Does a hog's eyes shine when spotlighted?

[spectr17]

Do a hog's eyes shine when spotlighted?

I was looking at the color pictures in my Missouri Consevationist magazine today and there was a letter to the editor about hogs eyes shining when a light was cast on them. The writer said a hog's eyes would glow like a deer and the MDC agent said hogs don't have the reflective membrane in their eyes like deer do so their eyes wouldn't glow when jacklighted.

So which is it? We can't shine hogs here at night. How about you Texas boys who can shoot in the dark with lights? Glow or no glow? If they glow, what color? White green like a deer? What about when you shine them up with a red light?

 

[Roaddog]

 

[FForF]

Speaking from experience they light up just like in the picture above. Nailed one in Texas just below the two glowing orbs.

 

[One Track]

I had a bunch in the headlights at Tejon. Their eyes were glowing red. No joke.

 

[Speckmisser]

The ones I've seen in the headlights glowed. Dunno about red, though. OneTrack, was that before or after that open field tackle on Jack Daniels?

 

[One Track]

I swear man. It was like a scary movie. Maybe it was because I was looking thru my eyes. C'mon, I don't drink and drive, especially in them hills.

 

[Copperpot]

I've always heard that they don't glow. I can't ever remember them glowing when I've been spot lighting for them, but I've only shot a few. Never really thought about it much, but I'll sure keep and "eye" out next time I go.

 

[41mag]

WEll to be honest, I have never noticed their shining when hit with the light either. However, where we hunt, if you hit them with lights, they are generally shifiting into high gear while we are in the process of shifting into a shooting position.

The last one's we did actually spotlighted didn't shine, but the pack was silouetted aginst the light tan grass they were in. Made picking the black spots out really easy. LOL

 

[larrysogla]

Nocturnal animals have more rods(more sensitive to light) than cones(more sensitive to colors & sharper images). The photoreceptor cells are in the retina(at the back of the eyeball) & absorb incoming light & this absorbed signal is sent to the brain for interpretation. On nocturnal animals, behind the retina is a reflective surface called the tapetum. The tapetum reflect the light back out, passing thru the retina on the way out thru the pupil. The outgoing light is again absorbed by the photoreceptors in the retina, allowing light to be absorbed twice. Once coming in & the second time, going out. This capacity for the double absorption enables the nocturnal animal to hunt for food at night with superior night vision. The tapetum is also the reason why the eyes of nocturnal animals glow in the spotlight/light source. The tapetum is reflecting the spotlight back out thru the pupil. Pigs travel & locate food at night. They must see several times better than humans can. 'Nuff said. larrysogla.

 

[bayedsolid]

Geez larry....a simple yes would have done just fine.

 

[guess]

I have killed close to a hundred under a light ! that used to be the only way I killed them! they do shine but the head has to be in the right possition for you to see it! I have maybe seen 6 or 8 shine all of those but 2 were laying down! here they really don't look at the light like most animals,they ignore it. till they've been shot at a few times, then they run like crazy when you hit them with a light!

 

[larrysogla]

Come to think of it, that has been my experience too. The piggies don't look at the light source, but are aware they have been spotlighted & will bolt in a matter of seconds. Unlike deer that will turn & stare at the light source. larrysogla.