Has anyone ever tried using Hog callers to lure Hogs closer that may be obscured by crops and so forth?

I have seen primos and others selling callers and wonder if they work.

Thanks

I have not had luck with a grunt tube.

So I did a bunch of reading on the internet. Nobody seems to have worked out what calls are actually attractive to hogs, repel hogs, or if the calls are sex specific.

So folks claim they work. Others claim they are a waste of money for hogs. We have had hogs come in twice when playing a wounded rabbit on a predator call, but we were after yotes and bobcats and the hogs didn't actually come to the call, but appeared at the edge of the field, like some of the deer and raccoons did as well. They seemed curious, but didn't want to get too close, LOL.

I think the problem is consistency. Nobody seems to have a caller that consistently brings in hogs or keeps hogs in place once there. I think the reports of success are more along the lines of reports of coincidence more so than cause and effect.

You mean like:
We was out calling feral pigs, playing that piglet in distress call.
We quickly discovered we had setup less than 50 yards downwind of a whole sounder of mean old sows with bunches of football sized piglets.
They were not happy....hours later after the batteries ran down, they finally left and we were able to get down out of the trees....
Something like that?

Vern1, perfect. You discovered hogs already right on top of you, which is great, but next time you used the caller, did you find the same thing?

I have used the analogy that I am good hog bait because they like to show up after I am in the stand.

Yes. Any grunt tube can work but the Hamma Slamma tube is much easier to blow. We regularly use calls to bring hogs out of the thick stuff! Find Glenn Guess-he's done seminars about hog hunting and always talks about calling methods. We've spanked many a hog responding to a call..

Don't know as I've only tried calling ferals once or twice and didn't do any good either time.

That supposedly happened to a couple of kids up the road and cost one of them a bunch of stitches. They set up on top of a brush pile and hurt themselves trying to get down from that and into a tree when the sows swarmed...

A little more clarification-it's not like calling coyotes from a few hundred yards. If pigs are in an area, you can call them out most times. Depending on which call you use, you may get a curiosity response (ears up, quizzical body language), or you may get a bristly freight train of pissed off pork coming to defend territory!

I know this will start a debate-it always does. However I HAVE done this and seen it done on dozens of occasions and while not perfect, it works well enough that we use the tactic frequently.

Hogs seemed to get them spooked when I have tried one. Worked to calm deer when I was watching them in the brush. The deer were trying to figure out what was making the noise in the brush,(which was me) after a few grunts they seemed to settle down.

Best answer I have seen. I don't sell hog calls, I haven't seen the response to the call. I also never found anyone that could convince me they really work like a predator call works on predators.

The experts tell us their nose is their best asset and their hearing is also great. If you bait them they show up a lot better, I haven't seen the same response with using a call. If their sense of smell and hearing are so good and they were actually coming to the sound of the call they would come in the same way they come onto a baited location.

I've only had one hog come to a call. That was in the Sandhills one night when the wind got up to 30 mph and I was blowing a varmint call as loudly as I could. I have had javelina come in several times when I was coyote hunting with a dying jackrabbit call.

Javelinas will come to most predator jackrabbit distress and cottontail distress calls, but javelinas are not part of the hog family.

Ive had success using a big decpy with boar urine and a boar call.

The first misconception is that hogs will respond like predators. The second is that distress is the call one would use! We don't use distress. Territorial, sow protection grunts, etc. are the calls you need to learn. You won't call them with distress except in very limited circumstances.

Dog catcher, you're incorrect in your assumption of a hogs response/approach. I've seen them come from up, down, crosswind, etc. Of course, we always position ourselves to take advantage of wind, but the boar I called two weeks ago came out of a milo patch and stood downwind of me and the landowner at about 30 yards. His mistake! He was looking for the sow he kept hearing and when he saw us, it just didnt compute. His hesitation was all we needed.

You have to use the hogs vocalizations against them. You're not going to get results with distress.

I used a hog call 2 weeks ago and got absolutely no response. The pigs were 60-70 yards away and I have it on video. I will upload and link it.

