Hunting newbie needs tip/s

mnblade

mnblade

Joined
Feb 7, 2000
Messages
6,673
Growing up, I always wanted to hunt, but my granddad died before he could take me, and Dad never had any interest. So here I sit, at 45, and the only hunting I've done is for clay pigeons. :) Well, I've got a trip back to the States planned for this summer and the husband of a girl I grew up with has offered to take me hog hunting. He said don't worry about any license or limits, so I have to assume he's got access to private land (in Florida, I understand hogs can be harvested on private land 12 months out of the year). Anyway, I'm not sure what sort of hunt it'll be, but I'm "game" for anything. Any tips on what I should bring, not bring, wear, not wear, be prepared for, etc.? I can't wait!
 
I assume my buddy will have a rifle or shotgun for me to use. Otherwise, I'll only have access to a REALLY old side-by-side .12 gauge. It was my grandad's and, unless Dad got rid of it recently, it's still gathering dust in the closet in the house where I grew up. It likely dates back to at least the '40s.
 
Hunted all my life, but never hogs. Sounds like your friend is going to take care of you. Good luck and have a blast!
 
I would suggest some kind of heavy brush pants/chaps/gaiters for protection against brush,hogs and SNAKES! Florida=bugs. Take bug spray. Have fun.--KV
 
I would ask your friend more details about how he plans to hunt the hogs and the terrain as it can vary greatly. You might be hunting hogs up close with dogs and knives/spears, shoot them at night from a distance with the aid of laser designators or night vision scopes or something in between. I've hunted hogs in creek beds where I wore rubber boots, in heavy brush where I wore brush chaps and snake boots and from a patio chair where I wore shorts and sandals so what to wear can vary greatly too.

Have fun and take some photos.
 
kvaughn said:
I would suggest some kind of heavy brush pants/chaps/gaiters for protection against brush,hogs and SNAKES! Florida=bugs. Take bug spray. Have fun.--KV
Click to expand...

Jeans are a no go?

Regarding bugs, I grew up there. Me and bugs have an understanding. :p
 
I'd do what was suggested above, and ask for more details. That way, you can better prepare yourself. Hogs are going to be a lot of fun to hunt, and they can, and are, hunted in about every way you can think of. Rifles, shotguns, handguns, compound bows, recurves, longbows, knife hunting. They're hunted from stands over bait, ground blinds over bait, spot and stalk, run with dogs. They're sometimes hunted during the day, some locations allow night hunting.

What I'm saying is, more details will really help you focus. The good thing about hog hunting, especially for a new hunter, is that in good locations, there will be a lot of animals. If you screw up on one, just learn from the experience, and wait for another opportunity. Very likely, it will come.
 
Get more information from the hunt host.
Jeans are fine to wear, hogs have poor eyesight but excellent sense of smell. Hopefully you will be sitting in a treestand, overlooking a bait station. Wear gloves to cover your skin, a camo face veil and hat, long-sleeve shirt; don't make any fast movement when you raise your firearm to shoot. The 12 gauge shotgun will work just fine.
If you are concerned about insects, Thermacell works great when you are sitting in one location.
 
My only advice is be flexible, don't get your expectations too high. After all it's called hunting not shooting;). A lot of hog hunting is done at night so a good bright flashlight with good throw would be good. As others have said ask questions of your host.
Have fun.
 
I hunt hogs year round. You want to have a conversation with him a few weeks before you go. Also shoot some before you go if you know you will be hunting with a rifle. Binos are a certainty regardless of night or day hunting.
 
Assuming you have the basic needs covered, I would ask specifically in what kind of terrain you're likely to be hunting in. It could be swampy or even a swamp for that matter. Boots would be mandatory if you're in a wet place for your protection and comfort.

I'd also ask how far you're likely to be away from your vehicles just in case. You literally could be parking next to a permanent tree stand and hunting from that or you could be hunting with dogs and walking a lot. All this may impact just what you bring along and might use or need. Be sure to have a good knife since this is Blade Forums.
 
I'd find out more info from the guy but as others said snake boots or something like them is a good idea, find out if dogs will be used in the hunt if so more than likely you'll be using a handgun and knife, if your spotlighting them or just hunting them I'm large groups in fields you maybe using semi-auto rifles to drop as many of them as possible. Hogs in some areas are nuisance critters that destroy farmers crops,fields Ect and can get nasty when cornered or injured. I hate them and have done a few hunts on them and they are tricky. It was always a good time though so have fun!
 
Noob hunting tip: don't watch hunting shows or if you do, realize that they relate to hunting about like Bear Grylls' show relates to bushcraft / survival.

If your objective is to enjoy the process of the hunt, you will have a blast; but if your objective is a pile of "free meat", there is a good chance you will be disappointed.
 
I'll echo what has already been said, only because it is so important: you need to ask your host for specifics about terrain, weather and methods. Gear and mindset appropriate for one scenario may be totally inappropriate for another.

Be open to anything and have fun! Some of my most enduring memories over the years have come from the happy hunting grounds. Let's see some pic's of that double too!
 
Deep Woods Off, snake boots, sharp knife, and an accurate weapon that you can shoot well is all you will need. Post pics. of the excursion if you can. Have a great trip.
 
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