Pig Bomb

[wwdavis427]

I watched a documentary a while back about the proliferation of wild pigs in America. I live about a 15 minute drive from a wildlife management area. Back in the seventies, the Mississippi Game and Fish Commission released several Russian boars on the management property, placed a season on them, and you could hunt them with a bow only.

As pigs will do, they started to “proliferate” immediately, and they also moved off the management area to mate with feral hogs. There was no problem with the DNA compatibility or whatever. Some of them just came out in different colors, or had spots. Needless to say, they became a real problem real quick. Not enough people hunted them to even start to slow the population growth down.

I hunted them for a while, but it usually took all your arrows to get one down, and when you got through you were usually out a couple hundred dollars in shafts and broad heads for one pig. Some of those monsters went as much as 500 to 600 pounds, but I stuck to the smaller ones. I would just admire the big one as he walked by. I got older and slower, a bunch of nuts started showing up there, so I finally quit going up there, and I haven’t been back in years.

I was almost home the other day when I saw something big running across a broom sage field. At first, I thought it was a big dog, but the more I think about it, the more I think it was a hog. If it was, he (or she) was headed straight to the “gated” subdivision behind the one I live in.

It’s a straight shot up to the management area, and until a few years ago, and most of the land on either side of the road was corn fields or soybean fields. That translates into “hog food”. I think I’m going to ride up there and find one of the game wardens, so he can explain the rules to me.

If they’re allowed now, I can use my primitive weapon, (a.k.a. primitive 45-70 handi rifle with a primitive 3x5x50 VX II sight on it), and I don’t have to be so fleet of foot that way. They make some jam up good sausage, and it was exciting, to say the least.

I’m going to start checking around to see where and how many we have in the state. This may start a whole new career for me, especially if that was a hog I saw, and he starts getting in them people’s gardens.

Hey, BigSlick, you a Texan ain’t you? I think you got a bunch of them out there.

[jawjaboy]

45-70 Handi a be no effort at all on dat hawg WW. He/she a drop right now, quick. Make fine sausage too. Go for it.

[BigSlick]

I love huntin pigs.

It can be a thrill.

If you're dealing with big Russians or ferals, I'd go at least .30 caliber unless I had enough room to pick my shots.

30-30 real nice if you're in thick brush

I use a handgun when I pig hunt it I can, never tried takin one with a bow, that might be a lotta fun.

An oh yeah, we got a lotta pigs in Texas, some big, some small, but a lot of em any way ya look at it.

I'd think a Handi Rifle would do a bang up job on em.

In East Texas, most of the shots are up close. In South Texas, your shots might be 2-300 yds out depending on where you are.

I agree, all make incredible sausage ;)

We're plannin a coyote hunt in South Texas later in the year. If the coyotes won't cooperate, it'll turn into a pig hunt in a hurry.

They're thick as fleas outside San Antonio, mostly Javelina, but from what I hear the ferals are out there too.

Seems like pigs aren't too discriminate when it somes to procreation.

Well, that's OK, cause neither am I when it comes to wild hog population control :supergrin:

Yall keep talkin about the 45/70 and I'm gonna be in trouble. I been slippin on that and been kinda gettin the itch for a while now.

Right now, I'm fightin it, but, I don't know how long that's gonna continue...

[creophus]

Hog hunting is great fun. About the only thing worth hunting that's allowed year round here in Florida. Problem is, I can't afford to do a bunch of paid hunts and don't know enough farmers that need pigs removed.

[BoltNut]

True dat, CREO! Although, pound-for-pound...pork on the hoof is slightly cheaper with Lee than it is in the store (if you stick with the "meat hog" size and don't kill a "trophy" but accident), and you get to have a blast doing it!

I love the thrill of the hunt with hogs. Nothing like it in the bush of the Americas. Our feral hogs have gotten so bad in the upscale housing divisions, they are actually starting to reconsider their stance on not allowing hunting, and they are implimenting the bow hunts in several areas now. Can't wait 'till they allow shotgun and/or black powder hunts when that don't kill enough! Whoo-Hooo!

[creophus]

True dat, CREO! Although, pound-for-pound...pork on the hoof is slightly cheaper with Lee than it is in the store (if you stick with the "meat hog" size and don't kill a "trophy" but accident), and you get to have a blast doing it!

I love the thrill of the hunt with hogs. Nothing like it in the bush of the Americas. Our feral hogs have gotten so bad in the upscale housing divisions, they are actually starting to reconsider their stance on not allowing hunting, and they are implimenting the bow hunts in several areas now. Can't wait 'till they allow shotgun and/or black powder hunts when that don't kill enough! Whoo-Hooo!
Cheaper??? How's that???

