Choctaw
Member
Well done, Flintknapper.
Not again.......! Feral Hog Control in East Texas
- Thread starter Flintknapper
- Start date
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Flintknapper
Member
He was sort of all scarred up.
He was with a group of pigs (about 8 others) and at one point I had to make a choice to shoot a couple that had 'lined up' or shoot the Boar.
By the time I made up my mind to shoot the pair, they moved apart and never got back exactly how I needed them to be.
Then...something spooked the whole bunch and they all ran away from the feeder. I couldn't see or hear any reason for it....so figured they'd all come back in a bit.
The Boar was the first one to show back up...so rather than risk another 'blow out' I just went ahead and shot him (the bird in hand).
The others will be back soon enough.
I feel the same way about chasing any animal with dogs. A business client once offered to take me on a mountain lion hunt here in NM, I declined for that reason, not to mention I generally don't shoot harmless (as opposed to hogs in TX) animals I'm not going to eat.
Hello all, long time reader. First time poster.
Here in Australia, we have over 20 million feral pigs. Plus all the other hard hooved creatures. Deer, horse, donkey and camel. Over million of years the Australian fauna grew, with out hard hooved creatures. All Australian native animals are soft footed.
Can you begin to imagine the severity of the damage these feral animals have caused?
The sheer level of soil erosion?
It is crucial to all involved, how damaging pest species are, in the destruction of fauna and flora, in Australia.
Yet, the media and the politicians continue to demonise us all.
While these very same groups, use and support 1080 bait.
Here in Australia, we have over 20 million feral pigs. Plus all the other hard hooved creatures. Deer, horse, donkey and camel. Over million of years the Australian fauna grew, with out hard hooved creatures. All Australian native animals are soft footed.
Can you begin to imagine the severity of the damage these feral animals have caused?
The sheer level of soil erosion?
It is crucial to all involved, how damaging pest species are, in the destruction of fauna and flora, in Australia.
Yet, the media and the politicians continue to demonise us all.
While these very same groups, use and support 1080 bait.
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Flintknapper
Member
Stock up on ammo, kill as many you can. Please!
RENCORP
Member
Well, I keep visiting my favorite thread here, Flintknapper, but it appears that you all have been on a bit of a vacation! I hope all is well with you and yours, and that you will get back to posting your escapades in the Land of The Hog soon. Best wishes from the Pacific Northwest.
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Flintknapper
Member
Yes, sorry. Just been really busy. Still killing hogs as I have time. I will try to post more often. Doubt I can offer anything that hasn't already been discussed....but I can relate the story of how it happened if anyone is still interested in that kind of thing. Take care all.
RENCORP
Member
Please continue to tell your stories with photos - hands down, the best thread on this website, and the only one i visit on a regular basis.
Thanks much, RENCORP
Thanks much, RENCORP
alsaqr
Member
Please keep posting.
Jim Watson
Member
I remember J.D. Jones' accounts of shooting feral camels and donkeys in Australia to test his Whisper cartridges.
Also feral goats on Catalina.
Hawaii has a pig and goat problem. They are trying to "control" them nicely rather than no closed season varmint hunting.
Seedy Character
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- Sep 6, 2021
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- 2,064
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Flintknapper
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Flintknapper
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Thanks for posting this.
Love the way those smaller guys bluff charge you here and the bigger pigs is prior vids actually ram the cage.
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Flintknapper
Member
Thanks for posting this.
Love the way those smaller guys bluff charge you here and the bigger pigs is prior vids actually ram the cage.
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Exactly. The smaller pigs almost always 'pull up' or veer off at the last second. The bigger guys are playing for keeps and if not for the wire panels would be right up in your back pocket.
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Flintknapper
Member
Really frustrating at times. This small group of (small) hogs just can not be 'patterned'. Everything they do is 'random'. From the number of hogs in the group, to the time in which they come to the bait site.
They might show up at 9:00 p.m. one night and then 5:00 in the morning the next day. Absolutely will NOT go into the trap....so I might as well abandon that thought.
They don't even come from the same direction consistently or I might be able to snare a few. Not much left to do but put in an 'all nighter' and I really hate that in this heat. Daytime highs have been 103-105°F and its still right at 90°F at midnight.
I have 12v electric fans in the hog 'blind', I can take a small cooler of drinks and the seating is comfortable enough, but I'd much rather be sleeping.
IF you live in a State/Area that does not have Feral Hogs.....count your blessings.
They might show up at 9:00 p.m. one night and then 5:00 in the morning the next day. Absolutely will NOT go into the trap....so I might as well abandon that thought.
They don't even come from the same direction consistently or I might be able to snare a few. Not much left to do but put in an 'all nighter' and I really hate that in this heat. Daytime highs have been 103-105°F and its still right at 90°F at midnight.
