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

[Flintknapper]

ID wrote:

Flint how is this crazy warm summer er winter affecting your hogging? I would have thought that with the warmer weather I would be getting lots more kills but neither my game cameras nor I have seen a hog in weeks.

What winter? I am getting ready to go and mow my lawn, the weeds and grasses think it is late March!

Same situation here, the last group of hogs has moved on and I’ve seen no sign of any others in a couple of weeks now.

For the whole deer season hogs flooded the feeders and my cameras were busy all day and night clicking away as hogs went back and forth scaring away the deer.

Sounds typical.

How has the weather been on your side of the state and how has the hog hunting been?

We’ve been blessed with badly needed rain and an unseasonably mild winter (so far).

Hunting (this year) started out well. Around the first of the year we had a few cold fronts come through and with Deer Season being over…most folks had stopped running their feeders…so the hogs were searching out any remaining sources for a free meal.

But...now we are now experiencing what could be described as the “Spring Green Up” (forbs and grasses growing) ...though the trees are not budding out yet. All of this happening a full month (or more) ahead of normal.

With the abundance of water and new grasses emerging…the hogs don’t have to go far to fill their needs.

Reduced movement= Reduced sightings/sign.

In my case…that’s a good thing, I don’t want them here anyway.

 

[Resist Evil]

I would like to add that there seems to be several outfits online that want folks to go on down for reasonable fees. Google is your friend.

 

[rgilbert]

Flynt. After reading your post all the way through and visiting with you on 458 socom forum I decided to join and keep up with you.

 

[Flintknapper]

Welcome to the forum gilbert, lots of great people here and many topics of interest.

Glad to have you and the other recent members on board. We look forward to your participation Sir.

Flint.

 

[Blue68f100]

A wealth of knowledge on this thread.

FlintKnapper, My dad's place is in Camp county, 33 ac. The hogs showed up on his property last Sept. After water like every place else in east texas, He has 2 spring fed ponds and a spring branch which dried up this summer. At that time I did not have any large caliber rifle to take them out. Since then they have showed up maybe 10 other times. My dad turns 90 this year and does not hunt them, but will shoot them if he see them. He has asked me to build a trap, then he will take them out. So I will be building one soon. I'm there through the summer and will actively hunt them.

My brother wants to setup a deer feeder but don't wants the hot to get to the feed. What was suggested to him was to build a round pen with the feeder inside. Kind of like put you nose in the corner joke. Will this actually work? Knowing the deer can jump over to get in.

 

[Mike1234567]

^^^ I'll soon be buying a feeder and will add an apron suspended between the legs to keep the corn off the ground. Luckily, I don't see much evidence of hogs here (probably due to loose dogs) but there are a few deer. I'm just NE of Floresville, TX.

 

[Flintknapper]

Blue68 wrote:

My brother wants to setup a deer feeder but don't wants the hog to get to the feed. What was suggested to him was to build a round pen with the feeder inside. Kind of like put you nose in the corner joke. Will this actually work? Knowing the deer can jump over to get in.

Yes, it common practice many places to erect a 32"-36" panel barrier around broadcast feeders. It will discourage hogs from entering (for awhile). Hogs will be reluctant to jump or climb it (though they can), but deer will readily enter.

Eventually, hogs will root under it....so be prepared to make repairs from time to time. But there is no need for a 4'-5' panel to keep hogs OUT. The reverse is true if you want to keep hogs IN though ....(as in a trap).

Be sure and make the pen/barrier large enough that deer are comfortable entering. Remember...you might have 8-10 deer in the pen at a time..(depending upon where you hunt), so don't crowd them.

Good luck, and PLEASE kill some hogs!

 

[RangerHAAF]

Those things are equal or superior to a tractor anyday.

 

[6.5swede]

FL Hogs

I think FL is #2 in hog population and we have a big problem on the 7500 acre ranch that I hunt. We kill anywhere from 50 to 100 per year and that's barely putting a dent in them. I've learned a lot from your informative posts! Thanks. The only good thing about their existence is we can shoot/hunt them 365 days a year which is an excellent opportunity to test various hunting bullet performance. For the past 2 years, I've been shooting as many hogs as possible with various bullets from my 6.5x55's, 260, and 7mm-08. At least they've provided me with some excellent real world experience in that regard. The picture you provided earlier in the thread about neck shot placement is spot on....I've never had one not DRT with a well placed shot in that location. I look forward to reading and learning from your future posts. Best of luck!

