Calling Hogs with Byron South

Calling Hogs with Byron South.As we know the feral hog populations across the country have and continue to explode. This has led to a whole new cottage industry that caters to just hog hunters. Most of the innovation has centered around new rifles and new calibers but others have delved into the development of attractants and calls to aid the hog hunter.

Wild Hogs are Smart & Learn Fast

Wild hogs are very smart and learn very fast, however they are very prolific which also means we have new and uneducated hogs coming on line every day. As hog hunting becomes more prevalent, we humans have also adapted to using multiple different tactics in effort to try and stay one step ahead of them. It’s hard to tell who is actually winning this war at times. Just for example avid hog men are using many methods to keep them guessing. Just to mention a few tactics for example people use traps, bait, spot and stalk, and drive methods. Many are also using high tech night vision and thermal scopes as hogs will go almost exclusively nocturnal with little pressure.

Calling Hogs

One tactic mentioned above is “Calling”. Yes, I said “Calling”.  The reason I said this twice is because of the funny looks and responses we get when we mention calling hogs.  Just think about this for a minute……Hogs are very social, very vocal, and often very territorial. These things combine to make them very susceptible to calling. The great thing about hogs is even if they go nocturnal they don’t disappear….yep they are still there. With proper calling you can get them to show themselves while responding to your calling. This method works day or night with a slight edge to day as you can generally determine where they are during the day. This will be in the thickest thickets and will usually have water, especially during warmer periods. The tactic is simple but effective. Get as close as you can to these areas while keeping the wind in your favor, get set up, and begin to call. Of course, you will need a call capable of producing the low guttural grunts and the higher pitched squeals that hogs make. You will also need to know what sounds to make. I won’t go into this here in this blog, but if you do a google search for “Hog Zombies” or “Convergent Bullet HP” you will find lots of good information on this subject.

Being Prepared

When calling hogs, you never know if one lone boar is coming or a whole sounder is coming. You also never know if they are going to rush in or slip in. One thing for sure is you need to be ready for whatever happens. This means you need to have a rifle set up to handle any situation. My rifle of choice is an AR type rifle chambered in 6.8 SPC II. However, there are many other calibers that are good, this is my favorite. You will also need a good scope. My scope of choice is the TORIC 2-10x42mm with the T-Plex reticle. This optic is built with the best glass and coating available and assembled with components and a process that make it very durable and dependable.  Believe me when I say “If you are hunting hogs in thickets under low light conditions this scope will make your job much easier. The optical clarity of the TORIC scope under these conditions is outstanding.

So regardless of what tactic you are using to hunt hogs, if you are in the market for a great scope that will give you and edge in less than perfect conditions then I highly recommend you give the TORIC 2-10x42mm an honest look. I’m not sure how they could make it any better.

The author Byron South is a recognized and respected figure in the world of predator hunting. His experience has spanned almost 4 decades of hunting in over 40 states, Canada, and Africa. He has successfully called in and filmed not only wild hogs, coyotes, bobcats, and fox, but also bears and wolves in Alaska, alligators in southern swamps, and most of Africa's predators including lions, leopards, hyena, and jackal.