retrieverman
Member
Front trigger is rifle, and the rear trigger is shotgun.
Not again.......! Feral Hog Control in East Texas
- Thread starter Flintknapper
- Start date
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Flintknapper
Member
You just never know.........
Sometimes they just fall in your lap (not often…but sometimes).
Sorry about the cell phone pic. It was all I had with me.
After a day and a half of rain….it finally cleared off here late this evening. I made a quick run down to the woods to retrieve storage cards from my game cams before it got completely dark.
While at my last camera…I thought I heard some hogs coming. I listened closer and sure enough…there was the sound of hogs squealing and grunting off in the brush.
It kind of caught me off guard….since my truck was parked only 75 yards away…(engine still running). But there was no doubt these hogs intended to come to the bait site.
The feeder had gone off 15-20 minutes earlier and the hog light (on a photocell) was already on….but I could still see well enough with the naked eye to make out pigs if they came in.
What the heck….worth a try.
I backed off into the only brush close by (about 12 yds. away), pulled my .45 from behind my back and waited. The hogs never slowed down and were at the feeder in less than a minute.
Three… wet, muddy hogs….all about the same size.
I just knew they were going to smell me and high tail it out of there, but I guess being slightly downhill gave me the advantage with the thermals settling.
They finally quit jockeying around for position on the corn and the closest one to me turned broadside. I aimed a little high on the shoulder and pressed the trigger.
Got a little bit of ‘muzzle flash’…but in a second or two I could see clearly again. The hog I shot was lying right where he had been standing…but was kicking some.
Apparently the bullet broke his spine just in front of its shoulder. The hog lay still just seconds later.
If the Coyotes don’t drag the carcass too far off….I will try and recover the bullet (Hornady XTP 200 grain, on top of 9.4 grains of Vihtavuori 3N37 (yes, in a +P case).
Whats the old saying? "Sometimes its better to be lucky..............."
Sometimes they just fall in your lap (not often…but sometimes).
Sorry about the cell phone pic. It was all I had with me.
After a day and a half of rain….it finally cleared off here late this evening. I made a quick run down to the woods to retrieve storage cards from my game cams before it got completely dark.
While at my last camera…I thought I heard some hogs coming. I listened closer and sure enough…there was the sound of hogs squealing and grunting off in the brush.
It kind of caught me off guard….since my truck was parked only 75 yards away…(engine still running). But there was no doubt these hogs intended to come to the bait site.
The feeder had gone off 15-20 minutes earlier and the hog light (on a photocell) was already on….but I could still see well enough with the naked eye to make out pigs if they came in.
What the heck….worth a try.
I backed off into the only brush close by (about 12 yds. away), pulled my .45 from behind my back and waited. The hogs never slowed down and were at the feeder in less than a minute.
Three… wet, muddy hogs….all about the same size.
I just knew they were going to smell me and high tail it out of there, but I guess being slightly downhill gave me the advantage with the thermals settling.
They finally quit jockeying around for position on the corn and the closest one to me turned broadside. I aimed a little high on the shoulder and pressed the trigger.
Got a little bit of ‘muzzle flash’…but in a second or two I could see clearly again. The hog I shot was lying right where he had been standing…but was kicking some.
Apparently the bullet broke his spine just in front of its shoulder. The hog lay still just seconds later.
If the Coyotes don’t drag the carcass too far off….I will try and recover the bullet (Hornady XTP 200 grain, on top of 9.4 grains of Vihtavuori 3N37 (yes, in a +P case).
Whats the old saying? "Sometimes its better to be lucky..............."
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Twmaster
Member
Is that a double stack 1911 there mister?
Nice shooting. Only good hog is a dead hog.
Nice shooting. Only good hog is a dead hog.
OP
OP
Flintknapper
Member
^^^^^^^^^
Yes Sir!
13 rounds of .45 acp, carried daily.
Yes Sir!
13 rounds of .45 acp, carried daily.
