Hunting wild hogs at night with thermal optics is a unique thrill. But even in prime pig country, catching up with night swine can be a serious challenge. Feral hogs are cagey and unpredictable—they read no scripts—and they’ll definitely keep you on the edge of your seat as you wait for the perfect opportunity to make bacon.
That scenario was exactly what our team experienced when we made a trip to Woods-N-Water Plantation in Georgia. We were locked and loaded with some incredible gear to hunt feral hogs at night, including the Savage Impulse Hog Hunter rifle loaded with Federal Fusion ammo, and a wide array of Burris thermal optics. However, if you hog hunt long enough and travel to multiple hog hunting destinations, you’ll realize that it’s often not the high-volume shooting like you frequently see on TV or social media. Any hog hunt can test your salt, and a mature boar or sow should be considered a genuine trophy. Even with Woods-N-Water, a renowned hog hunting outfitter with a proven track record of consistently putting folks on hogs, hog hunting can be tough.
Night hunting for hogs, no matter the time of year, typically gives you a major advantage. Feral hogs are largely nocturnal animals, operating primarily at dusk and into the night as they maraud food plots, game feeders and natural vegetation. However, just like any wild game animal, environmental conditions can cause unpredictable shifts in activity. When hogs choose to lay low, you’ll usually find them in dense cover that’s foreboding to enter—even for the most seasoned hog hunters.
One of the coolest parts about hunting with thermal optics is that, unlike night vision, thermal works almost equally well in daylight or darkness. When you employ a tool such as Burris’ Clip-On thermal unit, you can hunt 24/7 and always keep your eye on the game.
