Not again.......! Feral Hog Control in East Texas

I have read this whole thread (it took awhile). I noticed a lot of new hog hunters are very worried about butchering a hog. I am going on my first hog hunt this spring. I have killed & butchered lots of deer (I'm from Indiana) so butchering a hog doesn't scare me at all. I'm going to Alabama to hunt on public land, last time I drug a deer very far I never left my four wheeler at home again! I'm worried about dragging a hog uphill & a long way. It will be my wife and I so I won't have some buddies to call. I have been gutless butchering last two years, with the deer hanging. I found Raptorazor knives on YouTube. For me I can butcher where it drops without a hoist. Put in meat bags and pack it out myself. For a new hunter they have great videos of how to butcher several different animals. I wish I had started butchering like this 30 yrs ago. I'm not telling you that you need to run out and buy the raptorazor knives. They do make it quicker I'm sure. I did buy them but haven't used yet. I have tried to post a video here to watch can't figure it out sorry. Go to raptorazor . com they have the videos on the website.
 
You try to drag a hog behind a 4 wheeler, and it might surprise you. It's sort of like tying a loop around a funnel...it just slips off. After fighting them for quite a while, I finally figured out if I put a loop around the hog, behind the front legs and then I put another loop in front of the hind legs, I can drag them and keep the rope attached.
Cleaning hogs like you are talking sounds like it would work very well. I have seen videos of guys cleaning elk that way and it sure looks like it would do the job with a lot less work.
Bumbling around on here, I was going to put a pic of a hog with loops around it....but managed to click on a different pic.
Guess it must be time to go to bed....I've been out in a stand since 6:00 last night and gave up at 3:00 this morning...and still couldn't get this darned boar I've been after to come to the corn. cell phone pics 021 (2017_01_17 16_08_29 UTC).jpg
 
^^^^^^^^^^^ I hear you Stony. I am no closer to catching up with my 'spotted hog' than before, though I've redoubled my efforts to get him. Just no pattern to him. In the end....(IF I get him), it will just be dumb luck that we meet.

Its going to require a LOT of nights on stand if I am to have a reasonable chance of seeing him. Not something I relish.

Best of luck to you Sir. Hope you are successful.

Flint.
 
While out doing some fencing today, I noticed that a hog (or hogs) had again turned over some of the wood from a tree I had cut and piled up last summer. Although I thought I knew what they were after (Worms, Grubs, Beetles, Mice) curiosity got the better of me. So I went and turned over some the remaining logs and found these ‘Grubs’ under nearly every one of them.

I don’t know if they are June Bug larvae or some other larger beetle, but they would certainly be worth a hog’s effort to find them. I doubt they would constitute a ‘meal’…. but they are quite large and would represent a significant source of protein.

When unfurled, they are about the size of mans ‘ring finger’ in both diameter and length (Approximately ¾” in diameter and about 3” long). I didn’t find any earth worms but did uncover two small mice that would have been easy to catch. I can’t prove this is what they were after, but it seems likely.

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The spotted boar I've been after came in last might about 6 p.m. (nice and early). Unfortunately I can't go after him this evening since the wind is wrong. Maybe tomorrow night.
 
Flintknapper, I got my spotted hog thanks to Stony and his dedication to hunting and the outdoors. I can only go down to Texas for a month or two each year when the glaciers temporarily recede but Stony makes sure i get plenty of opportunity to take a few hogs. By the way that is a single shot AAC Handi Rifle in 300 Blackout.....it only took one shot for "Spot" to take a nose dive.
 
Thought long and hard before making a reply to above post. Don't know much news media reaches into texas from georgia. No old wives tales, know my credibility has been questioned much so. Would you believe history channel or national geographic. Southeast has some big hogs, probably not common knowledge. Try googling hogzilla and see what you come up with. Anniston alabama had a 1200 lb hog killed and verified by a wildlife biologist, as being wild not a domestic hog gone wild. These are not little barbecue pigs. By the way try shooting something that ways over a half ton with a small rifle. Seems to me if nothing seen but mostly piglets, don't that signal that someone near your locality is releasing these pigs into the wild. Swine under 150 pounds are called shoats in this part of the world, not hogs. Look at where nat geo went to south georgia and exhumed hogzilla and verified that he existed! My largest hog has went 512 lbs, but i see these larger bruins occasionally. Those hogs weigh close to what grizzly bears weigh. Not wives tales!!!

That is big, in my state black bears only average about 250 lbs.
 
Mikey, that is a great hog you got. I just got back from checking my game cams and have a big spotted pig (different one) on video. Been in the last two nights at 11:30. Wind is right tonight so I might go and sit for him. Can't tell if he is still a boar or has been cut (Barr hog) but he is very thick through the shoulders and well filled out. Will go better than 275 lbs is my guess.

Largest hog I've seen in the last 8 months anyway.

Will report back if I have any success. If its a boar hog....he might move on, it would be unusual to have him come in three nights in a row, but a 'Barr hog' would probably come back for the corn until something scared him off. Anyway, we will see.
 
