Not again.......! Feral Hog Control in East Texas

[HoosierQ]

Lest anyone think I am anti-hunting, or anti-varmint control (based on my rather firm statement on another thread in defense of snakes...don't kill them!), feral hogs are entirely a different matter altogether. Not only are they a danger to man's crops and livestock, they eat birds eggs, root up tree roots and otherwise raise havoc on the native North American ecology. Look at Iceland. When the Viking arrived there about 800AD, the place was a forest. Sure they cut down a lot of wood to burn and build with but it was the pigs that they set loose that bulldozed the place into a treeless tundra that it is today. No doubt, as on all islands, there were many unique species that were wiped out.

So with feral pigs, there are ample reasons to hunt them vigorously. They are hard on the land, they're great sport, and they are good to eat. Feral pigs would seems to be one of North America's best sport hunting opportunities.

 

[Flintknapper]

You are correct Hoosier, places where they are well established and exist in large numbers...they are a scourge!

I have folks tell me all the time "I wish I had hogs".

Believe me....YOU DON"T. Other than giving people something to hunt/eat, they have no redeeming value that I can see.

I have no use for them.

Flint.

 

[Flintknapper]

These pics were taken tonight from a tree-stand I set up about 15’ from the end of the trap.

Instead of using the normal trip wire…I rigged up a cord running from the trigger directly up to the tree-stand. That way, I could manually trigger the gate when most of the hogs were inside.

The boar that was with this group (and one sow)…would not enter the trap. The boar circled behind me….and I had to go ahead and trip the gate before he busted me.

Still, 17 hogs is not too bad. Maybe the boar can be shot out later if he comes back.





I will retrieve the game-cam pics tomorrow.

 

[paintballdude902]

what will you do with them now?

freezer time?

id love to have a place that had a pig problem (vacation house only lol) i dont want to have to deal witht hem full time but i sure would love to go on vacation and beable to take a few every time

good luck with that boar how much do you think he weighs

 

[noob_shooter]

lots of bacon for you.. good job. show pics when you have shot the boar.

i've been wanting to hog hunt using my Saiga .308 My dad would love to see those. He's a pork guy and I know he will take out all of those. I know he can shoot those all day long. In fact, he might even cause their extinction. LOL! hhahaha. Too bad in, WI, we don't have any.

 

[Flintknapper]

Yeah, actually I DIDN"T get the two I really wanted.

The boar and the alpha sow would not go in the trap. The way it worked out...I had to take what I could get while I could.

We had a North wind here yesterday...so I decided to set up a tree stand and manually trip the doors. The wind was blowing from the trap out into an open pasture (perfect).

The hogs came in about 30 minutes earlier than I was expecting, it was actually light enough that I could have taken video.

Even though I always wear rubber boots when visiting the trap, the boar immediately picked up the faint scent left behind...and began back-trailing me.

He was "growling" the whole time (something they do to denote displeasure), it’s not an alarm to other hogs...but more like a warning or a show of dominance to anything around.

I had the boar and two sows still outside the trap. It was obvious the boar wasn't going to enter...but I wanted to wait as long as possible for the sows to make up their minds.

The boar followed my trail right up to the fence line and the tree I was in (he was directly under me). He stuck his head through the barb wire fence as if he was going to enter the lane and get behind me. I could see him slobbering on the wire as he stood there growling.

In a minute...he turned around and trotted out into the pasture still growling. Now...he starts to a make a half circle back toward the lane which will put him directly behind and downwind of me. He is definitely going to "bust me" at this point.

Luckily, one of the sows decides to go into the trap at this juncture, so it was a race to see if she would get in the trap before the boar winded me and "woofed" his warning to the rest.

As soon as her butt cleared the doors, I tripped the trigger and the whole pen exploded. I'll try to get some video next time so everyone can appreciate how strong these animals are, they really rocked the pen and most of these hogs are little ones.

I might be able to lure the boar back in later with some "sow in heat" scent, but he is smart one...and will never enter a trap after this.



The alpha sow...I don't know about. If I have any chance at her..it will be in the next few days. After that...she will probably move on (even wiser than before).

So, while I managed to catch the majority of this sounder, I failed to catch the "brains", making it that much harder to take them out.

But, thats why we have so many of them. They are very smart.

 

[Jmurman]

wow...wow...wow!

Excellent post, thanks!

 

[rodensouth]

Excellent post. Some of my friends in Arkansas have been trapping hogs because trying to shoot them is much less efficient in their opinion. Your pictures really helped me understand their stories. When I lived there in '89 they were just starting to rip the woods up. Most people that hunt whitetails hate them on their property. My friends LOVE to hunt and eat game, but they are learning to dislike the pigs.

 

[blkbrd666]

This was my favorite post! It can't just die now...show us some ribs or a butt smoking on the grill!!!...or the pigskin you're tanning to make holsters, slings and sheaths!

