As I’ve said before, I’m hardly a hog hunting expert.  But I’ve spent a lot of time chasing hogs, reading about hogs, talking about hogs, and occasionally, shooting hogs.  So I think I have learned a little bit, and I’d like to share a little of that learning.

This is part of an undetermined series of short hog hunting tips.  If I get it wrong, or if you have a better idea, please sing out!  There’s more than one way to skin a cat, and the same can be said for skinning a hog. 

But before you can skin it, you have to kill it.  And before you can kill it, you have to find it.

Most big game hunters are aware that scent control is a critical success factor.  Deer and elk won’t usually tolerate a lot of human stink in their habitat before they boil out.  They’ve got pretty good olfactory systems to make sure they smell you way before you ever get close, too. 

Well, a hog’s sniffer can put deer and elk to shame.  I am terrible at numbers and such, so I don’t remember the numbers around a hog’s ability to separate scents, but I can tell you that they can pick your smell up at levels that make a bloodhound turn green with envy.   The other big difference between hogs and some other big game animals is that hogs rely extensively on that sense of smell.

I’ve had deer pick up my scent.  They get nervous, and look around, but if I stand still and stay hidden, they’ll often stay right there… especially when I’m hunting in places with a fair amount of human activity.  I’ve seen elk do the same thing, when they get used to having people around.  But hogs… I have never seen a hog stay put after getting a whiff of human. 

Hogs trust their noses more than their eyes or their ears.

This has led to the common misconception that hogs are practically blind and deaf.  Neither of these is true.  I’ve been spotted by hogs from over 200 yards away, and seen them scatter at the sight of me.  I’ve cracked a tiny twig on a stalk, and watched their little heads pop right up like a deer.  No sir, they’ve got all the senses.  They just don’t seem to trust those other two like they trust their noses.

So, with this in mind, how do you beat those super-sniffers? 

I’m not going to sit here on this keyboard and try to sell you the latest, greatest scent-lock clothing, or some kind of scent-eliminating spray.  If you use them, and believe they work, then keep using them.  Confidence is the biggest part of success in the hunting game. 

But in my opinion, unless you’re encased in some kind of impermeable bubble, your stink is gonna be in the air in concentrations that are plenty strong enough for hogs to pick it out.  I’ve tried several different kinds of scent controlling clothes and sprays.  I’ve showered with the various “hunters’” soaps and shampoos, and all the other tricks.  And I can guarantee that every time, if that wind tickles the back of my neck on the stalk, the hogs will be gone. 

It’s that wind.  That’s the killer… and it really can be too.  Keep the wind in your face, or quartering across you AWAY from the animals.   If you’re hunting where there are swirling winds, which are so common in the California canyons, use the thermals to your advantage. 

Remember the thermals drop as the sun rises, then turn uphill as the day winds down.  In the early morning, try to move uphill toward your hogs.  In the evening, get up high and hunt down.  Of course you’ll find some occasional exceptions, especially on really windy days.

Another set of factors that you should take into account is humidity and barometric pressure.  High humidity tends to hold scent closer to the ground, but it doesn’t disperse over as much distance as quickly.  Low humidity is the opposite.  Scent disperses quickly, but covers a lot of ground much more quickly.  Barometric pressure has a similar effect.  Low pressure pushes the scent down, while high pressure allows scent to rise into the air column. 

You can usually determine if pressure is high or low by observing smoke, or the steam from your breath (on a cold day).  If the barometer is low or falling, the smoke will only rise a short way before flattening out.  Rising smoke means rising pressure. 

Low pressure systems with high humidity can make for good stalking, as long as you’ll be moving a lot.  Just keep in mind that the scent you leave behind will linger for a while, so hogs on your backtrail may very well be spooked.  Keep your eyes and ears open, and spot those hogs before they spot you.  Low pressure and high humidity also makes for some great dog hunting, if that’s your game… and for the same basic reasons.  Scent trails will last longer, and stay closer to the ground.

High pressure and low humidity can make for trickier stalks unless you have a consistent wind.  Days like this are best for hunting from a stand, or working from a higher elevation such as ridgetops where your scent will be, hopefully, dispersed before it gets to the hogs down below.  It’s not foolproof, though, so you need to always try to keep that wind in your face. 

How do you do that? 

Judging the wind when you’ve got a ten knot breeze, or better, is pretty simple.  You should be able to feel it on any exposed piece of skin.  The old trick of wetting you finger-tip is really overrated, but it can work if the wind is strong enough.  But you should be able to feel it on your face or neck even easier. 

There are a few great tools for the job though. 

My favorite is the “Smoke in a Bottle” type of products.  This is a little squeeze bottle loaded with a kind of powdered talk.  Just squeeze a puff and see where it drifts.  It will pick up the lightest breeze, even in the rain.  The added benefit is that you can watch the powder for a distance as it drifts.  This will give you a picture of the thermals and any changes in the wind.

You can make your own puff bottle with unscented talcum powder or fine corn starch.  Corn starch works a little better, especially in humid environments (like the Deep South). Talcum powder tends to clot up when it gets muggy, and doesn’t work so well. 

A similar tool puffs out some tiny, floating fibers.  They remind me of little dandelion seeds.  These things are ideal for days with a fairly light breeze, as you can see the fibers for quite a distance and see the variations in the wind direction over the terrain (I’ve actually watched them through binoculars).  Back in September, during my Colorado elk hunt, I was able to watch as the fibers went off probably fifty yards, then slowly circled on the changing wind until they came around and went right back behind me!  It was a great reminder that sometimes the wind can be blowing one direction where you’re standing, and be totally different 200 yards away. 

There are plenty of natural aids you can use as well.  A pinch of dust can give you an immediate wind direction.  If the ground is too coarse, or made of plant duff, simply grind the material between your fingertips until it’s fine and light.  Bust open a cattail and sprinkle the fibers on the wind, or if dandelions are in season you couldn’t ask for a better indicator.  I think you get the idea.

Other good wind indication tricks include tying a piece of light fiber, thread, or yarn to the end of your bow or gun.  Personally, I haven’t had much luck with this method.  First of all, hunting in the thick stuff where pigs like to hang out, I usually end up catching the material on brush and pulling it off pretty early in the hunt.  Secondly, a little moisture renders most of these materials useless.  They also only show the wind movement relative to the end of the bow or gun, and don’t give you any idea of what’s happening further down the trail. 

Keep your scent to yourself or behind you, and keep the hogs in front of you, and you’ll do fine.  It’s just that simple.

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