Wild hog hunting Destin FL?

[Gun Chooter]

Hey all, looking for input on where a guy could hunt some wild boar in or around Destin FL. I'm going on vacation there this fall and thought it may be fun to go out for a day of hunting if it didn't take a ton of effort. Any input on a place to go is greatly appreciated.

 

[Sniper 79]

I had a great time at Little Lake Lodge in Okeechobee

Not sure where that is from your spot.

 

[Gun Chooter]

Thats a long ways out from where I'll be. Hoping to find something within an hours drive but everything looks pretty industrialized around Destin.

 

[two70]

Thats a long ways out from where I'll be. Hoping to find something within an hours drive but everything looks pretty industrialized around Destin.

The Destin area is pretty industrialized/touristy and most of the hog hunting in Florida is much farther south and east but you might be able to find something within an hour. Your best bet would probably be to call or email Broxson's Outdoors in nearby Navarre and see if they can point you in the right direction. Honestly, as good as the fishing is I probably wouldn't worry too much about hog hunting while in Destin. Also be sure to visit McGuire's Irish Pub!

 

[Gun Chooter]

The Destin area is pretty industrialized/touristy and most of the hog hunting in Florida is much farther south and east but you might be able to find something within an hour. Your best bet would probably be to call or email Broxson's Outdoors in nearby Navarre and see if they can point you in the right direction. Honestly, as good as the fishing is I probably wouldn't worry too much about hog hunting while in Destin. Also be sure to visit McGuire's Irish Pub!

Thank you for your input. I'll give these guys a call. I'm taking my kayak for some fishing also, had the best time of my life fishing off of one of the jettys in destin a few years back. Caught a combination of about 60 lady fish and blue fish over a couple hours time. All on topwater too! Hope to have the same luck again. The hardest part is finding time away hunting and fishing while on a family vacation.

 

[natdscott]

Dunno, but don't wander around too much.

Eglin AFB is kinda touchy about intrusion.

-Nate

 

[Ward250]

Also be sure to visit McGuire's Irish Pub!

Don't wear your good tie.

 

[two70]

Thank you for your input. I'll give these guys a call. I'm taking my kayak for some fishing also, had the best time of my life fishing off of one of the jettys in destin a few years back. Caught a combination of about 60 lady fish and blue fish over a couple hours time. All on topwater too! Hope to have the same luck again. The hardest part is finding time away hunting and fishing while on a family vacation.

The Kayak should be a lot of fun. Those ladyfish are not only fun to catch but great bait as well, next time you catch some, hook one up and cast it back out. I doubt you will have to wait long for a bite.

 

[Gun Chooter]

The Kayak should be a lot of fun. Those ladyfish are not only fun to catch but great bait as well, next time you catch some, hook one up and cast it back out. I doubt you will have to wait long for a bite.

Very cool, sounds like fun. How would you rig this? Also, do you have a line recommendation? I assume anything eating this will have teeth.

 

[two70]

Very cool, sounds like fun. How would you rig this? Also, do you have a line recommendation? I assume anything eating this will have teeth.

I prefer to cut the ladyfish into more manageable pieces(and to prolong the amount of time the bait will last) and hook around the backbone on a chunk. The action won't be as quick as using a live one but the chance of hookup is much better. The few times I've used a live one I have quickly gotten a hard bite and set the hook just to reel in a small piece of ladyfish. From a jetty or pier I prefer to deadline it with no weight but use a spider weight when casting from the beach. Big, big redfish (Jacks too) reportedly love ladyfish so not everything you might catch will have teeth but it is a good idea to have a steel or at the very least heavy fluorocarbon leader just in case. I've mostly landed bluefish and small sharks but have hooked and lost a couple that felt like small submarines. I prefer to use medium to medium-large sal****er spinning reels for the ease of casting so for line I typically use 60Lb. braid for backing then about 150 yards of 20-30 lb. mono on top for abrasion resistance.

 

[OutdoorDad]

Sal****er. A nasty nasty word.

As others have said. You probably won't find much hog hunting.
The deer are plentiful. But you need to be an excellent shot. Most of the deer in the panhandle are the size of small German shepherds.

Two hours easr, west or north, and you might be able to get into it.


Good luck! I'm about to take three girls into the surf to murder gulf kingfish for an hour or two.

 

[Gun Chooter]

I prefer to cut the ladyfish into more manageable pieces(and to prolong the amount of time the bait will last) and hook around the backbone on a chunk. The action won't be as quick as using a live one but the chance of hookup is much better. The few times I've used a live one I have quickly gotten a hard bite and set the hook just to reel in a small piece of ladyfish. From a jetty or pier I prefer to deadline it with no weight but use a spider weight when casting from the beach. Big, big redfish (Jacks too) reportedly love ladyfish so not everything you might catch will have teeth but it is a good idea to have a steel or at the very least heavy fluorocarbon leader just in case. I've mostly landed bluefish and small sharks but have hooked and lost a couple that felt like small submarines. I prefer to use medium to medium-large sal****er spinning reels for the ease of casting so for line I typically use 60Lb. braid for backing then about 150 yards of 20-30 lb. mono on top for abrasion resistance.

Great info, thank you. Sounds like I need to make a stop at a Bass Pro on the way down...bummer. If I catch anything worth taking a picture of I'll try to post it on here.

 

[Gun Chooter]

Sal****er. A nasty nasty word.

As others have said. You probably won't find much hog hunting.
The deer are plentiful. But you need to be an excellent shot. Most of the deer in the panhandle are the size of small German shepherds.

Two hours easr, west or north, and you might be able to get into it.


Good luck! I'm about to take three girls into the surf to murder gulf kingfish for an hour or two.

Haha yeah I've heard the same about the deer. Looks like hog hunting is out, I think I'll give all my attention to fishing instead. Not a terrible trade off.

 

[two70]

Great info, thank you. Sounds like I need to make a stop at a Bass Pro on the way down...bummer. If I catch anything worth taking a picture of I'll try to post it on here.

You're welcome and I hope you get into some good action! If you're going to Bass Pro to pick up some gear anyway I would be sure to pick up a Sabiki rig or two while you are there. I prefer the ones with heavier main and dropper line. Then use it at the jetties or better yet one of the piers in the area to catch some bluerunners/hard tails to use as bait until you catch some ladyfish. While not quite as good ad ladyfish for bait, bluerunners will catch fish and they can be fun to catch on a slow day. You also may catch some Spanish mackerel on the Sabicki rig too which is the reason I prefer to buy the ones with heavier main and dropper lines.