Hogs are slippery prey at the best of times, but when hunting for hogs at night you’ll want a little something to enhance your visibility and level the playing field.
Lighting up your hunting area allows for you to make clear shots that kill ethically, so it’s just as much for the hogs’ benefit as it is for you if you think about it.
Hogs can’t see the colors green and red very well, so you’ll find hog lights always come in those colors, and all of the ones we’ve singled out below are green since we think they work best.
We found five products that come well rated and well-reviewed, then wrote out their features so that you can see their pros and cons, and judge for yourself.
We’ve also written a small buyers’ guide and an FAQ section that includes tips and tricks for buying and using the right feeder lights for your hunt, so the purchase you make can be a sure shot.
In a hurry? This is our winner!
- Has 35 high-powered LEDs with adjustable brightness illuminate game up to 30 feet away with motion, photocell or manual activation
- Has 4-way switch with on, off, dusk and motion modes; external power port
- Attaches to most Moultrie feeders (Directional, econo plus, Pro hunter, Pro Magnum, deer feeder classic, deer feeder Pro and deer feeder Elite)
Best Hog Feeder Lights – Comparison Table
Best Hog Feeder Lights – Reviews
Moultrie Feeder Hog Light | 35 LEDs | 4-Way Switch | Attaches to Most MOU Feeders, Black, 1 pack
The Moultrie Feeder Hog Light is the perfect choice for a capable budget feeder light. This listing will get you three units that each feature 35 green lights of varying intensity, depending on which brightness you set them to.
At their highest intensity, they illuminate up to 35 feet away and are activated by either motion, manual or photocell activation, depending on your preferences. This is all managed from a four-way switch with on, off, dusk, and motion modes.
They run off of 4 C batteries but can also be powered by an external power port. They’re compatible with the majority of other feeders out there, including Moultrie feeders.
Rainwater can damage the Moultrie, as can prolonged corrosive exposure to the outside world, which is why we’d recommend attaching it to the underside of your feeder.
At any rate, it’s a lot of very bright lights for a great price, that also features an assortment of on and off switches for you to choose from.
- Provides a high degree of illumination
- Lots of versatility in how you activate switches
- Attaches to most feeders
- Can run off of batteries or external power
- Not waterproof
- Not very durable when exposed to the outdoors
WILDGAME INNOVATIONS Moonshine Feeder Light | Weather-Resistant Motion-Activated Green Light with Integrated Solar Panel for Hog & Predator Hunting
Next up is the least expensive light we have on this list, the Wildgame Innovations Moonshine. It hasn’t got as many lights as our number one option, but still carries a respectable amount of 16 green LEDs that is triggered by a PIR-activated motion sensor.
For those who prefer green energy, these lights can also run off of solar power to charge its lithium-ion battery, though if you won’t use this often you can turn it on or off when needed.
The Moonshine has a weather-resistant design that sets it above other market competitors, since these lights can be set outside freely.
The sensors that trigger these lights aren’t the best. The sensor isn’t the only thing that doesn’t perform well at range, since its light doesn’t extend very far. Still, it’s not bad for the money and is more than capable in the rainy outdoors.
- Weatherproofed to survive outdoors
- Solar powered by lithium-ion batteries
- Controllable via on or off switch
- An affordable lighting option
- Lights aren’t very bright
- Limited range motion sensor
Elusive Wildlife Kill Light Xtreme Bright Motion Activated Feeder Light - Green
The Kill Light Extreme Bright is the brightest in Kill Light’s catalog, claiming to be four times brighter than the original. It illuminates a range of 30-40 feet and uses a PIR motion detector trigger that’s capable of 360-degree detection to cover as much ground as possible.
Anti-Spook tech has been used so that the hogs don’t bolt when these powerful lights wake up, instead gradually turning on when tripped. This makes the lighting less sudden, since it’s the unexpected change in environment that’ll scare the oinkers away.
