Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Good News (?) For All Who Complain About The Cost of Hog Hunting in Texas

"I bet even most of those posting crap in these threads as usual have not even seen a feral hog"

Or a wet trottin’ his azz across the pasture. But hey! Still makes ‘em immigration expurts.

Yeah there's lots of border security experts in states that don't border Mejico....

I've seen that hog map before and was surprised to see that one county in ND had a population. I wondered how they got there.

I shoot quite a few pigs in my day to day travels, not in TX but close enough. I hear guys at the feed store loudly complaining all the time about them tearing up crops and pasture. Yet almost none of those guys carry a rifle in the truck, if they do they’ll probably lob a couple shots out at a sounder caught feeding out in the open occasionally but never really put any effort into actually hunting and shooting them. They all are more than happy to let me go sneak around down on the creek bottoms and shoot all I want, which I’m thankful for.

As RBB says, if you shoot them up they’ll leave for a while, maybe they come back maybe another mob moves in but you can clear them out for a little bit. I’m talking quarters now and not 20 sections mind you.

I hate that they cost folks money tearing up ag lands. I also hate when the state sends the helicopter team out and burns up lord knows how many taxpayer dollars a day to basically scatter them. Once they make it in the dark thickets and bottoms they’re safe and they know it, not much short of a fire will move them out of a big briar patch.

The one bright spot, for me at least, is that there’s no substitute for practice. And there’s no better way to practice shooting critters than shooting critters. I hunt them year around so instead of one or two deer and one elk, plus a dozen coyotes and bobcats a year I get to shoot all that plus another 50 or 75 pigs.

You say it's impossible to compare apples to oranges but have been doing it multiple times.

I try not to talk about a subject I know nothing about or have no experience with. You obviously have no hog experience.

I've never seen, nor shot a feral hog. I'm glad we don't have them, and it looks like good target practice.

The meat sounds uneatable to me.

Of course they’re edible, they’re just pigs same as farm pigs. Some are rank and nasty but most are fine if you’re so inclined. I’m tired of fooling with them so normally just leave them lay but if I decide I need some pork the loins can be removed in under 5 minutes with a pocketknife.

They are damn good practice

All it takes is one bad hunter to leave a bad taste in a land owners mouth.

You all see what we have to put up with down here!

There were a dozen more I couldn’t get in the pic to the right.


I had messed up and had pig gate closed, might have caught all of them. Two different sounders were out there.

Just my opinion..... Population density could be the difference. In the east, there are more people per sq mile. Also, the people are more scattered, meaning it's hard to go 2-3 miles without seeing a house. In Tx., you can go for 10-15 miles and not see a house. Lots more open country in Tx.



Something else happened in the 80's that probably had more impact on hogs than the feeders...... Swine brucellosis was eradicated. Up until that time, the disease kept the feral hog populations in check.

Younger ones and sows eat good. After I saw trail cam evidence of a bunch of hogs eating hog carcasses, I decided I’ll kill all I can, but get my pork from Kroger’s. And with the warning about diseases they carry, wear gloves skinning them, another vote for store bought pork.

Just me.

DF

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Thank Randy that makes a lot of sense. Like a perfect hognado scenario!!

Hogs in Montana. That would surprise most folks including the F&G. They are close though and expected at any time.

this.

Alaska had a population from the '70s up to the very late '90s, probably spring of '99. Some dude thought he could get them started on Marmot Island and then get the logging contract after they girdled a bunch of trees. Hogs found life easier on the beach. A few horrible springs in a row nailed them.

I don’t eat them anymore, don’t touch them without gloves!

According to a little quick searching, Brucellosis is alive and well in feral populations. It's only been largely eradicated with domestic pigs.

Brucellosis in Feral Hogs - Wildlife Damage Management

Swine Brucellosis - Texas Animal Health Commission

We lease our ranch in Dimmit Co. out to deer hunters. We require them to shoot two hogs to each deer they kill. Helps a little. We also have traps set up and give the kill to the 'undocumented workers' from the neighboring farms.