If you’re looking for something challenging, different, easily accessible, and good for the environment all packaged into one wonderful experience: let me introduce you to Oklahoma hog hunting.
With no tag limits, year-round hunting, and delicious meat, hog hunting almost sounds too good to be true. Depending on what you personally like, however, it doesn’t come without challenges.
In this article, we’ll tell you all there is to know about Oklahoma hog hunting so that you can see if this just might be your next advantage!
Let’s get into it.
The Historic Invasion of the Feral Hog
Whereas some states struggle with invasive species such as mosquitos, spiders, and a variety of bugs – Oklahoma was invaded by the feral hog. These ol’ truckers, descendants of the domestic pigs that were introduced by the early European settlers (once again Europeans ruin everything), found Oklahoma’s rich and biodiverse environment perfect for growth.
The feral hog has a remarkable ability to adapt to its environment and reproduce rapidly, so their populations quickly soared which led to them becoming a dominant presence in the state.
Naturally, this rapid expansion of these beasts led to severe consequences. Hogs, you see, love to ravage up the local farmland due to their rooting behavior. This led to significant crop damage.
Additionally, they love to wallow in water sources which really messes up the water quality, coming with the ripple effect of impacting aquatic ecosystems all over. As they started competing with the native wildlife for resources, these invasive hogs altered Oklahoma’s natural balance – which tends to happen when you introduce a foreign species to new ecosystems.
Luckily, America has some of the finest hog hunters in the world, and we’re coming to save the day.
Why Oklahoma Hog Hunting is Just So Unique
Naturally, the feral hog population’s exponential growth in Oklahoma has a lot of hunters across the state and country salivating at the mouth and inadvertently creating a hunting sensation. The allure isn’t just in the challenge, but also the benefits of helping the local ecosystem.
To me, hog hunting is one of the more unique ways to enjoy this sport. One of the main reasons for that is that they’re one of the only game animals that you want to hunt at night. It’s like adding a little twist to the usual hunting experience, where it’s the sound of you that is going to alert them, not vision.
The best part about Oklahoma hog hunting is easy access and tasty meat
The reason I personally got into Oklahoma hog hunting was because I had a down year where I simply did not get any tags (I live in Washington, and tags are hard to come by).
My buddy in Oklahoma told me to join him for a hog hunt instead, as there are no specific hog tags or permits you need to obtain to get started – just the standard hunting license.
So I headed off to SeaTac, got on a plane to Tulsa, and without any paperwork got to hunting on my buddy’s massive property for a great sunset hunt.
I personally happened to do it in the usual hunting fall season, but Oklahoma hog hunting is actually open year-round, so you could get up right now and head over for a sweet hunt!
Reaping the Rewards
The greatest gift that these invasive guys bring with them is their lean and flavorful meat. Bring your kill to any Oklahoma butcher and they’ll be happy to give you heaps of amazing meat that tastes absolutely sublime.
My buddy’s hog stew is to die for.
I asked him for the recipe so I could share it with you guys but he said it was a family secret.
How to hunt?
You can hunt hogs in almost any way, shape, or form. Stand hunting, trapping, spot, and stalking, or dog hunting all work great.
Personally, we went with spot and stalk hunting, as I’m not quite sure how well my bird dog hunting pointer would go against a fully grown male hog and I hate sitting still and waiting.
Just how difficult is hog hunting?
I wouldn’t go hog hunting if I wasn’t pretty experienced.
Hunting at night in new environments adds a lot of extra variables to the hunt you wouldn’t usually think of, and an injured hog can still be an aggressive and dangerous one, meaning that a bad shot could lead to a very bad time.
Hogs are incredibly adaptable and unpredictable, which makes them challenging to both control and hunt. If they sense danger, feel trapped, or are in pain, they can muster of a lot of fighting spirit – so you wanna stay at a distance.
They also have a great sense of hearing and smell, and they’re pretty damn fast, so you gotta be really stealthy. If you’re an intermediate hunter or below, do not go alone or with another beginner.
That’s a wrap
Oklahoma hog hunting presents an unrivaled and exciting adventure for any seasoned hunter and expertly blends the thrill of the hunt with the satisfaction of making a real positive impact on the local ecosystem.
And of course, get a bunch of delicious meat out of it.
Because of the “danger” and inherent challenges that come with Oklahoma hog hunting, the adrenaline you get from these types of hunts really put hog hunting up there as one of my favorite ways to engage in the sport.
We, as hunters, play a crucial role in striking a balance between human needs and wildlife in Oklahoma. We’re not talking about a complete culling of the population, just enough to not ruin the rest of the ecosystem.
If you have the opportunity, I cannot recommend heading over to Oklahoma enough for a once-in-a-lifetime hog hunt.
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Happy hunting!
