Any Hog Hunters?

[jwise]

I've only been out for hogs once, and we didn't find any, so I'm not experienced at ALL! So, please help me out. I really am not in to hunting, but there's something about hogs that make me want to get up early and put them in my sights. I have never known anyone w/ land enough to hunt on, until now (it's in East Texas, if that matters.)

Ok, so the stage is set; I don't know anything about hunting, much less hunting hogs, but I really want to start. I think I've already got the right gear, but you guys tell me.

Winchester 94 Trapper; 44mag
VEPR, scoped; 308
Bushy Shorty, red dot sight; 223
Ruger Vaquero; 44mag (I know, it's not a rifle.)
Mossberg 590, ghost rings; 12gauge

Ok, what would you recommend that I take? Which is the best for which circumstance? How big of hogs should I expect in East Texas? Is a 44mag (pistol and/or rifle) big enough to take it down? Is a 223 big enough to take it down? I sure as HELL hope a 12 gauge slug or 308 is big enough!

Thanks for the help!

J. Wise

[Halffast]

jwise,

I am not an expert, but I play one on the internet. ;)

My experiance in South Texas is that a .44 Mag carbine or revolver is good on hogs. The biggest I have taken with the handgun is about 200#, but I wouldn't hesitate to use it on bigger ones. The .308 should kill anything you run into. I have killed quite a few hogs with the .223 (AR15 and Mini 14). They are great if you get into a big bunch. I have killed up to 140# with the AR. I don't know how much I would trust the .223 with anything bigger, unless your drilling them between the eyes. :eek: The red dot should be great for low light. If I had to pick out of what you have, I would take both the AR and the Vaquero. No such thing as too much firepower. :D

Good luck,

David

[jwise]

Thanks for the input. When I go, I'll probably be bringing a buddy of mine (and loaning him one of my pieces.) I'll have the Vaquero on my leg, but I can't decide between the AR and the Trapper. I just might go ahead and put a red dot sight on the trapper and use it.

200 lbs, huh? Wow! That's great! I was hoping Texas had some big hogs and not just the little runty-looking ones.

Anyone else with any advice? What about "how to hunt" those critters? What are some good suggestions?

Thanks,

J. Wise

[KilgorII]

I'd carry the Vepr with the Vaquero on my side. I'd give your friend the Mossy with some 000 buckshot to cover you at close range. He might want to carry some rifled slugs in case the two of you can sneak up on a group un seen.

I went hog hunting in Kilgore (East Texas) saturday before last. Hogs will run between piglet and a very rare 5-600 pounds. The big ones will be in the thickest stuff you can find in the river bottoms. The 125 lbs and smaller ones taste the best.

If you can, take some feed corn and put it in a 5 gallon bucket with water. Seal off the top and put it in a warm place OUTSIDE!!!

Let it cook for 4-5 days and pour it out in an area 80 yards or so away from cover.

Sit and wait.

Kilgor

[LilJoe]

I am far from knowing anything at all about it. What I do know is from planning an outing with my uncle in the Snook, Tx area. From everything I have heard make sure your buddy sights up on the same boar you try on, if you miss or wound they will charge you! If you wound one they will come for all over to attack. As I said at the begining, this is just what I've been told. I do plan on going next time I get down there. Let me know how you do and all about the rush!

Joe

[Art Eatman]

No biggie, but I'm gonna move this over to the "Hunt" forum.

:), Art

[ahenry]

Jwise, don’t know that I’m much better off than you but I do have a bit (emphasis on bit) of experience with hogs and feral pigs and as luck might have it I too have a small amount of land in East TX available for hunting. ;)

I have taken a bow, .22 mag (for little South TX javalina’s), shotgun (alternating slugs and buckshot), and my Colt .45. I prefer now to use a short barrel shotgun as a backup for my .45. I am really hot on taking a hog with the pistol because I want to settle in my mind just what a pistol like I carry for person protection can really do. Contrary to popular opinion hogs are not difficult to take down. What is actually difficult is avoiding them until they decide to die. Hahaha Hogs are really just as easy to kill as a deer or similar type animal with the exception of their stamina. Good thing to remember is always know where you are going to run/hide once you shoot. Unlike a deer, when a hog is shot it will turn on the attacker rather than run away (hence the “E&E”). I guess my point is that anything you mentioned will be just about as adequate as the next. They will all require a shot in the kill zone and then a little bit of adrenaline while you wait for it to die.