 

[Flintknapper]

This boar came back last night…but I am sure he won’t hang around much longer.

I have pics. of him at 9:00 p.m. last night, again about 11 p.m. and then once more at 3:30 a.m., so he is still checking this area for estrous sows.

I will have to put some lights up over the bait site in order to see him through the scope…(since he is only coming in after dark now). I think he will walk into the area if it is already bathed in light, but would probably spook if suddenly illuminated with a spotlight/flashlight.

Anyway, that’s the plan.

 

[blkbrd666]

Planning to take him before he moves on? I'm hoping to go help out some hunters at a local hunting camp this year and eradicate some pigs.

 

[Flintknapper]

blkbrd666 wrote:

Planning to take him before he moves on?

Yes Sir, this boar won't stay around much longer.

 

[offroaddiver]

I don't know about your area rules but how about loop snares or spring traps?

I'd assume a shotgun with buckshot or slugs would be the best for feral pigs, especially if not worried about the meat. But from what it sounds you want to trap them and are too close to neighbor to shoot a firearm.

Sounds like you have some work in for yourself. Good luck and good hunting.

 

[Flintknapper]

Well….this ought to be fun.

The two smartest hogs from the sounder that I trapped (the boar and the alpha sow) have now paired up.

It will be nearly impossible to get these two because they know they are being hunted now.

I generally dislike using a “snare”…but it may come to that with these two.

 

[~z]

Prolly better get em quick. I'd be willing to wager that sow had gotten a batch of "swimmers" and will not be too long before you have more on the ground.
~z

 

[Flintknapper]

That is probably a safe bet "Z".

Unfortunately, there is alot of activity out here this weekend with kids on four-wheelers and motorcycles.

Also, my Brother in Law's dog got away from him yesterday while he was walking him, so no telling where it went. I had no game-cam pics from last night (not even coons).

Maybe when things settle down next week. Sheeessh!:banghead:

 

[Flintknapper]

Boar screwed up this morning.

I had to move a couple of the snares (fine tune the set up), because the boar “busted” me on one of the fence crossings. I noticed from several of the game-cam pics, he was getting a little careless when feeding at the bait site.

In a few of the pics…. he was walking between my “hog-gauge” and the brush that grows along the fence line. I set a snare at that location….and BINGO.

I always check snares early in the morning to keep the animals from becoming unduly stressed. This morning…I was met with a low hanging fog right along the fence-line/lane in which I have the snares set.

That’s NOT a good thing….because it makes seeing your “catch” very difficult.



I parked my truck away from the bait site, got my camera and my .45 and slowly walked up to the set. I thought I heard some movement before I got completely up to the area…so I creeped up to the lane and looked to the other side. Spotted Mr. Boar waiting for me in the brush:




I took one quick pic, and as soon as the flash hit him…he came under the fence into the lane. He stood there for a couple of seconds….just giving me the “stink eye”:



Continued next post:

 

[Flintknapper]

At the second “flash” it was “game on” and he made a charge. The snare held…. and jerked him 180 degrees. At this point he went back under the fence and started “woofing and growling”.

He would watch me from the other side of the lane, his head pressed up against the bottom wire:



Every time I would move the least bit, he would shoot out of the brush and charge straight at me. He did that 5-6 times before offering this one shot opportunity:



Continued next post:

 

[Flintknapper]

He definitely wasn’t playing around. He tested my equipment…and I was a bit worried he might pop the “stop” off the end of the Berkshire lock. I use stout springs attached to the ground anchor to help absorb the impact….even so, this guy did some damage:






I always use swivels on my snare extensions to avoid having a hog “twist off” or put a kink in the cable . Though they worked as intended, this hog still pretty much ruined the snare and the extension:



Continued next post:

 

[Flintknapper]

Anyway, got the boar:



In this pic, you can see just make out the “Mohawk” (or ridge of hair) along his back. This is an indication of the “Russian” influence we are seeing more of around here:




I wish I had gotten a picture of him when he was all bristled up, but I was doing a lot of backing up and light was kind of poor.

Now we’ll see if we can get the Alpha Sow. I have my doubts about catching up with her, she has mastered survival.

 

[cibach]

great .. thanks for keeping us updated.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Wow, what a great thread & pics; thanks Flintknapper!

 

[drgrenthum]

awesome i have enjoyed following this thread

 

[kmrcstintn]

unfortunately I am way, way, way over 500 miles away...I really could have had fun...Savage 111 in .25-06; dad's Remington 760 in .30-06; my Mossberg saboted slug launcher in 12 ga; my S&W 629 in .44 mag, etc, etc (let's just say that I got a few too many toys to try out)

 

[kmrcstintn]

I gots anuther idear...for all the 'don't harm animals cuz they gots feelins' crowd...let them harbor and protect all the feral hogs on their own property and let them eat the costs due to destroyed crops and displaced wildlife