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

Just wanted to pop in and say what a fantastic thread this is. :)

Kind of goes without saying, with you hunting these so actively for so long, what a profound problem it is down there.

Some idiots up here in Illinois evidently trucked some hogs up for sport. IDNR posted this up recently.

http://www.dnr.illinois.gov/oi/pages/baferalhogsinillinois.aspx

Trailer for a 4 part series on Feral Hogs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAybo8T1I9I&feature=plcp

I'm planning to hunt them this year. Using your thread as an effective "how to" manual, by the way. :)

Also, you ever consider writing a book on this? Seems you have more than enough material.
 
Trent, used to be a guy down near the Spoon River that had some hog hunting? I went to Vermont a few years back and took this Russian
Me_and_the_hog_Dec_2008.jpg
Boar3.jpg
Best of luck in this endevor, Steve
 
That's Bath Salts. That's why the hogs get so crazy!

Of course it is, what was I thinking.

Silly me....... :D



Back on topic, hogs here have been few and far between for several months. Not sure what to attribute it to, but I sure am enjoying not having them around.

I expect when things get really hot this summer (every day...triple digits), we will see more of them...as they take advantage of the water on the ranch.
 
SB - guy over in Fulton County bagged a feral hog with a bow during this last deer season, weighed in just shy of 400 lbs.

(http://www.prairiestateoutdoors.com/index.php?/pso/article/gearing_up_to_fight_feral_hogs/)

They've been confirmed in 14 counties now, including Fulton and Sangamon.

Figure worst thing that'll happen is I'll get to spend some quality time outdoors. :)

Flint; good to hear things have been quiet. Doubt they'll be gone for long though!
 
I expect when things get really hot this summer (every day...triple digits), we will see more of them...as they take advantage of the water on the ranch.

Weather pattern is 180 degree turn from last year out here in West Texas though it'll settle back to hot, hot, dry and dry. Hog seem to have taken a vacation though 2 weeks ago I had to do a double take on a fresh (as in that night) roadkill boar that I guesstimated near to better than 350 lbs. Big fella for this area.
 
Subconscious childhood memories

Naaah. It's the way the flash is highlighting it.:cool:

Not to knock your mount, but that picture does remind
me of our black Maltese just before she attacked...:eek:.

Damned glad she wasn't that big though.;)

I'm just jealous.:neener:

Jack...:cool:
 
Got 6 this weekend with a buddy of mine. Smoked one of the little ones, came out GREAT!



Really thinking about thermal vision. It will completely change the game on how we hunt. Instead of rolling up on them, we can stalk them.

We shoot from a jeep- windshield and doors off, and a Q beam FYI.... Runnin and gunnin style :)
 
I recently began hunting feral hogs on a 20 acre tract in Karnes County, Texas.

The need to protect the safety of my neighbors and their property severely limits the positions and firing directions where a rifle or shotgun slug is usable. I have no interest in archery or trapping, leaving only buckshot. Use of buckshot would significantly expand firing locations and safe firing directions.

Regardless of the weapon used or any other factor, the farthest possible shot on my land would be about 160 or 170 yards. This is obviously too far for buckshot. But, what is the maximum effective distance for buckshot? Internet research and conversations with sporting goods store employees suggest that 40 yards is the approximate maximum. I find this hard to believe for all but the largest individual animals.

Any suggestions for 12-ga buckshot hunting of feral hogs would be appreciated. I would specifically like to know what type of shell and barrel combination would be effective to what distance. A sporting goods store employee once said that a 12-ga coach gun firing 3-inch magnum shells is an excellent choice to 40 yards. Would anyone care to comment on that?

Thanks for helping a newcomer!
 
I used single ought buckshot to good effect out to about 50 yards +/- and I would alternate that with brenneke slugs.

Both killed em dead everytime you pointed at them and pulled the bang switch.

(always carry a back-up pistol for when that doesn't work)
 
if it were me, i would ALWAYS take a slug over 00 buck.


in my experience with spraying down packs of pigs with 20+ rounds of 12gauge (i love saigas and drums :D), the only terminal stopper was slugs. if it hits, it stops. plain and simple.


a buddy hunting with me shot a pig in the back leg (on the run) with a 3 1/2" magnum 00 buck via a 24" benelli with a tight choke at less than 20 yards...... im talking a meat baseball came out of that pig....we never found it.... it shagged ass to the next county lol


had he done that with a slug, it would have stopped it, im positive.
i only go out with slugs if im running my shotgun.
 
Re Post # 1240 in response to my Post # 1239. Thanks for the suggestion and link. An order for some of their buckshot shells is in the mail. I intend to test penetration power of their product on pine boards, comparing results at various distances.
 
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Re Post # 1242 in response to my post # 1239. Thanks for the prompt response. However, the distance a slug can travel in case of a miss and ground ricochet presents the same problem that I have using a rifle. As to just how far a slug can travel, I recommend the YouTube videos, “Shotgun Slugs at 230 Yards” (by) hickok45 and “Shotgun Slugs at 200 Yards” (by) tnoutdoors9.
 
Re Post # 1241 in response to my Post # 1239. Thanks for the answer. I’ll try buckshot. See my response to post # 1242 for why I can’t use slugs.

I’m glad for your advice about the pistol. It lets me know that I am not being overly cautious.
 
Any suggestions for 12-ga buckshot hunting of feral hogs would be appreciated. I would specifically like to know what type of shell and barrel combination would be effective to what distance. A sporting goods store employee once said that a 12-ga coach gun firing 3-inch magnum shells is an excellent choice to 40 yards. Would anyone care to comment on that?

In my experience, conventional buckshot was worthless. I popped one about ten years ago with a load of 00 and had one pellet pierce the abdomen. The gristle plate stopped the rest. The slugs worked, buckshot, not at all. That being said, the Dixie loads are something I have no experience with.

As to the hog - he was about 200 lbs, range was close enough that the spread from a cylinder choke barrel was a hand width.
 
I've shot and killed DRT a lot of hogs with 00 buck out to 50 yards or so.

I have also shot quite a few that went down then jumped up and hauled butt out of there.
Down here you can hear them plowing through the palmettos. When they stop and lay down we give them a 1/2 hour or so and then run a grid on where you heard them stop crashing. The recovery rate on runners is about 75% unless you have a dog.

There is something quite unnerving about waiding chest deep in thick palmettos searching for a big hog.
I was lucky on the last one since he made a big circle and expired 20' behind the tree I was in.
Good hunting.
 
Flintknapper,

Linked to you from another site and after reading just a few of your posts, I joined THR and have just spent the better portion of my "free" time this week reading through this thread and I am hooked.

I have become very familiar with the AR platform as it is a big part of my day job but never did a lot of hunting. After reading through this, I am chomping at the bit to let some Barnes rounds loose on the hogs.

Thanks to you and all who have added along the way.

I am sorry the things have caused you so much trouble but, no offense, I have to admit that I am glad they did as you have been the backbone of a truly informative, enjoyable and intriguing "story". I feel like I've been hunting hogs for years.

I can't wait to see what happens next...
 
Usually I “hang” to weigh them after taking a Heart Girth measurement to compare accuracy.


Pig-HG3.jpg

How well does the chart predict actual weights? The articles I've read on that subject seem to refer to commercial hog production, and I wonder how the numbers translate to feral hogs.
 
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