I mean it's extremely fun and enjoyable, just always thought of it as REALLY expensive meat when compared to the store.

[Brass Nazi]

I remember watching that show. The funniest part was when they interviewed europeans and Russians speaking English there where no captions but when they interviewed some folks from Georgia they had to use captions for you to understand them. :mf_farmer:

[jawjaboy]

I remember watching that show. The funniest part was when they interviewed europeans and Russians speaking English there where no captions but when they interviewed some folks from Alabama they had to use captions for you to understand them. :mf_farmer:

Yeah...dat was a hoot. :console:

[BoltNut]

Cheaper??? How's that???

I mean it's extremely fun and enjoyable, just always thought of it as REALLY expensive meat when compared to the store.
Yep, even if you use a very conservative price of $3.00 per pound for pork in the store...if you take 40 pounds of meat, it equals $120.00.

Most good pork is >$3.00/lb.

Lee charges $90.00 for a "meat hog."

If each shoulder ham weighs 7 lbs apiece (conservative) = 14 lbs.

If each butt ham weighs 10 lbs apiece (conservative) = 20 lbs.

That's 34 lbs without the backstraps thrown in, and excluding the ribs (if you want them)...I rounded up to 40 just to have a number I can cipher.

$90.00 < $120.00. Plus, you don't get to hunt store pork with your buddies!!! :piggy:

[lcarreau]

Yep, even if you use a very conservative price of $3.00 per pound for pork in the store...if you take 40 pounds of meat, it equals $120.00.

Most good pork is >$3.00/lb.

Lee charges $90.00 for a "meat hog."

If each shoulder ham weighs 7 lbs apiece (conservative) = 14 lbs.

If each butt ham weighs 10 lbs apiece (conservative) = 20 lbs.

That's 34 lbs without the backstraps thrown in, and excluding the ribs (if you want them)...I rounded up to 40 just to have a number I can cipher.

$90.00 < $120.00. Plus, you don't get to hunt store pork with your buddies!!! :piggy:


That is high in these parts. I pay $4/lb for baby back ribs. Spare ribs are about a buck cheaper. Butts and shoulders are under 2 bucks. At the right time under a buck. Pork chops are around $1/lb.

-Lonnie

[creophus]

Yep, even if you use a very conservative price of $3.00 per pound for pork in the store...if you take 40 pounds of meat, it equals $120.00.

Most good pork is >$3.00/lb.

Lee charges $90.00 for a "meat hog."

If each shoulder ham weighs 7 lbs apiece (conservative) = 14 lbs.

If each butt ham weighs 10 lbs apiece (conservative) = 20 lbs.

That's 34 lbs without the backstraps thrown in, and excluding the ribs (if you want them)...I rounded up to 40 just to have a number I can cipher.

$90.00 < $120.00. Plus, you don't get to hunt store pork with your buddies!!! :piggy:
Cool!!!

I always just looked at it as recreation and not cost effective meat.

Now if I can just keep from destroying half the meat I'll be set. :36:

[BoltNut]

Yep, but Lonnie's right too...certain pork parts are cheaper. I named the parts we get to keep on the hogs we shoot, since they are also a gator ranch, and feed the bbig lizards the parts we don't take (allowed to keep). We get all four hams and the big & little back straps. If the ribs are worth going after (often they are not on the "meat hogs"), then they'll give you those too. If you shoot a "trophy hog," then the price goes up to $200-250, if memory serves.

The nice thing about that hunt is the ride on the massive buggy, hunting behind their dogs, etc. There is much to be said for paying someone else to do all the stuff that aint so fun or cheap on your own...including the butchering process. I just point to my cooler and they fill it up with processed meat. SWEET!

[Brass Nazi]

It has been my experience that when you add up all costs it is not
cost effective to hunt or fish versus buying meat at the grocery store. With the exception of crappie which are easy to catch around these parts.


I don't keep most of the fish I catch anyways.

[BigSlick]

Me an Lonnie an JS gonna have plenty of hog meat this fall

[creophus]

Yep, even if you use a very conservative price of $3.00 per pound for pork in the store...if you take 40 pounds of meat, it equals $120.00.

Most good pork is >$3.00/lb.

Lee charges $90.00 for a "meat hog."

If each shoulder ham weighs 7 lbs apiece (conservative) = 14 lbs.

If each butt ham weighs 10 lbs apiece (conservative) = 20 lbs.

That's 34 lbs without the backstraps thrown in, and excluding the ribs (if you want them)...I rounded up to 40 just to have a number I can cipher.