I have 12v electric fans in the hog 'blind', I can take a small cooler of drinks and the seating is comfortable enough, but I'd much rather be sleeping.
IF you live in a State/Area that does not have Feral Hogs.....count your blessings.
perldog007
Member
- Joined
- Nov 5, 2007
- Messages
- 367
Here in East TN not really a big issue. There is a property for sports with 500lb hogs that look pretty domestic 
Many of these boys would love to go to Texas and lend a hand, at their expense. But paying when they arrive to kill a nuisance species? Doesn't track here.
An hour north in the Blue Ridge if you know and are trusted by farmers you will need bulk ammo. Obviously letting the public on your land for a shooting spree is undesirable.
Here in the smokies, blue ridge, and in between, there are enough hands at the pump for now. With large estates and scant public land, do not envy Texas.
Vast tracts of public land offer some hog hunting, 30 rd mags of 5.56 are legal, private land wide open. Still there are some damages.
Many of these boys would love to go to Texas and lend a hand, at their expense. But paying when they arrive to kill a nuisance species? Doesn't track here.
An hour north in the Blue Ridge if you know and are trusted by farmers you will need bulk ammo. Obviously letting the public on your land for a shooting spree is undesirable.
Here in the smokies, blue ridge, and in between, there are enough hands at the pump for now. With large estates and scant public land, do not envy Texas.
Vast tracts of public land offer some hog hunting, 30 rd mags of 5.56 are legal, private land wide open. Still there are some damages.
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Flintknapper
Member
Just checking in guys. Been killing hogs off and on since my last visit here, but been very busy doing other things and not much time to write.
Absolutely had to go hunt this evening though.
I just planted a bunch of Oats yesterday (food plot for deer) despite having a group of hogs coming in pretty regularly. As you might imagine....they will root up all the seed they can find and basically wreck a food plot overnight. So I needed to get rid of them ASAP.
For the last 2 days we have a had a strong North/Northwest wind. Terrible for the Hog Stand and feeder I have. No way to hunt them from my normal position without being 'winded' by them.
But something (anything) needed to be done. Drove around looking for a place where I could see the feeder and also be downwind. Just nothing to be found. I settled for a spot that would have me 'parallel' with the wind, feeder and hogs, but enough to the 'side' that I might get away with it.
There wouldn't be much of a view of the feeder and I would need to back my vehicle into the brush (uphill and 168 yds. away) and shoot off of the side view mirror. Not the steadiest rest for an Old Man...but heck.....we've got to do something right?
Hogs have been coming into the feeder just after dark. I have hog lights illuminating the area, so no trouble seeing them when/if they show up.
I got in position early so I could focus my binoculars on the feeder and play around with the rifle on top of the mirror. While I am doing this...I look out into the little bit of pasture I can see and darn if there isn't a lone Boar just walking across it. Had the hair on his back all bristled up (not sure why) and actually coming my direction.
I let him get to within 100 yds and laid him down with the 7mm-08. Still 30 minutes before the other hogs 'should' show up at dark so I just counted the boar as a bonus hog.
The group of hogs (2 young Sows, 1 juvenile Boar and bunch of shoats) all showed up @ 7:10 p.m. which is just 'dusky dark'. That is actually the hardest light to see in. Earlier and you don't need the hog lights to clearly see each animal. Later (when fully dark) the hogs lights illuminate them nicely. But at dusk everything is washed out.
I looked through my binoculars at the group and the two Sows were fighting and pushing each other around....trying to secure the best spot to eat the corn.
It was clear to me that they would NEVER settle down and 'line up' so I might get two with one shot. So I focused on the one most in front of the feeder because she had a 'wad' of little ones behind her.
Normally, I would shoot a hog either in the neck or high on the shoulder (both shots hitting the spine/CNS) dropping them right there. But in this case, I needed to drop back into the lungs/rib cage area to insure the bullet would penetrate the hog without bullet deflection (path).
The Sow finally turned mostly broadside with the smaller hogs still wadded up behind her. So....now or never.
Cross-hairs were fairly steady at the shot. The 7mm-08 doesn't recoil much (even with my 160 gr. hand-loads) but still enough to lose sight through the scope for a couple of seconds. The Sow went down but immediately got back up. She ran about 30 yds and piled up. Then I could see two smaller figures beneath the feeder. It was a couple of the shoats....both of them killed instantly.
The 160 gr. Federal Trophy Bonded bullet held together well and did its job. A (3fer) for one shot. Do that regularly with my 458 SOCOM but a first with the 7mm-08.
