July through September in the South can often be a time when pigs seem to pull a Houdini and vanish into thin air. One night there’s a hundred of them doing the Cuban Shuffle across your back forty and the next they’re just gone. We hear it in the store every day, frustrated hunters who can’t figure out what has happened. “Did I finally kill them all?” “Did they move away from my property?” “Are they conspiring against me to plan a surprise attack?” The answer to all of these is “No” (except for the planning of a surprise attack, obviously).
So where did they go then? The answer is probably simpler than you may think. Aliens. Oops, I meant hiding from the heat. Just like humans, pigs get hot during the summer, and also just like us, if they get too hot they run the risk of overheating and expiring from heat exhaustion. A condition that is even more serious for pigs than humans due to their lack of Blue Bell and popsicles from grandma’s freezer.
Summer hogs stay close to water
Pigs avoid this heat in several ways, the first of which is staying close to water sources. Just like we enjoy a cool dip in a pool on a hot summer day, so do our porcine pals. Unlike us, they NEED the water (and corresponding mud) to help regulate their temperature. As the summer drags on and water becomes more scarce, hydration and cooling sources become invaluable to them. Ponds and water troughs will work for them occasionally in desperate measures, but cooler streams, creeks, and river beds that offer dense cover and moving water are ideal. So goodbye open fields and hello waterfront property with thick vegetation all around.
Because of this, walking along a moving water’s edge during the day and looking up into the undergrowth can be a great way to locate relaxing swine. If you decide to try this method, remember that the pigs you’re looking for do not want to move unless they absolutely have to. They know that running from a predator in oppressive heat is a good way to die even if they get away from whatever is hunting them. They’ve found their oasis and they’d rather not move and risk spilling their Mai Tai unless they absolutely have to.
What that means for you is that you may get surprisingly or even disturbingly close to them before they’re willing to let you know they’re there. I’ve personally had entire sounders laying under low hanging cedar trees near the water’s edge that were less than 5 feet away before they decided to get up and run, making me recite words I didn’t even know I had in my vocabulary. So move slow, look close, and smell the air frequently, knowing that until you’re on top of them they’re most likely going to stay still and silent.
Gear for close quarters
And keep in mind that this new environment might require a change of gear from what you use to hunt the open pastures and tree lines that most of us are used to. A lever gun with a large heavy bullet or a shotgun with buckshot might suddenly become a lot more effective than the traditional semi-auto rifle in the close quarters that summertime can bring.
Hunt the early morning hours
The second way that hogs will often try to beat the heat is staying sedentary until the wee hours of the morning when the night is at its coolest. For a lot of hunters, this means well after our typical hunting and drinking hours and way past bedtime. From 2:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. is prime time for pigs to take a relaxing stroll through hay fields looking for an early morning snack a few feet under the hard dry soil. If they’re going to voluntarily leave water to search for food, this is the time to find them. I’ve found for myself the trick for trying to catch them here is best accomplished by going to bed a few hours early and setting my alarm clock to meet them in the pasture about the same time as they start coming out.
Exceptions to the pattern
Of course, as with everything, there are exceptions to these summertime pattern changes. Hunting pressure, feeders, meth-heads carrying copper running through your property, and even harvest activities like baling hay are all factors that can contribute to pigs not following the typical summertime pattern. Getting to know the area you’re hunting and what it has to offer for hogs, and trying to understand them and their needs, will always be your best bet.
Thanks for reading, good hunting and good luck!
Jason
Want a lever gun or shotgun for summer hogs? Browse our used gun inventory or stop by the shop in Anderson. Hog hunting is a big deal around here, and you can read about our St. Porktrick’s Day Hog Hunt and getting ready for deer season.