JoeDorn
Member
I am interested in the source of the books in the photo... They look like a "subscribed to" set...
Twmaster
Member
Para for the WIN!
I regularly carry that heater's sister. A P14.45 in black finish.
I regularly carry that heater's sister. A P14.45 in black finish.
OP
OP
Flintknapper
Member
Hi Joe,
I believe I received those along with my Endowment Membership (NRA) about 15 yrs. ago. Something they were doing at the time. Great reading. Should be 'required' reading in school....IMO.
Thunder Struck
Member
Lurker, lurking!!!
Hiya Flint, and others. I have read this journal and learned quite a bit. And i assume the hogs are leaving you be for a bit. I am impressed with your arrow heads and bows, and your reloads, and the hog hammer. I have always ate wild hog meat, but i usually only eat the small ones, up to around 80-100 lbs. But now i wonder, because yall are saying what my mother has told me all along about catching stuff from eating wild hogs. But i do cook it well, my wife is school cafeteria nazi and knows more stuff about cooking than most restaurants cooks do. But keeping on track with the thread, after Katrina the hogs around here (New Orleans area) exploded. We have more hogs now than ever. So this year i do plan or was planing to hunt hogs but now i dunno. The only access i have is a wildlife management area that every body and his brother hunts so i am kinda thinking we have hogs with PHD's running around out there, so i am second guessing. I hunt deer in south alabama, usually every weekend +, but now they extended our days but gave us a break in December. So i had plan to us the break to hunt hogs, still will probably but knowing what i know now i dunno. Because you never know unless you go!! Right and you can't kill them from the couch. LIke other i have a couple questions; you always talk of the skeeters, have you ever heard of a Thermacell??? We use them down here alot and they work great, deer don't seem to mind them.. I usually lite it and set it at my feet and it keeps the skeeters at bay. I have had deer walk under my climber with it on. If you haven't heard of it, PM me your address and i will send you a couple free of charge. And no i won't show up at your door step I just figure if the bugs ain't biting you, you will spend more time hunting and teaching.
I am a beginner reloader myself, i love it. Have you/Do you have a picture of a .458 standing up against a 308/30-06? i would like to see a comparison. I shoot a 270wsm with ballistic tips usually, but i broke down and purchased a AR-10 with a nikon -308 scope to match. Both rifles are so dialed in right now i will need to flip a coin to see which one i take before the hunts. I like shooting long distances, 1 @642 yards is my best, a few @400 +yards, dozens + @ 300 yards and less. We do have hogs in and around my lease and before i read this i had always wanted them, now not so much. For some reason they will not cross the hwy into our area and i think that is a blessing now. Hey i was wondering. What if the Flintnapper and family were into other things, what would it be like, hog wise in your area?? Would they root/eat it dry and move on?? Or would you be up to your neck in hogs?? I know critters get dieses when they are over crowded and die a slow miserable death. But i couldn't help but wonder the out come if you weren't shooting them and after seeing them thriving here. But just wanted to say hi and stick my face in. Keep up the good work and happy hunting and i am serious about the thermal cell. And just in case Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Birthday and i hope everybody has a Merry Christmas.
Hiya Flint, and others. I have read this journal and learned quite a bit. And i assume the hogs are leaving you be for a bit. I am impressed with your arrow heads and bows, and your reloads, and the hog hammer. I have always ate wild hog meat, but i usually only eat the small ones, up to around 80-100 lbs. But now i wonder, because yall are saying what my mother has told me all along about catching stuff from eating wild hogs. But i do cook it well, my wife is school cafeteria nazi and knows more stuff about cooking than most restaurants cooks do. But keeping on track with the thread, after Katrina the hogs around here (New Orleans area) exploded. We have more hogs now than ever. So this year i do plan or was planing to hunt hogs but now i dunno. The only access i have is a wildlife management area that every body and his brother hunts so i am kinda thinking we have hogs with PHD's running around out there, so i am second guessing. I hunt deer in south alabama, usually every weekend +, but now they extended our days but gave us a break in December. So i had plan to us the break to hunt hogs, still will probably but knowing what i know now i dunno. Because you never know unless you go!! Right and you can't kill them from the couch. LIke other i have a couple questions; you always talk of the skeeters, have you ever heard of a Thermacell??? We use them down here alot and they work great, deer don't seem to mind them.. I usually lite it and set it at my feet and it keeps the skeeters at bay. I have had deer walk under my climber with it on. If you haven't heard of it, PM me your address and i will send you a couple free of charge. And no i won't show up at your door step I just figure if the bugs ain't biting you, you will spend more time hunting and teaching.
