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Thread: Hunting Bushpig on Mielie Lands
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06-03-2020, 08:25 #1
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Hunting Bushpig on Mielie Lands
Good Day!
A friend of mine seems to have a problem with bushpig going into his mielie lands and causing all sorts of damage,
so he asked me to come over and shoot them, but here's the problem,
I can go but will most probably only shoot 1 or 2 if I'm lucky before they runaway and he's looking to radically reduce numbers
How successful can one be hunting them with hounds (which I don't have)?
Is there anyone on the forum around Pretoria or Rusternburg area who does this?
Another thought baiting them with feed soaked in alcohol (see video below) that way I might be able to shoot more than 1 or 2
Any advice would be appreciated
Regards!
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06-03-2020, 09:18 #2
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Re: Hunting Bushpig on Mielie Lands
How is that pig going to be with a hangover? If you do try this, and it works, please let us know. Might be a bit expensive putting enough beer to get a whole lot of pigs drunk. Bushpigs are a little smaller than 600 pounds though.
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06-03-2020, 09:28 #3
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Re: Hunting Bushpig on Mielie Lands
I do not know of hounds around here, but the issue is they cause damage at night, so you need to find there resting place and then use the hounds during the day. You will still only get 1-2 unless you keep at it for a few days. Helicopter, spot lights and a semi auto.
On the safety side, did you follow the news on the hunter who shot a local mielie thief? Best to be very careful when you do hunt them.
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06-03-2020, 09:58 #4
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Re: Hunting Bushpig on Mielie Lands
Was thinking more in the lines a cocktail of Sorgum beer and Ethanol, then mixing that with bread
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06-03-2020, 11:25 #5
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Re: Hunting Bushpig on Mielie Lands
Even with baiting you will not shoot "a few" over a weekend. Bushpig are my absolute favourite to hunt and I do it a lot. To get more than 1 a night does happen, but is not often occurring. Best advice I can give your friend is to erect a decent bushpig proof fence around his fields. To reduce bushpig numbers are becoming impossible as almost everywhere is game farms where they are not controlled and they breed there and then migrate to cultivated fields.
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06-03-2020, 14:22 #6
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Re: Hunting Bushpig on Mielie Lands
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06-03-2020, 15:02 #7
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Be careful with fermented food, especially in combination with bread which will continue the fermentation.
I'm aware of one case where an enterprising individual put out fermented apples to attracted pigs. The end result being that someone found a whole lot of dead pigs. At first the officials thought the pigs died of the dreaded Africa Swine Flu, but further investigation showed that the pigs all died from severe diarrhea.
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06-03-2020, 17:51 #8
Re: Hunting Bushpig on Mielie Lands
Were those European pigs ? African pigs laugh in the face of a few fermented apples.
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06-03-2020, 18:04 #9
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08-03-2020, 08:56 #10
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Re: Hunting Bushpig on Mielie Lands
I have planted mealies and hunted bushpig in the fields. It was great fun. I did not make a dent in the local population though...
You will not likely shoot more than 1 or 2 in a single outing, but it does happen occasionally.
If you have 10+ hectares of fresh pig bait (mealie fields) available, why would any sober pig go to another bait site? They eat the mealies because they are hungry and it is very tasty. Your bait will have stiff competition.
If you want to hunt them in the mealies, finding them is the biggest challenge. There are various ways to do this. If irrigated by a centre pivot system, you can just make a few platforms on the pivot and sit there. They will usually ignore you up there. Let the pivot run (dry) and shoot them as it passes over them. Beware: Lots of accidents have happened when shooting pigs from pivots.
To find them on foot requires a little more work. Find the access routes to the fields and determine their routine. Pigs have watches and keep to their routines untill disturbed, then they change them to confuse you. A string across the path connected to the battery on a cheap electronic clock makes a great movement detector. The pig trips the string, which pulls the battery out of the clock. The next morning you read the time off the clock. Keep a note book and log all movements. They tend to change with the moon cycle, usually moving only after the moon has gone down. A trail camera can also do the same, although at a slightly higher cost. So now you know when to go hunting.
It is best to hunt the alone and wearing socks or bare footed. Thich soft sponges under your soles can also help. They can hear the crunch of your boots for miles at night. Keep down wind and move very carefully. Do not stop your vehicle anywhere near. They can hear vehicles from very far. And they are not stupid, they know what rides in a bakkie.
Pigs are very noisy in mealies. They push the mealies over and much loudly. You can hear them from a few hundred meters away. Only move when they are making noise. Freeze when they are quiet. They stop regularly to listen for anyone approaching. You should too.
Shooting them with NV equipment and supressed rifles is a good idea. Just use enough gun. When disturbed, they tend to run everywhere. If you happen to be in the way, it might get ugly...
Shot are usually at close range, say 2 - 10 m. Occasionally slightly longer if you are lucky.
I started shooting them with a shotgun and buckshot. It worked most of the time. Then I switched to slugs, which worked better. Then I switched to a 308 rifle with mono bullets. That worked the best with no pigs lost wounded. Eventually I ended up mounting a NV scope and supressor on the 308. The supressor was primarily to control the muzzle flash, which blinded the NV scope. It also helped to disturb the pigs less, affording opportunities for second and sometimes third shots.
I always carry a 10mm Auto pistol, loaded with 200gn FMJ Normas or a 44 Mag revolver when hunting pigs. A WML may be a good idea.
There is more to hunting them, but that will need a book...
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