In a couple of years after getting #1 daughters wedding paid for and #2 through college if the good Lord is willing I have in my mind that I would like to try a pig Hunt. I'm a bird hunter #1 and Deer Hunter #2 , never hunted pigs before. It looks like it could really be fun. I wouldn't want to pay somebody to put me in a blind and watch a bait pile and then have some target practice. that type of hunt wouldn't appeal to me. I would like to hunt them with a leveraction rifle. My question to the experienced pig hunters is what is your favorite way to hunt pigs and where?
Mike B.

I've always done spot & stalk (sometimes in a truck) but I've always wanted to sit on a game trail (early AM, late PM) and get one with my Marlin Guide Gun. (Preferably with something like a 525 Piledriver!.....okay, 405 LFNGC would work just fine, I'm sure.)

I've always done spot & stalk (sometimes in a truck) but I've always wanted to sit on a game trail (early AM, late PM) and get one with my Marlin Guide Gun. (Preferably with something like a 525 Piledriver!.....okay, 405 LFNGC would work just fine, I'm sure.)
Both ways sound like like fun, particularly with a leveraction and a bullet you cast yourself and loaded. How big are the pigs you shoot and are they good to eat? I am hoping some day to go on a fun hunt. I 'm not really a trophy hunter but I think a pig hunt could be exciting if done right. I just don't know anything about them and hear guys up here in PA talk about paying a bunch of money to shoot big tusked hogs on fenced preserves and getting them mounted etc. To each his own and I'm not criticizing those hunts they are just not interesting to me.
Mike B.

Have never been on a guided pig hunt...no real need in this location as the things are pretty much pests. Often run into them while hunting small game or deer, ethier crossing them in a stalk or watching them as they pass by a stand. Most of the time will try not to shoot them...aren't what I went out there to shoot.

Of course, go looking for them and you're likely not to see any....but that's the way the world seems to work with everything (used car shopping...good deals on TV's...etc.).

Now these aren't "hogzilla" sized..largest might go 300-320pounds, with most about 1/2 that. Have taken one of those mid-day naps on a squirrel hunt, only to wake up with a small herd of littler ones all around me..closest one within 12 yards....have had to wait to go back down a jeep trail while one of them were taking a mud bath (he was in the 300pound class) in the ruts I made that morning while going IN.

Mike... Personally, I will hunt them any way it takes. For me, the best I've enjoyed is catching them out in my food plots at night. About this time of night, 10 pm, I will walk out into the yard and look at both my upper and lower plots in the moon light. It's amazing how far you can see plus you can hear and smell them if the wind is right. Anyway, I get out in the plot after them. You got to pay attention to the wind, shadows, etc. to make it work.

Mike... Personally, I will hunt them any way it takes. For me, the best I've enjoyed is catching them out in my food plots at night. About this time of night, 10 pm, I will walk out into the yard and look at both my upper and lower plots in the moon light. It's amazing how far you can see plus you can hear and smell them if the wind is right. Anyway, I get out in the plot after them. You got to pay attention to the wind, shadows, etc. to make it work.

Do they have good noses like deer? How would you describe hunting them? Less challenging than deer but still fun? Just targets of opportunity? Also once you get that pig on the ground is it fit to eat? I'm just intriqued with them particularly if hunting them is a little challenging. I know people who have traveled south and hunted them with dogs who cornered them while they ran in and stuck them with a knife. I wouldn't want any parts of that either, but if you could take your rifle for a walk or spot and stalk them they seem like they would be fun to hunt. Of course maybe one hunting trip would be enough experience for me kinda like coon hunting at night.
When you talk about food plotswhat are you talking about? Food for deer, birds?
Mike B.

I've never hunted for hogs but I did have a few "pet" ones that some friends of my uncle caught. I'll have to see if I can find those pictures.

In Georgia you have your choice of the NE Mountains or the swamps of South Georgia, if the type terrain matters to you. I think the wildest and "hoggiest" terrain in Georgia is the Ocmulgee drainage. Look between Macon and Savannah on your map.