I am a beginner reloader myself, i love it. Have you/Do you have a picture of a .458 standing up against a 308/30-06? i would like to see a comparison. I shoot a 270wsm with ballistic tips usually, but i broke down and purchased a AR-10 with a nikon -308 scope to match. Both rifles are so dialed in right now i will need to flip a coin to see which one i take before the hunts. I like shooting long distances, 1 @642 yards is my best, a few @400 +yards, dozens + @ 300 yards and less. We do have hogs in and around my lease and before i read this i had always wanted them, now not so much. For some reason they will not cross the hwy into our area and i think that is a blessing now. Hey i was wondering. What if the Flintnapper and family were into other things, what would it be like, hog wise in your area?? Would they root/eat it dry and move on?? Or would you be up to your neck in hogs?? I know critters get dieses when they are over crowded and die a slow miserable death. But i couldn't help but wonder the out come if you weren't shooting them and after seeing them thriving here. But just wanted to say hi and stick my face in. Keep up the good work and happy hunting and i am serious about the thermal cell. And just in case Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Birthday and i hope everybody has a Merry Christmas.
Twmaster
Member
anothernewb
Member
I'm a little late to the game, but it seems like there may be a business opportunity with these hogs. There's gotta be a way to get an organized hunting group together and work with landowners on this. a side business somewhere either converting the meat to animal feed or export should work - if applied to in the right scale.
Would be a heck of a business running guided hog tours - if you can get a good enough reputation that landowners are willing to let you roam. That - or provide them a nominal fee for access. Done correctly, I don't see how this could not be a win-win for everyone involved. Where I live the feral hog carries stories of being the 800# gorilla in the room. The concept worked withe the African safaris for years - good marketing aught to allow for some of this to work here in the states. Big bad mighty great white new york hunter carries back tales of a wild midnight run and gun against a toothed monster (read 100#) gains fame with friends and family, others take up the cause and you now have a waiting list. Then a side business dealing with the meat should be sweetness....
Would be a heck of a business running guided hog tours - if you can get a good enough reputation that landowners are willing to let you roam. That - or provide them a nominal fee for access. Done correctly, I don't see how this could not be a win-win for everyone involved. Where I live the feral hog carries stories of being the 800# gorilla in the room. The concept worked withe the African safaris for years - good marketing aught to allow for some of this to work here in the states. Big bad mighty great white new york hunter carries back tales of a wild midnight run and gun against a toothed monster (read 100#) gains fame with friends and family, others take up the cause and you now have a waiting list. Then a side business dealing with the meat should be sweetness....
OP
OP
Flintknapper
Member
Yes, it is pretty much requisite gear…both here and where you live. Good product, really works.
The Bogue Chitto National Wildlife Refuge along the Pearl River is good for hogs. I hunted them there when I lived on the North Shore of the Pontchartrain.
Not a very far drive for you.
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OP
Flintknapper
Member
Got a half dozen arrows finished up this evening. I will probably wait until this spring to use them, but it’s time to take out a few hogs ‘Old School’ again.
Those that have read along through this thread….know that I have a purpose built .458 SOCOM to help me whittle down the hog population, but Traditional Archery has always been my first love.
I've been pulling back various Long Bows and recurves for 44 years now.
