Homemade hog bait

Once pigs become pressured by hunters and trappers they become nocturnal, as is evidenced by this night photo.

Florence hunter Tommy Hemphill has concocted a bait of corn, beer and raspberry gelatin that hogs on his property never seem to tire of eating. He makes his special concoction by mixing beer and corn in a five-gallon bucket and allowing fermentation to take place for a day or two. Then he puts in the gelatin and pours the finished product into a hole about a foot deep.

Hemphill’s bait hole is almost the size of the bed of a pickup.

“I’ve heard of a lot of other options for bait,” he said. “Cast-away items such as fruit and vegetables from fruit stands and scraps from restaurants. Used cooking oil is another thing. In the summer especially, putting bait near a wallow will always get results.

“Using trail cameras will allow a hunter to target the time the hogs come to feed.”