A hog, a lie & a question........

[bswiv]

Hog from last nights hunt. Brother in law picked out the SMALLER of the 3 he slipped up on.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y64/bswiv/Richpig2024.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y64/bswiv/Richpig2026.jpg




Louann with a nice ( For NE FL.! ) 10 point from yesterday..........the lie is she hopped up in the truck and demanded I take a picture of it so she could send it to her brother to make him envious. Deer was actually shot on some private property by a friend just a few miles outside of Jacksonville.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y64/bswiv/Richpig2018.jpg


And the question, for the other hog huters in the SE:

We've cleaned 6 hogs from this season so far and the constant comment has been that there is a LACK of fat on them. Now it's not like they ever have that much fat, especially the truly wild ones we hunt that don't get a face full of corn everyday. But it does seem to us that they are less fat than usual? And this is based on 30+ years of experence.......

Our guess is that because the acorn crop is a bit weak over here this year they have not getting enough calories to get fat..............

What are you seeing in othere places.

[simonkenton]

Congratulations! That is a good looking hog.
What did y'all shoot him with?

[hogdogs]

How has your rainfall been? If they have to migrate alot to meet food and water demands could contribute. As can heavy breeding. Sows are usually real scrawny during the end of nursing and for a while after weening. Boars working each other for several sows coming and going in heat is also tuff on them. Hunting and predation is the last factor I can think of making them run alot.
Brent

[bswiv]

We don't have that big a population of them where we hunt. Have to work fairly hard to get them. So I think the inter-animal explinations may not be it. We had a good bit of rain in the late summer/early fall. The woods are just now getting nice and dried out. Does seem that the acorn crop is VERY spotty.........but there is lots of other stuff for them to eat.

Still I know that the calorie density of acorns is well about anything else ( Other than the corn so many folks us. ) that with a poor acorn crop they will have to work harder for food.

What do you think about the idea that they have not put on the winter fat yet? I know I'm reaching here but is it poaaible that they are running late on that. Of course I've never noticed it before..........

[hogdogs]

winter fat is a possibility but also have seen plenty of summer slobs (mostly barr hogs) that had a good layer in august. But also the spotty acorn crop makes sense since their are deer and coons also hammering them as well. Up here in the panhandle, every pile of deer scat has been loaded with persimmon seeds. I also noted our acorn crop is spotty. Some spots are great but others not 1/2 mile away are low count.
Brent

[YARDDOG(1)]

Hogdogs hit the nail on the head later in season end of Dec./early Jan. & on cold brings fat You'll know if they where eating corn the fat will be yeller