Pat W. has been beating the heat up in Oakwood, TX here lately...he hung up his rod & reels for a few days and went to killing hogs at night til the weather cools some. He killed this nice one this past Monday night.
Then, he killed this rascal last night.
Pat even killed what appears to be a near-sighted Beaver that's been chomping on all his young trees.
I asked Pat if he was planning on eatin' some Beaver....but he never did really say...
LOL......Funny!!!
I shot one hog the other night and missed two others.
I shot one hog the other night and missed two others.
Tbar what time at night do those rascals normally come out?
did you bait an area?
are you using a night vision scope?
were you sitting in a blind?
sorry for all the questions but we are in close proximity
and I will start hunting a few of them this Fall.
It's more challenging at nite when you have to poor boy it like I do
I shot one hog the other night and missed two others.
Tbar what time at night do those rascals normally come out?
did you bait an area?
are you using a night vision scope?
were you sitting in a blind?
sorry for all the questions but we are in close proximity
and I will start hunting a few of them this Fall.
They come into my feeder at night....random hours. I have a motion detector on the side of the feeder and when the hogs get close it sounds a bell in the house. I have a little carbine set up with an Eotech holographic sight and PVS14 night vision behind it. I make stealthy stalk 200 yards out to the feeder and take a shot from 50-75 yards.
No high tech here... Sit in a stand with a hog light and wait.... They haven't been geting under the lite so it's a guessing game . All I use is a Leopold 3-1/2-10X 40mm ... During a full moon I pick them off out in the pasture no prob... Below the ear and it's done
Pat are you up in a tree stand?
I have a motion detector on the side of the feeder and when the hogs get close it sounds a bell in the house.
Hey that sounds pretty cool.
I wish silencers were more accessible so we could kill more in a single setting....
don't most of the pigs scatter as soon as one is shot?
Are those hogs worthy to butcher? Seems like those two would fill a freezer for the year!
Around here if you shoot into a group the rest will never return
Are those hogs worthy to butcher? Seems like those two would fill a freezer for the year!
Those were not good for eating.. When boars stink the meat taste like it smells.... Some stink and some don't. I like to eat them when they don't stink. We grind some into burger and mix it with deer.. Good stuff
Pat are you up in a tree stand?
Box stand or off the porch.
Got my eye on one that has been cut and is reall fat!
Are those hogs worthy to butcher? Seems like those two would fill a freezer for the year!
Those were not good for eating.. When boars stink the meat taste like it smells.... Some stink and some don't. I like to eat them when they don't stink. We grind some into burger and mix it with deer.. Good stuff
I have been told that black skinned hogs are very hard to skin. Their hide likes to rip than pull off. Is this true?
I didn't know they stunk. Guess if you can't eat them they must be quite the pests down there.
Cheers Don.
Navy beans slow cooked with a nice smoked feral hog ham is one of our favorites. With jalapeno/cheese cornbread of course.
Al, The Navy bean meal u speak of is right down my ally, but there would be no hunting after that meal because all the animals in the forest would take note of the awful smell coming from my blind, and no other human would stay in the blind with me and would take off after the first blast of methane
But wild hog can be way better eating over store bought pork.
Tracy
Pat are you up in a tree stand?
Box stand or off the porch.
Got my eye on one that has been cut and is reall fat!
I believe you mean this one, right???
I have a friend of mine that lives up south of Huntsville, TX....when he knocks a couple of big stinky boars down....he calls the State Prison there at Huntsville and brings them in for the kitchen there. I'm not sure how they prepare them for the prisoners, but they butcher them up and serve fresh pork there any way that they can get it. If they know how to knock the smell out of the meat.....my hats off to them. Years ago, back in the mid-80's I was invited to a big cook out at a farm in Iowa, LA (North of Lake Charles). When I walked up, I could smell the musk through the BBQ smoke. I tried a piece out of politeness....never again. It tasted like pork dipped in skunk water. I've knocked some boars down here in east Texas up to 175lbs. with no problems....but I cut the stones out of them as quickly as I can after they hit the ground. Trapped hogs are worse because they are pissed off anyway and have the musk glands engaged. If anyone out there knows of some way to soak the pork to knock the musk out of the meat.......I'm all ears.
