Cohutta WMA Hogs

[cohutta joe]

I’m fairly new to this site, and, at 60, hadn’t hunted in over 30 years, until this season. I got into nature and wildlife photography, years ago, and it consumed me. But, about a year ago, I got concerned about gun rights, and decided to get one, while I still could. So I got a carry permit, and bought a pistol. Since then I’ve bought 7 more firearms, and now own 2 pistols, 3 shotguns and 3 rifles, and am ready to hunt again. While I have no problem getting squirrel and rabbit, I want hogs, but am having no luck. I live in Murray County, which borders Polk County, TN, and am hunting Cohutta WMA Cottonwood Patch / Jigger Creek area (where I’m limited to daylight hunting, with no baiting). I’ve found plenty of signs, as in rooting in food plots / openings, and fresh tracks, but, in 5 hunts over the past 3 weekends, I’ve yet to see or hear a hog. I think I’m being stealthy, and staying downwind to the areas I’m hunting, going as far as to wade across the river, if need be, to come in downwind. But I’ve yet to see or hear a hog, where fresh signs are everywhere. What am I doing wrong???

 

[GTHunter]

It doesn't sound like you are doing anything wrong, it's just not easy. If you are seeing sign, you are in a good area, but sign and FRESH sign are two very different things. You want to find the sign that is still moist from that morning. If that is not what you are seeing, keep moving, you will find them eventually.

The hogs are not going to be out in the open. If you can see a long way, you are probably in the wrong spot. Most of the time I do not see hogs until I am within 10 or 20 yards of them. Some times even closer. Creek bottoms near food plots/openings are probably good places to target.

@jbogg is the mountain hog expert on here. Hopefully he will chime in and give you some tips too. Good luck and keep us updated on your adventures.

 

[cohutta joe]

Thanks, I will try that, this weekend.

 

[j_seph]

From hunting hogs as you are to hunting them with dogs a few times here is my advice. You found where they have been eating, key word here is "Have". Meaning if they aren't standing there rooting with you watching them they have already come and gone. I do know they will travel and it makes sense that if they were there eating and not standing there they may or may not be back and if they filled their bellies up making a pig out of themselves in that area there could be less food there so they travel on and come back weeks or months later. Hunting them with the dogs we turned loose on a field that looked like IED's had went off everywhere, surely there would be a hog just right around the corner! The dogs went say South across the field, up the ridge, circled around and went back to the north probably traveling a 2 mile trip. They got on the hogs but they were easily 1/2 mile to the north. In a pine thicket where they bed and stay at. Every hog (6) that we caught were in thick grown up areas. Dogs ran one 3 miles into a thicket so thick that when the guy in front of you got 5 foot away you could not see him. Look for trails leading into the thick areas, that is where you will find the majority of them. You may catch em coming to eat right at dark.
I killed one on Russell, he happened to be traveling coming from thick pines, one on Chestatee that came out of thick laurel from the top of the mountain right before dark, 4 on my club in Hall County and they were in a grown up field you couldn't hardly walk through. Find their bedding areas

 

[jbogg]

I am definitely no expert, just stubborn. A buddy of mine who studied wildlife biology educated me on these critters, and his advice has proven true. Hogs are poor thermo regulators. Unlike a bear they must feed every day all winter long to generate body heat. This time of year especially on those very cold sunny days you can often catch them feeding during the two or three warmest hours of the day. Additionally, when the moon is directly overhead is also a good time to find them feeding.

I have slipped up on a few hogs that were feeding in food plots, but I have also killed a few by sitting on a plot with fresh feeding sign and hunting them like I would deer. Patience has killed more critters than anything else for me. Good luck.

 

[cjones]

I feel your pain. The WMA I hunted last year was covered up with hog sign, but I could never seem to stumble onto them. This year, they have logged that WMA and the hog sign is darn near non-existent. However, a few weeks ago I took my dad to that WMA deer hunting and about 5 minutes after he sat down a 150# sow just trotted in front of him 30yds away and he dropped it in its tracks. I have yet to see a live hog on that WMA even though I've put about 10x the amount of boot time there as my dad. Go figure - luck of the draw I guess.

From what I have read here and elsewhere, hogs do not adhere to habits or patterns like other game we may hunt, so sitting on a spot where they HAVE been is not necessarily a good tactic like sitting on a rub or scrape for deer. My plan for the remainder of the season is to put miles on the boots and hope to stumble onto them.