Also unfortunately for me, the land I hunt on got so much rain in the past few months that all the wildlife (except the birds) has gone to a little bit higher ground. One of the locals (I don’t live there) told me a few weeks ago that he hasn’t seen so much as “hide not hair” of them for about 3 months. Oh well Sun will come out sometime huh?

[El Rojo]

I hunt pigs here in the PRK (california) and I would not take anything less than my .308 personally. I got into a good group of pigs with my .30-06 and 180 gr Spitzer Boat Tails once and I shot one rather large sow and she dropped on the spot and started squealling and before long she expired. As she was squealling the other pigs stopped and looked back, which is quite rare. So I shot another one, but not with a good rest. This pig ran down the hill into the juniper bushes. As we walked down the hill there goes my pig hobbling up the other side of the canyon with a large hole in its upper spine. My dad shoots it in the head with his 7mm mag and it drops. So we go check on the first pig and she is dead on the spot. I walk back up the hill and here comes the 2nd pig again hobling back down the hill towards me. I get within 10 yards of this thing and shoot it in the head with the .30-06. About 4 minutes later as the pig is still thrashing around, I finally put the last round in it and she expires.

Right then and there I decided pigs are a worthy foe! I figure the bigger caliber you can use, the better. My dad has taken pigs at 150 yards with his .22-250, but he had lots of time and was laying down with his Harris Bipod. I have taken a smaller pig with a Speer 125 gr TNT HP out of my .308, but I attribute that to just the sheer exposive power of that little 125 gr bullet going 2900-3000 FPS.

For those of you using handguns and the such, enjoy what you enjoy! Pig hunting might be different in the Lone Star State than the PRK. We can't bait and here pigs are a rare find off of private land. I personally would rather use the Winchester .44 and carrying back up is always a good idea.

[Drundel]

Hmm... depending on the type of woods I think it depends. I quit deer hunting with a rifle because It got to the point of being no fun. I since have started chasing pigs with pistols. Much with the help of walt and coug2wolfs.

http://www.huntamerica.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/forumdisplay.cgi?action=topics&forum=Hog+Hunting&number=29&DaysPrune=10&LastLogin=

And also depends on the type of hunting you will be doing, over corn or with dogs or just walking around. If you are going to be in a blind, the .308 is great. If you are gonna be stalking, take the .44 rifle, and there is just something about having a six shooter on your leg. Must be a Texas thing, but the .44 with the right range and right load will do nicely.

Happy hunting.

[ahenry]

Hey Drundel, I am class of ’00 also, nice to meet you.
I agree using a big caliber rifle in East TX sort of takes away the sport. I heard of some guys on a ranch near Athens that use dogs to chase the hogs towards them then kill them with a knife. NOW THATS HUNTING! I think after I see just what my .45 will do I am gong to give that a try. Might need some backup though. Anybody interested? *grin*

[Drundel]

jwise e-mailed me the other day after he saw one of my post on hkpro and told me about you and him being aggies. Damn y'all need to show that off in your sig.

corbon and buffalo bore make some nice big and hot ammo for larger game. I have some hot 300 PSP for .45LC that I shoot in my .454 when I don't need THAT much power.

[jwise]

Drundel,

After I get a little more aquainted with hog hunting, I definitely want to switch to "just pistols" (maybe w/ my AR as a back-up.)

In the newest issue of American Hunter, there's a story about a hog hunt. The author is surprised by a 'giant' hog only 10 paces away, with his 44 still in his shoulder holster! It makes a great story!

