Predator & Hog Hunting: The Complete Guide

Predator and hog hunting occupy a unique niche — these are the species you can hunt almost anywhere, almost anytime, with almost any method. Coyotes and wild hogs are found in every state (hogs in 35+ states and expanding), seasons are year-round in most jurisdictions, and the management need is real: coyotes impact deer fawn survival and livestock, and wild hogs cause $2.5 billion in annual agricultural damage.

For hunters who want to stay sharp between big game seasons, try night hunting with advanced optics, or just get outdoors on a random Tuesday in February, predator and hog hunting is always in season.

Coyote Hunting

Canis latrans

The coyote is the most adaptable predator in North America. Despite a century of aggressive control efforts, the coyote has expanded its range from the Western plains to all 50 states (including Hawaii), every Canadian province, and into Central America. Their population is estimated at 5–7 million in the US alone.

Why hunt coyotes:

• Wildlife management: Coyote predation accounts for 50–80% of white-tailed deer fawn mortality in studied populations (University of Georgia, Auburn University research). Removing coyotes measurably improves fawn recruitment in managed properties.
• Livestock protection: USDA Wildlife Services reports coyotes kill ~$70 million in livestock annually
• Year-round seasons: Most states have no closed season on coyotes
• Challenging quarry: Coyotes have excellent vision, hearing, and smell. They're smarter and warier than most game animals.

Calling Coyotes

Calling is the primary method for hunting coyotes — using prey distress sounds to lure them into shooting range.

The Stand Setup

1. Approach from downwind — Coyotes circle downwind of a call source. Set up where you can see the downwind approach.
2. Position with backstop — Sit against a bush, tree, or terrain feature that breaks your outline
3. Elevation advantage — Set up on a slight rise where you can see approaching coyotes at 100–300 yards
4. Decoy placement — A small motion decoy (MOJO Critter, Lucky Duck Yote) at 30–50 yards draws the coyote's visual attention away from you

Calling Sequence

Phase	Time	Sound	Volume	Purpose
Opening	0:00–1:00	Rabbit distress (cottontail, jackrabbit)	Loud	Reach coyotes at distance (500+ yds)
Pause	1:00–3:00	Silence	—	Let coyotes commit and approach
Second series	3:00–4:00	Same or different distress	Medium	Pull hesitant coyotes closer
Pause	4:00–7:00	Silence	—	Scan constantly — they may be close
Third series	7:00–8:00	Different sound (bird distress, pup distress)	Low-medium	Convince close coyotes that haven't committed
Final scan	8:00–15:00	Occasional low distress or ki-yi	Low	Last chance for cautious coyotes
Leave	15:00–20:00	—	—	Longer than 20 min is rarely productive

Pro tips:

• Don't over-call. More silence than sound. Coyotes locate the call source quickly — continuous calling tells them something is wrong.
• Watch behind you. 30–40% of coyotes approach from behind or the side, not directly from downwind.
• Wait out double responses. If two coyotes answer your call, the subordinate often comes in first (less cautious). The dominant coyote hangs back. Be patient for the second.
• Rotate calling locations. Educated coyotes avoid stands they've been called to before. Don't call the same spot more than once per 2–3 weeks.

Electronic vs Mouth Calls

Factor	Electronic (FoxPro, MOJO)	Mouth Call (Primos, FLX)
Sound quality	Excellent (recorded real animals)	Good (depends on skill)
Volume control	Precise, remote-controlled	Manual
Sound separation	Call placed 30–50 yds from you (draws coyote away from your position)	Sound comes from your position
Variety	100+ programmed sounds	Limited to your skill set
Cost	$100–$500	$10–$30
Batteries/maintenance	Required	None

Recommendation: Start with a mouth-blown rabbit distress call ($15 — Primos Randy Anderson) to learn the basics. Upgrade to an electronic caller (FoxPro Shockwave, $200) when you're hooked.

Best Coyote Hunting States

State	Night Hunting	Bag Limit	Season	Electronic Calls	Thermal Legal
Texas	Yes	No limit	Year-round	Yes	Yes
Kansas	Yes	No limit	Year-round	Yes	Yes
Oklahoma	Yes	No limit	Year-round	Yes	Yes
South Dakota	Yes	No limit	Year-round	Yes	Yes
Nevada	Yes	No limit	Year-round	Yes	Yes
Idaho	Yes (with permit)	No limit	Year-round	Yes	Yes
Montana	No (daytime only)	No limit	Year-round	Yes	N/A
Pennsylvania	No	No limit	Year-round (outside big game)	Yes	N/A

Wild Hog Hunting

Sus scrofa

Wild hogs (feral pigs, wild boar) are the most destructive invasive species in the United States. An estimated 6–9 million wild hogs occupy 35+ states and cause $2.5 billion annually in agricultural, ecological, and infrastructure damage.

The problem:

• Hogs root up agricultural fields (crops, pastures, hay fields)
• They destroy native habitat and compete with native wildlife for food
• They carry diseases transmissible to livestock (brucellosis, pseudorabies) and humans (E. coli, leptospirosis)
• A single sow produces 1–2 litters of 4–12 piglets per year
• 70–75% of the population must be removed annually just to prevent growth — current removal rates are approximately 30%

For hunters, this means: Year-round seasons, no bag limits, liberal methods (including night hunting, dogs, traps, and aerial gunning in some states), and grateful landowners who want you there.

Hog Hunting Methods

Spot and Stalk

The most common method. Scout areas with fresh hog sign (rooting, wallows, trails, tracks), set up at dawn or dusk when hogs feed in open areas, and stalk within range.