 

[Thunder Head]

Theres some sound advise above. Ill second some of it.

You must hunt public land hogs "where they are" not where they have been.

Smokin hot sign is the only place to spend your time.

 

[cohutta joe]

Thanks, I will try that, this weekend.

It doesn't sound like you are doing anything wrong, it's just not easy. If you are seeing sign, you are in a good area, but sign and FRESH sign are two very different things. You want to find the sign that is still moist from that morning. If that is not what you are seeing, keep moving, you will find them eventually.

The hogs are not going to be out in the open. If you can see a long way, you are probably in the wrong spot. Most of the time I do not see hogs until I am within 10 or 20 yards of them. Some times even closer. Creek bottoms near food plots/openings are probably good places to target.

@jbogg is the mountain hog expert on here. Hopefully he will chime in and give you some tips too. Good luck and keep us updated on your adventures.

I have been seeing the signs around the edges of food plots and fields, and the tracks were still wet, but probably made the night before. I'm going into that thick stuff, in the woods, nearby, this weekend. But I've been carrying a scoped 308, and now wondering if I'd be better off with a 12 gauge oe 22, since I don't want to take my scope off the 308.

 

[cohutta joe]

From hunting hogs as you are to hunting them with dogs a few times here is my advice. You found where they have been eating, key word here is "Have". Meaning if they aren't standing there rooting with you watching them they have already come and gone. I do know they will travel and it makes sense that if they were there eating and not standing there they may or may not be back and if they filled their bellies up making a pig out of themselves in that area there could be less food there so they travel on and come back weeks or months later. Hunting them with the dogs we turned loose on a field that looked like IED's had went off everywhere, surely there would be a hog just right around the corner! The dogs went say South across the field, up the ridge, circled around and went back to the north probably traveling a 2 mile trip. They got on the hogs but they were easily 1/2 mile to the north. In a pine thicket where they bed and stay at. Every hog (6) that we caught were in thick grown up areas. Dogs ran one 3 miles into a thicket so thick that when the guy in front of you got 5 foot away you could not see him. Look for trails leading into the thick areas, that is where you will find the majority of them. You may catch em coming to eat right at dark.
I killed one on Russell, he happened to be traveling coming from thick pines, one on Chestatee that came out of thick laurel from the top of the mountain right before dark, 4 on my club in Hall County and they were in a grown up field you couldn't hardly walk through. Find their bedding areas

Thanks, I am going into the thick stuff, this weekend; just wondering, now, if I'd be better off with my 12 gauge or 22, rather than my scoped 308, at short range.

 

[cohutta joe]

I feel your pain. The WMA I hunted last year was covered up with hog sign, but I could never seem to stumble onto them. This year, they have logged that WMA and the hog sign is darn near non-existent. However, a few weeks ago I took my dad to that WMA deer hunting and about 5 minutes after he sat down a 150# sow just trotted in front of him 30yds away and he dropped it in its tracks. I have yet to see a live hog on that WMA even though I've put about 10x the amount of boot time there as my dad. Go figure - luck of the draw I guess.

From what I have read here and elsewhere, hogs do not adhere to habits or patterns like other game we may hunt, so sitting on a spot where they HAVE been is not necessarily a good tactic like sitting on a rub or scrape for deer. My plan for the remainder of the season is to put miles on the boots and hope to stumble onto them.

That is my plan, now, as well. I'm hoping to do a 2-1/2 mile loop through the woods, near where I've been seeing signs, this weekend.

 

[bfriendly]

Stay at it, when you smell them really slow down.......maybe need to slow down before then. Glad to hear you getting after them! Stay after them and you will run across them.

 

[bfriendly]

Can’t use slugs or buckshot in the 12 ga.....I’d hang onto the.308 and just keep the power as low as she goes!

 

[cohutta joe]

Thanks, I'd already read where you got one with a shotgun in turkey season, and bought a box of turkey loads, which I could use. But after discovering I could use centerfire during fox and bobcat season, I've only carried the 308. It's a 3-9X40 scope, so I can set it to 3, just gotta figure out how low to shoot, at 20 yards, lol. I've been hunting fields where I've seen signs, 200-300 yards long, but now that I get that, since they're not there when I am, I should probably be in the wood thickets, that changes things, with a scope. I just got the gun, and sighted in the scope at 50 yards, and don't really want to touch it, right now. But taking it off is always an option; especially if it holds me back. I just wanna hog.