I wish I could offer more help. I've never known of a hog on our property but you can find them 50-60 miles away.

I've never hunted for hogs but I did have a few "pet" ones that some friends of my uncle caught. I'll have to see if I can find those pictures.

In Georgia you have your choice of the NE Mountains or the swamps of South Georgia, if the type terrain matters to you. I think the wildest and "hoggiest" terrain in Georgia is the Ocmulgee drainage. Look between Macon and Savannah on your map.

I wish I could offer more help. I've never known of a hog on our property but you can find them 50-60 miles away.
You never got the urge to hunt them?
Mike B.

Mostly we just drive around at night, and shoot them out the truck window, to be honest.

There are areas here where they are an incredible pest. Just so happens you can eat them, too.....

You'll probably have to do some searching to find an outfitter that can provide what you want. However, most hunting in Texas is done from blinds, whether fixed, or mobile... :D

Do they have good noses like deer? How would you describe hunting them? Less challenging than deer but still fun? Just targets of opportunity? Also once you get that pig on the ground is it fit to eat? I'm just intriqued with them particularly if hunting them is a little challenging. I know people who have traveled south and hunted them with dogs who cornered them while they ran in and stuck them with a knife. I wouldn't want any parts of that either, but if you could take your rifle for a walk or spot and stalk them they seem like they would be fun to hunt. Of course maybe one hunting trip would be enough experience for me kinda like coon hunting at night.
When you talk about food plotswhat are you talking about? Food for deer, birds?
Mike B.

Mike... Sorry, been a little under the weather with my back. The hunting is kind of what you make it. Newcomers to hog hunting make one critical error when they hit the woods for hogs, they simply underestimate them. On a sliding scale between a whitetail deer and turkey, I put them closer to the turkey. You can condition any kind of critter to come to a feed, but it's how they do it. If a hog gets any indication that a human is or has been near they are simply... gone.

They are pretty difficult to spot and stalk mainly because of the cover they favor. They don't leave it until dusk and they return at daybreak. Cool evenings with heavy cloud cover are the best.

The food plots are for whitetail deer.

There's also a huge difference between hogs that haven't been hunted, and ones that have had a pretty good education.

If they are under continual hunting pressure, they get VERY difficult to approach. If, on the other hand, they've had 2 or 3 months and no one slinging lead at them, the younger ones especially can get pretty bold.

Most of the ones that get shot are young and dumb... which are generally better eating, anyway.

Both ways sound like like fun, particularly with a leveraction and a bullet you cast yourself and loaded. How big are the pigs you shoot and are they good to eat? My favorite season to hunt pigs is in the spring before it gets too hot. I hunted them one time in May in Central CA when a drought was underway. The meat was pretty gamey, though the sausage was fine. I prefer a year with sufficient rainfall so they got plenty of greens and alfalfa to chew on. Pigs can typically range for us from 125# up to 200# for a big one. Not untypical to see one go north of that, but I haven't gotten one.

I am a scaredy cat when it comes to trichinosis. Carnivores like pigs or bears can carry it after eating other infected animals. I cook all of my pig WELL DONE. For example, I both boil, then grill my sausages. The butcher I use for the sausage smokes some of it, saying "The heat is high enough. You can eat it cold." Not me, thanks. I cook everything. WELL DONE. I know others may disagree but I don't risk it.

HOG HUNTIN' (!!!) Don't get me started. I love it !!

Down here we hunt the river and the river swamps from my boat. It's a 18.5' G3(Yamaha),center console, with a 90 Yamaha. I have painted it completely in camo.It has a tunnel hull with a jackplate so as to be able to take on some very "skinny" water. It will run 41mph in 12" of water if need be. Or for chuggin along thru the little "lakes" it will go in 8" with the jackplate (motor)run up. A trolling motor is attached to the front for slippin' along the small backwater lakes shootin' hogs that we jump from the banks.