This video isn't about hog calling, but the first bunch of pigs you see came in to a recorded boar grunt on a foxpro. After the first one was down another came back and ate lead too. This is Glenn Guess's video promo for Eotech that y'all may have seen running at an expo or two.

http://youtu.be/_M16RY16kUI

That is the same as an advertisement.

This video IS about hog calling. This is Glenn Guess' presentation at this years World Predator and Wild Hog Expo. Around midway are 3 sequences of video showing hogs responding to calls. Guys-this ain't rocket science, it's just that people use the wrong kind of call in most cases! It's not going to give 100% results, but it does work.

Any animal that makes communicative vocalizations can be called. If you haven't heard pigs communicate-you need to. Spend time on a farm and you'll start picking out patterns pretty quickly!

http://youtu.be/rYKGFbbYwbU

I have had mixed success with calling hogs in, but for sure, it works pretty good when they are reasonably close. Be carful to leave yourself an escape route or tree to climb if necessary. I have had them come in a swarm of very angry sows running fast... too many to shoot for the distance between me and them. Other times I have had them come in slow and cautious... never can predict, but exciting for sure.

^^^THIS^^^

The problem with most setups is using wrong vocalization at wrong time.
Spending time at a hog farm is a good idea and could pay off in the long run.

Thank you for this suggestion!
I have spent time taking care of pigs in the past when we were raising them and can definitely relate to this.

And so where does one find the information that shows the right setup for the right time? The notion of having folks spend time on a farm is fairly unrealistic and way oversimplified.

Watch the video and practice! I could tell you 'do this' based on a setup that worked once or twice, but every situation is different. I know not everybody can visit a farm, but some can. There's just not any such thing as 'paint by the numbers' process. You may have to get more land access and spend time walking and hunting various types of terrain and cover before you'll feel very comfortable or successful. This approach doesn't lend itself to stand hunting-at least not well.

If you watched the entire video you'll notice that Glenn mentions not having perfected all the sounds. Because of this we only use two or maybe three sounds with fairly consistent results. We usually have two folks with AR's (6.8spc) and one person with a shotgun. You need to be quick to get on target, quick with follow up shots, and quick on your feet if the response is territorial or defending.

There two or three places that hold some huge boars that we've only glimpsed so far. These are in high pressure areas that are hunted hard by trespassers. Still, our success on those places is high because we've walked every inch the property and know the habits of the resident hogs, as well as what any new hogs will do once they get there. I would recommend taking that same approach to all your hunting lands! That way you don't have to plow into the thick stuff to know what the terrain is like, if there's a hidden wallow, etc. You can set up based on what you know. Otherwise watch the signs and listen closely! Go slow in those new places till you know how the hogs are using the place, travel routes, terrain features, and right now especially--WHERE DA WATER AT? Hahaha..

Bearclaw I don't know you from Adam so don't take these questions the wrong way. I'm not trying to be smart just trying to help explain what happened and why.

First what were the hogs doing? Milling around? feeding? etc.

what did the sounder consist of? all adults or a mix of ages and sex?

have you ever called coyotes?

Good discussion here. My question comes from the fact I was easing by a field and several Hogs knew the buggy was there, but would not come out of the woods since they had no idea what it was. The wind was right, but a couple were in the road and alerted 45 yards in front. My hunter missed the shot. Perfect broadside stopped alerted head up shot. He was slow on the rifle but did shoot when the hog was stopped and broadside.

I was just curious if I had a call to use would it have pulled them out in the field.

Sorry I'm late posting but I made several posts last year about calling pigs. We stumbled on it one time calling yotes and had one run into Lightning Jack. THought that was weird so switched to Coon Fight and a minute or 2 later another came running to the call. Went home and downloaded Feeding Hogs 2 and Fighting Boars. During the next 2 weekends we called in a group of 15 or so and then one big boar. Tried once this summer without any luck. I knew where they bedded last year so obviously that was a bonus but I have no doubt it works. WHy wouldn't it? The sound of hogs feeding nearby then a fight breaking out in a dominant boar's territory: they will come investigate. I will try to get it on video next time I'm out.