Finding them

DaveLB

Member
Hey folks, I am a newbie to the pig chasing game and could use a little help on what kind of habitat I should be looking for. I have made 4 trips to Ft Stewart in the last couple of weeks and I am having trouble locating the bacon. I am hoping that you all can point me in a productive direction on what I should be looking for.

I have been spending my time walking hardwood/cypress bottoms and finding them largely dried out. There is some sign around what little remaining water there is. But, even the amount of sign is not what i would call overwhelming. It is just enough to confirm that there are pigs in the area, but not any concentration.

Seeing how dry a lot of that was, I moved down and started working some of the areas adjacent to the river in C17 & 18. Again, some sign, but not anything crazy. Almost too much water there...some deep mud that about stole my boots. Thinking I need to find a happy medium with a creek/hardwood bottom that still has water in it but maybe not as much as the river.

Anyway, I have put about 10 miles on the bootsoles and am wondering if I am even on the right track. On the bright side, found a number of good looking spots for deer season, but that is not my primary mission now. Any advice would be most appreciated. Thanks!
 

jbogg

Senior Member
I am fairly new at Hog hunting myself and have only hunted mountain hogs, but it sounds like you are on the right track. It's been cool this month in North GA, but during the dog days of summer those pigs will have to wallow every day to cool down. Keep walking until you find the wallows and you will find the pigs. Good luck!
 

antharper

“Well Rounded Outdoorsman MOD “
Staff member
I've never hunted Stewart but u can do a search on here and find a lot of info on the area , I do hunt hogs quite a bit and they can be quite a challenge this time of the year without feed or a feeder , and they don't seem to move much during the daylight when it's hot , but u sound like u are on the rt track , looking forward to hearing about your success
 

DaveLB

Member
Thanks all. The exploration will continue. I'm not expecting instant success. Just want to see if I'm on the right track.

Mark, thanks for the suggestion. I have spent a little time in one f areas. I intend to go back to that side soon. Not much was open there the las month or so.
 

GTHunter

Senior Member
I've never hunted Ft. Stewart, but I do spend a lot of time hunting hogs on WMAs in the southern half of the state. You dont want to be in open bottoms where you can see more than 10 or 15 yards. The hogs are not going to be out in the open.

Get on google earth and study the area that you are going to hunt. I try to find where creeks are near planted pines and walk along the edges of those pines, looking for thick areas like palmettos and overgrown brush. There is usually a firebreak around the edge for easier travel. Hogs like wet, thick areas and these transitions zones allow you to hunt these areas quietly.
 

huntingonthefly

Gone but not forgotten
Find the berries, disregard the rooting sign in the swamp. You have to stay ahead of em there. Lot of passin thru sign. Packs are very nomadic now. Low bush blueberries and gooseberries on the pine flats that havent been burnt in last 2 to 3 years. Nearby drainages will be the travel corridors to those locations. The nearest ty ty/high gallberry bay/islands and their associated fringe cover will be the bedding areas until those berries have been depleted. Stay low key on such an area. Park far away, slide in and out, carr out kills and u may have a chance of multiple kills in one location. I've only been 4 evenings and 2 mornings this summer. Results 3 full days- 4 hogs, 1 miss.
 
Find the berries, disregard the rooting sign in the swamp. You have to stay ahead of em there. Lot of passin thru sign. Packs are very nomadic now. Low bush blueberries and gooseberries on the pine flats that havent been burnt in last 2 to 3 years. Nearby drainages will be the travel corridors to those locations. The nearest ty ty/high gallberry bay/islands and their associated fringe cover will be the bedding areas until those berries have been depleted. Stay low key on such an area. Park far away, slide in and out, carr out kills and u may have a chance of multiple kills in one location. I've only been 4 evenings and 2 mornings this summer. Results 3 full days- 4 hogs, 1 miss.

Thats awesome, congrats on the success. How far did those shots average? Did you hunt out of a climber or did you just find a log n sit?
 
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