I don't really have a desire to hunt birds or deer. I am only interested in 'dangerous game.' Since I can't afford Grizzly or Cape Buffalo, I'll just have to be content w/ hogs.

J. Wise

Fight'n Texas Aggie Class of '99, Whoop!

[ahenry]

ok, at your request Brad I have changed my signature from one of the best movie lines ever to something representative of the Best College in existence. *grin*

[Spectre]

I think I would use any of the mentioned pieces, EXCEPT the AR. Which one might depend on where/how you hunt.

Last season, I was carrying a Marlin 1895G, backed up by a Glock 23 w/ 155 XTP's. One day, I'll get a .41 or .45 Colt, then I'll carry that as backup.

[Drundel]

JWise:

Using FMJ
http://www.huntamerica.com/ubb/Forum29/HTML/001053.html

From the same forum as above.

Coug2wolfs
"About a half hour into his hunt I heard a shot, then two, a third, then a fourth. He was using a Freedom Arms 454 Casull with handloads I had suggested he use. Four shots, all in the head, from 10 meters before that hog went down!
I did not see him or his hog before the guide came up for me and said let's go! I had my hand on my 45 Colt as Danny said he thought we could get in close. Then, as I was strapping it on, he announced that Gene had put 4 in his hog before it went down. That settled it, the Colt went back and the 475 Linebaugh came out."

Hogs are funny, I've read of people dropping them with .22-250 and other light loads but here is a story of a pig taking 4 .454 rounds!!! I personally would rather be safe than sorry.

A little numbers.

Buffalo Bore
.45LC
325 gr. L.B.T.- L.F.N. (1325 fps / M.E. 1267 ft. lbs.)
(Big game up to 1000 lbs.)

.44 mag
270 gr. Speer G.D. (1450 fps / M.E. 1260 ft. lbs.)
(Big game up to 800 lbs.)

305 gr. L.B.T.- L.F.N. (1325 fps / M.E. 1189 ft. lbs.)
(Big game up to 1000 lbs.)

.454 Casull
300 gr. J.F.N.. (1650 fps / M.E. 1813 ft. lbs.)
(Big game up to 1500 lbs.)

12 gauge shot gun with 1 oz slug at 1550 fps has me of 2329.66
Winchester's 12 SSP12 2-3/4 N/A 1900 385 Gr. Partition Slug has ME of 3086.91

The max me (at least of what I could find) of a .308 is right under 2900.

Again this all depends on HOW you plan to hunt them. If you are gonna be in a blind, take the .308 with a nice bronze tip, or silver tip, or barnes-x and aim for the ear. If you are gonna be in the brush, take the 12 gauge with some slugs or the 94.

ahenry:
Damn I miss freebirds... where are you livin' at now?

[nedfig]

I live in South East Texas (Houston). We have been using this stuff called "Hog Wild" in our trap. They love it. The directions say to dig a deep hole with a post hole digger and put that stuff in with some deer corn. They have been eating the feed out of our trap, but for some reason, it's not catching them. Go out about 1600 and put some of that stuff in the ground. Go eat some dinner. Then come back about an hour before dark and wait for them to come. That's one way to do it. There are hundreds of ways to do it though.

[Drundel]

get a 5 gallon bucket, fill it about 3/4 with corn, pour in cheap beer so that the corn is soaking, and blue-berry or rasberry jello pack, (just one) cover the can and let it sit, when you check on it and pass out from the stench it's ready, take a post-hole digger and dig 1-2 feet down and pour in bait, repeat on several different locations. hog will come running.

also i have been told that old bread dough (like pizza) is good and you can get it free in back of pizza places dumpster.

happy hunting.

[jtduncan]

You guys are lucky. I haven't heard of a feral hog around WA state in years. But I'd love to try out my Glock 20 on a couple!

[Spectre]

The "Motor City Madman" took a warthog with his. Then again, he's a damn good shot.