Are those hogs worthy to butcher? Seems like those two would fill a freezer for the year!
Those were not good for eating.. When boars stink the meat taste like it smells.... Some stink and some don't. I like to eat them when they don't stink. We grind some into burger and mix it with deer.. Good stuff
I have been told that black skinned hogs are very hard to skin. Their hide likes to rip than pull off. Is this true?
I didn't know they stunk. Guess if you can't eat them they must be quite the pests down there.
Cheers Don.
Don,
Once they are hanging with the skinning process started, you can take a box blade cutter and cut through the hide in 3-4" wide strips long ways (vertically) down towards the head. Then, take a pair of channel lock pliers and pull each strip off one at a time. It works very well on the thick skinned fat ones as well. Some are tougher than others...feral hogs with Black Russian genes in them seem to be tougher to clean, but the Piney Wood Rooters seem to be a little less of a chore.
Charlie
Al, The Navy bean meal u speak of is right down my ally, but there would be no hunting after that meal because all the animals in the forest would take note of the awful smell coming from my blind, and no other human would stay in the blind with me and would take off after the first blast of methane
But wild hog can be way better eating over store bought pork.
Tracy
I can't imagine cleaning/butchering a hog in that heat. Does that cause any problems? Besides the heat, what about flies and hornets?
When I help friends butcher pigs, we wait for a day when it is around freezing. We scald and scrape them instead of skinning them.
I have a friend of mine that lives up south of Huntsville, TX....when he knocks a couple of big stinky boars down....he calls the State Prison there at Huntsville and brings them in for the kitchen there. I'm not sure how they prepare them for the prisoners, but they butcher them up and serve fresh pork there any way that they can get it. If they know how to knock the smell out of the meat.....my hats off to them. Years ago, back in the mid-80's I was invited to a big cook out at a farm in Iowa, LA (North of Lake Charles). When I walked up, I could smell the musk through the BBQ smoke. I tried a piece out of politeness....never again. It tasted like pork dipped in skunk water. I've knocked some boars down here in east Texas up to 175lbs. with no problems....but I cut the stones out of them as quickly as I can after they hit the ground. Trapped hogs are worse because they are pissed off anyway and have the musk glands engaged. If anyone out there knows of some way to soak the pork to knock the musk out of the meat.......I'm all ears.
Charlie,
My wife bought some "inexpensive" pork at a smaller ethnic grocery store a few years back. I could smell it as soon as she took the plastic off. Definitely an old boar. My cure for the smell was easy.....buried it deep behind the garden!!
I can't imagine cleaning/butchering a hog in that heat. Does that cause any problems? Besides the heat, what about flies and hornets?
When I help friends butcher pigs, we wait for a day when it is around freezing. We scald and scrape them instead of skinning them.
Ken,
I have had as many as (13) live feral hogs (penned) in a cattle trailer in the month of August. We would have to segregate one at a time to a section of the cattle trailer, shoot'em between the eye and the ear with a .38 pistol. Quickly as possible, cut the stones out of the li'l boars, quickly hang them, and start the skinning and slaughtering process. A water source is critical in that kind of heat. Once you have the head removed and all the entrails removed, rinsed off with a water hose, we have ice chests full of ice waiting and quickly go to the box with them and cover with ice. I've killed and slaughtered as many as 5) consecutively in a morning / mid-day timeline. The key is to shoot them and deal with them one at a time. It does make the other hogs in cattle trailer a little skittish after you shoot the first one...and they get worse after each shot. We had a huge sow started dropping piglets during this process and she was stomping them to death there in the trailer for whatever reason. It was not a pleasant thing to watch...we never had a problem with flies or anything else, but the key was to get them on ice one at a time as quickly as possible. I would love to have scalded, scraped, and salvaged the skins, for cracklins, but that is something that you cannot afford to do in the summer months...
