Finding the Best Wild Hog Bait Attractant

The best wild hog bait attractant is not only great at attracting wild hogs, but the ingredients are commercially available so it's easy for hog hunters to make. There are a couple different hog bait recipes that work well, some that do a better job at targeting only hogs and repelling deer, and we'll discuss them all. 

If you want the recipe for the best wild hog bait attractant that we use, scroll all the way down.

A hogs sense of smell is among the strongest abilities they have. The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension confirmed hogs can sense some odors 5-7 miles away and up to 25 feet underground. The basics behind finding an ideal bait for hogs is to find something that is very sweet. This is most common in overly ripe berries and fruits, but can be manufactured through several commonly available baits and attractants. 

Wild Hog Bait Attractants

There are many different baits and attractants that work well for wild hogs, but the problem is that they will attract many other animals as well. There is one solution which hogs are one of the few animals that will eat it, but it takes some time to make. Combine these baits with some quality hog hunting lights and you're on your way to more successful hog hunts.

Raspberry Jello Mix

The sweet smell of raspberry jello mix will lure hogs in from all over. When mixed with corn, it makes for the perfect wild hog bait attractant to put in your feeder. If you're just trying to get a quick hunt in, then you can sprinkle packets of raspberry jello mix around an area to attract them. It is generally best if the mix is baited along with something that has more substance for them to eat, such as corn. Otherwise they are still likely to root the area to recover as much raspberry jello mix as possible.

In order to keep hogs coming back, time and time again, we recommend digging a hole a couple feet deep and dumping several packets of raspberry jello mix, then filling the hole back with dirt. The hogs can smell the mix despite it being buried and will come back in the future to root the ground and eat as much of the wild hog bait attractant as possible. 

Anise Oil

What is anise oil? Well it's an essential oil that is used for flavoring and scenting a wide range of products including soaps, perfume, alcohol, candies, gelatins and more. A small amount of anise oil goes a long way, and it is a great method to attract hogs from miles away.

There are few hunters aware of the effects anise oil has as a wild hog bait attractant, but when used, you will quickly realize how effective it can be. Anise oil has a very strong and potent scent to it which is capable of traveling a good distance. A small 4 oz bottle of anise oil can attract hogs from miles away. Anise oil works best if mixed with corn or other substance so the hogs can eat it. Naturally, the anise oil will also soak into the ground and cause hogs to root the ground and come back for seconds at a later date. 

Sweet Corn

Sweet corn by itself is a good wild hog bait attractant, but it can perform even better if you mix it with other boar attractants. Here's a couple mixtures we've had success with. 

Molasses Corn Mixture

Mix a 50 lb bag of corn with molasses, and put out to hunt. Molasses is a very thick and extremely sweet substance that makes for one of the best wild hog bait attractants. Molasses can be a more expensive option if done in bulk, so it may be best to hang your molasses mixture in a bag about 4-5 feet off the ground so it attracts the hogs and then dig a hole about 3 ft below ground to put the remainder of the mixture. You can put whole shelled corn on the surface above this to give the hogs something to eat immediately while they try to find the other food sources. 

Molasses is so thick, with an oil-like texture that will soak into the ground when used. We put molasses out in a grass patch and noticed that the ground was rooted and all of the grass was mowed down by hogs in the area near where we put the molasses out. Molasses can work as wild hog bait attractant used by itself, but it is typically best when it is mixed with corn.  

Sugar Corn Mixture

We mentioned that hogs like sweet flavoring, and nothing is sweeter than sweet corn. The recipe is pretty simple, dump a 4 lb bag of sugar into a 50 lb bag of corn and mix it together. It's typically easiest to mix together by dumping the mixture into a 5 gallon bucket. An optional additive is to include a packet of yeast. It's not uncommon to see hogs go wild over this boar attractant.

Whole Shelled Corn

As the most commercially available bait to use for feral hogs, whole shelled corn is cheap and easy. It's the preferred option for most hunters because it works well for deer as well. Most deer hunters will stay at the deer blind once the sun goes down, pull out their hog hunting lights, and wait on the hogs to come after the leftover deer corn.

Some vendors offer scented whole shelled corn, and we've found apple-scented corn to work very well for both deer and hogs. It's a little harder to find than conventional whole shelled corn, but may be a great option for you if it's available locally. 