Down here it is legal to have a loaded firearm in, and hunt from, a boat. We go up the main river(Escambia,Yellow,Blackwater,etc.) and head up the very small feeder streams. The farther back in the better. That's where the bigger hogs live. When we get to where the boat can't go anymore we get out and walk. Here a GPS is mandentory. These swamps ALL look the same.

Guns of choice are the very short and light carbines in 44mag or 45LC. These,w/o scopes. I have shot hogs at 10 feet. Most places the brush,bamboo,palmettos,and vines(wait-a-minute vines) are so thick that the shots will be 10 yards at the longest. Some places we hunt the river banks with a '06 or a 7mag. You drop somebody off on one bank and they watch the opposite bank from a ground blind. Some of the shots could be 200yds if your watching around a bend in the river.

We (2 of us)kill 8-12 hogs a year. My buddy has to work alot more nowadays so much of the time I'm by myself. This is hunting strickly in the NW Fal. WMA's. There is a very liberal season that flops back and fourth between archery/blackpowder,and general gun. In Fla. hogs are considered small game,so using a centerfire pistol(non scoped) we can hunt small game(hogs)from Nov.11th thru Mar.4th(basically). At some point between those dates we can use a centerfire rifle and ML also.

This past season I have successfully used my Beretta Storm in .45ACP to kill the smaller hogs. I have also killed a 215lb. sow with the weapon. This, shooting a Hornady 230gr. XTP @968 fps. This is a factory load(#9096). This loading should be tried by those of you that want to hunt with your ACP.(the smaller game) The bullet went completely thru her and she went 30yds and flopped over dead.

Hogs are the 4th most intellegent animal on the face of the earth(man,chimps,dolphins,hogs) so hunters have to do their homework. IMO they can smell better than a whitetail,hear better than a whitetail or coyote,and they are very easily made to leave an area and not come back if pressured. The only thing that they can't do well is see. But don't be fooled as I have thinking that they cannot see MOVEMENT at reasonable distances. I have spooked hogs by simply raising my weapon at 50-60yds. Also you MUST believe me whan I say that they can move thru the thickest brush quieter than a whitetail while moving only the smallest ammount of foleage. They NEVER cease to amaze me by doing this. Hunting the swamps we say that,"if you think that you hear a gray squirrel gently shuffeling the leaves looking for accorns,it's probably a larger hog walking".

Those of you that haven't tried hog hunting owe it to yourself to give it a try. The animals are cleaner than ANY barnyard hog and they eat far better. I have NEVER found a single flee,tick,mite,or any other parasite on ANY of the hogs that I have killed, either on the river or at my lease in Ala. ----pruhdlr

if ur going to do any traveling u may want to check out tx. they have ferral hogs and javalina and all u need is a small game lic. there are a # of site with fair chase hunting. in tx they mainly stand hunt

Either from the ground with a bow (spot and stalk) or behind dogs with a knife.

My favorite has to be with dogs. You can choose any method previously mentioned and I've seen everything from .17 to .338, all handguns, bows/crossbows, spears, knives and shotguns. The most excitement I've witnessed has to be over dogs. I used to guide hunters years ago but killed my first swine in Africa this past July: a Warthog. Did a spot and stalk and took a respectable boar with heavy tusks. I liked it and will hunt them and Bush Pig next year when I return. Heading for AR in a week or two to try for one with a .357 over dogs. Good hunting, grayghost

Also you MUST believe me whan I say that they can move thru the thickest brush quieter than a whitetail while moving only the smallest ammount of foleage. They NEVER cease to amaze me by doing this. Hunting the swamps we say that,"if you think that you hear a gray squirrel gently shuffeling the leaves looking for accorns,it's probably a larger hog walking".

I agree with this statement. I often listen to the birds and squirrels as they don't like hogs and their chattering is often the only noise in the hogs woods. If you listen then will tell you where they are bedded and when then travel.

Our hogs here in Texas have plenty of fleas and ticks. I often will take a small tarp and place over an animal I just killed. I then take a small carpet bomb (flea killer) and place it under the tarp and let the animal lay about 30 minutes while I get ready to clean it. This will do most of the small critters in.