There are two modes to these lights, and they’re pretty self-explanatory. Motion mode is when the motion sensor triggers activation, whilst with timer mode you can set for the lights to activate when the sun falls out of the sky.
From here you can set the duration of light too, from one to 15 minutes in motion mode or one to ten hours in timer mode.
These features don’t come cheap, however, with these being the priciest lights on the list. It’s packed with innovative features if you can justify the price tag, but not everyone will be able to, hence why it sits at the humble mid-section of our list.
- Throws bright light very far
- Anti-Spook tech makes sure that the hogs aren’t scared by the light intensity
- Motion and Timer modes add a lot of customizability to them
- Not very waterproof
- Pricey
Elusive Wildlife The Kill Light Motion Activated Feeder Light - Green
Next, we have the original Kill Light that we mentioned above, a light fixture that carries 24 green LEDs that too achieves about 30-40 feet of illumination depending on conditions. They’re motion activated and run off of C batteries that are capable of being solar charged, though there is an auxiliary cable that can be used when the batteries and the photocell aren’t options.
This option has an abundance of attachments, such as retractable rings and clips that can help you secure it to cages.
It also has magnet fastenings, or self-tapping screws for those who want a more permanent means of securing their lights.
However, these lights aren’t very waterproof and so should be placed under some sort of shelter. It also feels flimsy to the touch, so this may not be the option if you’re seeking a more robust model.
- Its green LEDs don’t scare animals
- Has a variety of attachment options
- Wide illumination range to light up as many hogs as possible
- Can be powered by batteries, cable, and photocell.
- Not the most durable of models
- Isn’t waterproof either
Elusive Wildlife Blind Side-R Feeder/Bait Light (Green)
Our final product is the Blind Side Feeder Light by Elusive Wildlife, a light that looks and feels more like a trail camera, so compact and sturdy so your lighting isn’t disturbed by the weather or wayward animals.
It uses a single light that reaches to 30 yards and can be activated either by motion or manually. It only stays on 20 seconds once the hogs step out of the detector range, which isn’t too long if you’re not the most confident in your aim.
It runs off of 4 C batteries, which should last for an entire season. This light has a lot of ways to attach it to your feeders or posts, either by using the metal cam buckle mountain straps, or threaded mounting inserts, making this a very versatile system to set up.
Whilst it’s versatile in its fastenings, the Blind Side Light lacks an option for an external power source.
Nevertheless, it’s a great mid-range feeder that’s affordable and able to be mounted anywhere, great for being a component in a larger hog hunting ground that you can set up.
- A very versatile light that can attach to many outdoor objects
- Continuous or auto-on mode
- Reaches 30 yards when illuminating
- An affordable option
- Light doesn’t stay on as long as it should
- No means of external power
Best Hog Feeder Lights – Buyers Guide
How to get the best hog feeder lights
A failure with your hog hunting grounds can scare your prey away if you don’t build it with the right tech. This buyers’ guide is here to help you find the best lights for your hog feeder so that you always have a clear shot at the swine.
When shopping for hog feeder lights you’ll have to consider the range and brightness of the lights, their triggers, their power sources, and their durability.
We’ve also included a handy tip so that you don’t accidentally leave some human scent on your lights or your feeder.
Range and Brightness
You need to consider how far the light shines, and whether you need it to cover more ground in the first place. This is obviously done via powerful lights, hence by range and brightness have been combined here. Your light needs to strike a balance between being fit for the area and being bright enough for you to aim properly whilst not being too bright as to scare the hogs away.
The average light will have a shining range of about 30 feet, often in diameter around the lighting unit.
Some of the higher-end models achieve 60 or even 100 feet, but these are more suitable if you’re running a large-scale operation hogging the hogs.
The number of lights is also an important factor to consider, but it’s largely straight forward with more lights generally, but not always, meaning a further range and a brighter illumination for your hunting ground.
Pick the range and luminosity that’s right for you but know that generally the right product for you will get more expensive as your requirements increase.
Light Triggers
Hog feeders are most often motion-activated since it’s a convenient and hands-off way of illuminating the area when the hogs are close enough to start the action.
