A few years ago we started making the drive to Oklahoma to hunt feral hogs on public land. We had a couple things motivating us to go on this trip; first and foremost, my boys were on Spring Break and we needed something to do and with no other hunting seasons going on and fishing in limbo with the ice coming off the lakes this seemed like a perfect plan to get outdoors. The second was to procure our own pork fat to mix in when making sausage and put some lean pork in the freezer. This wasn’t a bad idea but I’ve since come to learn that these critters don’t have nearly the fat composition as their barnyard brethren so getting enough fat for your sausage recipes may not work with feral hogs (depending of how fatty your like sausage). When we first started daydreaming about this trip, I pictured us bringing back coolers full of wild pigs. Unfortunately like most things it turns out there’s a bit of a learning curve and hunting pressured hogs on public land wasn’t a gimmie by any means. It took us a couple trips to start getting things dialed in before we finally started putting things together and bringing home some “bacon“.
I started researching the trip like most others by Googling “public land hogs Oklahoma” and was able to round up some information to start putting a game plan together. For those who are not familiar with feral hogs it’s a very interesting situation, on one hand you have an non-native species that causes farmers and ranchers billions in losses each year and on the other hand if you start knocking on doors there’s a good chance you’ll get turned away. I could type A LOT on this subject but just know before you go that like any other huntable species don’t head down south thinking farmers and landowners will open their gates and thank you for coming to help with the wild hog problem.
The good news about Oklahoma is there is a ton of huntable public land that holds hogs. Between their WMA’s (Wildlife Management Areas) and Corps of Engineers land you’ll have thousands and thousands of acres to roam. My only word of caution would be to check each WMA for its own specific rules and regulations. Rules vary from place to place – Where to hunt – ODWC WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREAS. Some are archery and/or rimfire only, some allow camping while others do not, so make sure you do your homework. For lodging we have camped at improved campgrounds (Arrowhead State Park), primitive camped on WMA’s and Corps property and rented a VRBO one year when the weather forecasted an entire week of rain. Even though Oklahoma doesn’t consider feral hogs a game species a hunting license is still required. We purchase a 5-day nonresident small game license ($75) and we’re good to go.
As I mentioned earlier, we’ve turned our trip into an annual Spring Break trip (mid-March) and the timing is about perfect. The weather is nice enough that it feels like Spring Break but not so hot that you’re baking in the heat. The trees haven’t yet leafed out, so we can actually see through the woods and since the temps haven’t gotten too warm we don’t have many snakes/insects to deal with, although we still keep an eye out. For those coming from more northern latitudes, be aware that things tend to be a lot thornier down south. I’d recommend some gloves and thicker pants to help from getting torn up by the local vegetation. I’ve found many spots so thick I physically couldn’t get through and you can guess where the hogs like to hang out.
As far as actual hunting goes, we’ve used both spot and stalk and good old fashion drives, pushing the thick brush (think pheasant hunting) with success. You always hear pigs don’t have great eyesight, so one tends to think they’ll make for some easy hunting. After coming home empty handed on our first couple trips I now go into these hunts like any other, expecting to have to work hard for success. These critters are pursued by just about everyone and everything and like any other animal who is hunted relentlessly, they get good at evading their pursuers. I like mornings and evenings best for catching them moving between feeding and bedding areas and saving mid-day for pushing thru the thick stuff.
The folks at Meateater put together a great episode talking about some of the issues with wild hogs, as well as best practices when it comes to table fair. If you find yourself getting curious about doing a trip, it’s worth a watch. I should mention that there are many that will tell you you’re wasting your time field dressing and butchering wild hogs as they are not worth eating. I can promise you this is not the case. I’d be willing to bet that most that say they’re not worth eating haven’t actually ever tried it.
If cabin fever is getting the best of you this is a great trip to get on your radar for next winter!
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