In Texas, feral hogs are a non-game animal but you do need a license to hunt them unless you are controlling the population on a given piece of property. If any "sport" is involved, you must have a hunting license. I just had a Game Warden speak to a group of people (about 125 landowners) on my place. The State is cracking down on individuals hunting hogs without a license. For instance, the biggest hard sale is the fellow traveling from out of state to hunt your hogs. Law enforcement says forget it, he will write you a ticket. A 5-day non-resident license is $45. This is the license I purchased for the Postal Match hunters.

Javelina, on the otherhand, are game animals and there is a season in every county. That season might be opened year round, during the fall, or closed depending on the county's location within the State. A license is required to hunt javelina.

In a couple of years after getting #1 daughters wedding paid for and #2 through college if the good Lord is willing I have in my mind that I would like to try a pig Hunt. I'm a bird hunter #1 and Deer Hunter #2 , never hunted pigs before. It looks like it could really be fun. I wouldn't want to pay somebody to put me in a blind and watch a bait pile and then have some target practice. that type of hunt wouldn't appeal to me. I would like to hunt them with a leveraction rifle. My question to the experienced pig hunters is what is your favorite way to hunt pigs and where?
Mike B.
Well, you sure have your priorities right. Weddings and college are a little more important than pig hunting, but killing pigs is a lot more fun!
South Texas has been the place to go for years however the ranches up North along the Red River are killing some giant hogs. I mean in the 300- 500# class. Big'uns

We shoot them year round, but do not keep them during the summer. Hogs are very hot blooded animals and unless cleaned immediately, they start "turning" real fast in the heat.
Once, I got an infection and lost two fingernails after cleaning a summer hog.

Having said that, I think they taste better than venison, in the fall and winter.

We generally hunt them over baited areas but will also kill them just riding around the ranches.

Working a light at night is productive but in my area, it draws too much attention from the long arm of the law. Even though its legal, people always think you are spotlighting for deer.

Good Luck

tpv... You should be wearing GOOD latex gloves when you clean any animal. I keep my hogs in the summer but I'm able to get them on ice pretty quick. Never had a bad one.

I'm getting a "pro" ice maker out here in a couple of days and I hope to put in a walk in cooler next year. There is only one cooler left in town and they really don't want deer any more so may be I can realize a few $ back using my cooler to store "outside" deer during the season. No place will store a hog anymore and that is a year round activity here.

I keep hearing about some really large hogs coming from the Abilene area...

tpv... You should be wearing GOOD latex gloves when you clean any animal. I keep my hogs in the summer but I'm able to get them on ice pretty quick. Never had a bad one.

I'm getting a "pro" ice maker out here in a couple of days and I hope to put in a walk in cooler next year. There is only one cooler left in town and they really don't want deer any more so may be I can realize a few $ back using my cooler to store "outside" deer during the season. No place will store a hog anymore and that is a year round activity here.

I keep hearing about some really large hogs coming from the Abilene area...
I envy you. An ice maker would be a real treat. and a walk in cooler, too.

We have a couple of large freezers and the meats goes in as fast as we can when the temperature is high.

I try to carry latex gloves with me but somehow, they get lost. Kinda like a pair of socks!

I have some friends that bought some land up near Childress and they kill very large hogs as well. Just like their deer, there is not as many but what is there is big.

My wife and I and another couple are spending the weekend at the lease. That gives me a "guilt free" hunting trip.

He has a single reflex digital camera that I am going to use to try to get pictures of these good bucks I've been seeing.
My old digital camera just can't get the shots at 6:30AM. Not enough light.
Good Luck

Our hogs here in Texas have plenty of fleas and ticks. I often will take a small tarp and place over an animal I just killed. I then take a small carpet bomb (flea killer) and place it under the tarp and let the animal lay about 30 minutes while I get ready to clean it. This will do most of the small critters in.



Mother of God what a great idea!

Man I never even considered that!

