Not again.......! Feral Hog Control in East Texas
- Thread starter Flintknapper
- Start date
der Teufel
Member
Double Naught Spy
Sus Venator
I just hate this sort of nonsense hype, but it is the media. They have wrong numbers for pig populations. Given that Texas is wrong, so too would be their total.
Yeah, they are in Canada. Shocking as it is Canada has been raising pigs since westerners moved there. All indications are that Canada's issues are original.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/...al-hogs-swine-spreading-through-north-canada/
https://www.macleans.ca/society/environment/canada-feral-pigs/
Europe also has a bad hog problem. Theirs are considered to be wild boar, but no doubt there is plenty of feral hog mixed in. They should be the land of "super pigs" and yet that doesn't seem to be the case.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/30/boar-wars-how-wild-hogs-are-trashing-european-cities
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-35865-8
Interesting to note the 'bomb' reference. That seemed to have been popularized in 2009 by the over-hyped mockumentary Pig Bomb on the Discovery Channel.
Lots of information in that show wasn't just hype, but outright lies/fabrications, of course, mixed with some truth.
And sure, pigs carry a number of diseases. Almost all of the diseases carried by pigs are carried by deer and cattle. EVERY animal species carries diseases. People carry diseases! Pigs are not bringing anything new to the game that isn't already here. They are simply another carrier among all the other carriers out there. Granted, we don't need another carrier, but the hype about how they carry disease is about as informative as saying that they breathe air.
Feral pigs are bad. You don't need hype. The actual known data are astounding as it is.
Ole Joe Clark
Member
I keep coming back, hoping to see a report of deceased hogs, pigs and piglets. Maybe tomorrow.
Have a blessed day,
Leon
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Flintknapper
Member
I keep coming back, hoping to see a report of deceased hogs, pigs and piglets. Maybe tomorrow.
Have a blessed day,
Leon
Going to get after them soon. Weather is cooling down and they are moving more now (at decent hours).
I have several groups 'unfortunately' that are showing up regularly at bait sites.
Been busy with other things....but will go and harass some of them in the next few days.
jmorris
Member
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- Sep 30, 2005
- Messages
- 24,141
Didn’t turn out quite as planed but one group came in a little after 10, and I dropped the gates on them.
Turned off the notifications but did check on them a couple times over night.
Set up a 2x12 so they couldn’t get under the trailer trying to load them.
Before I loaded them in the trailer I decided I should call ahead. The first station said they were not accepting anything under 80 lbs. The 2nd and 3rd said they were not buying anything and the 4th said they would give $5 a head below 80 lbs and $0.20/lb over 80lbs. That and the fact it would have been a little over 2 hours drive there and back, they just got fed some .22 ammo instead.
-13, all but 4 female.
Turned off the notifications but did check on them a couple times over night.
Set up a 2x12 so they couldn’t get under the trailer trying to load them.
Before I loaded them in the trailer I decided I should call ahead. The first station said they were not accepting anything under 80 lbs. The 2nd and 3rd said they were not buying anything and the 4th said they would give $5 a head below 80 lbs and $0.20/lb over 80lbs. That and the fact it would have been a little over 2 hours drive there and back, they just got fed some .22 ammo instead.
-13, all but 4 female.
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Flintknapper
Member
^^^^^
Good job!
Good job!
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Flintknapper
Member
I keep coming back, hoping to see a report of deceased hogs, pigs and piglets. Maybe tomorrow.
Have a blessed day,
Leon
Leon,
I promise I'll get out there soon.
Some of the groups are coming in so late that I'm just not going to go sit for them. Usually, they will start backing up the time they come in (start coming in earlier).
In the meantime...the boar I call 'Squirrel Tail' (because of his exceptionally straight and bushy tail) has come back. He was gone for awhile and is now visiting again. He has busted me before...so will not be easy to get. I could probably snipe him from the 100 yd. stand, but I really want to get him with the shotgun from the 20 yd. stand.
