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WEB EXCLUSIVE: The Hog Whisperer: Cleon Carraway appears to have perfected hog calls
BY Luke Clayton, Special to Star Local News
There is a great deal of information available on most aspects of wild hog hunting, but the art of using calls to attract porkers within shooting range is one that is often skirted around, probably because of lack of factual information.
Through the years, I've had very limited success using calls to attract hogs.
The lion's share of my failures I attribute to lack of skill on my part and possibly the fault of the calls I used to perfectly duplicate the sounds made by wild hogs.
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I've watched sows and boars use their snouts to whack nearby hogs out of the way when the porkers are feeding on corn under one of my feeders or acorns under a heavily laden oak tree during the fall. That stout punch from a hog's snout almost always causes the recipient to emit a loud squeal and, on occasion, will cause a scuffle to occur when a couple larger hogs are involved.
I've heard the contented grunt of boars and sows while feeding. I've even heard the distress squeals made by little pigs when being attacked by coyotes.
Southeast Texas call maker Cleon P. Carraway, owner of Carraway Calls (wildgamecalls.com or: 281-573-1989), not only knows how to make calls that consistently attracts wild hogs, he knows how and when to use them.
Back in high school, Carraway was an accomplished lead guitarist in a rock band, playing at the Astro Hall in Houston for the teen fair in the late-1960s, so this call maker knows sound and possesses a keen ear for deciphering minute changes in pitch and tone.
"For much of my life, I have been a member of a big hunting club that borders the Trinity River in Liberty County," Carraway said. "The lease has nine lakes and several good size creeks that traverse the property. I've spent untold hours in the cane breaks and areas of heavy cover learning all the sounds that a sounder of wild hogs make. I've developed calls that perfectly imitate everything from the high-pitched squeals made by pigs to the guttural grunt of mature boars.
"This big piece of wild real estate has served as a testing and proving grounds where I've perfected my skills as a call maker."
Carraway noted that in order to call hogs, one first has to locate them.
"I look for tracks, rubs and wallows that are freshly made," he said. "Many hunters get tricked up with sign that was made days or weeks earlier. Hogs often move a lot in their search for food and it's important to concentrate hunting efforts where the hogs are, rather than where they were a week earlier."
Areas with the heaviest cover are where Carraway concentrates his efforts.
"I've had some very successful hunts from mid morning throughout the middle of the day by keying on heavy cover close to water," he said. "These are areas where hogs bed but they don't simply head to cover, sleep all day and then come out in late afternoon to feed. In heavy cover, they often mill around during the day, feeding or creating wallows. They feel protected from man and other predators in this thick stuff."
Carraway likes to hunt with a partner and tries to get into the thick of the cover.
"It's important to move slowly and shuffle along the ground to mimic the natural movement of undisturbed wild hogs," he said. "Keeping the wind in your face is most important. A little movement, such as brush moving and scuffling of leaves, sounds natural to hogs, but one scent of human and they're out of there."
Once into the thick cover, Carraway begins making occasional, guttural soft grunts with his call, which puts the hogs at ease.
"This lets nearby hogs know another hog is up and feeding," he said. "It often causes bedded hogs to get up and begin rooting for food. It's very common to hear them coming your way."
When Carraway hears hogs moving in his direction, he continues with grunts and occasionally throws in a squeal, which he is positive nearby hogs decipher as a feeding hog whacking a smaller animal that is infringing on his area. He's masterfully creating the illusion of contented, feeding hogs and, more often than not, this results in pork on the game pole.
While still hunting is a very exciting method of covering lots of ground, stand hunting can also be highly effective.
"I use my calls when hunting over corn to entice hogs out of heavy cover during daylight hours," Carraway said. "It's pretty common for mature boars to hang up in the brush near feeders and make their appearance after dark. A little calling will often bring the hogs into bow or rifle range while there is still light."
Carraway was once hunting a climbing stand about 25 feet up in a white oak when he spotted a sow about 120 yards through the woods in an area with limited visibility.
"The sow heading somewhere other than to my position," he said. "I stopped her with a short squeal. She made a few tentative steps in my direction and seemed to lose interest. About the time she turned to resume her previous travel route, I'd hit the call again. This scenario continued until the sow came right in to my stand location. She stopped five or six times, but curiosity got the best of her."
When asked the percentage of time Carraway has had wild hogs respond to his calls, his reply was "near 100 percent of the time when the hogs can hear me."
"There is always a good bit of skepticism among folks that have never learned that hogs are very receptive to the right call made at the right time," he added. "I'll never forget a humorous event that occurred at a hunting show in Houston a few years ago. A guy came by and stated bluntly that hog calls don't work. I told him I didn't remember selling a call to him. He said he used another brand but alluded to the fact calling hogs simply doesn't work. Later that day, another exhibitor came by with a small tame feral pig on a leash. I began a short series of calls and the pig actually broke away from his owner and ran about 30 feet to my booth and stopped right at my feet.
"I sold everyone present at least one hog call thanks to the little pig."
Listen to Outdoors with Luke Clayton at: catfishradio.com. Contact Luke with outdoors-related news via the website.
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