RD, you're the man. I suspect that would work nicely on deer as well. This time of year when the deer and hogs are bug infested here in SC, and its getting dark at 8-9pm, I just tote them to the processor. Otherwise, I wouldn't get to bed until 1-2am. To me, its worth $60 to get a good night sleep. Later in the year, I always do my own. But man it would be great not to have to fool with all those nasty bugs.

Hey guys; that is a great idea but let me caution you on pesticides. Anything that kills insects can kill humans if ingested in enough quantity. Not that you would die, but you could become ill if you ate contaminated meat. Be sure you wash the game thoroughly BEFORE you field dress the animal. I would go as far as using Dawn dish washing liquid at it removes grease/oil, and petroleum products are used to attach the pesticide to anything it comes in contact with. Wear rubber gloves so you don't come into contact with the pesticide. Coulston's "Duranon Permanone" will kill any tick, but you do not want it on your skin. I use it on my clothes when I hunt here and Africa and it works better than any brand we've tried. You could spray down a hog and wait 15 minutes, but be sure to wash the pig well if you intend on eating any of the meat. I'm not trying to intrude on a good idea, just want to advise on the possible concerns. Good hunting, grayghost

Seeing as most hogs are fairly evenly coated with encrusted mud, washing off the critter before gutting and skinning is a grand idea, anyway!

Will help in the wear and tear on the gutting/skinning knives as well.

Good point kdub: the hogs I hunt in AR are covered with gumbo mud. It consists of clay and fine grained sand. Will stick to anything. It will also dull a knife real fast. With so many 4 wheelers today, most guys can get a hog out of the woods whole. I'm heading that direction this weekend.

I shot my first 1st last weekend in Central Tx with a
336 30-30 at 40 yrds w/ stock iron sights. He was about 40 lbs. Buddy also took one of this size and a 200# at 83 yds with a .243 short.

Now that you are back to normal, go get em Mike!!!

This is a great thread that should not be left to die.

Dave :cool:

Friends All.....All the fellows here at Ole' Dixie hunt true wild hogs more than deer anymore. I will not address what firearms and ammo to use on them, as we have discussed that in detail.
I do have a few comments for those that are new to hog hunting.
First, carry plenty of gun! You really never know what size hog you will run into. There is a world of difference in a 100 pound pig and a 300 pound plus Tusker.
Second, study the anatony of a hog vs a deer. The vitals are much more forward! A classic lung shot behind the shoulder blade on a deer.....will be a gut shot on a hog.
Two weeks ago we did a tour of our hog areas to see where the acorns were.....not many! We did find some rooting on the flats for Paint Root.
What we did see was buzzads working on hog remains. The best we could tell, most were gut shot by arrows (bow season hsd been in)
Take a look at the attached picture and notice the location of the vitals....it might help!
Regards, James

Sage advise - shoot forward of the shoulder on hogs, or through it.

Got tired of sharpening good knives after skinning hogs.... started using a utility knife with replaceable blades, instead. Works great!

First let me say, the type hunting we do, may be completely different from the type hunting other people do. The area we hunt is public hunting land and we are not allowed to hunt at night or put out feeders. Because of the hunting pressure, the hogs are out early and late in the day. 4-wheelers are restricted to 4-wheeler trails. If you kill a hog a mile from a 4-wheeler trail, you have to drag it to the 4-wheeler trail. That means most people hunt close to 4-wheeler trails and most hogs are not found near 4-wheeler trails and they hold up in the thickest cane breaks and densest cover available during daylight hours.

The area we hunt is composed of river bottoms and swampy areas with cane breaks, dense thickets, and lots of low vegetation. In the middle of the day, we generally carry a light weight rifle and cover as much ground as possible scouting for fresh rutting. Don't worry about making noise, wear good walking boots and cover as much ground as possible. I want to find a lot of rutting, both old and fresh. Old and fresh rutting generally means it is an area they have been coming to feed on a regular basis. Once you find a good area, hunt close to it late in the day, but not in the morning. In the morning, they will be returning to thick cover. Hunt on a trail leading to the feeding area, but far enough away, that they will not hear you walking to the trail before daylight. It needs to be a trail with fresh hog tracks that goes to dense cover (this is another thing you will be scouting for in the middle of the day).

