PA hog hunt

[Bolt action]

Has anyone here tried a self guided PA public land hog hunt? I'm intrigued by the idea. I've looked into (Google searched) this and mostly find info on ranches. These ranches all seem to have a similar model. They have a few hundred acres stocked with 'wild' boar. Your guide will tell you which one to shoot based on how much you want to spend. Prices start around $600 for a management pig, and that's before cleaning or cutting. Almost everything about this is unappealing to me, but I can't find much material on public land hunts. I'm looking for thoughts on where I might have some success, what to look for, etc... 

 

[Bolt action]

Has anyone here tried a self guided PA public land hog hunt? I'm intrigued by the idea. I've looked into (Google searched) this and mostly find info on ranches. These ranches all seem to have a similar model. They have a few hundred acres stocked with 'wild' boar. Your guide will tell you which one to shoot based on how much you want to spend. Prices start around $600 for a management pig, and that's before cleaning or cutting. Almost everything about this is unappealing to me, but I can't find much material on public land hunts. I'm looking for thoughts on where I might have some success, what to look for, etc... 

 

[turkeyfeathers]

I recently got invited to Texas with a friend. Helicopter hunt , strapped in , stand on landing gear , full auto AR’s.  Shoot as many as you want. $600 sounds pricey for a management pig.  Old ones no good eating I’ve heard too.   

[Gencountyzeek]

3 minutes ago, turkeyfeathers said:

I recently got invited to Texas with a friend. Helicopter hunt , strapped in , stand on landing gear , full auto AR’s.  Shoot as many as you want. $600 sounds pricey for a management pig.  Old ones no good eating I’ve heard too.   

Thats a bucket list hunt for me! Behind some others but i need friends in texas!!

[Four Season Whitetail's]

Has anyone here tried a self guided PA public land hog hunt? I'm intrigued by the idea. I've looked into (Google searched) this and mostly find info on ranches. These ranches all seem to have a similar model. They have a few hundred acres stocked with 'wild' boar. Your guide will tell you which one to shoot based on how much you want to spend. Prices start around $600 for a management pig, and that's before cleaning or cutting. Almost everything about this is unappealing to me, but I can't find much material on public land hunts. I'm looking for thoughts on where I might have some success, what to look for, etc... 
 

Is there ‘Wild’ pigs in Pa?


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[The_Real_TCIII]

I hunted pigs several times at a place in Forrestville. I won’t claim it was a real hunt but it’s not easy with the bow, those pigs were born there they aren’t tame by any means. It’s a lot of fun and great eating


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[Bolt action]

25 minutes ago, Four Season Whitetail's said:

Is there ‘Wild’ pigs in Pa?


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There was an executive order signed by the PA Game Commissioner removing the protection status on feral swine and permitting licensed hunters the freedom to hunt them in any number. I tried to upload a copy but it wouldn't load. The existence of such an order seems to imply that there is a problematic wild population.

Edited January 23, 2020 by Bolt action

[crappyice]

I’m curious too and will be watching. Good post


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[Al Bundy]

TurkeyFeathers... We need serious details and videos of the helicopter hunt!!! My hunting buddy wants to do that in the worst way.

I do see a bunch of public land in PA when I drive through.  I have often wondered about the pigs also on the public land. Might be the way to go.  I did the pay to pig hunt last year and am not returning for a hunt like that.  Once was more than enough. 

[Bolt action]

I've done a little reading up on this. From what I can tell, it seems like there were pigs on ranches that escaped. Once in the woods, the wild population took off. Now there are lots of pigs running around. It sounds like there are a few counties where you cannot hunt them because the game commission is trying various erradication efforts. Otherwise it seems or a free for all. 

I'd love to get down there for a self guided public land hunt. I could easily determine which counties to avoid. I'm just trying to figure out the other stuff, like when, how and what to look for.

[Uncle Nicky]

I have never seen one, but supposedly there are some running around in Bedford county. Nowhere close to a population explosion, I'm not sure I'd make a long drive for hogs in PA, might make more sense to keep on driving south if you want to hunt true wild hogs.

I had a friend in Tully, NY who has since passed away, but he showed me pictures years ago of a hog a neighbor had killed, supposedly there was a group of them living in the area, this was around 2007.

Edited January 26, 2020 by Uncle Nicky

[steve863]

On January 24, 2020 at 11:04 AM, Bolt action said:

I've done a little reading up on this. From what I can tell, it seems like there were pigs on ranches that escaped. Once in the woods, the wild population took off. Now there are lots of pigs running around. It sounds like there are a few counties where you cannot hunt them because the game commission is trying various erradication efforts. Otherwise it seems or a free for all. 

I'd love to get down there for a self guided public land hunt. I could easily determine which counties to avoid. I'm just trying to figure out the other stuff, like when, how and what to look for.

Lots of pigs??? Where are you getting this info from?  Other than a few sketchy stories that may or may not be true I never heard of any real huntable numbers of free ranging feral pigs in PA. I honestly think you will be wasting your time trying to find one there.  Good luck either way!

[Rattler]

Oh they're there all right.

https://lancasteronline.com/outdoors/feral-pigs-are-going-hog-wild-in-pennsylvania/article_264e85b7-fa40-57f8-a5fd-b0ed960c333a.html

Only a few thousand there now in small areas of the state, but PA doesn't consider them a game animal so they can be hunted 365 days a year right now.

