Hog Hunts
- Thread starter moellermd
- Start date
pheasantaddict
New member
Boy, if you can't get a hog in Iowa, times are real tough.
moellermd
Super Moderator
I suppose I could head down the section open the door to any of the 4 confinements and fire up the AR but that might get me in trouble.
By the way when are you headed up to go hunting with me and NICESHOT.
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M. R. Byrd
Well-known member
I have never been, but hope to some day.
I do know the proud owner of this mount, though. Guys, don't let the wives see this picture or they will all want one on living room wall.
I do know the proud owner of this mount, though. Guys, don't let the wives see this picture or they will all want one on living room wall.
Prairie Drifter
Well-known member
And here I thought Spot was a dog! Maynard, that's some pretty bacon! Sure makes me wish for a razor back football game
pheasantaddict
New member
Yeah, I'll have to head north sometime to see all them birds you guys get into.
henhenROOSTER!!!
New member
@M.R.Byrd--LOL, that's where my wife drew the line! I have mounts of half the game in North America - but she said No Ugly Hog Head Will Ever Hang Anywhere In My House Period - NO WAY, NO HOW!!! Have to say, I half agree...
@Moellermd--I don't get back to TX much these days (& am usually tied up with family whenever I do), but would love to turn you on to a good ol' piney-woods hog hunt on the cheap if it ever works out...Now that hunting season is over for everything else, you went & got me itchin to hear a big ol' boar screamin-with-rage from a fresh dose of hot-lead!
@Moellermd--I don't get back to TX much these days (& am usually tied up with family whenever I do), but would love to turn you on to a good ol' piney-woods hog hunt on the cheap if it ever works out...Now that hunting season is over for everything else, you went & got me itchin to hear a big ol' boar screamin-with-rage from a fresh dose of hot-lead!
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henhenROOSTER!!!
New member
Here Piggie, Piggie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EymHKsaOpRg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiHmYsyVniE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EymHKsaOpRg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiHmYsyVniE
Gove County Britts
New member
carefull boys its awfully addictive especially if you get a good one the first time:cheers:
henhenROOSTER!!!
New member
@Rhodi--Depends on whether the object at hand is the hunter's enjoyment/pleasure or the farmer/rancher's ability to get rid of the hogs...If you ever spend much time at all anywhere there is a serious feral hog problem, you will find out rather quickly that hunting alone will NEVER even so much as make a dent in the population where they have deeply taken root - the fast-learning little devils are a whole lot smarter than they get credit for! They get hip to a trap real quick too...
Also, when I lived in east TX where in some areas the wild hog numbers are literally mind-boggling/staggering it was no problem whatsoever for me and other proven/trusted hunters personally-known to the local farmers/ranchers to get permission from our friends & neighbors - but not a one of them would open up their property to strangers & rightfully so (neither would I)!
Also, when I lived in east TX where in some areas the wild hog numbers are literally mind-boggling/staggering it was no problem whatsoever for me and other proven/trusted hunters personally-known to the local farmers/ranchers to get permission from our friends & neighbors - but not a one of them would open up their property to strangers & rightfully so (neither would I)!
Let me take a few steps back (maybe more)â?¦
The point in my post was to indicate that there is no shortage of feral hogs in TX since it has gotten so bad that federal money may be sought to help control the problem. And, my remark about hunting for â??FREEâ?� is a humorous attempt at indicating that there should be no shortage of opportunities to hunt them.
I also lived in E TX for many years, but when I lived there (70s & 80s) it was rare to see a feral hog. My understanding is that it is very bad now, as it is in many other places of TX and other states. I have seen the devastation that they cause, and no, I would I not open my land (if I had any) to just anybody to come and shoot either.
http://www.amarillo.com/stories/042710/new_news3.shtml
http://www.amarillo.com/stories/050410/opi_opin3.shtml
henhenROOSTER!!!
New member
@Rhodi--Sorry, I didn't mean it to come off like a personal slam against you!