Another thing we look for is a hog waller (excuse my spelling). Look for trees with frest mud where they have rubbed. In warm weather, these can also make good ambush sites.

As far as guns, shots are sometimes close and snap shots are common (usually when you jump a hog out of its bed). It needs to be easy to get on target quickly. I favor head and neck shots. If you have time, through the ear will put them down right there. Don't get hung up on 30-30, 35 Remington, 444, etc., it just needs to be a rifle that you are used to shooting, you are comfortable with, and you can get on target quickly. If rifles are not allowed and you decide to hunt with a bow, a recurve or longbow is better than a compound. There's just not time to use sights.

For example, we were hunting near Cartage, TX in a cut over. Another guy and I were slipping along a hog trail when we noticed a bush shaking about 10 yards away. I pulled an arrow from my hip quiver and put it on the string. A 150 lb hog trotted across the trail in front of us. I drew and shot him in the ribs angling through the body towards the neck. He stopped, turned around and looked for us. We stood very still. He turned and started to walk away. I pulled another arrow and shoot him again behind the shoulder and he went down 15 yards away. I turned around and asked the man why he didn't shoot at him. "I couldn't find him in my peep sight", was his answer. I suspect his heart was thumbing so loud in his ears that he couldn't see the sights.

Hog charges are rare. They have poor eyesight and just run in the direction they are pointed. I haven't had but 3 or 4 within five foot of me and I don't think they were charging me. I just happened to be on the trail they choose to leave the area.

Speaking of senses, they have better noses than deer, good hearing, and poor eyesight. They are near sighted, but see movement. And, they are very intelligent (for an animal).

I hope this helps. Good hunting.

Mother of God what a great idea!

Man I never even considered that!

RD, you're the man. I suspect that would work nicely on deer as well. This time of year when the deer and hogs are bug infested here in SC, and its getting dark at 8-9pm, I just tote them to the processor. Otherwise, I wouldn't get to bed until 1-2am. To me, its worth $60 to get a good night sleep. Later in the year, I always do my own. But man it would be great not to have to fool with all those nasty bugs.

I actually buy the carpet bomb by the 12-pack...

How about processing/butchering. I do my own venison but with a hog I'd like realize the benefits of the variety of cuts....like bacon, chops, pork steak etc.

What is the typical/avg fee for processing in your area?

Here in michigan we will soon be hunting them in our favorite swamps. The DNR gave us 23 counties of "free-fire" zone to all liscensed (even small game) hunters. Soon the entire state will be in it since there have been many sightings beyond the 23 counties once presumed.

May even put me up a smoke house out back.

From the wild hogs I've butchered, you won't find the fat content like that on domestic animals. Bacon is pretty much ruled out.

I cut them up the same as venison.

How about processing/butchering. I do my own venison but with a hog I'd like realize the benefits of the variety of cuts....like bacon, chops, pork steak etc.

What is the typical/avg fee for processing in your area?

Here in michigan we will soon be hunting them in our favorite swamps. The DNR gave us 23 counties of "free-fire" zone to all liscensed (even small game) hunters. Soon the entire state will be in it since there have been many sightings beyond the 23 counties once presumed.

May even put me up a smoke house out back.

These are going to be much leaner than domestic. I only keep the backstraps, tenderloins and back hams. The coyotes keep the rest.
I've had bacon made out of wild hog but it was very small pieces. You'd need to kill a real whopper to get normal size "storebought" bacon.
But it was good to eat so it might be worth a try.

I wanted a smokehouse when we built our house but I settled for new dining room furniture, Oh well-

Ya can't eat in the smokehouse, Tom! :D

Ya can't eat in the smokehouse, Tom! :D
I don't see why not! We never even use our dining room, except to walk through to get to the frig, microwave and bar stools.

Hey, TPV -

Check your PM's.

How about processing/butchering. I do my own venison but with a hog I'd like realize the benefits of the variety of cuts....like bacon, chops, pork steak etc.