Charlie
Charlie,
My wife bought some "inexpensive" pork at a smaller ethnic grocery store a few years back. I could smell it as soon as she took the plastic off. Definitely an old boar. My cure for the smell was easy.....buried it deep behind the garden!!
Bill,
That's a shame...Yes, It's kind of scary that you would find that quality of pork in a store or market. I would be worried about Trichinosis (roundworms) as well on stuff like that. As a rule, we (personally) also (as a precaution) freeze the feral pork before we ever eat any of it. But there are 2) strains of Trichinosis and freezing only kills one strain...oddly enough the other strain can survive long term freezing. We just make sure its well cooked. I've read where diet can affect the quality of taste in pork as well...but, most of the hogs in SE Texas where I hunt are corn fed (feeders). The deer don't have a chance.
Charlie
One I shot last week.....
A couple of small ones I shot earlier this year......
A number of years ago I helped some friends capture a few, hauled them to his house, built an enclosure fatten them on corn and butchered them. It was some of the best pulled pork I ever had.
Are those hogs worthy to butcher? Seems like those two would fill a freezer for the year!
Those were not good for eating.. When boars stink the meat taste like it smells.... Some stink and some don't. I like to eat them when they don't stink. We grind some into burger and mix it with deer.. Good stuff
I have been told that black skinned hogs are very hard to skin. Their hide likes to rip than pull off. Is this true?
I didn't know they stunk. Guess if you can't eat them they must be quite the pests down there.
Cheers Don.
All of these hogs are hard to skin... There ain't any ripping the hide off its using a sharp knife and cut it off trying to leave the fat on if any
I can't imagine cleaning/butchering a hog in that heat. Does that cause any problems? Besides the heat, what about flies and hornets?
When I help friends butcher pigs, we wait for a day when it is around freezing. We scald and scrape them instead of skinning them.
I have not had a problem in the heat, just don't mess around... Get the hide off and I wash down the carcass a lot to remove heat and hair as I clean them .... I leave the guts in and ditch the ribs as there ain't anything to salvage on them , then take the quarter in and wash and out in bag then to the freezer to fast chill it turning it frequently to get even cooling then to the fridge for later. There aren't any flies or wasps at nite to bug ya. Been doing it that way for 20 years and I'm very picky about the quality of the meat. From the ground to fridge in about an hour.
Pat have you ever had to shoot one that was charging you?
Pat, that sounds like what the guide did on a hunt in Fl last yr. It was very hot and he said they never get into the guts. He was very careful to avoid the stinger and said that if ya got messin with that it could spoil the whole hog. I BBQ'd the backstraps and they were tough and dry. I boned the rest and added store bought roasts and it made good burger/sausage.
Pat have you ever had to shoot one that was charging you?
Yes I have, and it's an adrenaline rush that is hard to beat! One of my friends says "you crazy" and I guess I have to agree. I get on the ground and stalk them with a pistol and it's a hoot.....
Pat, we tried the golf ball and rope deal to skin a feral hog one time. I thought we were gonna flip over the UTV it was tied to. The skin never budged.
Yeah it works on deer but hogs not so much... Ripped one off the hanger once... They tough
Change of underwear needed
Pat, glad ta hear that you're ballzy enough ta walk around with a pistol. It doesn't surprise me a bit.
You and Bill D keep postin things that make me want ta take a road trip.
Come on down, we can scare ya ifn you want, lots of things to git ya
Pat have you ever had to shoot one that was charging you?
Yes I have, and it's an adrenaline rush that is hard to beat! One of my friends says "you crazy" and I guess I have to agree. I get on the ground and stalk them with a pistol and it's a hoot.....
Man,I've seen what hogs do to hog dogs......there's a reason they put flak jackets on them....
Hell Pat YOU scare me !!!!
Come on Bob get you some.... You will never forget it....get in there amongst them and that's hunting
Bob,
You can do anything with a couple of Pat's Falstaff's under yer belt!
