What You Need for Hunting Hogs at Night – Part 2

Hunting hogs is rapidly becoming a popular activity. The main reason is the proliferation of feral hogs. Unfortunately, they cause damages to farms and other properties. Due to that, landowners need help to eliminate them and all levels of hunters are taking their chance. Moreover, governments and farm owners are being truly flexible to allow this practice. 

That releases them from the burden of having hogs destroying their properties. Since hogs developed a pattern to go out at night, hunters try to use those times to increase their chances. However, it also brings some challenges about the gear, equipment, and other elements that you need to use.

Quality Firearm

If you are planning to hunt hogs at night, a god firearm is the first element you must consider. For many years, hunters have been using semiautomatic rifle designs. They are part of a generation of the so-called “modern sporting rifle”. These models have the AR-style firearm as one of its most widely used. 

And for those who dream of hunting many hogs, the AR-10 and AR-15 are very popular. These models allow getting off one shot after another without stopping. Hence, you can target a herd of pigs with minimum effort. On the other hand, hunters who desire to target individual hogs can select a bolt-action rifle. 

This rifle is precise and allows targeting long-distance shots. Fortunately, if you have specific requirements, you can always opt for ordering a personalized firearm. As long as you consider the type of animal you are hunting, you will do it right. 

Hunting Lights

This is the most obvious element you need to hunt hogs at night. However, what is not so obvious is the type of lights you need. First of all, pigs do not distinguish clearly all colors. And green is the most unnoticed for them. On the other hand, they can notice the red color very easily. And common yellow and white lights are just in the middle of the range. 

However, there is not a uniform opinion about lights and you need to find what allows you to get more accurate. Another element to consider is thermal lights. They allow you to obtain great precision for your shot without disturbing the pigs. If your budget is not enough, you can opt for night vision. 

Besides the lights for the pigs, you should think of your security. This is to say that if you find yourself in a dangerous situation, you will need some clear lights. Hence, always add some white lights to make sure you are protected. Moreover, select different ways to use the lights such as weapon-mounted light, handheld light, or any type of portable equipment. For these cases, it is important your hunting style.  

Thermal Equipment

Thermal equipment changed hunting rules forever and this is why it deserves a separate mention. The precision you can obtain goes beyond your imagination. Some hunters even affirm that it is better to shoot with this technology than during the day. It allows you to check images by scanning body temperatures and shooting them through the viewfinder. 

As a result, it is possible to target pigs at almost any distance. Currently, you can choose two different types of thermal equipment. Firstly, it is the thermal monocular. Many people know it as a handheld unit. You use it as a lantern to spot the pigs without installing it in the gun. Hence, after finding your target, you need to proceed to take the firearm to shoot. Some hunters consider they waste time to get the firearm and may lose the chance to shot the hog. 

To solve that, they use the second option which is the thermal rifle scope. It goes in the gun instead of the regular scope and hunters can take off the shot immediately after targeting the pig. Moreover, the technology more magnification and allows shooting faster to reach more pigs in just one round. 

Dark Clothes

Pigs react to the presence of humans around them by running away and trying to hide. Hence, it is important to cover all the traces to avoid that pigs notice human presence. Besides the noise and other movements, it is also necessary to take care of the clothes by using dark colors. 

Dressing in black might be the best option but other dark tones can also work. Although using dark colors is not a guarantee of hunting more hogs, it will work in your favor along with other advantages. 

Some hunters argue that pigs do no distinguish different colors. However, some studies prove that they can distinguish some of them. That is the reason why some lights work differently for hunting too. When you pick your clothes, also make sure you select the right fabrics to protect you against the special conditions of the zone. 

A plan

A plan is a way to secure that all your efforts are properly oriented. Besides all the elements mentioned above, it must also include at least the following:

• A schedule with the days and hours that you want to use for hunting
• Official permits issued by the authorities. In this sense, governments are being very flexible to encourage hunters. Currently, many states are allowing to hunt hogs freely.
• The type of firearms you can use in the state where you want to hunt with all their supplies and accessories
• Natural conditions of the fields
• A report on meteorological conditions and direction of the winds
• Water and food supplies according to the time you will use for hunting
• First aid kit for emergencies

Final words

Whether you are a beginner or a veteran hunter, going after hogs requires certain preparation. It all starts with the right gear and equipment as we mentioned here and a well-designed plan. Since there are many hunters around with the same purpose, you would do good by collecting more information. Find everything about the field, previous experiences from other hunters, and the behavior of the pigs of the zone.