I actually found a scant blood-trail leading away from the feeder that went into the thick brush. I will look more closely at that tomorrow. Possibly one more shoat...but the blood trail didn't look promising for a mortal wound.
Anyway, all in all.....not too bad. Got a few dispatched and hopefully 'ran off' long enough for my Oats to sprout and take root.
Absolutely had to go hunt this evening though.
I just planted a bunch of Oats yesterday (food plot for deer) despite having a group of hogs coming in pretty regularly. As you might imagine....they will root up all the seed they can find and basically wreck a food plot overnight. So I needed to get rid of them ASAP.
For the last 2 days we have a had a strong North/Northwest wind. Terrible for the Hog Stand and feeder I have. No way to hunt them from my normal position without being 'winded' by them.
But something (anything) needed to be done. Drove around looking for a place where I could see the feeder and also be downwind. Just nothing to be found. I settled for a spot that would have me 'parallel' with the wind, feeder and hogs, but enough to the 'side' that I might get away with it.
There wouldn't be much of a view of the feeder and I would need to back my vehicle into the brush (uphill and 168 yds. away) and shoot off of the side view mirror. Not the steadiest rest for an Old Man...but heck.....we've got to do something right?
Hogs have been coming into the feeder just after dark. I have hog lights illuminating the area, so no trouble seeing them when/if they show up.
I got in position early so I could focus my binoculars on the feeder and play around with the rifle on top of the mirror. While I am doing this...I look out into the little bit of pasture I can see and darn if there isn't a lone Boar just walking across it. Had the hair on his back all bristled up (not sure why) and actually coming my direction.
I let him get to within 100 yds and laid him down with the 7mm-08. Still 30 minutes before the other hogs 'should' show up at dark so I just counted the boar as a bonus hog.
The group of hogs (2 young Sows, 1 juvenile Boar and bunch of shoats) all showed up @ 7:10 p.m. which is just 'dusky dark'. That is actually the hardest light to see in. Earlier and you don't need the hog lights to clearly see each animal. Later (when fully dark) the hogs lights illuminate them nicely. But at dusk everything is washed out.
I looked through my binoculars at the group and the two Sows were fighting and pushing each other around....trying to secure the best spot to eat the corn.
It was clear to me that they would NEVER settle down and 'line up' so I might get two with one shot. So I focused on the one most in front of the feeder because she had a 'wad' of little ones behind her.
Normally, I would shoot a hog either in the neck or high on the shoulder (both shots hitting the spine/CNS) dropping them right there. But in this case, I needed to drop back into the lungs/rib cage area to insure the bullet would penetrate the hog without bullet deflection (path).
The Sow finally turned mostly broadside with the smaller hogs still wadded up behind her. So....now or never.
Cross-hairs were fairly steady at the shot. The 7mm-08 doesn't recoil much (even with my 160 gr. hand-loads) but still enough to lose sight through the scope for a couple of seconds. The Sow went down but immediately got back up. She ran about 30 yds and piled up. Then I could see two smaller figures beneath the feeder. It was a couple of the shoats....both of them killed instantly.
The 160 gr. Federal Trophy Bonded bullet held together well and did its job. A (3fer) for one shot. Do that regularly with my 458 SOCOM but a first with the 7mm-08.
I actually found a scant blood-trail leading away from the feeder that went into the thick brush. I will look more closely at that tomorrow. Possibly one more shoat...but the blood trail didn't look promising for a mortal wound.
Anyway, all in all.....not too bad. Got a few dispatched and hopefully 'ran off' long enough for my Oats to sprout and take root.
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Packrattusnongratus
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- Joined
- Aug 24, 2019
- Messages
- 29
Still whackin and stackin' I see. Good job. I'm still a fan. I don't want hogs here but country living would be nice. Small town is not bad. Be well Brothers, Packy.
Packrattusnongratus
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- Joined
- Aug 24, 2019
- Messages
- 29
Looks like that bucket has had some ginormous boars in it to be bent like that! Be Well, Packy.
gnappi
Member
I'm not ordinarily for wanton killing and waste of fish and wildlife but hogs are a VERY different story. I wonder if burying them rather than making them vulture food is more a viable and less stinky solution?
It seems as if Florida's problem isn't as big as it is in Texas, and Florida has opened select WMA's for off season hunts, good deal there.
It seems as if Florida's problem isn't as big as it is in Texas, and Florida has opened select WMA's for off season hunts, good deal there.
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Flintknapper
Member
I'm sure it varies one locale to another, but where I live the carcass will be consumed by Vultures and Coyotes withing 48 hours (often times less). Hard to imagine a better process than that (burial). But I can envision circumstances where a carcass might linger and make for an unpleasant scenario.
https://youtu.be/zoSYqVoE9hs