Aw hell...Bob & Bill....drive on down to Oakwood. I'll drive up and meet you'll at Pat's place...we'll make it a foursome!!! I've got a .357 magnum and a .40 Cal. that haven't been warmed up in a couple of years.....
Bob,
You can do anything with a couple of Pat's Falstaff's under yer belt!
Bill you ain't gett away.... Come on down..... After the hunt you will be begging for a Falstaff
Darn pigs come and go on my place but are about 90% nocturnal. They really don't do much damage and I don't consider them a problem. Nor do any of my ranching neighbors but I doubt that I could have a garden.
I've only eaten it once but that was from a piglet. No odor and it was OK to eat when cooked over coals. I have learned that if a pig stinks when you walk up on it, don't even try to skin it.
A couple of years ago my, then 14 year old, Grandson shot a huge sow right at dark. He was using my 30-30 and I had his scoped 243. It ran away and my grandson sent me a message. I told him to stay in his popup and that I was coming. It was dark when I got there. We tracked from blood for about 50 yards in some really thick stuff and lost the trail. Then I told him we were calling it off until morning. I figured that we were carrying the wrong weapons for that job. He didn't like that idea one bit. So I asked him the question. Do you know the difference in hunting a wounded hog in the dark vs golf, football, tennis, or baseball? The answer? Those sports required only one ball and I am a castrado(Spanish). We found it the next morning and my scales bottomed out. They only go to 200 pounds and I now have bigger scales.
Hay Pat, like u say, it can be a good time and good eating if selective in the ones u eat. We get a few on the ground some yr's and other yr's we don't see any. I learned that these hogs can carry a disease which can be transmitted to the hunter when cleaning, so be sure u guys wear surgical or protective gloves when cleaning. After learning of the disease a few yr's back, we now keep a box of the gloves in the side by side. I can't remember the name of the disease but I can't remember a lot of things.
Tracy
We are now entering into game management through the state for deer. We are feeding high pro. Feed that is more costly than corn. They eat 500lbs in 4 days. As dry as it is there isn't much forage for the deer right now so they are hitting the feed hard. I don't mind the pigs eating some of it but when those big boars show up.... No good to eat so we thin them out a bit to leave some for the deer
Pat, Bill and Charlie, you boys are a bit younger than I am. Therefore I will try ta explain that at a certain point in a mans life the phrase "hold my beer and watch this" brings a hint that something BAD is about to happen. Don't matter what kind of beer it is. You boys go ahead and just have a fun little threesome. I do appreciate the invitation tho.
Pat you have some good defense but I'm thinkin that given his screen name being Stickem I visualize him with a large sharpened stick tottering back and forth jabbin his stick at a big mean hog. Hold his beer and watch that.
Freight train with a mission
Pat, Bill and Charlie, you boys are a bit younger than I am. Therefore I will try ta explain that at a certain point in a mans life the phrase "hold my beer and watch this" brings a hint that something BAD is about to happen. Don't matter what kind of beer it is. You boys go ahead and just have a fun little threesome. I do appreciate the invitation tho.
Pat you have some good defense but I'm thinkin that given his screen name being Stickem I visualize him with a large sharpened stick tottering back and forth jabbin his stick at a big mean hog. Hold his beer and watch that.
Bob and I thought you would be the one to go on an adventure like a hog hunt , Charlie does carry a big stick(Stickem)
Shipping 7 big frozen bluegills to a taxidermist/saltwater fishing guide in Hewitt, Texas. Styrofoam box and lid in a cardbard box but UPS wants $200.00 to ship it overnight!
That's only $100.00 less than the price of the fish! Going to ship them 2nd day air and hope for the best. Still $88.00 for an 11 lb. box that is 15 X 16 X 10 1/2 inches!
Will drop off at the nearest UPS distribution plant on a Monday evening and it's supposed to arrive Wednesday morning.
I know it's hot down there! Fingers crossed!
