Hog hunting - Free range vs fenced
 

I run a hunting plantation down here in Georgia and offer free range hog hunts. I have considered starting a fenced operation to offer "gauranteed" hunts.

I would like some feedback from people that have been on these types of hunts and what they thought.

I have never known anyone who was extremely successful at keeping wild hogs behind a fence if the fenced area was of any size at all. Usually it is more successful keeping wild hogs in a designated area with feed and not a fence. Just what our outfitters have told us over the years.

Trying to keep a hog somewhere it doesn't want to be is almost impossible. Keep them fed and the will stay around. We've seen them run through a 5 strand barb wire fence like it wasn't there. If they can't go through something they will dig out. We keep some in a pen we trap and to keep them from digging out we have to run a 2' strip of cattle panel buried on the ground around the inside of the fence. We also have to make sure there are no corners otherwise they will get in a corner and climb out. We've had them break over a dozen welds on a trap one night and escape.

There are a LOT of operation around here that do it. They use a fence inside a fence inside a fence system plus some hot wire.

I get a number of calls asking if our hunts are guarenteed and I explain that we only offer free range hunts. I was looking for some feedback on people that had been to fenced operations and what they thought about them. Was is a good experience and would they do it again?

The only fence I ever saw that held hogs was used by a New Zealand company contracted to eradicate hogs on one of the Channel Islands by Santa Barbara. It wasn't very high (about 4') but they had to stake it down because the hogs dig under it. I'm sure it can be done but it's probably very expensive. Good luck.

Two comments;
1. Why would someone pay to shoot a pinned in animal?
2. I think it would be more cost effective to buy some old farmers pig, build a cheap pin and throw your table scraps to it for feed. When a hunter comes, lead the pig out of the pin with a rope, tie it to a tree and let them shoot it.

Sorry brother but "hunting" is not "gauranteed". When someone "hunts" for something, there is the probability of no success.

Edited by SWThomas. There's no need for a comment like that.

These past few weeks I been working on an 1100 acre high fence ranch and was hog hunting as well. The place looks to be overun with them as they are destroying the food plots and rooting all over the place, in three days I never even seen one.
They are there just to darn nocturnal.
Hogs are hard even in a high fence.

I don't understand WHY people pay to shoot a pinned animal but they do. Because I disagree with the practice on an ethical bases is why I only offer free-range hunts.

However given today business economy I need to look at all options to generate revenue.

Hunted a place that had a three foot tall fence, it was that 3in by 3in panel with a single strand of hot wire about 7 in off of the ground to keep them from knocking the fence over. The guy had it up for two years and never had it knocked down. I have hunted both free and fenced and really can see both sides of the argument. Every ranch is different.

get off this guys back he's just trying to make some extra cash

I have Bowhunted free range & High fence. Both several times.
I have had my best success with free range beleive it or not. High Fence i've been to (1000 to 4000 acres) you never saw a hog until dark. 7 trips High fence & I killed 1 hog just as it was turning daylight. Driving into camp at night you would see them running everywhere. I've killed 16 hogs total on other places & 1 with Hounds.

My first time I hunted (or should i say shot) them in a 50 acre pen. They had issues with them getting out on occasion sometimes they didn't even live long enough though. When i asked the guy what kind do they have ie: Spanish, Russian, razorbacks or just plain old ferrel spotted he told me they are of the Rocky mountain strain. LOL I almost pissed my pants laughing! The I shot the first thing I saw which was running behind and elk that was behind a sika which was behind a Hawaiian goat which was behind a Texas dall (you get the picture) I thought I was in THE NOT SO WILD AFRICA movie or something.

Then...... I hunted a 5k acre unfenced plantation in S. Carolina and you could not even compare the two. The guide does not hunt with dogs switches stands everyday, baits corn all year round, does not allow stalking them and hunts only in the winter months to avoid nocturnal in the heat. He has very consistent kill rates. The guy does deer hunts too and goes into detail about the property, the stands and his strategy.

i have never hunted a fenced in place. There are lots of free ranging hogs here. i'm
blessed by being able to hunt hogs on a huge government property, several pieces of private property and one of our places as well.

If things were different an i did not have a place to hunt i would hunt a fenced in ranch in a heartbeat.

Fencing?
 

I have hunted free range hogs in S.C. and N.C. and on both occasions spent two days in a stand and never saw a hog. I hunted Caryona Lodge in Tenn. which is fenced in large plots and stocked with feral hogs which are trapped in the wild. It was an exciting hunt with dogs and I would recommend it to anyone. The ethics of fencing should be left to each hunter to decide for themselves. If it is legal in your state then no one should criticize you. It is like debating dog hunting for deer in the South or baiting bear. Let's unite to fight the anti-hunters not divide ourselves into competing groups.