Anyway, I will post the results of the hunt as soon as have anything to report.
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Flintknapper
Member
OK Leon,
Went out again about a week ago....but pretty sure the Boar I've been after 'knew' I was on stand. I thought I heard him slipping away from behind me (again).
So....enough of trying to get him from the 20 yd. stand with the shotgun, it just wasn't going to happen. The boar kept making his approach from behind me...which is very thick brush and somewhat downhill. In the evening the air cools down right about sundown and the thermals (heavier cooler air) drop to the ground then flows downhill taking my scent with it.
So...this evening I resolved to just back off to the 100 yard stand and snipe the hog when/if he came in. Got on stand about 5:30 just in case he came in early but the past few days it has always been about dark. Nothing showed during the remaining daylight hours. About dusk...some clouds moved in along with a refreshing cool blast of air. Wind direction was favorable for me....but it was blowing about 15 mph. I wondered if that much wind (moving the timber pretty good) might make the hog 'hole up' until it passed, but he popped out of the brush right at dark.
I could see him well enough under the hog light that is trained on the corn put out. He went straight to the corn and started eating but was facing me. I wanted to wait for a better shot angle because the stand I was on is nothing more than a '4 pod' tucked back into a Cedar Tree. It doesn't have a railing (I am working on that) so I have to shoot offhand. He finally turned...but turned so far that he ended up quartering away.
He also picked his head up and was looking intently into the brush. Thinking this might all go 'sideways' any moment, I chose not to wait on a full broadside shot. I had already taken the safety off the rifle (7mm-08) and selected the lowest intensity setting for the lighted reticle. I placed the illuminated dot a bit behind the on-side shoulder...so that the exit would be near the center of the off-side shoulder. I wasn't as steady as I'd like to have been....but I'm pretty sure I was reasonably close to my aiming point when I pressed the trigger.
I saw the hog go down....but he immediately got back up on his feet and headed for the brush. I'm fairly sure I heard him 'crash' inside the brush line, but I will have to wait until tomorrow to go and find him. I had no sooner walked over to where the hog had fell....than my phone rang. It was my Daughter (1500 miles away) telling me her truck had just died going down the freeway and that she had barely made it off to the side.
Anyway, the hog is shot....but not yet recovered. Will report back later when I have more news. Just wanted to let you know I had not forgotten my commitment to you.
Went out again about a week ago....but pretty sure the Boar I've been after 'knew' I was on stand. I thought I heard him slipping away from behind me (again).
So....enough of trying to get him from the 20 yd. stand with the shotgun, it just wasn't going to happen. The boar kept making his approach from behind me...which is very thick brush and somewhat downhill. In the evening the air cools down right about sundown and the thermals (heavier cooler air) drop to the ground then flows downhill taking my scent with it.
So...this evening I resolved to just back off to the 100 yard stand and snipe the hog when/if he came in. Got on stand about 5:30 just in case he came in early but the past few days it has always been about dark. Nothing showed during the remaining daylight hours. About dusk...some clouds moved in along with a refreshing cool blast of air. Wind direction was favorable for me....but it was blowing about 15 mph. I wondered if that much wind (moving the timber pretty good) might make the hog 'hole up' until it passed, but he popped out of the brush right at dark.
I could see him well enough under the hog light that is trained on the corn put out. He went straight to the corn and started eating but was facing me. I wanted to wait for a better shot angle because the stand I was on is nothing more than a '4 pod' tucked back into a Cedar Tree. It doesn't have a railing (I am working on that) so I have to shoot offhand. He finally turned...but turned so far that he ended up quartering away.
He also picked his head up and was looking intently into the brush. Thinking this might all go 'sideways' any moment, I chose not to wait on a full broadside shot. I had already taken the safety off the rifle (7mm-08) and selected the lowest intensity setting for the lighted reticle. I placed the illuminated dot a bit behind the on-side shoulder...so that the exit would be near the center of the off-side shoulder. I wasn't as steady as I'd like to have been....but I'm pretty sure I was reasonably close to my aiming point when I pressed the trigger.