Here are some of the 26 1 lb. to 1lb. 8 1/2 oz. bluegill I kept to sell out of the male only bluegill pond. The picture doesn't do them justice. The cooler is about 4 feet long.
I missed more of them as the 180 ' by 12' seine hung up a couple of times and I had to go out in a boat and lift it up. One hang up was a couple of boulders and not sure what the other one is. Will be doing some exploring on the bottom via snorkel and mask to find out.
Also took out 22 fourteen inch give or take post spawn yellow perch and moved them to a holding pond until next spring. Will seine them out just before they drop their eggs. The taxidermists want them bulging with eggs.
Cecil you ever ship with dry ice? Or is that illegal
It is legal to ship with dry ice, it just needs to be declared.
We have it on nearly every flight.
Pat,
Seems I checked into it quite a while back and it was O.K. if it was under a certain weight. But it's been a while.
It's not available in my area and increases shipping costs due to the weight. For those who might not be aware it's a lot heavier than water ice for the volume. May have to reresearch it.
I was told ice cream gets delivered to goroceries stores packed with it so something else to check.
It is legal to ship with dry ice, it just needs to be declared.
We have it on nearly every flight.
Yep you beat my post!
All hogs stink...its the ones you can hardly breath near without gagging that you leave for the coyotes. Shoot them between the shoulder and ear (in the neck) and they normally are DRT. I don't normally track them in the dark. If they run, they are coyote food.
And i have never been charged...but where I hunt there is a lot of pressure on them (very close to 100% nocturnal and very skittish). I have had them next to the popup blind though...nothing between me and them other than a piece of fabric.
Sean
All hogs stink...its the ones you can hardly breath near without gagging that you leave for the coyotes. Shoot them between the shoulder and ear (in the neck) and they normally are DRT. I don't normally track them in the dark. If they run, they are coyote food.
And i have never been charged...but where I hunt there is a lot of pressure on them (very close to 100% nocturnal and very skittish). I have had them next to the popup blind though...nothing between me and them other than a piece of fabric.
Sean
Most around here don't have any smell at all. Breeding boars are rank smelling and if you boiled them in perfume it wouldn't help. It's surprising how many don't smell. Have had sows stink worse than boars.... To the coyotes and buzzards with those. Haven't had the smell test fail yet......
Cecil,
Grocery stores around here sell dry ice. Its cheep. It does add some to the shipping weight, but the "insurance" it provides might be worth it.
Most around here don't have any smell at all. Breeding boars are rank smelling and if you boiled them in perfume it wouldn't help. It's surprising how many don't smell. Have had sows stink worse than boars.... To the coyotes and buzzards with those. Haven't had the smell test fail yet......
I don't think I have had a sow stink bad enough to leave behind yet...but most i have shot seem to be boars. I had 30-40 in front of me one time....shot two of them, both boars. Just my luck I guess.
There are times I can smell the rank boars nearby just riding through the woods. Smell like old piss (only way I can describe it). People think I am nuts when I say a pig is nearby.
Sean
Pat, Bill and Charlie, you boys are a bit younger than I am. Therefore I will try ta explain that at a certain point in a mans life the phrase "hold my beer and watch this" brings a hint that something BAD is about to happen. Don't matter what kind of beer it is. You boys go ahead and just have a fun little threesome. I do appreciate the invitation tho.
Pat you have some good defense but I'm thinkin that given his screen name being Stickem I visualize him with a large sharpened stick tottering back and forth jabbin his stick at a big mean hog. Hold his beer and watch that.
Bob-O...I'm what you would refer to as Oilfield Trash...I've been working in the oil patch industry (domestically and internationally) for the past 36 years. Our motto has always been, "when you come across something you cant handle, you grab a bigger piece of iron"...(or stick, in this case)...Ha!
OFT Moniker...No disrespect to anyone who ever has, or is, working in the energy sector....
