[markc]

questions this morning. Anything could make holes in the ground in the woods. When you begin to see mud on the sides (trunks) of the trees in the woods, you got hogs. Hogs like water, mud, cool dark places. They like to rub their bodies against the trees, fence posts whatever.

They can also be very nocturnal depending on temperatures, hunting pressure and such. A water hole is a good bet on warm or hot days/nights, but not a guarantee.

If you find a good bedding area, stay out of it. Don't touch nothing, don't spit or pee or anything else back in there. Their eye sight may not be that great, but their sense of smell is, so don't contaminate the area. Hogs can be the smartest critter in the woods. Then sometimes they do stupid things. Kinda like people huh?
markc
You can bait hogs, check your state laws and regs, using straight corn from a bag. You can also bait with cattle sweet feed or if you want to try it, buy a few pouches of sweet smelling chewing tobacco and thub tack the bags to tree trunks a few feet off the ground in a large semi circle around your stand site. They like the smell and will eat the tobacco and the tree if they want to. :-D

 

[IronKnees]

track question

I could be way off base here, but you didn't really describe the "holes" in the ground very well. I almost wonder if they are deer scrapes??? Often, the deer's hooves leave two lines or marks that almost look as though someone made the scrape using two sticks held side by side... Were the holes deep, and the "tusk marks" deep, or long parallel lines?

 

[bullet maker]

hog tracks

well you see they looked sorta like the deer hooves but its real funny caue i saw no other deer tracks around it or in the area and it was RIGHT next to the dung and was to deep for a deer inoless it was extreamly big and heavy. and i thot it was a coincedence that i saw the same things it 2 differant countys 1 in smith county texas and whynona county and there was the same kind of dung and same kind of marks right next to it the dung didnt come from no deer tho it was kinda tapered like cat dung err soemthin but was bigger and had differant culler then it and i also saw , out in whynona, more of it and there were definatly hogs in the area cause my freinds tha tlive out there get hogs all the time. i also saw out there some old dung that was real dried up and kinda looked likedried up fpaper mache err somethin kinda like cow dung does. is this hog crap?

Hello Newbie, If the tracks are from a feral hog, the tracks will have a split hofe, like a deer but fatter, If the hoof is from a wild boar, the track will be like a pony hoof, are not split. bullet maker

 

[Ironwood]

track question

Newbie, Smith county has lots of forest so I think the holes you are seeing are made by squirrels digging up the acorns they buried earlier. Especially if they are somewhat cone shaped. It could even be where an armadillo has been rooting around. I think the droppings you are seeing are probably a coyote. If there is lots of hair in them then more that likely that's what they are.

The photo below is of a fairly large hog track. The 44 Magnum cartridge is just a tad over 1-1/2" overall. That should give you some idea of what hog tracks look like.

 

[Venator]

track question

In addition to watcha see in this photo is two indentions behind the hoof marks from the false hooves in the back (like double dewclaws on a hound). Hogs will literally "till" the soil, - looks like a fresh turned garden patch. Here in Texas we bait em with corn and diesel. I have no idea where the diesel got started but it works. Some say that it keeps deer and other more fastidious critters off the corn.

 

[bullet maker]

Hog Tracks

I was informed that I was in error, about my statement that the difference between Russian Boar and Feral Hogs, is one had hoof tracks like a small pony (russian boar) and the Feral Hog was split hoof.
I thought they was, but I`m wrong.
bullet maker

 

[Ironwood]

track question

You are a BIG MAN bullet maker. I salute you!

 

[Venator]

That's allright

You only got it slightly wrong Bullet Man - the Russkies don't have hooves like ponies, they as big as danged ponies! ... and meaner'n ten ex-wives without alimony.