Automatic lights like these will stay on for about half a minute before turning off, though higher-end models have the ability to change these times to your preference.
Lights will also have switches or manual modes that let you turn it on whenever you want, and again these give you full control over how long you can turn them on for so that you can time it for all of your hunt, from one to ten whole hours.
Power Sources
Since they’re left outside and away from civilization, hog feeder lights usually take batteries, C batteries to be exact. Some need internal batteries that get their charge from solar paneling, whereas others have power ports so they can have cables run through to them.
They’re designed to last a long time, often weeks, but some of the more power-efficient ones will last you months.
Durability
Since hog feeder lights need to be left outside where you’ll be hunting, they need to be durable to survive an outdoors environment. You should preferably go for lights that are water and weatherproof, or both. Don’t mistake the two, since weatherproof factors in knocks and other damages that can come about as a result of high wind speeds. It also needs to withstand the cold to some degree.
Not all lights are waterproof, but thankfully many can be rigged to the underside of the feeder, allowing them to be protected from the elements more than they’d usually be.
Scent Concerns
When hooking up your lights to the feeder, or at least in the general vicinity of it, there’s a good chance you’ll mistakenly leave your scent nearby. Animals are very cautious, and hogs will get scared away by this. You probably employ scent control anyway, and if you don’t then now is a great time to start doing so because it’ll keep you and your hunting grounds covered, literally.
You can use deer or other game since that’s usually good enough for wild hogs, otherwise there are products that explicitly say their use is to scare hogs away. Spray your lighting with whatever you end up choosing to cover the scent. Do this during a time of day when boar are unlikely to be nearby, since you don’t want to spook them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do hogs go during the day?
A simple question with a relatively simple answer. Hogs are nocturnal, so they’ll go to bed during the day in brush and other low spots where they can keep safe, especially if that spot is near to water. They then become most active during the early morning or late evening, though in the winter months they can become more active during the afternoons as their search for food gets more desperate.
Will hogs return if spooked?
You’ve already spooked them, huh? Don’t worry about that, it depends on the circumstances. Before we answer, it should be noted that the likelihood of any game returning to what may be a compromised food source is dependent on the pressure on that group of animals. This means their food options in the area; do they need to come back? The less this pressure, the longer the animals can afford to stay away.
Now, if they’ve been spooked by your hunt (and assuming they never saw you) then it varies, again we’d say due to that pressure factor noted above. Some have reported sounders of hogs fleeing for a day or two, whereas others have reported sounders coming back to feed right next to the dead hog.
If they did see you then they’ll be a while, definitely the rest of the day, but hogs aren’t generally as skittish as deer so they shouldn’t be out too long. Don’t fall for the myth that hogs have poor eyesight though, they will see you if you won’t take precautions.
You should also consider that hogs aren’t like deer in that they move from place to place, and you’re just catching them as they pass through. This can add a lot of time to when they return since they may not be pressured to come back and might even be incentivized by the fact you spooked them, to go on their merry way.
What color light can pigs not see?
Pigs aren’t fully colorblind; they can see the color blue perfectly fine. Instead they struggle to detect colors on the red and green spectrum, hence why most of the lights above are green and some of them have red options too.
The reason these lights work so well is because they can still detect lamination, and in fact prefer illuminated areas to shadowy areas. Using green or red light provides this illumination around your feeder without being an obviously artificial color that’ll scare the hogs away.
Final Thoughts
If you’re interested in our final say, we would recommend the Moultrie Feeder Light as the best hog feeder light. It comes from a well-known brand in the feeder market and is packed with 35 very bright light LEDs that spread out to as many feet in diameter.
It can also be programmed to a variety of modes and is affordable when you consider that the bundle listed above allows you to get three of these quality lighting systems.
In the chance that you were considering another of the lights featured in our list, know that there’s a reason why all five made this list, that reason being we think all of them can deliver the performance you’ll need when hog hunting.