Wild boar hunting is not for the weak of heart. Wild hogs are intelligent and extremely dangerous animals when wounded. Recently I had the good fortune to hunt what many southern hog hunters believe to be the #1 spot for boar hunting in Georgia.
In extreme southern Georgia near the Florida state line and the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is Bear Run. It offers exceptional bear hunting, hog hunting, whitetails, alligators, and turkey!
Based on my experience the wild hog hunting at Bear Run must rank among the best southern hog hunting facilities in Georgia. It is located on tens of thousands of acres of managed timber. The cover story is mostly Pine, with a few scattered Oaks. The underbrush is thick with Palmettos, briars, and wild blueberry. In short, perfect terrain and cover to support an impressive feral hog population.
The first day of my hunt was opening day of Turkey season. Late that afternoon I began walking the logging trails. I was hoping to spot a wild boar on the trail for a clean open shot.
Shortly after starting out I was rounding a bend in the trail when I spot 9 wild pigs quickly moving in my direction. Moving carefully in the shadows of the pine tress I attempt to move in close enough for my Grandfather’s old open sights hog hunting rifle. Five of the feral hogs are about 100 pounds and the other four are 200 pounds or more. Just as I was raising the.32 Winchester Special to take aim on the largest wild boar the wind changes direction and the wild hogs performed an instantaneous vanishing act. Poof. They were gone!
Constantly trying to keep to the shadows of the trail and the wind in my face I proceeded to walk the logging trails for hours. On several occasions I can hear the hogs moving through the Palmetto but the underbrush is to thick to see anything.
About 45 minutes before night fall I sit down on the side of the logging trail to take a break and to past some time so I would get back to the rendezvous point at dark.
Sitting on the trail and enjoying the quite sounds of the woods, without any sound of traffic and only and occasional chatter of a squirrel or a Blue Jay calling you know you are far away from civilization.
Suddenly my deep state of relaxation is interrupted by the explosive sound of wild hogs running through the Palmetto. Then they stopped running and I can hear about six maybe seven different hogs grunting in different locations about 60 yards from where I was sitting. And I hear they are moving closer.
No sooner had I raised my Grandfather’s hog hunting rifle than a good-sized feral hog of about 200 pounds came out onto the logging trail.
The hog had obviously met up with some hog hunting dogs in the past because the ears and the tail had been chewed off. All of this registered very quickly as I aimed. Suddenly I hear the explosive sound of the.32 Winchester Special and I see that I had made a clean shot.
After waiting a few minutes I walked over to where the hog entered the woods on the opposite side of the road and on the white sandy trail was the first sign of an excellent blood trail.
One of the best parts of hunting at Bear Run is Jack. He is a huge Golden Retriever trained to follow the blood trail of Bear, Wild Hog, or Whitetails. I knew this hog would not be lost due to the dense undercover. So I begin to head back to the rendezvous point to meet up with the others and head back to the hunting lodge for dinner.
After a delicious southern meal provided by the proprietor JT and his wife we all loaded up in the trucks with JT’s dog Jack to retrieve the hog. The Palmetto leaf that I had stuck in the logging trail allows us to find the blood trail in the pitch-black darkness. After stopping the truck JT straps a cowbell around Jack’s neck and in a flash he was off in the woods.
All you can hear is the clank of the cowbell and suddenly there is silence. JT yells, “Jack are you there?” Jack responds by moving a little so we could hear the clank of the cowbell. Every so often JT yells “Jack are you there?” so the guides can locate the hog. A few minutes later the guides return dragging the wild hog behind them. For me it was the conclusion to a very successful day of wild hog hunting in Georgia.
So if you are looking for a wild hog hunt with almost 100% chance of success and where the feral hogs are abundant and huge then Bear Run is the place to go for some of the best southern hog hunting in Georgia!
By: Robert Ford
About the Author:
Robert Ford has been an hunting enthusiast for 30 years. To learn more about Bear Run visit http://www.bearrunhunts.com