This is the way that I like to do it. When I knock a hog down, I like to cut them long ways down the backbone (freezer space permitting).....this gas smoker is 3' long x 2' wide x 4.5' tall, which will give you a size reference to this li'l hog. I heat with propane and smoke with hickory sawdust over a stainless steel plate. This li'l boar is about 2 1/2 hours into the process. He was basted with sauce and double wrapped in aluminum foil and left another 2 1/2 - 3 hrs at ~215-225 degrees. His hips and shoulder joints broke through the meat when we moved him off of the pit to serve.
Charlie
Nice....gas smoker must be nice.
Sean
I'm what you'de refer to as oilfield trash made me laugh out loud. I gotta appreciate a dude who can crack on themselves as well as they do others. Poke on!!!
Sean, I've smelled that odor a couple of times. Took me awhile to identify it and there's no sense in messing with the meat. It's about like trying to cook an old goat.
Nice....gas smoker must be nice.
Sean
Boburk,
Thanks...It was originally an old stainless steel drilling console that we used on the rigs offshore. The company that I was working for had new ones manufactured and was sending (9) of these to the junk pile...so I asked for 3 of them. Gutted them out, drilled a few holes, added the SS expanded metal grate, added the burner, thermometers, and burned it out thoroughly about 450 degrees for about 3 hours the first time that I fired it up. The first smoking was 140lbs or venison / pork sausage and threw in 10lbs of chicken quarters on the top rack. The expanded metal is on a hinge and can be swung down when hanging and smoking sausage. Now with the regulator on the propane bottle set, I can just fire it up, set a pan of hickory (or red oak) sawdust on top of the plate, put sausage (or whatever) on, and forget about it for a designated period of time.
Charlie
The "forget about it" part is what I like about the idea of a gas smoker. When doing it with charcoal and mesquite, it is a half day of checking and adjusting every 30 minutes. I do 2 hours open air, then wrap it with some beer and spices and do about another 6 hours.
Sean
Nice....gas smoker must be nice.
Sean
Boburk,
Thanks...It was originally an old stainless steel drilling console that we used on the rigs offshore. The company that I was working for had new ones manufactured and was sending (9) of these to the junk pile...so I asked for 3 of them. Gutted them out, drilled a few holes, added the SS expanded metal grate, added the burner, thermometers, and burned it out thoroughly about 450 degrees for about 3 hours the first time that I fired it up. The first smoking was 140lbs or venison / pork sausage and threw in 10lbs of chicken quarters on the top rack. The expanded metal is on a hinge and can be swung down when hanging and smoking sausage. Now with the regulator on the propane bottle set, I can just fire it up, set a pan of hickory (or red oak) sawdust on top of the plate, put sausage (or whatever) on, and forget about it for a designated period of time.
Charlie
Very nice......good job!!!
If you guys need "help" killin a hog or three, call me and I'll load a 30.06 and deep freeze in the back of my truck, then head southwest!
If you guys need "help" killin a hog or three, call me and I'll load a 30.06 and deep freeze in the back of my truck, then head southwest!
They just need to know not to have any exposed PVC on the pond!
Rex, if they take ya up on that, I'm hitchin along.
If you guys need "help" killin a hog or three, call me and I'll load a 30.06 and deep freeze in the back of my truck, then head southwest!
Wish you could pattern them critters then we could set up and take a mess of them.. It's just a hit or miss thing most of the time . If the hogs ain't bittin then we could fish
Hogs showed up on my place 10 to 15 years ago. They are 90% nocturnal. To date, I think we have shot 4 or 5.
Hogs showed up on my place 10 to 15 years ago. They are 90% nocturnal. To date, I think we have shot 4 or 5.
Same here Dave, always at night. FWIW - I had large sounder groups hitting my feeders up until February.....I got into them a couple of times then they disappeared. Only saw two large boars off and on on the game camera up until recently. Finally had a small sounder group come in last week.
I know how to shoot in the dark...
Geez Cecil! Pictures of TJ's PVC was sent to you for replicating over 4 years ago! How long does it take for you to paint all that white?!?!?!?! Need me to check your aquaponics plumbing for adequate flow? (or hold it hostage?)
