So I’ve been on the same hunting land for 8 or so years. Never had hogs, never seen hogs, just heard stories. New family moved into a house, about three years ago) about a half mile from my property. Me and two other guys lease 350 acres. Anyway, this family had pet hogs, regular and pot bellied. They never kept them penned. Locals started seeing hogs on random land, and turns out this family just let their pigs go, literally, into the land. So on my camera this year, as of about three months ago, I got hogs. I’ve been seeing these black hogs that are 200 lbs average. One of the guys shot a 300lb one. There are pics with several sows and her piglets. Other pictures are of these ugly hogs. They look like a mix between a normal hog and a pot belly. Their color is a brownish orangish red. I sat in my stand about two weeks ago and was watching about 20 does(I was waiting on a buck) and suddenly these ugly dang pigs ran out of the woods and started running the deer off. They didn’t hang around at all. I tried to get a shot off, but the field had cotton, and these things were running.

Anyway, me and my buddies are planning on a night hunt or something in a few weeks after the farmer cuts down the cotton.  We don’t have a clue what we’re doing though. Is there a way to bait these things? We’ve only seen one hog on our feeder cameras, so I guess they don’t like corn?
What about optics? We’re willing to get some NV or thermal scopes for our ARs, within probably $1500 each. Just don’t really know anything about them.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

In Missouri, the conservation dept will love them VERY tenderly for that.

All I can say, OP, is good luck.  Those things will breed faster than you can kill them.

Here (and Ga i believe), private land, night hunting hogs is fine, you just have to "register" the property address first.

You'll never mistake farm pigs / pots for wild hogs.
Most of the population around here started with imported Russian boars and feral pigs.

Long legs, pretty darn fast, short cutters/tusks.
I've shot plenty bigger than me, but even the 450lb boar had cutters barely visible.

Bait piles and thermal

Once you've hopefully eradicated the hogs, talk to your Conservation Dept, Fish and Game and make sure the new neighbors are thanked for releasing invasive animals.

Pigs like corn, but the smellier, the better.  Check YouTube for a pig/hog tube.

Ferment corn with yeast and lots of powdered koolaid mixed with water.  Seal it in a bucket and set it in the sun for a few days.  Hold your breath when you dump it out. Hogs love it.

Ok, I’ll make some koolaid mash. That’s easy.

I’m curious about NV vs thermal. Prices are way different. There’s so many opinions on both. I think we just need a best bang for the buck. Lots of people have mentioned the ATN Thor, but I know there’s tons of other options.

Thermal all the way.  Wayyy cheaper than it used to be.
Not affected by light, doesn't need illumination.
Unless it's 100f outside critters stick out like a light bulb in the dark.

Which one you choose will depend on mag range, resolution and features.
Check out the AGM Rattler series.

Absolutely thermal for sure. The Bering Optics line has many choices.

I've been hog hunting in Texas for about 8 years now.  Started out with ATN Digital Night Vision.    It works pretty well for it's price point, but the problem with digitial night vision is that you need a IR illumination.  Any  grass or brush between you an the hog reflects back that IR light and washes out the image.   So they work great in open fields, but terrible if there is any brush.  Thermal sees the heat through the openings in the brush.

Thermal is the way to go.  I have the ATN Thor LT 320 scopes  They work great and are priced under $1,400 these days.   Digital night vision is $500-$700.  So for twice the price of digital night vision you can have thermal.

Years ago, an asshole neighbor bought and released Siberian pigs here.  No one ever saw them again, just flat disappeared.  Likely not enough cover on the plains of Colorado, even in the river bottom.
Thermal has been fantastic, got me hunting again.  Don't cheap out!

Yeah rain and fog are also hard on NV with IR light source. I’ve actually stacked up more pigs with Nv than thermal hunting over bait and cleaning up after the trap. By the time I got thermal we were making a dent in the pig population. If you can afford thermal get it… I paid as much for cheap NV scope as thermal is starting at twenty years ago. The main thing is whatever you choose you have to get out and make things happen. Scout setup multiple bait sites and hunt just like you would in the daytime. Use stands pay attention to the wind and thermal directions. Alvin York the herd shoot the last pig in line first then try to pick off other pigs out of sight of the rest. It’s hard to do on pigs because they scatter and just run. But every so often you can confuse them and they will circle back. Plus today you have finance options so you can get a better optic.

I have both, but thermal is way better IMO. NV will work, thermal will work much much better.

Toss in a couple of cans of the cheapest crappest beer you can find into you mash.

Molasses is another good add in to koolaid mash.

I was hunting bush pigs in South Africa and turns out my PH uses the exact same bait.

oops replied already

Another reason why MO has become the State of Misery.  Conservation dept would protect cockroaches if they could.