I saw the hog go down....but he immediately got back up on his feet and headed for the brush. I'm fairly sure I heard him 'crash' inside the brush line, but I will have to wait until tomorrow to go and find him. I had no sooner walked over to where the hog had fell....than my phone rang. It was my Daughter (1500 miles away) telling me her truck had just died going down the freeway and that she had barely made it off to the side.
Anyway, the hog is shot....but not yet recovered. Will report back later when I have more news. Just wanted to let you know I had not forgotten my commitment to you.
jmorris
Member
- Joined
- Sep 30, 2005
- Messages
- 24,141
Seems like we are always a few weeks hindered at every location (they don’t like to come back for awhile after a mass “extraction” even if I shovel out the blood) and even with my spousal embezzlement program, I am left with limited funds.
So the one $5 Tello phone account I was limited to one spot for activation. That brings in the DTMF board that gives me 8 channels of control with a single phone call.
So I have been researching long (not hours away) distance remote controls and found some that claim 3000 meters for <$30, so I go one and to my surprise it actually worked well over 1/4 mile away.
Got it figured out how it’s a one shot trigger on the solenoid to drop the gate tonight.
Pretty small and simple and only draws .01ma.
May be next weekend before I get two online at the same time but I’m getting closer.
So the one $5 Tello phone account I was limited to one spot for activation. That brings in the DTMF board that gives me 8 channels of control with a single phone call.
So I have been researching long (not hours away) distance remote controls and found some that claim 3000 meters for <$30, so I go one and to my surprise it actually worked well over 1/4 mile away.
Got it figured out how it’s a one shot trigger on the solenoid to drop the gate tonight.
Pretty small and simple and only draws .01ma.
May be next weekend before I get two online at the same time but I’m getting closer.
Ole Joe Clark
Member
OK Leon,
Went out again about a week ago....but pretty sure the Boar I've been after 'knew' I was on stand. I thought I heard him slipping away from behind me (again).
So....enough of trying to get him from the 20 yd. stand with the shotgun, it just wasn't going to happen. The boar kept making his approach from behind me...which is very thick brush and somewhat downhill. In the evening the air cools down right about sundown and the thermals (heavier cooler air) drop to the ground then flows downhill taking my scent with it.
So...this evening I resolved to just back off to the 100 yard stand and snipe the hog when/if he came in. Got on stand about 5:30 just in case he came in early but the past few days it has always been about dark. Nothing showed during the remaining daylight hours. About dusk...some clouds moved in along with a refreshing cool blast of air. Wind direction was favorable for me....but it was blowing about 15 mph. I wondered if that much wind (moving the timber pretty good) might make the hog 'hole up' until it passed, but he popped out of the brush right at dark.
I could see him well enough under the hog light that is trained on the corn put out. He went straight to the corn and started eating but was facing me. I wanted to wait for a better shot angle because the stand I was on is nothing more than a '4 pod' tucked back into a Cedar Tree. It doesn't have a railing (I am working on that) so I have to shoot offhand. He finally turned...but turned so far that he ended up quartering away.
He also picked his head up and was looking intently into the brush. Thinking this might all go 'sideways' any moment, I chose not to wait on a full broadside shot. I had already taken the safety off the rifle (7mm-08) and selected the lowest intensity setting for the lighted reticle. I placed the illuminated dot a bit behind the on-side shoulder...so that the exit would be near the center of the off-side shoulder. I wasn't as steady as I'd like to have been....but I'm pretty sure I was reasonably close to my aiming point when I pressed the trigger.
I saw the hog go down....but he immediately got back up on his feet and headed for the brush. I'm fairly sure I heard him 'crash' inside the brush line, but I will have to wait until tomorrow to go and find him. I had no sooner walked over to where the hog had fell....than my phone rang. It was my Daughter (1500 miles away) telling me her truck had just died going down the freeway and that she had barely made it off to the side.