Breeding populations of hogs were found in Bedford, Bradford, Butler, Cambria and Tioga counties - in areas near pig-hunting operations. An estimated 1,000 wild pigs are living in the woods of Cambria-Bedford counties and more than 200 have been shot there by hunters this winter, Glass reports.Apr 10, 2007

New York populations of feral swine have most likely emerged from escaped and abandoned Eurasian boars kept in captivity and at hunting preserves. ... Known breeding populations of feral swine in NY (2011) include northwest Cortland, southwest Onondaga, and southern Tioga counties.

Edited January 26, 2020 by Rattler

[Four Season Whitetail's]

Oh they're there all right.
https://lancasteronline.com/outdoors/feral-pigs-are-going-hog-wild-in-pennsylvania/article_264e85b7-fa40-57f8-a5fd-b0ed960c333a.html

Lol....2007 was a long time ago. They have as many as Ny says they have I bet.


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[Nytracker]

You would probably  be better off getting further south  and west for free range . Tennessee, South Carolina .  I have hunted  Bedford county. Supposedly feral  hogs . A week no sighn or sightings. Feds trapped that hard . They didn't get many . Locals laughed when I told them I was there to hunt hogs . 

Tioga county is the same . Everybody  knows a story of somebody that killed a hog  or heard of one killed  years ago . Nothing hard core or for certain. 

 

[Robhuntandfish]

On 1/22/2020 at 8:34 PM, turkeyfeathers said:

I recently got invited to Texas with a friend. Helicopter hunt , strapped in , stand on landing gear , full auto AR’s.  Shoot as many as you want. $600 sounds pricey for a management pig.  Old ones no good eating I’ve heard too.   

Saw one of these on an outdoor show , looks like a lot of fun. The guy was yelling " I want to do this everyday!" 

[Four Season Whitetail's]

You would probably  be better off getting further south  and west for free range . Tennessee, South Carolina .  I have hunted  Bedford county. Supposedly feral  hogs . A week no sighn or sightings. Feds trapped that hard . They didn't get many . Locals laughed when I told them I was there to hunt hogs . 
Tioga county is the same . Everybody  knows a story of somebody that killed a hog  or heard of one killed  years ago . Nothing hard core or for certain. 
 

Lol. This guy did the same. Was on Facebook post.


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[steve863]

If someone can kill a free ranging pig in NY or PA I will eat it with it's skin on!  LOL

[The_Real_TCIII]

If there were 1000 13 years ago there’d be a million now. They have large litters several times a year, even in winter. And if they’re around you’ll know it they absolutely destroy crop fields. IMO either the DEC did an amazing job stopping them or we never had them.


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[Rattler]

Both PA and NY aggressively attacked the hog populations.  It's easier to eliminate them when there's only a few thousand around.  They are confined to a small area and can be patterned.  Once their numbers get out of hand, there's no hope of getting them under control.  Both states still have aggressive hog control plans in place to keep them from getting out of control.  That's a good thing, since they are invasive and very destructive to the land and all of it's other species.

[Uncle Nicky]

22 hours ago, Rattler said:

Both PA and NY aggressively attacked the hog populations.  It's easier to eliminate them when there's only a few thousand around.  They are confined to a small area and can be patterned.  Once their numbers get out of hand, there's no hope of getting them under control.  Both states still have aggressive hog control plans in place to keep them from getting out of control.  That's a good thing, since they are invasive and very destructive to the land and all of it's other species.

I won't go as far as to say I am an expert. But I've hog-hunted every year for the last 20 years, mostly in Florida & Georgia. Between myself, my sons, & friends, I've probably seen 100 or more hogs die, 95% has been hunting with dogs, a few times night vison with a rifle, a few times off of a baited stand. They become EXTREMELY nocturnal once they know they are being hunted.

Hogs breed fast, no doubt about that. But they breed and become established much faster where there is more food for them and the weather is warmer than in PA or NY. Is it plausible that they can get north of the Mason-Dixon line & become established? Sure, but I highly doubt with the higher densities of hunters and harsher conditions, that they will ever become the nuisance that they are in the south & Texas. But if you ever see the damage that they can do to a newly planted field or what happens when an irrigation pivot wheel hits a spot where hogs have been rooting, you will understand the concern to keep them under control. They will eat eggs and destroy turkey nests, and occasionally get aggressive with humans, but they are mostly an agricultural concern.The farthest north that I'm aware of an established population of hogs is in Culpepper County, VA, but if anyone has different information, please let me know.

I also think that a specific road trip to PA isn't going to be very productive, and once you are done buying an out-of-state license, paying for a motel or costs to drag a camper, etc. you might as well head further south and go where they really live. But that's just my $.02.

[Jeremy K]

23 hours ago, The_Real_TCIII said:

If there were 1000 13 years ago there’d be a million now. They have large litters several times a year, even in winter. And if they’re around you’ll know it they absolutely destroy crop fields. IMO either the DEC did an amazing job stopping them or we never had them.


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They start breeding at 6 months old too if I recall . 

[squirrelwhisperer]

I have always wanted to hunt hog. As bad as they are once they are established, oh man that would be great. Well not really. I guess since I'm not a farmer I can say stupid things. i just get excited about an animal that can be hunted 24/7/365 and taken in any number. Gets me going like a fat kid on cake. Texas? Helicopter? Full auto? 24/7/365/unlimited? Sounds like more fun than a tornado can have in a trailer park. 

[Paula]

I shot one on a hunt in Florida, years ago. One shot it was down, she wiggled a little that was it