Late summer usually finds the big-game hunter eager to get back to the field. Most pre-season days are filled with target practicing, readying treestands, gathering and tweaking our gear and strongly anticipating the opener of our favorite season.

But many hunters are bypassing this anticipation and hunting throughout the spring and summer months. This off-season hunting allows the hunter to stay in peak performance and spend his summer months doing something that he enjoys.

First thoughts of big-game hunting during the off-season may suggest the more costly exotics or African safaris. But cost for hunting this wiry-haired critter is minimal allowing even those on the tightest of budgets to participate.

Though many years ago most hunters considered the wild hog a pest, they are quickly becoming a favored game during the off-season, especially in the Southeast. For many, the lengthy seasons and top quality table fare are adding up -- helping make the wild hog not a secondary, but a main goal.

Hog Excitement
Granted the wild hog isn't a majestic trophy such as a quality buck or bull. However, what it lacks in aesthetics it makes up for with hunting excitement. Other advantages of hunting the wild hog include numerous opportunities, easy access, and, in most states, a year-round season with no bag limits. Having the opportunity to hunt year-round should be enough to provoke any serious hunter to the woods in late summer if not year-round.

Spring of this year found me doing what most hunters do; searching for something to hunt and arranging hunts for the fall. I had been on several hog hunts in previous years and my mind was drifting to the swamps and palmetto thickets when the invitation came to join a friend on an archery hog hunt in south Georgia. The answer to the invitation was a no-brainer.

The six-hour drive south was exhausting, but soon after arriving we did a bit of scouting, which was enough to renew our energy levels. Heavy activity was evident along the edge of a vast palmetto thicket where acorns from the previous year's crop were still available. While scouting we spotted two groups of hogs. Both groups were large sows with piglets and while the sows were fair game in Georgia, we simply enjoyed the spectacle. This was to ensure next year's hog numbers.

Plenty Of Activity
We quickly found spots that looked productive and shimmied up a tree. That evening, I watched as 18 hogs and shoats fed just beyond bow range. Walking the trail back to camp that night, we were accompanied by squeals and grunts as the nocturnal hog activity increased.

By the end of the third evening, I had seen nearly 50 hogs and had the opportunity to harvest a black boar that weighed just above 125 pounds. My friend was able to harvest a calico hog or tri-color of similar size and also passed up several more.

After doing a bit of math it is easy to understand why hog populations throughout the southeast are burgeoning. Most wildlife biologists will agree, mature sows have at least two litters per year with three being possible. In those litters most sows have an average of eight piglets. Then, if that isn't enough, at six months of age the young are capable of breeding. And to add to this, hogs have very few if any predators and the result is ample opportunity to harvest some pork.

Because the feral hog is so prolific and can be very destructive to habitat, most states are very generous when it comes to the matter of wild hog regulations. Many states have no size limit or harvest restriction. In fact, many wildlife agencies encourage hunters to take hogs. And it doesn't stop there, many states will allow the use of bait, night hunting, dogs and just about whatever it takes to harvest a hog.

Tactics Vary
Tactics vary among hunters with stand hunting probably being the most popular, followed closely by stalking. And for those who prefer hunting with dogs, the hog is an ideal candidate. Many hunters use their bear or coonhounds to keep them in shape for the otherwise closed seasons.

Dogs can mean the difference between going home empty handed and returning with pork, this is especially true during the summer months when hogs can be reluctant to move until cooler hours or darkness arrives.

If either stand or stalk hunting is chosen the hunter should be very conscious of wind direction. Although hogs have poor vision their sense of smell is great. During our hunt, stalking was rather easy, but if the wind shifted, any hog downwind would give a squeal and the entire group would quickly disappear.

Those who prefer to hunt from a stand for hogs should have no problem determining a stand site, as sign is easily found in areas with high hog populations. Hogs will voraciously turn up the topsoil of any grassy field. This rooting activity is usually obvious in the surrounding forestland as well. This upturned soil is created by groups of hogs while searching for tender roots, tubers and bulbs. Some areas look almost as if a tiller has been used to turn the soil.

Another ideal place to begin searching for activity is swampy areas with abundant water. This can be a major attractant as the available mud is useful for deterring pesky insects and the water cools these thick skinned critters. Yearlong, but especially in late summer and early fall, these wet areas are where hogs will spend a majority of their time. If a hunting area is primarily high ground try to find a creek bottom. While the temperatures may only be a couple degrees cooler this is sometimes enough to attract a group of hogs.

Stalk In Hot Weather
In late summer and early fall stalking is an excellent method. Many serious hog hunters prefer slipping through food sources and the cooler swampy areas. The reason this method can be more productive at this time of year than at other times is because of the hog's reluctance to move during the hottest hours of the day.

Because hogs are dense and well built (compared to a deer) they can take a lot of punishment. This seems to be especially true of any hog over 200 pounds. Once a hog exceeds this weight, it will grow thick, gristly side shields that defend against the tusks of other large hogs as they fight over breeding rights. Ask any taxidermist and he may tell of dulling several knife blades while fleshing a large boar.

Gun hunters frequently tote large magnums and slug shotguns. Muzzleloaders also work exceptionally well with the correct load. As any seasoned hunter knows, when hunting tough, dense game bullet design is critical. Choose a bullet design with a slow, controlled expansion rate, this will ensure proper penetration -- Remington's Core-Lokt, Winchesters Fail-Safe and the Barnes X bullet are prime examples.

The archer's equipment should also be suitable for sending an arrow through thick skin, muscle and fat. For smaller hogs, deer equipment will usually do the trick, but for hogs nearing the 200-pound mark a 60-pound draw weight should be considered a minimum.

Broadhead Tips
Another key factor, when choosing archery gear, is the business end of the arrow -- the broadhead. Opinions run rampant on what broadhead is best. My favorite is a four-blade 115-grain Muzzy from Muzzy Products. It is one of the most durable designs on the market. The Muzzy design is virtually indestructible, which is a must when the goal is a pass through on any tough game. The largest hog I have taken tipped the scales just shy of 250 pounds and my Mathews Q2XL at 72 pounds of draw weight sent a Muzzy zipping through like hot butter.

As with any other game, archers should be very selective of any shot taken if he hopes to take home his prize. Because all hogs are laden with fat, an arrow hole can be easily plugged allowing little if any blood to escape. And in swampy or very thick areas, a marginally hit hog that ventures several hundred yards before expiring may never be found. The ideal is a broadside or slightly quartering shot, which allows the archer to pierce both lungs.

Many of today's hunters simply aren't satisfied with hunting only a couple weeks or months annually. And the opportunity of year-round hunting beckons the call to more hunters each year. Hunting summer hogs can be an excellent primer for the upcoming fall seasons or it can become an obsession in itself. Whatever the situation, you can't go wrong by going after summer hogs. But be careful -- it's addictive!

--Sportsmansguide.com