Mikey, that is a great hog you got. I just got back from checking my game cams and have a big spotted pig (different one) on video. Been in the last two nights at 11:30. Wind is right tonight so I might go and sit for him. Can't tell if he is still a boar or has been cut (Barr hog) but he is very thick through the shoulders and well filled out. Will go better than 275 lbs is my guess.

Largest hog I've seen in the last 8 months anyway.

Will report back if I have any success. If its a boar hog....he might move on, it would be unusual to have him come in three nights in a row, but a 'Barr hog' would probably come back for the corn until something scared him off. Anyway, we will see.
I guess I need Mikey to get back down here again to show me how it's done. I went out last night again and sat till midnight and didn't see squat. It was 39 degrees out and man I was shaking pretty good by the time I pulled the plug and walked out of there. I did take 4 handwarmers with me, and they helped a little, but I think I needed a couple dozen of them. I put one in each sock, and dropped a couple down the front of my shirt between it and a T shirt.
My elusive boar has been hitting a couple feeders pretty regularly lately, but not at any regular schedule.
I think I need to let things warm up a little before I'll ever get him. I have a small bunch working another feeder that I probably could thin down..but I want that boar!!
 
"My elusive boar has been hitting a couple feeders pretty regularly lately, but not at any regular schedule."

Last fall a big boar was doing the same thing at our feeders. Then i shut one feeder down. The hog started coming to the remaining feeder earlier to beat the competition. Finally got him one evening just before sunset.

You have a dedicated feeder hog there: He can be tricked.
 
I guess I need Mikey to get back down here again to show me how it's done. I went out last night again and sat till midnight and didn't see squat. It was 39 degrees out and man I was shaking pretty good by the time I pulled the plug and walked out of there. I did take 4 handwarmers with me, and they helped a little, but I think I needed a couple dozen of them. I put one in each sock, and dropped a couple down the front of my shirt between it and a T shirt.
My elusive boar has been hitting a couple feeders pretty regularly lately, but not at any regular schedule.
I think I need to let things warm up a little before I'll ever get him. I have a small bunch working another feeder that I probably could thin down..but I want that boar!!

Same for me Stony, wind was perfect (but a bit too much IMO) for the stand I planned to hunt from. Got there about 6 p.m., stayed until midnight. The wind through the tree tops (pines) was making quite a noise and the few rabbits and raccoons that showed up were visibly nervous and didn't stay long. I don't know if the Hog has moved on or just didn't like the conditions. I will check my cameras to see if he came in later than I stayed on stand.

I had to crank up the propane heater a few times to warm up the box stand...so I was able to stay warm enough. Just the same, it can be trying to sit still and quiet for 6 straight hours. Us old guys begin to stiffen up after awhile. ;)
Oh well....all we can do is try, right? Keep after them.

Flint.
 
Flint...you ever connect with your spotted porker? I still haven't met up with the bigger guy I've been after. I have some smaller ones coming into another area to a feeder, but dogonnit I want to poke a hole in that big white one and it's become sort of an obsession. I went out a few nights ago again and sat in a 4x4 stand for 8 hrs. to no avail. He still shows up at random times and different feeders. By the time I crawled out of that stand I sort of had to learn to walk all over again as the leg muscles about gave up.
I have 3 rounds of 6.5 Creedmore loaded into my rifle with my night vision on it and probably should put together some more...but not until I get that guy.
It is supposed to be mild weather tonight, so I guess I better give it another marathon try.
 
Flint...you ever connect with your spotted porker? I still haven't met up with the bigger guy I've been after. I have some smaller ones coming into another area to a feeder, but dogonnit I want to poke a hole in that big white one and it's become sort of an obsession. I went out a few nights ago again and sat in a 4x4 stand for 8 hrs. to no avail. He still shows up at random times and different feeders. By the time I crawled out of that stand I sort of had to learn to walk all over again as the leg muscles about gave up.
I have 3 rounds of 6.5 Creedmore loaded into my rifle with my night vision on it and probably should put together some more...but not until I get that guy.
It is supposed to be mild weather tonight, so I guess I better give it another marathon try.


Hi Stony,

No....haven't been able to catch up with either of the two I am after. The 'original" smaller spotted boar (the one I've had to watch grow up) is still so sporadic in his comings and goings....that I've simply not sat on stand for him recently.

This larger one, I am more interested in...because he is thick through the shoulders and I have a particular bullet I would like to try on him.



I hope you are able to meet up with yours. You have worked very hard at it and put in some grueling time on stand.

Besides, I'd really like to see your boar on the ground. He looks like a real bruiser in the photos.

Best of luck Sir,

Flint.
 
I have 3 rounds of 6.5 Creedmore loaded into my rifle with my night vision on it and probably should put together some more...but not until I get that guy.

Stony......! Three rounds?

Come on now, you have be more prepared (and confident) than that. I didn't go check my cameras today, but my Older Brother came up and we loaded 600 rounds for his Creedmoor. I don't have 600 pigs for him to shoot, but we are ready. ;)

If things look good tomorrow we will probably go.

