Hogs in South Texas are a problem, so I can imagine that what you hear is true. The couple of farmers I know, however, like to take care of their hogs themselves.

You may need to ask around and make some personal freindships with local farmers or ranchers.

WM

A lot of the folks down my way will let you hunt hogs plus most all of them hunt them too.

Originally Posted by Wandering Man

........You may need to ask around and make some personal freindships with local farmers or ranchers.

WM

That's the best way to approach this in my opinion. If you go looking on the web and in the newspapers, you'll probably have to pay for a hunt. We've go so many hogs around here giving ranchers problems they welcome someone to take some off their place (as long as they're sure that someone knows what their doing and doesn't tare the place up).

i don't have a lot of contacts with ranchers (wish i did) so i'm probably going to try finding some public land. i really can't pay 200 bucks to shoot a dang pig for a 1 day hunt.

i would pay a couple hundred bucks if me and my buddy could use a chunk of land with the understanding that we were only after pigs and we'd leave the deer alone.

if anyone has any suggested websites, i'm open to suggestions....public land or anything else useful.

i already read texasboars.com, but it seems like many of those folks are hunting on private land.

you guys hunt hogs much? gun or bow?

You might want to check out the classifieds in areas where deer are plentiful and investigate what is available. You could then ask about other more "non game animals". They may charge you or they may not. One of the concerns landowners (especially ranchers) will have is having unknown people on their property. Liability can be an issue but mostly they worry about how "unknown" people will conduct themselves on their property. There are many places in the deep woods away from towns where scumbags cook meth, etc., kill unauthorized animals, start fires, leave trashed out areas, etc. That's what a landowner will be concerned about. My advice would be to go on some paid hunts and let the landowners get to know you. Just a thought.

Oh by the way, what part of Texas are you talking about?

Originally Posted by Charlie

You might want to check out the classifieds in areas where deer are plentiful and investigate what is available. You could then ask about other more "non game animals". They may charge you or they may not. One of the concerns landowners (especially ranchers) will have is having unknown people on their property. Liability can be an issue but mostly they worry about how "unknown" people will conduct themselves on their property. There are many places in the deep woods away from towns where scumbags cook meth, etc., kill unauthorized animals, start fires, leave trashed out areas, etc. That's what a landowner will be concerned about. My advice would be to go on some paid hunts and let the landowners get to know you. Just a thought.

Oh by the way, what part of Texas are you talking about?

+1

WM

Originally Posted by Charlie

Oh by the way, what part of Texas are you talking about?

Austin, but I'd travel a few hours to hunt, especially if it was free public land that had pigs.

It's always up to the property owner, but feral hogs are a problem in Central and East Texas farming/ranching areas; if there's land with a decent amount of forest and underbrush, you will have wild hogs. Coyotes are the major problem out west, as well as jackrabbits which are a major nuisance and by no means endangered. I can't imagine a property owner NOT being delighted at a friend offering to do some pest control, but if I had 50 acres with a couple hundred head and a stranger asked me for permission to hunt hog I'd be hesitant, so you're better off making friends with a rancher.

From Austin, I would head for Bastrop/Smithville/La Grange; there's a lot of good forested ranchland there, so it's good hog country, and it's close enough for a good day trip. You'll have to ask locally about what land is public and what is private, and just by asking someone at the local feed store about public hog-hunting land in the area you might get offers to hunt on private property.

This isn't deer-hunting; forget the bow. That one kid in the papers months ago may have brought down a one-ton hog with a revolver, but I'd bring a decent rifle in the range of .243-270, to be sure you do maximum damage with your hit. 7.62 Soviet would probably work well too especially since those rifles tend to be semi-auto, but a full .30-cal round like .308 or 30-06 would be overkill; you're going to be hunting in thick growth so a clean long-distance kill is not a concern. It's punching a bullet through the hog that's the issue; they're tough even after they've been thoroughly smoked. A shotgun would also do the trick if you're on foot; a pump with single- or double-aught buck would put a pig down in a hurry.

They eat the same stuff tame pigs eat, which is just about anything; a few overripe apples or a couple pounds of corn feed in a clearing with you in a tree will probably get you a few interested hogs, or you can drive-hunt or walk-hunt. I'd recommend against hunting with a dog; a boar is more than a match for most retriever breeds like Labs, and you are likely to end up with a serious vet bill even if you bring a boarhound or bullmastiff. Besides, you'll be shooting at something of that general size and don't want to mistake your dog for a hog.

If you're willing to smoke the bejeezus out of the hams and loins they make pretty good eating (very sharp, gamey taste, really good with a sweet BBQ sauce), but if you can't or won't smoke it for a few days at least then don't bother; you're not going to get a Honeybaked Ham out of a wild hog.

thanks for the advice.

do you think it would be out of the question to take a yearling with a bow? i'm not interested in a trophy at all. i just want to eat'em.