What is the typical/avg fee for processing in your area?

Here in michigan we will soon be hunting them in our favorite swamps. The DNR gave us 23 counties of "free-fire" zone to all liscensed (even small game) hunters. Soon the entire state will be in it since there have been many sightings beyond the 23 counties once presumed.

May even put me up a smoke house out back.

Haven't paid to have one processed in a while, but should be comparable to a deer.

If you can cut up a deer, you can cut up a hog. First suggestion is to shoot a smaller one if possible - you'll thank me later for that.

Cut up into the major parts - shoulders, hams, backstraps, ribs/belly, tenderloins, neck.

Tenderloins and backstraps are great grilled.

Shoulders are going to be dry. If you roast them, you need to keep them moist. A turky roasting bag works great.

Neck meat is pretty good and makes a good roast for the crock pot. It has more fat than you'd expect.

Ribs / belly - normally I grind these. In fact, the ribs/belly, neck, and shoulders all mixed together generally makes pretty good sausge. If it's from a sow you probably won't have to add any fat. If it's from a boar, most likely you will.

Hams - can roast/smoke those whole, or I like curing them. The Morton TenderQuick and Sugar Cure products work great - Morton publishes a booklet that tells you how. Very simple and makes great ham.

The other option with hams is to just separate the muscle groups out to make small roasts. 3 or 4 good roasts are possible from each ham, depending on the size. The scraps can be ground up. Some people saw the hams perpendicular to the bone to make ham steaks, but I haven't tried this.

If you get a fat pig, and it's deer season, mix some deer meat about 50/50 and that will make good sausage too.

I have a Cabela's brand grinder, it works good.

Hope that helps.

I was under the impression that these pigs/hogs had some gland that was to be avoided al all costs....

Am I confused (again).... Maybe I'm think of the SW Javelins (sp)

Thanks

Yes, javelina have a scent gland a couple inches up on the spine from the tail. Something not to be messed with at all! :eek:

Domestic and wild hogs do not have this foul gland.

Yes, javelina have a scent gland a couple inches up on the spine from the tail. Something not to be messed with at all! :eek:

Domestic and wild hogs do not have this foul gland.

How are javelinas to eat? Which do you prefer? Hogs or javelina?
Mike B.

Javelinas eat about the same, if you can stand to clean them (and do it correctly). But it's akin to cleaning a 3 day old roadkill skunk, which pretty much makes it a good job for someone else.

We're pretty well overrun with pigs in Texas and I don't much mess with javelinas anymore.

Well, I'd say a javelina is tough and gamey. If you BBQ one, it tastes like BBQ.

As with MikeG, I quit hunting them because I couldn't get anyone else to clean them for me! :eek:

HOG HUNTIN' (!!!) Don't get me started. I love it !!


Guns of choice are the very short and light carbines in 44mag or 45LC. These,w/o scopes. I have shot hogs at 10 feet. Most places the brush,bamboo,palmettos,and vines(wait-a-minute vines) are so thick that the shots will be 10 yards at the longest. Some places we hunt the river banks with a '06 or a 7mag. You drop somebody off on one bank and they watch the opposite bank from a ground blind. Some of the shots could be 200yds if your watching around a bend in the river.



Those of you that haven't tried hog hunting owe it to yourself to give it a try. The animals are cleaner than ANY barnyard hog and they eat far better. I have NEVER found a single flee,tick,mite,or any other parasite on ANY of the hogs that I have killed, either on the river or at my lease in Ala. ----pruhdlr

Wanna be Hog hunter here. Various weapon choices but have no idea on loads (factory).

44 Lever action - Load (240, sp, jhp, ball?)?

30-06 - Load (150, 165, 180, sp?)

30 Carbine - Load (110, sp, ball?)

THANKS!

How are javelinas to eat? Which do you prefer? Hogs or javelina?
Mike B.

I've eaten plenty of both and cleaned plenty of both. I actually cleaned 25 javelina in one day. It's a job that is a lot easier than cleaning a hog. I don't think a person could clean that many hogs in one day. They are somewhere on a scale from gutting and skinning a rabbit - deer. I've never had any problem with the scent gland.

