Hog nests

[Trslabaugh]

Any of you guys hunting hogs came across a hot nest yet? My buddy and I came across a couple this spring and hadn't really heard anything about them! They will, literally, take tall CRP type grass and build a nest to lay in. They are real similar to a deer bed but has grass laid in it. Biggest one we found was the size of a queen bed!

 

[wytex]

Yes, I have. Hunting down on family property in Texas. Was walking around looking over the river when I noticed all this tall grass that looked like it been cut with a sickle or something. No matted but laying on the ground still scattered around.Crossed the 2 track and found a large area of the same grass piled up in an area about 10x10 ft. Knew then what it was. Have found pretty large areas on the sand bar of the Red River that were hog nests. Would hate to run into the sow with a mess of little ones holed up in one. They will have their litter under the grass.

 

[LCH]

I've seen them made out of old washed up corn stalks here in IN.

 

[JTHOMP]

See them all the time in areas where there are a bunch of pigs. I'm not in the woods much in the spring but will find old and active ones from October-February. Sometimes they actually make a vegetative nest and other times they just use a small knoll in a low lying area, or a dense blow down. One blow down this year I jumped the sow from almost under my feet, but didn't get a shot. Trying to figure my next move I heard a little squeak from where she jumped and realized she had a little one. It was so thick with limbs, and palmettos, I could not crawl in there to catch it and it eventually ran off while I was trying to get to it.

Most vegetative ones I've seen are usually made out of swamp grass (don't know the actual name) and/or palmettos. One very elaborate one was a ring of palmettos and one side was half grass with a palmetto topper. Mama put a lot of effort into that one. I bumped her off the bed then set up down wind waiting for her to return the rest of the evening; although she never did. The four very young piglets would play and mess with each other within the ring then tuck themselves in the grass and sleep. This happened about 3 or 4 times in the 4 hours I was there.

 

[JTHOMP]

The first three photos are some I've found while hunting in January and February. The second and third were not active, but the first one may have been still active or just recently abandoned, based on the fresh pig sign around it. The last photo is the elaborate one I mentioned hunting over in October. This was the first pig nest I had ever seen, and have since never seen one as extensive as it.

 

[HuntTalk Freak]

I usually just find them laying under cedars.

 

[noharleyyet]

Quick info..https://articles.extension.org/pages/64381/feral-hog-behavior

 

[JTHOMP]

Quick info..https://articles.extension.org/pages/64381/feral-hog-behavior

I was just thinking I wonder how long sows use the nest before moving to the typical bedding cover. Thanks for sharing.

From the article..."The reported bravery exhibited by wild sows defending their young is legendary in anecdotal accounts, but is of questionable validity in reported observations made by field researchers."

I've jumped numerous sows from nests and bedding cover, and a couple of times caught little ones. I've never had a pig encounter that was aggressive. Although when trying to catch piglets I'm sure that day will come some day.

 

[JV842]

Same thing on my family’s land n farm. They will have areas n the corn n milo fields that looked like someone went in w a shredder or an alien crop circle!!! All the little bastards could want; food, cover, n when we r irritating... water n cooler air!!!!

 

[LCH]

I was just thinking I wonder how long sows use the nest before moving to the typical bedding cover. Thanks for sharing.

From the article..."The reported bravery exhibited by wild sows defending their young is legendary in anecdotal accounts, but is of questionable validity in reported observations made by field researchers."

I've jumped numerous sows from nests and bedding cover, and a couple of times caught little ones. I've never had a pig encounter that was aggressive. Although when trying to catch piglets I'm sure that day will come some day.

I hadn't either, until I followed dogs.. That'll rile them right up!

 

[JTHOMP]

I hadn't either, until I followed dogs.. That'll rile them right up!

Yea most people I know that have been treed were running dogs. They say no bond is stronger than a mother's love but whoever said that never seen a hog that just had his nuts cut off.

 

[WildWill]

Yea most people I know that have been treed were running dogs. They say no bond is stronger than a mother's love but whoever said that never seen a hog that just had his nuts cut off.

Now that's funny and true!

 

[Trslabaugh]

@noharleyyet Good read, thanks!

It's neat to hear what all the pigs make nest out of! For as much as hog hunting is talked about down around here and such, I'm surprised I hadn't heard about the nest sooner! Fascinating. This is really the first year we have got on a group that isn't real nomadic. Makes for some good off season fun, but now the dang grass is too high to see them with all this rain we have been getting!