It's just that people who have not had the privilege of living slap in the middle of where an out-of-control feral hog population exists, cannot even begin to understand the true magnitude of the problem!
I too grew up in east TX back in the days when word of anyone killing a wild-hog was a rarity indeed! My how things can change - now a virtual hog explosion has taken place!!! Upon returning after 30 years gone, I actually thought people were lying (or at least highly exaggerating) when they spoke of killing a hundred or two hundred hogs each per year on the very same stomping grounds of my childhood/teenage years. I have since first-hand witnessed the problem up-close-&-personal spread over a half dozen counties, and that's just one man's very limited experience.
At first it was a barrel of fun getting in on the game of hog hunting - until they began incredibly destroying the property that I lived on so badly that the fun began to cease & things became an all out war!!! 10,000 pheasants on one man's property couldn't do the damage a dozen hogs can in just a few nights - much less multiple roving herds of up to 30-40 on every farm/ranch throughout a given area!
As to access, I have almost NEVER had a problem gaining permission to hunt hogs for FREE (or at least on the cheap) either on people's land that I already know or by knocking on doors & giving the landowner a reasonable chance to size me up beforehand.
However, there are several rather unique dynamics that go into a hog hunt & particularly so in the more densely-populated eastern region of TX as opposed to the larger uninhabited parcels of land found in south or west TX...Allowing someone to roam around on one's property with a limited-range shotgun after birds or small game is one thing, turning just anyone loose with a high-powered rifle is another thing altogether!
The areas that we hunted (with great & repeated success) almost always had hogs out the wazoo intermingled in pastures & woodlands filled with cattle, not to mention houses often within rifle range in several different directions. Factor in that night-hunting is the single best time for regular & continual success in hog eradication in any substantial numbers, and you had better know who's behind that scope with a finger on the trigger!
As locals we already knew or took great care to learn the lay of the land inside-out & the exact location of all the surrounding neighbors & then set up the hunt accordingly, never firing a shot if it was in an even remotely questionable direction. In some really hog-infested places we were forced to use shotguns w/buckshot because rifles were just too dangerous with all of the surrounding houses in the overall area.
I had to work my way in with a couple landowners over time & earn their trust before they felt comfortable enough turning me loose with all of the livestock & liability issues involved. Personally, I think at least one of the reasons most landowners only allow total strangers to hunt for pay and/or with supervision is for this exact same reason you & I would do the same dang thing! Not all farmers & ranchers are money-grubbers, many of them are just reasonably security conscious & rightfully so. I am ashamed to have to admit, I have ran into quite a few rifle hunters over the years (& all across the U.S. from CO to TX to PA) that I wouldn't turn loose on my land for a NY minute!
As to burning up more federal dollars, I'm with you - not sure exactly what that will solve if previous historical track-record of federal involvement & efficacy in most any matter is to be used as a measuring stick!
Guess you can tell by now that I'm not a real big fan of wild-hogs. The hunter side of me still loves to smoke-em with a gun & on the grill - but the land & wildlife-conscious, stewardship/conservation-minded part of me wouldn't care if there were not a feral hog left on earth. Not to worry though, the cat is irreversibly out of the bag on this one & that will NEVER happen with all of the hunting & trapping and pretty much anything else currently found in the arsenal. Much like with fire ants, the best that can now be hoped for is mere containment and a CONSTANT whittling back with every method available & then some!
Man, all this talk sure is making me want to pitch in my part, do my good deed & whack a few more for the cause again!!! I gotta plan a trip back to TX soon!
It's just that people who have not had the privilege of living slap in the middle of where an out-of-control feral hog population exists, cannot even begin to understand the true magnitude of the problem!
I too grew up in east TX back in the days when word of anyone killing a wild-hog was a rarity indeed! My how things can change - now a virtual hog explosion has taken place!!! Upon returning after 30 years gone, I actually thought people were lying (or at least highly exaggerating) when they spoke of killing a hundred or two hundred hogs each per year on the very same stomping grounds of my childhood/teenage years. I have since first-hand witnessed the problem up-close-&-personal spread over a half dozen counties, and that's just one man's very limited experience.