Anyway, the hog is shot....but not yet recovered. Will report back later when I have more news. Just wanted to let you know I had not forgotten my commitment to you.
Thanks!!!
I dutifully checked again this morning, like a good soldier, and lo and behold, it showed activity on this thread. Thanks for the post, waiting for an update on the hog. I am sure he/she met their demise last night.
Have a blessed day,
Leon
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Flintknapper
Member
Yes Sir,
Found the hog about 30 yds. inside the brush line. So....I had indeed heard it 'crash' last night. Of course it ran downhill and into the thickest part of the briars and mud. I had expected to have a blood trail to follow this morning....but as it turns out the bullet did not exit the off-side shoulder and the on-side wound (entry) had plugged up with fat. There was no blood trial being left, except for mine.
Fortunately the Boar was close enough to a spot where I could drive up close to it and get the winch cable on it. So at least I didn't have to drag it up the muddy hill. The Coyotes had already found the carcass last night and began to eviscerate it. You might be able to see the tracks around it in the photo below (graphic) :
I was really quite surprised the bullet did not exit. I was using a 160 gr. Federal Trophy Bond and the impact velocity was probably about 2500 fps. This boar has quite broad shoulders however... and a good amount of 'shield' on each. I may dissect this one and see if I can recover the bullet in order to judge the bullets performance.
Not a giant hog, about 235 lbs. according to the Heart Girth Measurement, but one less out there. I really wanted to take this hog from the 20 yd. stand with my shotgun, but it just wasn't going to happen. He was simply too wary for that. So in the end 'sniping' him was the solution. I suppose I might have snared him as well since he usually entered the bait site on one path, but that's not my preferred method.
Anyway, I dedicate this one to you Sir.
Flint.
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Flintknapper
Member
Ammo used:
I'd be interested on the wound channel and recovered weight data as well, that's no varmint bullet for sure, I'm equally surprised of no exit, my mind has gone from stuck at the scalpula (far side), just under the hide, and finally, to off course ricochet as I've seen that too many times lol maybe it'll be just under the throat? The tougher bullets have treated me thusly (but not always) on odd angle shots. This is of course one of my fascinations. Thanks for sharing again sir!
Ole Joe Clark
Member
Thanks Flint,
Good shooting!
I must say, I have never had a hog of any kind, feral or otherwise, dedicated to me. I feel honored, I think, not sure I will be able to make the monument dedication though.
Have a blessed day,
Leon
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Flintknapper
Member
Well it didn't take long to find the bullet. I inserted a 5/16" x 3' wooden dowel into the entry hole and it stopped about 18" in and at an angle suggesting the bullet path went to the forward end of the shoulder on the opposite side (pretty much what I was trying for). So I turned the hog over and laid back the hide/shield. The bullet had come to rest just outside the shoulder but not into the shield on the off side. I have found bullets just under the hide before....but this one did not make it that far. Still....not bad performance considering the angle and how much hog it had to go through.
I don't know internally what organs were involved or how extensively they were damaged....as the buzzards had already cleaned all of that out. I didn't get back to the hog until late this afternoon. But the internals must have been upset pretty well since the hog ran only 40 yds. total before piling up. Generally when they are broadside I will neck shoot them or take a 'high shoulder' shot...both of which drops them right in their tracks.
I have shot other hogs with this same bullet, but not recovered any prior to this.
Spot where I found the bullet:
Bullet right out of the Hog:
Bullet held together well and retained nearly all of its weight, basically only the poly tip is missing:
Decent sized boar....perhaps a coming 3 yr. old, but lacked any notable dental hardware:
At least he won't be contributing to the gene pool anymore....and that is the main goal.
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Ole Joe Clark
Member
Looks like the bullet did what was expected. Keep up the good work.
Have a blessed day,
Leon
Have a blessed day,
Leon
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Flintknapper
Member
Thanks Flint,
I must say, I have never had a hog of any kind, feral or otherwise, dedicated to me. I feel honored, I think, not sure I will be able to make the monument dedication though.