I know how to shoot in the dark...
Geez Cecil! Pictures of TJ's PVC was sent to you for replicating over 4 years ago! How long does it take for you to paint all that white?!?!?!?! Need me to check your aquaponics plumbing for adequate flow? (or hold it hostage?)
Stay away from my PVC!
I think we have got a dozen or so off our place in the last year. 9 in traps and a few more shot.
The pigs just now coming back around here also.... Don't know where they went... Starting to see a few now...what we need is rain to get the deer forage growing again
We might get a little moisture out west this week. I'm planning on sitting on the back porch for a little bit this weekend. That is, if I can keep the grand kids quiet or in the house. The pigs seem to run in cycles. I'll see 20 to 30 in a 2 week time frame then I won't see any for a few weeks. I haven't seen many lately but I haven't been to farm as much due to some family issues.
The pigs seem to run in cycles. I'll see 20 to 30 in a 2 week time frame then I won't see any for a few weeks.
that's my experience as well.
I wonder how wide a typical feral hog's territory can be?
Thanks Cisco...that was a lot of good info.
Looks like their territory can be pretty wide.
"they are capable of moving great distances to find food"
I know we have thousands, if not tens of thousands, of hogs right across the road in the Lake Fork river bottoms. They've never come here, so I'm thinking the available water, and old growth oaks and other forage keeps them there. They're the only creatures here that have shoot on sight approval from my wife.
Smart woman you have Al. That's rule on my place too, If you see a hog, shoot it.
The hogs in east Texas (Polk Cty.) seem to have the uncanny ability to remember where every corn (and protein) feeder is in the county. Therefore, they make their rounds about every 2-3 weeks or so cleaning up around every feeder in their path along with rooting up tender vegetation in the areas as well. They always come back though.
I see tracks around the feeders but they don't go to it. No cam pics but lots of tracks 30 to 40 ft away. This I really don't understand.
Last year we had a huge acorn drop and everything avoided corn.
Last year we had a huge acorn drop and everything avoided corn. [/quote]
We had the exact same thing (acorn drop) happen last year in our area as well...I actually turned the feeders off because of the mass of Uneaten corn beneath and around them. One could immediately tell when the hogs started coming back around, though...
I no longer put corn on the ground by spinner feeders. It seams to attract hogs if they are in the area. I do use gravity type feeders that keep the corn off the ground, its not a cure all but it does seam to make a difference when it comes to hogs staying around.
Tracy
I was out filling feeders yesterday and pulling camera chips and looked @ some of the Oak trees.
Some of the trees were loaded with acorns and others had very little or no acorns. I also had bumper crop of acorns last yr here in Harrison Co. So we will see what this season brings.
Tracy
That's normal to see some trees with acorns and some not so much around here. Our deer are very hungry this year cause no fresh browse to eat from no rain since late May
Pat I could come down and feed em some broadheads this Oct.
Come on down it would be fun
Pat I'm sure you're a nice guy but read the Hello from Indiana post. Be very careful about what ya wish for.
Just remember that I grew up in the 60s also
Yeah but don't you read my posts????
48F this morning when I woke up.
65 here and it was wonderful.
Glad all your tests came out good!
Pat, u get any rain out of this cooler weather, I got a little over an inch @ the pond. I could not believe the cooler weather in August in E Texas. NICE
Tracy
No rain and cool for a day
Cool up here too, at least for this time of year. Forecast looks good for next week also, got me thinking about fall already. Fish are hitting......
Texas Brain Freeze
...Season before last. This one ate very well....I like to shoot this size of hog, as half of it fits very well on my smoker. Rifle was in pic for size reference only...
Not so much with this big tan one...even though I cut him as quickly as quickly as possible...he was not something that I'd have tried to butcher....he was strong...
Pat W.'s daughter, Mandy, with a nighttime kill...
Pat W. with a dandy East Texas Red...
Can the bigger ones that are too strong to be made into cuts of meat be made into sausage?