And don’t think for a minute that knapped arrowheads are not effective, they ARE!
Regardless the method you choose, PLEASE keep killing these wretched creatures, they are still spreading!
Those that have read along through this thread….know that I have a purpose built .458 SOCOM to help me whittle down the hog population, but Traditional Archery has always been my first love.
I've been pulling back various Long Bows and recurves for 44 years now.
And don’t think for a minute that knapped arrowheads are not effective, they ARE!
Regardless the method you choose, PLEASE keep killing these wretched creatures, they are still spreading!
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sixgunner455
Member
- Joined
- Aug 25, 2006
- Messages
- 3,052
Those are some beautiful arrowheads, Flint. Beautifully done arrows, all around.
Mike1234567
member
WOW... gorgeous work FK. I'm very envious.
Thunder Struck
Member
Yeah thats the zoo (bogue Chitto) i was referring to. Its a mad house, no room for parking if you drive in. I usually launch a boat and go up river a bit, but even then its scary crazy. There is a different breed of hunter out there now a days, they think they own the place and don't have any manners. Then you have the old timers that have been hunting there for 30-40 years that get mad at the new hunters so its just different now, that is why i have a lease and are looking for my own property. But they do have hogs in a abundance there. You should see them in New Orleans east, along side of interstate just about every nite at least one if not more are struck by a car. Looking into a Flint napping beginners kit, would like to try my hand at that and as you know we don't have any rocks down here so everything has to be brought in. But nice arrows. You could sale them if you wanted to at gun shows and the such.
But how bad do you think the hogs would be if you didn't hunt them like you do???
But how bad do you think the hogs would be if you didn't hunt them like you do???
anothernewb
Member
Wow, who would say that a knapped arrowhead isn't effective?
Damn... obsidian, knife river flint, agate, and a few other rocks that break in a concoidal fracture pattern carry that break down to the crystal structure. in some cases, like obsidian, that edge goes down to a molecular level. you physically can't sharpen steel that far.
Heck, superfine medical instruments in some cases still use obsidian blades.
Not to mention that early man would disagree with them on that as well. a couple proto-humans with some wood and sharp rocks brought down the largest land animals of their time... and found fragments are still razor sharp 20,000 years later. Hah, stone stools can't possibly be better than modern metal.... lol
Damn... obsidian, knife river flint, agate, and a few other rocks that break in a concoidal fracture pattern carry that break down to the crystal structure. in some cases, like obsidian, that edge goes down to a molecular level. you physically can't sharpen steel that far.
Heck, superfine medical instruments in some cases still use obsidian blades.
Not to mention that early man would disagree with them on that as well. a couple proto-humans with some wood and sharp rocks brought down the largest land animals of their time... and found fragments are still razor sharp 20,000 years later. Hah, stone stools can't possibly be better than modern metal.... lol
clearcut
Member
Hey flint those are cool sticks & stones .I've been bending wood and breaking rocks a long time (15yrs) but they don't look that good.I showed some to a local DFG in Ca. and he said that were good to go for any game in this state .Keep up the good work.
CC
CC
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Flintknapper
Member
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The only stipulation in my State (Texas), is that they need be a minimum of 7/8" wide.
The only stipulation in my State (Texas), is that they need be a minimum of 7/8" wide.
Radagast
Member
Flintknapper:
I've enjoyed the education from your thread for nearly a year now, in the way a student can appreciate a good teacher.
But I am in awe of you as an artist. Your work is simply amazing.
I've enjoyed the education from your thread for nearly a year now, in the way a student can appreciate a good teacher.
But I am in awe of you as an artist. Your work is simply amazing.
OP
OP
Flintknapper
Member
^^^^^^^^^^^
Thank you Rad...........you're very kind, but honestly...anyone can do it (with a little practice).
Thank you Rad...........you're very kind, but honestly...anyone can do it (with a little practice).
Blue68f100
Member
I had a co-worker that got into the flint-napping. His hands were always cut from doing it. Very nice and it does require a certain skill set. Once nice thing about those is that they will never require sharpening nor will they rust....