$90.00 < $120.00. Plus, you don't get to hunt store pork with your buddies!!! :piggy:
Looks like Lee raised his prices to $150 for a meat hog and $20 to quarter it. :(

http://www.floridahuntingoutfitter.com/

[BigSlick]

That's the going rate in Tejas too.

Processing a deer runs $50 from some folks :yikes:

I usually take em in with a couple bags of ice in the cavity and go back a few days later with a cooler. I use a Menonite fella what has been cuttin meat all his life. He really knows how to do up a deer just fine and take a lot of the game taste out if ya ask him to.

[Brass Nazi]

Hunting pigs with a bulldog and knife sounds like fun! I might give that a try next time I am down there.

[BoltNut]

They've had some guys do spears, clubs and some weird ways I don't cotton to much...but to each his own. The Cuban dudes have some sort of tradition about the catch dog and knife thing though...some sorta man ritual that they all gotta do to some a cigar or something. :-)

[creophus]

Even though they're pigs they still deserve a quick death. Last time we were there some nut job had a flea market sword he used to kill a pig. I think he bent the sword in the process.

Guys I work with often use .223 and to my knowledge always need more than one round to finish the job.

[BigSlick]

Even though they're pigs they still deserve a quick death. Last time we were there some nut job had a flea market sword he used to kill a pig. I think he bent the sword in the process.

Guys I work with often use .223 and to my knowledge always need more than one round to finish the job.

Agree 110%.

If you're gonna hunt, be man enough to deliver a humane kill.

Except coyotes.

[blueline541]

The Marlin Guide Gun in .45-70 is about as humane as it gets for a hog. Talk about an instant death machine.

[creophus]

The Marlin Guide Gun in .45-70 is about as humane as it gets for a hog. Talk about an instant death machine.
Sounds like it would be most effective. How much damage does it do to the meat?

30-06 drops them like a sack of potatoes but tears up a bunch of meat on a shoulder/heart/lung shot.

[blueline541]

Sounds like it would be most effective. How much damage does it do to the meat?

30-06 drops them like a sack of potatoes but tears up a bunch of meat on a shoulder/heart/lung shot.


Not really sure, but the man what processed my hog said he was surprised by how little damage the .45-70 did to the hog. I figure worst case scenerio is one pack less of sausage, but that is just a hillbilly estimate with no knowledge packed into the equation.

[BigSlick]

45/70 @ 1200 will drop em DRT, but 30-06 @ 2800 is delivering a LOT more energy.

I've shot a couple with 50 AE. One dropped like a sack of rocks, the other did after about 10-12 seconds. Neither took so much as a step.

325gr running ~1200 or so broke a shoulder and shattered a couple ribs on one and went clean thru with about a 50 cent piece exit hole on the other.

I've really been hoping to hit one square with a .41 mag with a 215 or so. Oughta drop em and leave the meat in great shape - I hope.

[jawjaboy]

Decades ago and still today, by and large, the 30-30 remains the most used caliber in these parts for critters over 100 pounds. For all of the usual, obvious reasons. Terrain, distance, ammo availability, etc...

If you ask local shop owners what is the most asked for and sold OTC rifle ammo that they sell during big game seasons is...it's Rem Core Lokt. :dunno:

[Pitmaster]

I shot a hog with my 1895 in 45-70. That hog dropped dead in his tracks before he hit the ground. The shot was between the eyes and down. I think I was 3' away and I'm guessing velocity wasn't up to its full potential yet.

[jawjaboy]

Got it did. ;)

I'm not comparing 45-70 vs 30-30. The 45-70 would be/is the superior round. Jes noting that the 30-30 has little problem with a hog. BTDT and witnessed even more. :mf_farmer:

[cohutt]

That hog dropped dead in his tracks before he hit the ground. The shot was between the eyes and down. I think I was 3' away .

At least you gave him a sporting chance ;)

[jawjaboy]

:mf_farmer:

[Pitmaster]

At least you gave him a sporting chance ;)

I do have ethics.:punk::hunter: The other one I killed that day was with a Kimber TLE.

http://s31.photobucket.com/albums/c400/bdcbbq/?action=view&current=GA1008025.flv

[gjk5]

I grew up in far South Texas and if you know some folks you can shoot pigs all day for free, if you pay for a whitetail or nilgai hunt they a probly toss a couple three hogs in for free.

I have two buddies that own decent size ranches (1K and 4K acres) and they shoot them with all manner of stuff, often a small fast round in the ear. One uses .223 and my other buddy got two with one shot outta a 6.5-06 not too long ago.

I am hopin to get down there for a hog/nilgai hunt early next year, I plan on Redhawk/94 combo in .44mag to pop a hog.

[BigSlick]

Now your talkin :thumbsup: