hog Hunting: Option or Obsession? - Outdoors

Hog hunting is one of the fastest growing sports in America. In places like Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana, wild boar hunting has been the answer to the overpopulation of hogs in the southern United States.

While certain regions may be densely populated with hogs -- also known as feral pigs -- there are still some important rules to follow in order to properly and successful hunt the animal. The following are some tips to make your hog hunting adventures more enjoyable and triumphant:

* Go after smaller hogs. Not only are large hogs more difficult to kill, but the undersized hogs have a more tender, succulent meat for dining purposes.* Hogs will try and avoid the sun at all costs. If you are setting up traps, be sure to place them in shaded areas under trees and in dense brush. * Feral pigs have a superior sense of smell. For this reason, hunters should approach the hog from a distance. Although their sight is rather lackluster, hogs will be able to smell you coming from a far distance.* Set up your hunting camp in an area that hogs will travel through naturally. Hogs will not go out of their way to find food, so baiting the animals into certain areas will generally lead you nowhere.

Another facet of hog hunting is using dogs to track the pig. Wild boar hunting with dogs requires highly trained canines that know when, where, and how to stop a hog dead in his tracks. Since boars have an acute sense of smell, they will know a dog is in the area well before the canine takes off after it. For this reason, a hunting dog must be extremely fast. Additionally, the dog must know how to tackle and keep a tight clasp on a hog without hurting it or puncturing its skin.

Even if you plan on ultimately killing the animal, it is crucial to slay the hog as quick and painless as possible and in a humane fashion. This same rule should be applied when hog hunting with dogs. While the canine's job is to stabilize the hog, the dog should by no means cause harm upon the pig. As mentioned earlier, hog hunting is one of the fasting growing sports in America. That being said, it is important to follow this principal to preserve the dignity of the sport.

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