Have a blessed day,
Leon
Hah, yeah......a dubious honor to be sure.
But I felt compelled to recognize such a faithful follower of this sometimes inactive thread.
Jeff Flannery
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- Joined
- Jan 1, 2018
- Messages
- 195
Flint.... you are a wealth of info and a very good read! I really enjoy your posts and would love to hunt them! My son and daughter inlaw are moving to Jacksonville Tx in the middle of November. I'm helping them move and im REALLY looking forward to seeing the country down there. y wife and I plan on visiting them next July for 2 weeks to see what the "heat of summer" is and possibly moving there in a few years if everything aligns. Keep up the greta posts! Jeff
Blue68f100
Member
I had a group of about 8 come through Thursday night (4 am). I had my alerts turned off since all that had been showing up for the last month were deer. 2 made the mistake of coming early evening, so put my 458 SOCOM to work. Took both of them out, 1 on the run. Then around 12:30 am 1 showed up and I took him out. My feeder is setup with 2 video surveillance cameras that's ~95 yrds from my back porch. I slip out the back door and use the BBQ grill side table for a rest. The cameras send me alerts when they detect motion, which I use as a alarm clock to wake me up. So 3 less around here.
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Flintknapper
Member
Jacksonville remains a sleepy little town, great place to raise kids or retire to. I'm about an hour East of there and a bit South, but Jacksonville is just your typical small Texas Town. Friendly people, not a lot of crime. They 'roll up the streets' about 6 p.m.
'Tyler' Texas is only 30 minutes away (due North)....if you need anything from a larger city. Of course anywhere in Texas is hot in the Summer....but East Texas is humid also, so twice as miserable. Basically we have 4 hot months June thru September, then pretty nice weather after that. Mild winters are the norm. So depending upon where you hail from it might be dramatically different (or not). In any case, we welcome you/them and pray you have a safe trip.
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Flintknapper
Member
Good job. Love that set-up.
Do you have a favorite load/bullet for your SOCOM? I load a variety of different ones for mine, but for hogs I usually use either the Barnes TTSX 300 gr. or my favorite...the 405 gr. 'Remy' jacketed soft point. But since it's impossible to find the 405 any longer....I have started rationing them.
When I know I will have a 'group' of hogs coming in then I will switch to the 540 gr. hardcast and wait for 2 or more hogs to 'line up'. That bullet will shoot through as many hogs as you please. I've never recovered one of those bullets. I don't know where they stop at.
540 grain hardcast gas check:
Blue68f100
Member
The Barnes are my favorite but I've been out of them for a while. Been using the 325 XTP and 300 gr FTX lately. I have a bag of 100 of the Rem HP I bought at a gun show years ago. I've never loaded up since I had the XTP and FTX bullets. Like the FTX better, similar to the Barnes but cheaper. All loaded using W296/H110. Have some MBC Hytec Buffalo Bore bullets too, use them for practice. I do have a few 500 gr RN that I'm yet to shoot, been saving them. Since 90% of my shooting is at night, I have/use a 2x7 VXR scope (dot sight) on mine, no light though, I do have one. I have some small LED strip lighting over the feeder which gives me enough light to see 20+ feet around the feeder, once my eyes adj to the dark. I'm using a solar power setup to charge my batteries that drive my cameras and lights. Cameras connect via wifi to my external AP on the roof. I know on the bores it takes a few days before they get comfortable around the feeder with the lights, sows don't care. Does not impact the deer at all or coons for that matter.
I've take 2 at once with the Barnes but that is a rare shot since my house is setting about 60' higher in elevation. So I'm normally shooting down hill at about 8% grade. The double hit happened when I Baited a hole. I got lucky and did a nervous system hit on both, dropped on the spot.
I've take 2 at once with the Barnes but that is a rare shot since my house is setting about 60' higher in elevation. So I'm normally shooting down hill at about 8% grade. The double hit happened when I Baited a hole. I got lucky and did a nervous system hit on both, dropped on the spot.