So far he only has one pig under his belt (with the Creedmoor) and we are wanting to put it to better use than just target shooting at 1,000 yds.

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Stony knocked over two more with that 6.5 but I better leave bragging rights to him tomorrow. Stay tuned for the next exciting episode:).

OK, just saw this. Good work guys. Yes....please fill us in as soon as you can. I'd like to see and hear about any kills on hogs with the Creedmoor. I am interested to see how it compares to 7mm-08 and .308

Again, congratulations! Mikey are you down here?

Flint.
 
Flint, Only in spirit, we still have a foot and a half of snow so cannot even think of loading 30 or 40 rifles and pistols into the PU for the trip down there. Stony will fly up here and make the very familiar trip back to Texas with Maddie ( my Westie) and me. Us old guys gotta stick together on such a long trip (2200 miles).
 
Okay here's the skinny on last night....I started in about 7pm in the stand and about half an hr. later one lone boar came in at about 60 yds. I put on into his shoulder and he made it about 20 yds into the woods. I walked down to take a look at him, and it was just so darned nice out I decided to go sit in the stand some more and see if anything else showed up. Maybe half an hour or so later about 15-20 of them can in at a feeder about 100 yds off, and I dropped the larger one that seemed like he wanted to give me a nice profile to shoot at. After that I gave up and spent some time loading them into the truck to take to another area where I normally dump them for the varmits to enjoy. Both of these were bigger boars, so nothing I would consider suitable for anything other than putting a smile on the coyote's faces.
I might be a little compulsive about some of the things I do, and sort of like a challenge sometimes. I still have one round of Creedmore left in the rifle, and it's going to be dedicated to the larger white boar I've been after.....sort of a "one shot one kill" kind of thing I guess. Then it will be time to start reloading and restocking ammo.....but in the meantime I'm going to be carrying my rifle out with just the one round in it.
I've been using the 123 Gr. SST's in my two 6.5 Creedmores and so far have been happy with them. Your brother, Flint might be happier with the 140's for his long range shooting, but I've shot hogs and deer both with the 123's and they have performed just great for me. The only downside I have seen is with larger hogs, they don't exit and leave a nice blood trail. They seem to go into one side and do some massive damage to the internals of the hogs without coming out the other side. I've shot them with 7/08's and 308's and they both perform great too on hogs....it's just a matter of preference I guess.
I might have to consider a bigger tailgate one of these days.....
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Flint, Stony will fly up here and make the very familiar trip back to Texas with Maddie ( my Westie) and me. Us old guys gotta stick together on such a long trip (2200 miles).

Hah, coincidentally....we have a "Maddie" too. But not a 'Westie'. Ours is a Dachshund (Long Hair Dilute Red).

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And yes, it is a good thing to have a companion along for such a long drive. Helps to have someone to talk to and to share the driving responsibilities. Hope you can make it back down here soon and help Stony slay some more hogs.
 
Okay here's the skinny on last night....I started in about 7pm in the stand and about half an hr. later one lone boar came in at about 60 yds. I put on into his shoulder and he made it about 20 yds into the woods. I walked down to take a look at him, and it was just so darned nice out I decided to go sit in the stand some more and see if anything else showed up. Maybe half an hour or so later about 15-20 of them can in at a feeder about 100 yds off, and I dropped the larger one that seemed like he wanted to give me a nice profile to shoot at. After that I gave up and spent some time loading them into the truck to take to another area where I normally dump them for the varmits to enjoy. Both of these were bigger boars, so nothing I would consider suitable for anything other than putting a smile on the coyote's faces.
I might be a little compulsive about some of the things I do, and sort of like a challenge sometimes. I still have one round of Creedmore left in the rifle, and it's going to be dedicated to the larger white boar I've been after.....sort of a "one shot one kill" kind of thing I guess. Then it will be time to start reloading and restocking ammo.....but in the meantime I'm going to be carrying my rifle out with just the one round in it.
I've been using the 123 Gr. SST's in my two 6.5 Creedmores and so far have been happy with them. Your brother, Flint might be happier with the 140's for his long range shooting, but I've shot hogs and deer both with the 123's and they have performed just great for me. The only downside I have seen is with larger hogs, they don't exit and leave a nice blood trail. They seem to go into one side and do some massive damage to the internals of the hogs without coming out the other side. I've shot them with 7/08's and 308's and they both perform great too on hogs....it's just a matter of preference I guess.
I might have to consider a bigger tailgate one of these days.....

Good hogs Stony. Wise of you to stick it out and wait to see if others might show up.

Good shot placement as usual. The one hog my brother has shot with his Creedmoor showed similar results with similar shot placement. Ran a short distance, but didn't make it far. No exit and only a small amount of blood at the very spot the hog was standing when hit.

Fortunately, we could see where it ran....so even lacking a blood trail it was easy to recover.

Two hogs in one night (when hunting from a stand)....was well worth your effort. You did good.....as we say in East Texas!
 
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