redneck buck hunter

I was wondering if some one could post a picture of a good medium/cooking size hog. This will be my first time hunting hogs and i was just wanting to know what a good hog lookes like. I dont want to wait for hogzilla but i dont want to kill a baby. I just need to know what size a good first hog is. A description would be good some pics would be better. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Folically Challenged

I've never actually shot a hog. But I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night!

Seriously, though, I spent a few years working for a major meat packer. And as I've lined-up a hog trip for late April, your very question came up among my hunting partners. Just last night, I spoke to my long-time buddy from the meat business, who's the head of hog procurement (aka Hog Buyer) for the nations #2 pork producer. His advice was to shoot them at 100 lbs. or less, which wouldmake them < 6 mos. old. Beyond that, they're more likely to taste "gamey". Also, if you were to kill the ones without a "penile sheath" beneath their rear portion of their abdomen, then so much the better! FWIW, the butcher hogs (aka "neutered") used for meat are generally killed at 230 to 250 lbs. As they get heavier than this weight, they tend to pick up more weight in fat than in meat.

Here's a good treatise on anatomy for shot placement, & it also gives a rough idea of size on a "meat hog": http://www.texasboars.com/anatomy.html

Happy Hunting!

FC

JakeinTX

Hi,

I just took my third hog this weekend. You will have no problem picking out a meat hog from everything else. I was on a 4000 acre ranch this weekend and the rancher told us what feeder they were showing up at and sure enough 15 minutes after the feeder went off the hogs came running right in. They chased a doe away and proceeded to chow down. We were 143 yards away and I shot the hog with a 30-06 and a 150 gr bullet. I only got video of the hog this weekend. Just aim a little behind the front shoulder and a little lower than a deer and start flinging lead.

Jake

The Rev

Any of those pigs will do.
Now, that's some Texas pig hunting.

RLoving1

uh why aren't we planning a trip to chase those Rev? We gonna chase some down on the river this year? Maybe next fall we can go to Okieland and see what bro has for us?

Snook384

In order of my preference

1: Female hog between 50 to 80 pounds not yet bred.
2: Bar hog 30 to 70ish. Bar=castrated.
3: Big females that are nice and round.
4: Big, stinky male boars. (buzzards have to eat to)

I have pasted a number of pigs and when I take a friend out I have a stick that is about 30 inches high. I have painted it bright red so you can see it pretty well. I shove it in the ground about 6 inches near where the feed lands. I tell them they are not allowed to shoot any hog that is taller than the stick. Then they are all around 50 to 60 pounds and just right.

SJAdventures

All good eaters but the far left.



All good eaters



Not a good eater!!!!

Jim_IV

I got to say Rev, I like the spotty in the front. You need to be chasing him

The Rev

Funny you say that, I may have stuck that pig. I shot one about six months ago that looked like him. I got a complete pass through. My arrow was covered in blood, but didn't find a good blood trail. I think I stuck him high, I'm sure I didn't hit any vitals. So he's probably still running around.

claydee

Great question and great post! I always wondered if shooting them 400 # trophy hogs were worth shooting as far as table fare![:'(]