That gland is pretty important if you are a javi. With the poor eye sight, they depend on the scent to identify each other. Every animal in a given pack smell EXACTLY like the others in the same pack. Each pack smells slightly different to javi's. They manage to accomplish this common scent by sharing it. You will often see javelina standing nose to tail against each other, scratching each other's back. They are busy transfering the pack scent from one animal to next. I think an javelina is a pretty cool animal, very unique, and definately not respected here in Texas. We will miss them one day as the feral hog is slowly moving them out as they comsume all the available forage. I would rather have a pack of javelina pestering one of my feeders than a pack of hogs.

I had them on my place that was just 25 miles west of here and wish they where here. The old fellows that live around me say that they saw the last one in the pasture in 1999. Nothing but hogs since. I had a pet javi as a kid. As good a dog as you could hope to find and it could always whip the bully's dog (javi's hate and will kill a dog in a heart beat... never let your dog run loose in javi country or you will find out how a true pack animal kills a predator). Hunting hogs with dogs is quite common as hogs fear a dog. You won't see that with javi's as they kill dogs just for entertainment.

Wanna be Hog hunter here. Various weapon choices but have no idea on loads (factory).

44 Lever action - Load (240, sp, jhp, ball?)?

30-06 - Load (150, 165, 180, sp?)

30 Carbine - Load (110, sp, ball?)

THANKS!

My choice would be the 44 Mag with a soft point or cast boolit.

My choice would be the 44 Mag with a soft point or cast boolit.

I should have stated that I need to pick two. One for me and one for my son (13).

Basically I want to know what load for each gun and is the 30 carbine "enough gun"?

I mostly hunted with dogs. You should be able to find a good deal of information on hog dogs. The way I have always done it is to follow my dogs with just a 44-magnum Ruger revolver on my side. That way I can get through the thick brush without having a long gun trip me up.

When the dogs catch up with the hogs, it is usually the one you will want to shoot that will confront the dogs and with good catch and bay dogs, they will keep that hog where you need it until you catch up.

Now these hogs are not like the wild boars that you hear tell that tear up a dog quick, these are feral hogs and although tough are not by nature aggressive, unless they are cornered. When you get close, the hog is more focused on the dogs. You can easily take a nose shot head on, or otherwise shoot them broadside like a deer but a little higher, so you break the shoulder.

What I had always done was after taking out the large hog, I would lay a trap and catch all the little ones and corn feed them, they are the tasty ones.

I’m sure you can find someone who has his own dogs and will take you hunting down south. Good luck, hog hunting was a way of life for me when I lived in Texas!

Dogs and a knife.

I had a buddy one time from Florida who caught hogs down ther in the 60's and 70's with dogs. They had trail dogs and a catch dog. When the hog got bayed they sent in the catch dog. He was trained to grab the hog by the rubber. Thats the end of his nose, and hold on until the guys moved in and grabbed the rascal by the hind legs. Once downed and tied they took them and pinned them up for feeding and fatening and then they went to sale.

That 's what he said they did. I believed him. He had lots of tusks to prove it.

Hunting over bait isn't quite like having "target practice".

Here in Southeast Florida if you don't drop him with one shot he only has to go 5 feet off the trail into the palmetto and you are going to have a serious, and maybe dangerous, problem finding him without dogs. And they have a nose that is unreal. Consequently, unless you scout the area real well and have an idea which way they will come in, the breeze will give you away long before you ever see one. They get real smart once someone hunts them for a while.

Anyone that hasn't hunted hogs on a regular basis will soon find out that the hog is the fourth smartest(most intellegent)animal on the face of the earth.

1.human
2.chimps(ape)
3.dolphin
4.hogs
The ONLY thing that they don't have going for them is they are extremely near sighted. But,as I have found out,they can detect unnatural movement at 50+ yds.

As with most all hunting......when you think that you have seen it all,hogs will teach you something else. -----pruhdlr