Where to find hogs:

• Agricultural field edges (especially corn, soybeans, peanuts) at dawn/dusk
• Creek and river bottoms (water + shade + rooting soil)
• Oak flats during mast season (acorns are a primary food source)
• Mud wallows (hogs wallow to cool and control parasites)

Stand/Blind Hunting

Set up over a feeder (corn feeder, soured corn pile) or a known travel corridor. Evening and night hunts over feeders are extremely productive.

Feeder strategy: Hogs become nocturnal quickly when pressured. If you're hunting over a feeder and they stop coming during daylight, switch to night hunts. Hogs that won't come to a feeder at 5 PM will hit it at 11 PM.

Night Hunting with Thermal

Night hunting with thermal optics is the most effective method for removing hogs — they're naturally nocturnal, and thermal scopes detect them at 200+ yards in complete darkness.

Basic night hunting setup:

• AR-15 or AR-10 platform with suppressor (reduces noise, less property disturbance)
• Thermal clip-on or dedicated thermal scope
• Bipod or shooting sticks
• Green or IR (infrared) feeder light at bait stations

Thermal scope options:

Scope	Resolution	Detection Range	Price
ATN Thor 4 384	384x288	600 yds	$1,800
Pulsar Thermion 2 XP50	640x480	1,800 yds	$4,000
AGM Rattler TS35	384x288	1,200 yds	$2,500
FLIR Thermosight Pro	320x256	800 yds	$3,500

Helicopter Hog Hunting

Legal in Texas and a few other states. Hunters shoot from a helicopter using AR-15s or shotguns to cull hog populations quickly. This is the only method fast enough to meaningfully impact hog numbers on large properties.

Cost: $1,500–$3,000 per hunter for a 2–3 hour flight Effectiveness: A skilled team can remove 50–200+ hogs in a single session

Top Hog Hunting States

State	Estimated Population	Night Hunting	License Req (Private)	Year-Round
Texas	3.0+ million	Yes	None (private land)	Yes
Florida	500,000+	Yes (private)	Yes	Yes
Georgia	200,000+	Yes (private)	Yes	Yes
Louisiana	700,000+	Yes	Yes	Yes
Oklahoma	500,000+	Yes	Yes	Yes
Alabama	250,000+	Yes (on private)	Yes	Yes
South Carolina	150,000+	Yes (private)	Yes	Yes
Mississippi	200,000+	Yes	Yes	Yes
Arkansas	200,000+	Yes (with permit)	Yes	Yes
Missouri	50,000+	Prohibited (trapping only)	N/A	N/A

Texas dominates with an estimated 3+ million hogs — roughly 50% of the US population — and the most liberal regulations. On private land, hogs can be hunted by any method, any time, with no license required.

Prairie Dog Hunting

Prairie dog hunting is long-range shooting in its purest form — small targets (4-inch kill zone) at 100–400+ yards across open prairie. It's both varmint control and marksmanship practice rolled into the most rounds-fired day you'll ever have.

Key facts:

• Species: Black-tailed prairie dog (most common), White-tailed prairie dog
• Target size: ~4" body width exposed above burrow
• Best calibers: .223 Rem, .22-250, .204 Ruger, .17 HMR
• Round count: A typical day of prairie dog hunting: 200–500+ rounds
• Best states: South Dakota (most accessible), Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado
• Season: Year-round in most states
• Cost: Many ranchers allow free access — prairie dogs damage range land. Guided shoots run $200–$400/day.

What it teaches: Precision marksmanship at variable distances, wind reading, trigger control, and rifle zero validation. Serious long-range rifle shooters use prairie dog towns as live-fire practice for big game season.

AR-15 for Predator & Hog Hunting

The AR-15 platform is the most popular predator and hog hunting firearm due to fast follow-up shots, caliber versatility, modularity, and suppressor compatibility.

Best AR Calibers by Application

Caliber	Best For	Barrel Length	Effective Range	Energy at 200 yds
.223 Remington	Coyote, prairie dog, fox	16–20"	300 yds	700 ft-lbs
6.5 Grendel	Hogs, deer-sized game, coyote at range	18–20"	400 yds	1,100 ft-lbs
.300 Blackout	Hogs (suppressed), short-range predator	9–16"	200 yds	800 ft-lbs (supersonic)
6.8 SPC	Hogs, medium game	16–18"	300 yds	900 ft-lbs
.350 Legend	Hogs in straight-wall states	16–20"	200 yds	1,000 ft-lbs
.458 SOCOM	Large hogs at close range	16"	150 yds	1,600 ft-lbs

The suppressor advantage: Suppressors (legal in 42 states for hunting) reduce muzzle blast by 25–35 dB, protecting hearing, reducing recoil, and — critically for predator/hog hunting — allowing follow-up shots without scattering the group. A suppressed .300 Blackout with subsonic ammo is nearly movie-quiet and devastating on hogs at 50–100 yards.

Getting Started

1. For coyotes: Buy a rabbit distress mouth call ($15), find open country or agricultural land, set up at dawn, and call for 15–20 minutes. A .223 bolt-action or AR-15 with a 3–9x scope is all you need.
2. For hogs: Contact Texas ranches (many welcome free hog hunters — they want the hogs gone), bring any centerfire rifle .223 or larger, hunt field edges at dawn/dusk.
3. For night hunting: Start with a green spotlight ($30) and upgrade to thermal monocular ($800+) as budget allows. Check your state's night hunting regulations first.
4. For prairie dogs: Book a guided shoot in South Dakota ($200–$400/day, ammo included on some). Bring your varmint rifle and 300+ rounds.

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