Very well done.
Very well done.
Coltdriver
Member
Flintknapper those are really nice looking arrows!
When you shoot a hog with one does the arrow pass through? I was quite surprised to see that with deer and elk but with a razor blade on the tip I guess I should not be surprised.
How deep do the kind you have made go?
When you shoot a hog with one does the arrow pass through? I was quite surprised to see that with deer and elk but with a razor blade on the tip I guess I should not be surprised.
How deep do the kind you have made go?
OP
OP
Flintknapper
Member
Smaller hogs, sometimes, but generally the arrow sticks out the off side 8"-12".
Complete 'penetration' is common....but a 'pass-through' is not.
Lots of variables with hogs. I will expand on that below.
I have not shot an Elk with 'stone' tips, but have taken Whitetail Deer with them...and pass-throughs are pretty much the norm (provided I stay off the shoulder bone). But, I shoot heavy arrows (some weighing over 700 grains) and my bows pull 72 lbs. (at my draw length, 31").
Modern equipment provides certain advantages for the Archer, but a 'razor' tip is probably least among them. Modern Aluminum or Carbon arrowshafts are straighter than wood ones and recover quicker from arrow oscillation.
Modern broadheads are roughly the same diameter at the base as the arrow, so there is no 'step' to impede penetration. Compound bows (of the same draw weight) are more efficient than traditional gear, so they cast the same weight arrow faster.
As concerns broadheads, PROPERLY knapped stone points...will surprise you in their ability to penetrate and inflict a lethal wound. They don't compare to modern 'mechanical' broadheads...because those achieve their 'potential' by virtue of small overall surface area (less drag when contacting flesh). But, a well made stone point acts like a high speed 'wedge' (that also has fairly sharp edges).
If you look at a 'properly' made stone point, it will have a lenticular cross section and taper from the rear to the point.
When mounted to a wooden shaft (arrow/other)... the shaft MUST be tapered to reduce the amount of 'step' that is created in the process.
So many variables here. With respect to hogs, they range in weight from 40 lbs. to over 400 lbs.
Sows are normally less broad through the shoulder than Boars, hair length varies from nearly smooth coated to 3" long and VERY thick. If a hog is caked with dry mud, that presents another obstacle for the arrow.
For hogs......I tend to favor a point that is roughly a 3 to 1 ratio... (length 3 times the width). You'll want shoot the heaviest arrow your bow will cast accurately (traditional gear). The points themselves (being stone) typically weigh less than modern steel broadheads, but can be made to weigh 90-125 grs. and not be impossibly large.
If taking a broadside shot, you need to stay extremely tight behind the shoulder. The preferred shot however, is slightly quartering away.
Mike1234567
member
Flint, those are just too darned purdy to risk brakin' 'em. 
OP
OP
Flintknapper
Member
^^^^^^^^^^
They're just rocks Mike.
A 'Real' knapper could knock one out in 30 minutes. Takes me maybe an hour or so...on harder materials.
Making a good arrow shaft is where the work and time really stacks up.
Of course, a hog is going to break your arrow shaft EVERY time! With deer...I get to reuse the shaft fairly often, because the arrow passes completely though the animal most of the time.
The points survive in various stages (completely unscathed sometimes).
Obsidian points (Volcanic Glass) have the highest 'mortality rate', sometimes breaking beyond repair.
They're just rocks Mike.
A 'Real' knapper could knock one out in 30 minutes. Takes me maybe an hour or so...on harder materials.
Making a good arrow shaft is where the work and time really stacks up.
Of course, a hog is going to break your arrow shaft EVERY time! With deer...I get to reuse the shaft fairly often, because the arrow passes completely though the animal most of the time.
The points survive in various stages (completely unscathed sometimes).
Obsidian points (Volcanic Glass) have the highest 'mortality rate', sometimes breaking beyond repair.