 

[cohutta joe]

Thanks, I'd already read where you got one with a shotgun in turkey season, and bought a box of turkey loads, which I could use. But after discovering I could use centerfire during fox and bobcat season, I've only carried the 308. It's a 3-9X40 scope, so I can set it to 3, just gotta figure out how low to shoot, at 20 yards, lol. I've been hunting fields where I've seen signs, 200-300 yards long, but now that I get that, since they're not there when I am, I should probably be in the wood thickets, that changes things, with a scope. I just got the gun, and sighted in the scope at 50 yards, and don't really want to touch it, right now. But taking it off is always an option; especially if it holds me back. I just wanna hog.

After posting, I immediately realized that taking the scope off might not be an option, since the gun has no sights, lol. 3 power sounds better.

 

[cohutta joe]

I am definitely no expert, just stubborn. A buddy of mine who studied wildlife biology educated me on these critters, and his advice has proven true. Hogs are poor thermo regulators. Unlike a bear they must feed every day all winter long to generate body heat. This time of year especially on those very cold sunny days you can often catch them feeding during the two or three warmest hours of the day. Additionally, when the moon is directly overhead is also a good time to find them feeding.

I have slipped up on a few hogs that were feeding in food plots, but I have also killed a few by sitting on a plot with fresh feeding sign and hunting them like I would deer. Patience has killed more critters than anything else for me. Good luck.

Thanks for responding, jbogg. I've been there as soon as it gets light enough to navigate, probably high 20's or low 30's, and leaving about noon, or maybe 1pm. Maybe I'm going too early, and not staying late enough, for this time of year; I'm usually back home, by the warmest hours. I've also considered moon signs, and had read, somewhere, that new moon may be best, for day hunting; but had not read anything about high moon, before. I will try this. Again, thanks for responding.

 

[strothershwacker]

Now that you've given the exact location of your hog sign you'll probably have plenty of help finding them.

 

[cohutta joe]

Now that you've given the exact location of your hog sign you'll probably have plenty of help finding them.

I learned of this area by doing a google search, lol. There's an article on GON titled GA WMA Hogs, from Feb 4, 2019, as well as many more, from different sites. I've also been told by the Conasauga Ranger District Forestry Service, the DNR in Rome, and several local hunters. The "exact location" is well known, and covers about a thousand acres of mountain terrain.

 

[strothershwacker]

I learned of this area by doing a google search, lol. There's an article on GON titled GA WMA Hogs, from Feb 4, 2019, as well as many more, from different sites. I've also been told by the Conasauga Ranger District Forestry Service, the DNR in Rome, and several local hunters. The "exact location" is well known, and covers about a thousand acres of mountain terrain.

This is the reason your having trouble finding them in daylight. ?

 

[Jdjacket1020]

Cohutta is good, the hogs are on johns mountain. Johns is not far from Cohutta.

 

[Big7]

It doesn't sound like you are doing anything wrong, it's just not easy. If you are seeing sign, you are in a good area, but sign and FRESH sign are two very different things. You want to find the sign that is still moist from that morning. If that is not what you are seeing, keep moving, you will find them eventually.

The hogs are not going to be out in the open. If you can see a long way, you are probably in the wrong spot. Most of the time I do not see hogs until I am within 10 or 20 yards of them. Some times even closer. Creek bottoms near food plots/openings are probably good places to target.

@jbogg is the mountain hog expert on here. Hopefully he will chime in and give you some tips too. Good luck and keep us updated on your adventures.

EXCELLENT POST !!!?
About all I can really add is hog are getting very nocturnal. And more so from year to year. And.. They don't see very well but their sense of smell is off the chain. They can also hear pretty well. Just be mindful of all that.

There will probably be some detractors on this next one and that's all good. The hog population in the mountains is no where near the population in the southern counties. Not even close and you mostly hunt field edges in the early morning, moving to swamps, rivers and mud holes during the day. So, there is that.

Don't know how much money you are looking to spend- but I can hook you up with a guy in South Georgia that furnishes EVERYTHING, down to zip bags to package the meat in. $500.00 for the all night gig. I'll have to look and see if I still have the contact info.. If not, I can get it. Just let me know.

Hope this helps.?