Originally Posted by agrostis

thanks for the advice.

do you think it would be out of the question to take a yearling with a bow? i'm not interested in a trophy at all. i just want to eat'em.

Depends on poundage, tip and shot placement. Obviously if there's enough energy behind a good piercing tip in the right place you could reliably take down hogs, especially younger specimens. However, that puts some serious limitations on you; It limits your effectiveness against larger hogs, you have to catch the hog unawares in order to get enough time for a clean shot (meaning stand or blind hunting), the arrow will not be effective through even light brush which hogs use to their advantage, and accuracy is critical as a shot that, for instance, hits the shoulder is not likely to bring down the animal.

By contrast, a shoulder shot with a rifle is a good option as it prevents the animal getting too far before it bleeds out, a .270 will be effective in most any brush through which you can see the animal, and a rifle can be readied and re-readied more quickly than a bow. I wouldn't totally discount a bow as an effective weapon in these circumstances, and a crossbow would be even better as the power is greater and it can be kept ready like a rifle, but as the exercise is as much a pest control measure and for food as it is for sport and enjoyment, IMO you'll want the tool that is most effective, and that's a rifle.

In addition, hogs are not deer; they can be very aggressive, and while on foot you face the possibility of a nesting hog you didn't notice feeling threatened and charging. You may only be interested in yearlings, but if they're in the area, chances are good that Mama and Papa are there too, and a boar will fight very effectively against animals twice its size if it has to. At my local range/store a couple of days ago, there was a guy interested in hog hunting out east of Dallas. The salesman helping him was recommending an M1A copy in .308. His reasoning is similar to what you'd hear for defensive handgun calibers; your shot has to have the greatest possible chance to incapacitate quickly both for a quick humane kill and for stopping a charging animal, and therefore you want the biggest, fastest bullet you can control. I still think a 30-06 Springfield is overkill but the guy behind the counter said it would be the gun of choice for one-shot stops of bigger hogs, and therefore the best option for stand/blind hunting. He recommended the M1 when hunting on foot as the .308 is almost as powerful and the semi-auto action gives you a better weapon against a charging animal.

I hunt them all the time with my bow. It is a blast and they taste good. I hunt East Texas. I shoot 65 lbs and use Rage broadheads. The main thing on piggies is ...their heart and lungs are lower than deer. Aim a few inches lower on the chest, otherwise you will be tracking for long time. Wait for a quartered away or perfect broadside shot ( with bow). With a rifle, shoot them in the head, they drop with no tracking. I am going after some this weekend..This is the time of the year to hunt them. My biggest with a bow is a 350 lb (on ranch scale) If you are shooting a smaller poundage, use any two blade broadhead. Have fun!

try texas boars website. good info and lots of forums

go to" texas boars " website. they have more than enough info and lots of web members to advise you.-doug

Feral hogs are considered to be vermin by most farmers and ranchers, but that doesn't mean they will let a stranger come on their land, for a variety of reasons. It is very common for guys to ambush a 'herd' of hogs with ARs or AKs and kill them in double digit numbers. It is also considered OK by most to 'recycle' them...simply drag them off and leave them for the buzzards, coyotes, and yes...other hogs. Folks I know kill all they can, and only butcher the young, healthy ones.

Among all of the sensible reasons that landowners will not allow hog hunters is one very good and practical one:

Every time a feral hog is hunted or trapped unsuccessfully, he learns something that makes him harder to get. Since trapping is a much more productive method of eradicating vermin than shooting them one by one, a landowner who has a well thought out plan for reducing the feral hog population is not going to want anything that will make his quarry less predictable. Trapping is hard work, because the traps must be very strong, and they have to be moved around, so anything that causes disruption of the hogs daily routine means more work for the trapper.

Experts estimate that 70% of the feral hog population must be eliminated every year to keep them from multiplying out of control and destroying the food crops of all other game animals, so a well thought out plan is all that can succeed. One of the better plans is to hunt the large boars and sows stealthily, usually at night, and keep them killed off, so they don't train the younger pigs.

Hogs are smart animals, and the old, educated boars are as wary as coyotes. They will often circle a baited site, sniffing the air, and warn off the main herd. They do not run with the herd, but live around the edges of it, and service the sows when they come 'in heat.'

Having said all this, it is possible to find places to hunt, but folks from the cities will pay well for a hog hunt, so most landowners have started to charge for the 'privilege,' because some can make more money off their land that way than farming or ranching on it.

Do you need the hunting permit for hogs? Thanks.

Hogs are not game animals, but .................... one must have a hunting license to hunt anything in Texas. On non-game animals there isn't a limit, no specific hours you can hunt, etc.