Soured Corn

Deer are not fans of sour corn, but hogs are. If you are looking for ways to be more efficient with your feeding strategies, soured corn as your wild hog bait attractant may be the best fit for you. Here's a soured corn recipe for your next hog hunt:

1. 50 lb bag, whole shelled corn
2. Dump 50 lb bag in 5 gallon bucket
3. Top bucket off with water
4. Let mixture sit for 6-8 days to sour
5. Put sour corn out and wait for hogs to show up.

Dumping sour corn on the ground is one of the most common methods of baiting wild hogs, but if you put it in a sack and tie it to a tree 4-5 feet above the ground, then the scent will travel much further. This is a great method to attract hogs that are further away. In addition, if holes are dug and filled with sour corn to give the hogs something to work for, they are more likely to come back in the future or stay at the bait location for longer durations. Some corn can be laid on the ground as well. Combine all 3 of these together and you should have hogs in no time. 

Dog Food - Hog Mix

If you've got dogs, then you probably have some extra dog food on hand. This method does a great job at attracting hogs while deer typically do not eat it. 

1. Fill 5 gallon bucket 3/4 full with dog food
2. Pour in 5 cans of salmon, tuna or sardines
3. Mix the mixture together
4. Optional: let sit and sour for a couple days
5. Put mixture out and wait for hogs to show up. 

Peanut Butter

Peanut butter is full of calories and can be a great wild hog bait attractant that fattens them up in addition to luring them in. The best method of finding peanut butter in bulk is if you happen to be near a plant that produces it. Otherwise, it can be a pretty costly method of attracting hogs.

A hog hunter that commonly uses peanut butter as bait told us he gets drums of peanut butter that doesn't pass food grade inspection for pennies on the dollar at a local plant. If you happen to have a facility near you, this may be a great opportunity to get some boar attractant. 

The Best Wild Hog Bait Attractant

The best wild hog bait attractant has an intensely sweet flavor, but will last for long durations. We've found the best attractant to be a DIY mixture of several of the ingredients mentioned above. Combine this mixture with some of our hog hunting lights, and you've got the ultimate setup for even the most pressured hog hunting situations. Here's the recipe of the best wild hog bait attractant:

Ingredients

• Whole Shelled Corn, 40 lb bag
• Molasses, 12 oz
• Sugar, 3 lb
• Apple Juice, 0.5L
• Anise Oil, 4 oz
• 5 Gallon Bucket or Empty Molasses Tub and stick or spatula for mixing

Prep. time: 2 Minutes

Directions

1. Pour 40 lb bag of corn into 5 gallon bucket.
2. Pour 12 ounces of molasses into bucket of corn.
3. Add 4 ounces of anise oil to molasses and corn.
4. Pour in 0.5L of apple juice, and add the 3 lb of sugar.
5. Mix contents together.

Wild hog bait attractant Ingredients poured into empty molasses tub

Wild hog bait attractant ingredients mixed together

Application(s)

• Put a portion of the mixture into a burlap sack or plastic grocery bag, poke holes around the bottom of the sack to let the mixture slowly drip onto the ground. The sack should be mounted 4-5 ft above the ground for best attraction. This is primarily for helping the scent travel so hogs can smell it, it is less about the hogs eating it.

• Use a post hole digger to dig 2-3 holes that are approximately 3 ft deep. Place a portion of the mixture into each of these holes, and cover with dirt.
• The remaining amount of the mixture can be spread on the ground for attracting hogs.

For best results, we recommend completing all 3 of the applications listed above. For short-term results, the hanging burlap sack and mixture spread on the ground will work best. For long-term results to keep hogs coming back, we recommend the hanging burlap sack with holes dug around the bait area.

If this is done near a deer feeder that is scheduled to disperse corn on a daily basis, the mixture is best used for hanging in a tree above ground to attract hogs and placed in holes for hogs to root around and keep coming back for more. 

Hog Bait Methods That Should NOT Be Used

There are many great hog hunting bait methods, and then there are some that are commonly discussed baits that might work for hunting hogs but they are not legal. The only reason we are addressing these is because if you are reading this article you are probably doing your research and will come across these methods in other articles.

The baiting methods we are referring to include soaking your corn in diesel or dumping diesel, as well as soaking oil on a rag and hanging it from a tree or dumping oil. These are both illegal methods of baiting hogs and should not be used. These methods of baiting can result in serious action being taken against you by your local fish and game or law enforcement agency. There are plenty of other legal baiting methods to choose from that will perform far better than these. 

For more information on hog hunting, we encourage you to visit our Complete Guide to Hog Hunting.