At first it was a barrel of fun getting in on the game of hog hunting - until they began incredibly destroying the property that I lived on so badly that the fun began to cease & things became an all out war!!! 10,000 pheasants on one man's property couldn't do the damage a dozen hogs can in just a few nights - much less multiple roving herds of up to 30-40 on every farm/ranch throughout a given area!
As to access, I have almost NEVER had a problem gaining permission to hunt hogs for FREE (or at least on the cheap) either on people's land that I already know or by knocking on doors & giving the landowner a reasonable chance to size me up beforehand.
However, there are several rather unique dynamics that go into a hog hunt & particularly so in the more densely-populated eastern region of TX as opposed to the larger uninhabited parcels of land found in south or west TX...Allowing someone to roam around on one's property with a limited-range shotgun after birds or small game is one thing, turning just anyone loose with a high-powered rifle is another thing altogether!
The areas that we hunted (with great & repeated success) almost always had hogs out the wazoo intermingled in pastures & woodlands filled with cattle, not to mention houses often within rifle range in several different directions. Factor in that night-hunting is the single best time for regular & continual success in hog eradication in any substantial numbers, and you had better know who's behind that scope with a finger on the trigger!
As locals we already knew or took great care to learn the lay of the land inside-out & the exact location of all the surrounding neighbors & then set up the hunt accordingly, never firing a shot if it was in an even remotely questionable direction. In some really hog-infested places we were forced to use shotguns w/buckshot because rifles were just too dangerous with all of the surrounding houses in the overall area.
I had to work my way in with a couple landowners over time & earn their trust before they felt comfortable enough turning me loose with all of the livestock & liability issues involved. Personally, I think at least one of the reasons most landowners only allow total strangers to hunt for pay and/or with supervision is for this exact same reason you & I would do the same dang thing! Not all farmers & ranchers are money-grubbers, many of them are just reasonably security conscious & rightfully so. I am ashamed to have to admit, I have ran into quite a few rifle hunters over the years (& all across the U.S. from CO to TX to PA) that I wouldn't turn loose on my land for a NY minute!
As to burning up more federal dollars, I'm with you - not sure exactly what that will solve if previous historical track-record of federal involvement & efficacy in most any matter is to be used as a measuring stick!
Guess you can tell by now that I'm not a real big fan of wild-hogs. The hunter side of me still loves to smoke-em with a gun & on the grill - but the land & wildlife-conscious, stewardship/conservation-minded part of me wouldn't care if there were not a feral hog left on earth. Not to worry though, the cat is irreversibly out of the bag on this one & that will NEVER happen with all of the hunting & trapping and pretty much anything else currently found in the arsenal. Much like with fire ants, the best that can now be hoped for is mere containment and a CONSTANT whittling back with every method available & then some!
Man, all this talk sure is making me want to pitch in my part, do my good deed & whack a few more for the cause again!!! I gotta plan a trip back to TX soon!
henhenROOSTER!!!
New member
One of my buddies just called & said he caught 13 good eating-size hogs in the trap nite-before-last (all about the same size around 50 lbs - they separated out the males & females - butchered 7 & gave away the 6 little boars)...Said they've been wreaking havoc on his yard lately & his wife had to stop for a herd of 30 to cross the road right in front of her last week on the way home from work.
My sons & I have tricked-up the AR's with quick-release nite-vision scopes & are planning on making a little run back down to TX before long!
My sons & I have tricked-up the AR's with quick-release nite-vision scopes & are planning on making a little run back down to TX before long!
henhenROOSTER!!!