[V.Oller]

Went on a hunt two weeks ago in Central Florida with knifemaker Ed Chavar. He was using a Winchester 70 in .270 (Winchester Fail safe)and had a Taurus Raging Bull in .454 Casull(Winchester FAils safe again).

He took one hog with each. Strangely (maybe not)the .454 took two rounds and the .270 only one. The handgun hog ran about 150 lbs. The rifle hog slightly smaller.

My two were one rifle shot at 150 yards with a Savage Scout in .308 Win. and one pistol shot with my carry Glock 23(.40 S&W) at 20 feet. Both were one shot put downs. For the rifle I used Winchester 150 Gr. Power Points (no time to hand load some 165 gr.). For the handgun I had 180 Gr. Gold Sabers. Both hogs in the 130 lbs range.

I can recomend both.

Good Luck!

Vince

[Glamdring]

Did Winchester start loading fail safes in pistol calibers? Are you sure it wasn't Winchester's Partition load for the 454?

[V.Oller]

Too true! Fingers got away with me, they were partitions.
It was a great hunt! I can't wait for next year! One of the guys with us took a hog with a knife too. One Ed built for him. My turn next year!

Vince

[Drundel]

Did he recover any of the slugs for the .454? I have some and am curious how much they expanded?

I have a USP40F, how did you GS do? I want to get some hot gold dots and try them out on yotes or pigs.

[V.Oller]

Sorry, no slugs were recovered, as they were thru and thru. I can tell you that they left a devastating wound channel and one went thru the hog and took the off side fore leg almost off. It was hanging by the skin. I'd say they worked fairly well!

Vince

[El Rojo]

We haven't quite reached the point of taking pigs as varmints here in the PRK yet (but after this last season, it may not be long there are so many pigs). Are you guys just blasting em like coyotes and squirrels or are you trying to get some meat out of em? Just curious. There are so many on the ranch I hunt on I wouldn't mind taking some 600 yard shots on em for the fun of it if the rancher gave the ok. And as I said, there are so many, I think he might just do that sooner or later.

[nedfig]

In my case for meat. Although my employer pays the local game warden to "get rid" of as many as he can.

[Glockster35]

I want to go Hog hunting in the Peoples Republic of Kalifornia also.

I have a group of guys I work with that would be happy to hunt anywhere in Northern California if anyone knows a spot.

Any tips? None of us has ever hunted hogs, but most all of us have hunted deer and elk.

We all live east of the Bay Area near Fairfield.

Anyone want a hunting partner? Let me know I'll be glad to accompany you and your hunting crew.

[Art Eatman]

El Rojo: At one time, feral hogs were such a problem for sheep/goat ranchers around the Leakey, Texas, area that the ranchers were setting dynamite traps for them.

They'd find a place where hogs had dug under a net-wire fence, and rig dynamite with a trip-wire detonator. Sometimes spread hog over an acre or two; sometimes ruin a coyote or javelina.

:), Art

[Al Thompson]

El Rojo, they eat very well. Just remember that they are closer to deer than a farm raised pig. Not much fat, hence you need to cook it moist and as they aren't cleared by a food inspector, you need to throughly cook it. Trichinosis is still out there..

Varmits vrs. game depends on your occupation. My farmer buddies would cheerfully kill all of them due to crop destruction, while some of the pay to hunt places have internal limits.

Giz

[Aussie]

if any of you blokes know about australia (where i live)
there is a place called cape york, this is the most northern part of oz. on this certain peninsula there is an estimated 2.2 million pigs some of the biggest being about 4-600# (200-300kg).

just imagine what damage this amount of pigs can doto a land mass that only covers 1/4 of Queensland (see an atlas)

just thought this might be interesting

[Sam Norton]

I would opt for the .308 if the scope was a 2x7 or 3x9 max, and the rifle was farly light I would want a medium to tough bullet 165 grains. This gives you 2 options, head shot if it is standing still to save meat and the power for shoulder shots if it's on the run with an exit would to track.

Best Regards
Sam