Texas Hogs
 

How big are the hogs in Texas? I have heard they can easily be a few hundred pounds and up to five feet. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks

I just posted a pic from my ranch in West Texas of my little bro and his hog we killed a couple weekends ago. Title of that post is "HUGE TUSK ON HOG", the pig weighed around 250, not the biggest bodied hog but still a decent size. Our pigs would get bigger but we are trying to get rid of them all so we shoot everyone we see no matter if it is football size or 500lbs. As long as the ranch owners are not like my family you could easily find a place where you could kill 300+ pound worthless PIGS.

oh yeah, easy. I know south texas hammers them so hard they usually dont get much over 200lbs. but from what i have seen everywhere else seems to have huge pigs still running around. we went out 2 wks ago and saw one that was atleast 400. they look like cows at that size. ive shot several over 200 and a few over 300 but havent quite personally shot a 400+ but there are plenty here. its exciting and definitly needed. Go Kill Some!

It probably depends on the territory. Here in central Texas I've seen a few that were probably over 200 Lbs., but mostly they are less than that. I'm sure there are some bigger ones, but we've been in drought conditions for the last two years and the food supply isn't what it might normally be.

As 09 bobcat says above, the hunting pressure is also a factor. There are some folks in the area where I hunt who run them with dogs and catch them alive. The hogs that weigh over 80 Lbs. can be sold -- they generally go to processors who package the meat for sale in Europe. Apparently France is a big consumer of "wild boar" meat. Actually, I kind of like it too. Just don't tell my in-laws I'm imitating the French! :eek:

Texas Hogs
 

My girlfriend's grandparents live in Kennedy Texas and they have a ranch that her uncle hunts on all of the time so I should be able to get down there and hunt for minimum expense! Just need to make the time! Thanks guys!

Click on this. http://www.sycamorecreekhoghunting.com and go to the photos, these are typical Texas pigs. This is one of my 3D sponsors.

I saw a much bigger one Saturday night...thought about taking it but couldn't figure out how the heck I was going to get him in the truck.

Average size,some bigger, and some smaller!

She sounds like a keeper!!! Get out there and nail you some piggies!!! Big or small/Trophy or dinner. Either way, a blast to hunt.

i have some pics on my profile you can look at...i have seen a 700-900 lb pig totally fold my hog trap over when we showed up...about 7 got away that day...they are like rats..if their head will fit , so will they...cause my trap door wasnt big enough (so i thought) to even let in a 600lb pig.

it seems they go on break too, they will be there fer a month..and then disappear fer awhile, like 15-45 days, then come back...another buddy of mine said the same thing bout his place...he has caught almost 200 fer the year in his traps, and then they left, only to return a month later...right now is a dry spell for both of us, usually he will be dry or i will, but its the 1st time we both been dry at the same time.

anyways the 175lb hogs are the eaters...sometimes up ta 300lbs, jus depends on what they are eating...a hog skin makes a great bond fire btw

Definitely....I have a game camera set up and it seems like every day, I get different animals there. I have a couple of regulars but usually cycle through quite a few different pigs.

And man, I got a moster coming there now. Only seen him once on camera in the fog but he's enormous, a good 400-500+. I'll try to remember to email the pic to myself and post it tomorrow.

EDIT: Damn fog.....

Foggy Photo Enhanced
 

When I get a game cam picture that looks like it might be interesting, but there's nothing distinct in it, I run the picture thru a photo program ( I use The GIMP, which is free ) to enhance it.

Here's Horacio's picture with the brightness turned up quite a bit. It's very grainy in this form, but you can see that there is something large in the foreground.

Often I can see a rough shape, or what might be the eye(s) or an animal, but only by running the photo through a photo editor can I really determine what is there.

Interesting....I'll have to try that.

that said, it was a little more clear raw on my computer at home and lost a little when I uploaded to Photobucket. Still, its a big one. I don't know if I want to shoot him or not. the best for eating are the little ones. A monster boar will be tough and gamey.

No argument about the big ones being tough. I've had some that were like chewing my boot. Those get run through the grinder. I find that with a little salt and pepper, it's virtually indistinguishable from ground beef. Sausage is another option, although I'm generally too lazy to go to that much trouble. Maybe breakfast (bulk) sausage . . .

Yeah, I'll end up grinding up most of it. Check that, get it in whole cuts and grind it myself. I've butchered a deer before but without the kind of equipment a pro has, its a pain and I really don't have the facilities to do it cleanly and effectively. The best bet for me is to throw it in the truck, take it to the game processor, and have him handle it from there. But, I want to grind it myself. We have a grinder and have done it before. Mixed it with beef and some Jimmy Dean pan sausage. Good stuff.

The other thing is: how the heck do I get that monster in the truck to begin with>? Years ago my brother shot a hog half that size and had all kinds of hell loading it. I ended up having to go help him and it was still difficult.

Interesting, that looks like an incoming MIRV shot.

Assuming that you can get the truck near (50-100 feet?) the hog, here's what I have done:

Drag the hog to a large tree. Hang a pulley from a large tree branch. Tie two ropes to the hog's feet. Put one thru the pulley, throw the other over the tree branch. Tie the one that goes thru the pulley to the truck, and drive away until the hog is sufficiently up in the air. Use the second rope (the one going over the tree branch, to secure the hog in position. Back the truck up until it's under the hog. Using the rope over the tree branch, lower the hog into the truck.

If it's not too far to where you want to gut it, just drag it the whole way.

If the hog ends up too far away in territory where you can't tie it to the truck to drag, that's a problem. On one occasion I found myself in that situation and I simply brought my ice chest to the hog, skinned it on the ground, and cut off the leg quarters and backstraps. By the time I'd done that much, I was pretty worn out and decided I didn't want to gut it and take the tenderloins. The coyotes ate a little better than usual that night.

I hunt in Speaks Texas. Most hogs are between 30 and 80 Lbs. I do however have a pic on my game cam of a hog I would estimate close to 400 Lbs. If someone can tell me how to add a picture , I will.

The attached photo is the wives of a couple of friends of mine. The pig in the foreground was asserted to be 500lbs+ and the one in the background was 300lbs+. They were the first animals killed by both women and they were killed at a place called Record Buck Ranch in Utopia Texas. Wouldn't want to eat these big boys but they both look cool. They both instantly changed their minds about whether they would have pig heads hung on the wall in their houses!

I dont hunt the exact land that this website or lodge advertises but I hunt all around it. http://www.plaskalodge.com/Hogs.asp

I have seen a few hogs of 400lbs+ but they are rare. When you do see them it aint for long. My cousin put two rounds from a 30-06 into one we all guess was between 400 and 500lbs but it made it to the cover of the Red River before we could get more shots at it.

Like someone else said, we kill them to exterminate them. We dont want them here. We kill them all no matter the size.

This looks like fun to me!! Think of all the people this meat would feed!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiHmYsyVniE