Louisiana Pigs - Last hunt of 2017-2018 season

With work and other obligations this weekend was my last weekend to hunt. I decided to finish the season back where I started it on some public land in north Louisiana. The first time I was here was the last weekend of September seeing what it had for deer. The deer scouting trip soon turned into multiple pigs stalks. Didn't have a weapon since the no season had started, but it is cool to see how close you can get to some of them and watch them. I've forgotten how many we saw in just a day and a half of scouting, but it was the most I've ever seen in that amount of time. At least a dozen each day. Most of the pigs weren't way back in the woods where you'd normally find the most game. Instead they were adjacent to the private land. All but a few pigs were seen within a couple hundred yards of private land.

Not good quality but a couple pics I took with my cell phone. I was about 10yds of the boar hog pictured.

Based on the last scouting trip I had a Plan A and Plan B where I wanted to focus on since I had seen the most pigs there. Saturday morning the wind was right for Plan A and would then switch in a good direction for Plan B in the evening. Sunday the wind would be good for Plan C which is across the road from Plan A.

At day break Saturday morning as I grabbed my pack and gun I noticed rootings on the side of the road that had been made since that night. Felt pretty confident going into the woods as there was fresh rootings all over the woods. To my surprise just inside the woods I jumped a group of pigs bedded down in a fallen tree top. None of them paused or thought about slowly getting out of there like pigs often do. I had to laugh when I turned around and could see still clearly see the truck. They knew I was there before I had a chance. Spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon slowly slipping through Plan A. Most of the sign was still closer to the road, and didn't see anything.

Hunted Plan B in the evening. Didn't see much fresh sign while creeping in the creek bottom. Eventually I got to a point past where I had scouted before. Couldn't tell by the maps I had looked at, but the creek bottom had been logged some years and had since grew into a nasty thicket full of vines and briars. Great for deer and pigs, not so much for stalking. Standing on the edge of the thicket contemplating where to go next I heard two boars fighting inside the ticket. I took off in their direction but the fight ended before I could get close. Sure was a great way to get the heart pumping after an uneventful day! Eventually found a spot I could see about 20yds in either direction and had a log to sit on. I spent the remainder of the evening here and closer to dark heard movement a couple of times, but no pigs in sight.

Sunday was my last chance and went after them in Plan C. Again lots of fresh sign near the road and some looked newer than the day before. About a half mile in the woods I was walking a fall log to cross over the creek. Just as I crossed the log and got my feet on solid ground here comes a medium size pig running in my direction. When I see it's about to hit an opening I give it a MEEEH. To my misfortune it stopped with its head behind a tree. Paused for a little and veered off and ran. After it ran off I could hear hog dogs baying to the north. This one must have slipped the bay so I decided to stay put and see if any others would follow. A few minutes later and the bay was silent. Caught hog.

The pig I saw ran to a large cane thicket and I decided to check it out, and found an old piglet nest (pictured below) with old and new hog droppings all over the place. If I hunt here again this will be the first place I come to. Another hour of walking and eventually it was time to head home with empty ice chests.

It has been a great season with many ups and downs, but I'm very pleased with it. Killed my best Louisiana buck, and got to spend quality time with my nephew teaching him how to hunt. Looking forward to what the 2018-2019 season has in store!

Sounds like you've got some good spots there. I really enjoy hog hunting; it's not as easy as it looks on TV!

Thanks for sharing the story/pics. Seems like a blast and gives me an idea for an Xmas break trip with by two boys some year. Squirrels and pigs!

Nice write up!