Is hunting at your feeder a no-go 10 days out?

I have a massive infestation of hogs now and want to blast one this weekend. However, with showtime next weekend -- I'm having second thoughts.

BTW - I have squat this year. Some baby 8s, more does than should be allowed on one ranch, and just hoping for a bruiser to come checking things out during the rut.

Seems like I should kill the hog, huh?

I'd go for it. I seriously doubt shooting a hog will disrupt deer traffic at your feeder that much. And if the game plan is to hope for a mature deer to accidently walk by the feeder anyways, you'll be ok.

I'd slaughter them with buckshot one night and push the survivors off the feeder coming into season.

One I can almost guarantee is that if you don't kill those hogs you won't have many deer around your feeder at all this season. then then and then some more then reload and till you melt the barrel on them hogs. If you can't tell I hate hogs.

Ideally no shooting the week before opening but with the hogs already there you probably won't see your bruiser. There are hunters with more experience than I but I would suggest hitting the hogs hard this weekend with the hope that they will be somewhere else next weekend.

My $.02 worth!

Bucks will go anywhere for the poon. A week from now if a hot doe is at your feeder it won't matter if you were carpet-bombing the area, he'll show up.

Hogs will definitely encourage deer to not use a feeder, and I have seen deer activity increase (through photo tracking) at feeders after shooting a hog at one.

I say go for it for sure. Not only could taking a hog run the hogs away for a while, but you can also dry hunt for deer and watch any that show up.

Dry hunting feeders a week or two before the season opener is quite common.

Or you could just buy 8-10 hog panels and some T-posts and fence the feeder off.

you likely will not see many deer anyways if the hogs are the first ones on the scene opening morning. I wouldn't go out there with a machine gun and dump a clip on them...but I would think getting out there and popping one or two so they know to keep their heads down would be a plus.

you get some hogs, and it interferes less with your opening morning hunt.

I hate seeing hogs first while I'm deer hunting...because it effects the hunt if they are there and I feel obligated to shoot them. but I like to end every hunt by busting a hog about 15min before I get outa the blind.

My thoughts as well.

However, I will bust a hunt at any time whenever a coyote shows up.

I shoot the yotes too if its opportune to do so. I worry less about them than the hogs because they dont' hang around the feeder. they just come cruising thru. deer will look at them but don't otherwise seem to mind too much.

if its not deer season though, or late in the hunt and I'm not seeing much else...i'll shoot a coyote as quick as a hog.

I hate wasting .270 ammo on yotes though. when I see them I always wish I had my .223 on me. sometimes I actually do.

Sounds like your going to be hog hunting regardless of when deer season is anyways.....you have to shoot them at every opportunity. If your lucky, they will go back to being nocturnal and give the deer a chance to come in during the daylight hours.

I was overrun by hogs and about a week after trapping and shooting a dozen or so the deer returned and things were nice. I had deer early this year but the hogs moved back in and this week I will get rid of some hogs. I see deer but they do not get near the feeder they usually walk on the edge of the tree line. If they sense a hog they cruise on by.

You won't hurt anything by blasting pigs this weekend, go for it I shoot them year round, right on through deer season. If I see a pig or a yote, I have to shoot it. I have no self control. The more pressure you put on the pigs the better it will be for the deer.

We have shot multiple hogs at a feeder then the biggest buck shows up the next morning. Of course no one hunted the stand so he was only on the camera... It will make no impact to shoot the hogs anytime. I have shot multiple hogs in a hunt and had deer walk around them to get to the feeder.

Ain't going to hurt a thing,,done it several times with no issues.

Used to have hogs at the feeder every day. After I killed a couple, they quit showing up. I would get the occasional one or two passing by but no more groups. They would hit the wheat next door but wouldnt touch the feeder.

I just got the card out of my camera at the only feeder set-up I have. All hogs. No deer pics at all and camera been out for 3 weeks. Groups up to 10 or 12. Guess I should make a trip down there this weekend and clear a few out. Plus they ate 450 lbs. of corn in three weeks. Got a new light for my AR off of this site and will be a good test for it.

Choot 'Em, as many as you can. Like a lot of others have said, it will do more good for deer hunting than bad, especially a week before the season.

We always shoot pigs, any time we see them. If one comes out first light opening morning, he is getting shot just the same as if it was the middle of summer.

Would you shoot a deer Saturday and then come back Sunday for a second?

Deer couldn't care less if they hear shot a week away from opening weekend, chances are they have been hearing gunfire for several months and they haven't cared since none of the bullets hit them.

Now I wouldn't go shooting hogs if deer are right there with them, but chances are that isn't going to happen anyway since the two species don't like to intermingle...

No, I wouldn't. Way too much work on a Sunday afternoon.

My question was more respective of me walking in/around the feeding area, blood being on the ground, and not worrying about deer hearing gunshots.

If you can't build a hog proof pen then shoot them every chance you get. Unless the entire area is over run you will move them off to somewhere else or force them to come in the dark.

I've found that shooting a hog at a feeder reduces their activity for about a month, at most.

I should add that having other hunters in the area running feeders can help as well, since it gives them other places to frequent.

Just start shooting the hogs.. earlier this year we had a big group of 20 or so hogs.. we shot at them one evening.. they never came back to the feeder (at least that big group)... Can't hurt...

I didnt put corn in my feeder this year due to a massive amount of hog activity. It ruined the hunting last for me. As of this morning ive already seen more deer than all of last year and NO hogs! Hohs are hitting the other feeders like crazy but my area is nice and quiet! Saw a really nice 10 this morning, hope he sticks around for a few days so my boy can get him. Last year i would shoot several hogs at feeder then they went nocturnal on me. Would only hit feeder from 1-3 am. Drove me nuts...

I shot a pig last year and a nice buck that I never saw stepped out from behind a tree about 5 secs. later and made a big circle, and got down wind of the pig and started towards it like he was going to kick his butt, but he just started licking the blood, he hung out for about 10 mins licking blood and brains, I have it on video on my phone,

"If I see a pig or a yote, I have to shoot it. I have no self control. "

Me too!!!!!

Trapping them runs them off though. It took about a month of trapping and 30+ hogs trapped. then we widened our trapping area. 2 years later they ere back thick again. The last 2 years we would see 4 or 5 a month now there are 25 to 30 a night. 2 sounders, an early one and a late one. We'll see how many get caught tonight. Set up a 20'x25'x6' trap.

The deer sure won't come if you leave the hogs there.. Shoot some pigs you'll be fine

and one more just to be sure

Your going to need some pork to mix with the venison anyway. Go ahead and load the freezer with it and be ready!