 

[6.5swede]

FL Hogs

A few pics

 

[gathert]

Was at a range in Elberton, GA today and found some hog rooting downrange next to a creek. Was plenty obvious as there was some alfalfa field rooted up though it wasn't too bad. Probably just a 10 yard square are with some good hog prints near in the mud. They showed the pretty clear inward pointed aspect of the hoofs. They are moving in. I just hope I can find someone who will let me hunt near my area so I can de-bacon the area.

 

[paintballdude902]

swede, where are you in florida? thats a good looking deer in the background of pic 3

 

[WildBill63]

Did you happen to notice that pic was taken in 2002?
I wonder what his great,great grandson looks like.

 

[Twmaster]

Did you happen to notice that pic was taken in 2002?
I wonder what his great,great grandson looks like.

Deer sausage??

 

[6.5swede]

swede, where are you in florida? thats a good looking deer in the background of pic 3

East central FL, Osceola county. How about you?

 

[6.5swede]

Did you happen to notice that pic was taken in 2002?
I wonder what his great,great grandson looks like.

Yeah, I just like that pic with the buck in the background . These guys may have been related. I've seen and taken a few over the years on this ranch with tall, narrow racks.

 

[paintballdude902]

ah im in fort walton (NW) stationed at hurlburt field

 

[ThorinNNY]

Flintknapper
Thank you for an excellent, informative thread.You truly are taking the high road.I haven`t heard much about feral hogs where I live, but it sounds like that could change.If I speak to anyone who is having hog problems,I`m definitely going to refer them to your thread.

 

[rgilbert]

Flint! I spelled it right this time. Have you noticed that hogs don't show themselves during the full moon? The last couple of times we went out during the full moon we could hear them in the brush, but they never showed.

 

[Flintknapper]

rgilbert wrote:

Flint! I spelled it right this time. Have you noticed that hogs don't show themselves during the full moon? The last couple of times we went out during the full moon we could hear them in the brush, but they never showed.

It seems to be related to the amount of pressure they receive. I have hunted places in South Texas where the moon phase had zero effect on hog movement, but only because they weren't hunted hard on those properties.

Where I live (Deep East Texas) hogs are pressured heavily most places.... and there is a definite correlation between movement and moonlight.

I have made it a point to make mental notes with regards to that and my opinion is that pressured hogs will avoid showing themselves at terminal sites (bait sites, watering sites) until the darker hours of the night.

That doesn't mean they don't move/travel, just that they tend to stick to cover.

Another thing I have noticed...is that they seem to spook more when illuminated by artificial lights (rifle mounted lights, etc) whenever there is bright moonlight (vs. a dark night).

I don't know what to attribute that to (possibly an increased sensitivity to shadowing), but whatever the stimulus....their reaction is profound and predicable.

I don't hold any of the above to be a "rule", just passing on my experience and observations (where I hunt).

 

[JRH6856]

Here is an interesting idea: Remote control hog trapping from the Dallas Morning News

 

[der Teufel]

Here's a link to the original story in the Austin newspaper:

http://www.statesman.com/sports/outdoors/austinite-uses-his-invention-to-capture-hogs-2149643.html

I've aleady put this on my Christmas list, even though it's only February!

 

[TexasPatriot.308]

it is green in my part of Central Texas and I am still killin hogs every day. Paintballdude, I was there at Mary Esther back in the early 70s when Destin was just a little fishing town, my how times have changed.

 

[paintballdude902]

it is green in my part of Central Texas and I am still killin hogs every day. Paintballdude, I was there at Mary Esther back in the early 70s when Destin was just a little fishing town, my how times have changed.

haha i can only imagine. destin is too populated for me, i stay on base.

 

[TexasPatriot.308]

a service buddy of mines grandparents owned a motel and had 2 fishing boats there at the mouth of the Choctaw bay, can only imagine what that real estate is worth now. the motel was owned by the Marlers and the boats were the Sportsman I & II. years ago, hope to take my buddy hog hunting sometime when we have a platoon reunion. I just set up a feeder last week, already the ground under the feeder is tore up big time. can kill em fast enuff.