New member
@moellermd--Pretty much ANYTHING is legal when it comes to hog hunting in TX + no limit, no season & no hunting hours! The poor, lowly critters get zero sympathy from landowners, TP&W or the rural general public. :thumbsup:
Night-hunting is legal & at least for now there are no regs barring nite-vision (for HOGS ONLY - regular rules similar to any other state apply to all other game animals). All that the TP&W politely requests whenever someone is night-hunting hogs is a heads-up call to the local warden beforehand, so that they are made aware of the situation in case anyone calls in reporting shots being fired at night, ect - although it's not an absolute law or requirement & hardly anyone ever does it.
The AR equipped w/nite vision will be a significant step-up in the arsenal for me from the usual deer rifle or shotgun & a spotlight! Sure wish I could afford thermal vision!!! The other thing I would like to try out someday is stalking them thru the woods & swamp at point-blank range with a pr of nite-vision goggles & an unplugged 9-shot Mossberg security shotgun! Where else & under what conditions in the good ol' USA could a fellow possibly get away with having so much unregulated fun!!!
P.S. This kind of "sweet" set-up is only possible where there is a serious hog problem and/or a person happens to know the landowner pretty well. Most pay-to-hunt operations do not allow night hunting for hogs (though I do know of one that offers such hunts to help keep hog numbers down, it's a pretty swanky riverbottom duck & deer lodge/club by day that also runs bi-annual hunt tests & field trials - but it would cost you several hundred dollars per pig or per nite).
For an annual $35 permit on top of a hunting license, there is also access to a lot of state land throughout east Tx that is loaded out the wazoo with hogs (mostly thick woodlands & swamps, not a lot of open country) - but no night hunting is allowed & there are much more restrictive regulations & seasons than on private land where anything goes as long as the landowner is cool with it. It's a really good bet though if freestylin on-your-own or bowhunting for a hog or two at a time is your thing (it is certainly what I would do over expensive pay-to-hunt crap for a stupid hog, if I didn't already have several private places to go for free). Let me know if you're interested in this route & I'll point you to a couple specific places to zero in on. Personally, I prefer going where I can hunt anytime I want 24/7 & light up the herd!!!!
Night-hunting is legal & at least for now there are no regs barring nite-vision (for HOGS ONLY - regular rules similar to any other state apply to all other game animals). All that the TP&W politely requests whenever someone is night-hunting hogs is a heads-up call to the local warden beforehand, so that they are made aware of the situation in case anyone calls in reporting shots being fired at night, ect - although it's not an absolute law or requirement & hardly anyone ever does it.
The AR equipped w/nite vision will be a significant step-up in the arsenal for me from the usual deer rifle or shotgun & a spotlight! Sure wish I could afford thermal vision!!! The other thing I would like to try out someday is stalking them thru the woods & swamp at point-blank range with a pr of nite-vision goggles & an unplugged 9-shot Mossberg security shotgun! Where else & under what conditions in the good ol' USA could a fellow possibly get away with having so much unregulated fun!!!
P.S. This kind of "sweet" set-up is only possible where there is a serious hog problem and/or a person happens to know the landowner pretty well. Most pay-to-hunt operations do not allow night hunting for hogs (though I do know of one that offers such hunts to help keep hog numbers down, it's a pretty swanky riverbottom duck & deer lodge/club by day that also runs bi-annual hunt tests & field trials - but it would cost you several hundred dollars per pig or per nite).
For an annual $35 permit on top of a hunting license, there is also access to a lot of state land throughout east Tx that is loaded out the wazoo with hogs (mostly thick woodlands & swamps, not a lot of open country) - but no night hunting is allowed & there are much more restrictive regulations & seasons than on private land where anything goes as long as the landowner is cool with it. It's a really good bet though if freestylin on-your-own or bowhunting for a hog or two at a time is your thing (it is certainly what I would do over expensive pay-to-hunt crap for a stupid hog, if I didn't already have several private places to go for free). Let me know if you're interested in this route & I'll point you to a couple specific places to zero in on. Personally, I prefer going where I can hunt anytime I want 24/7 & light up the herd!!!!
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henhenROOSTER!!!
New member
@BleuBijou--WOOH-HOOH, that's what I'm talkin bout!!!