Can the bigger ones that are too strong to be made into cuts of meat be made into sausage?
From past experiences the end product tastes like it smells..... Yuck.... So if it smells bad don't bother with it.... It's a shame but that's the way it is. On larger pigs I have cut a chunk of back strap off and put it in a skillet and if it smells like pork chop frying I clean the pig and process as usual
Can the bigger ones that are too strong to be made into cuts of meat be made into sausage?
From past experiences the end product tastes like it smells..... Yuck.... So if it smells bad don't bother with it.... It's a shame but that's the way it is. On larger pigs I have cut a chunk of back strap off and put it in a skillet and if it smells like pork chop frying I clean the pig and process as usual
esshup,
I hunted down in South Texas a few years back and there is an incredible amount of Javelina (peccary...aka skunk pig) down there. The Javelina rate about as bad as a large musky boar (IMO). The locals down there claim to know a process that will make the meat palatable. I do not know what the process is....but, it would be interesting to know. Nothing worse than shooting one and letting it lay because of the stench, but it happens all the time.
Big boy at the feeder........
Ferrel Hampshire hogs.......???
TBar
With pigs anything is possible. I have seen them look like total domestic pigs.... And they might be! That big boar needs to go. The others need to go to the freezer
I see some Hamp put definitely not pure bloods. I agree with Pat. Get rid of that dominant boar and then have a Luau with the young ones!
I have a huge one on game cams but not in the last 2 years. They are loners and totally nocturnal. All of the pigs totally ignore my hog trap. I see their tracks but never get one on camera around the feeders. They stop about 25 yards but will not go to the corn.
Last weekend I went through the pantry and pulled out cans that were out of date. I emptied them into the trap but did not attach the spring. Tracks were around it but they didn't push the door open. The trap has been a waste of time.
My Grandson shot a 225 pound sow at a feeder a couple of years ago. That is pretty rare.
Dave
I shot one last night under the feeder off the porch. He is chillin in the refrigerator. I ist the kill light by elusive tech. In Conroe seems to work and not scare them away. Glad they are coming back around. Took it at midnight last night
Pat, I couldn't shoot a hog at midnight. Now, when I get up at 4 in the morn I might be able to shoot one.
Dave
I shot one last night under the feeder off the porch. He is chillin in the refrigerator. I ist the kill light by elusive tech. In Conroe seems to work and not scare them away. Glad they are coming back around. Took it at midnight last night
Pat's latest kill...nice li'l boar...
Dave
I shot one last night under the feeder off the porch. He is chillin in the refrigerator. I ist the kill light by elusive tech. In Conroe seems to work and not scare them away. Glad they are coming back around. Took it at midnight last night
This reminds me of the game Clue...Pat did it at midnight with a gun under the feeder off the porch while under the influence of Falstaff! I win!!!!
Dave
I shot one last night under the feeder off the porch. He is chillin in the refrigerator. I ist the kill light by elusive tech. In Conroe seems to work and not scare them away. Glad they are coming back around. Took it at midnight last night
This reminds me of the game Clue...Pat did it at midnight with a gun under the feeder off the porch under the influence of Falstaff! I win!!!!
Dangit Bill how did you know?lol
Falstaff at midnight. I remember those days.
I now have way too much class to drink that stuff. I've graduated to the KING OF BEERS.
Pat,
I never win anything. Thanks for the confirmation that I won. I have to admit though that, before that last clue, I was leaning towards Charlie with a plastic fork in a Jon boat.....never mind. I win!!!
Sitting up again tonight to see if piggies want to play . Charlie gonna make sausage as only he can do! It's fantastic! Can't wait to get it to him!
Pat W., with another Piney Wood Rooter...a sow this time. Looks like the hogs are still co-operating in Oakwood.
It's deer season now....
Sean
Pat W., with another Piney Wood Rooter...a sow this time. Looks like the hogs are still co-operating in Oakwood.
So you gonna work some of your sausage magic Charlie?
Bill,
Yes, I'm coming through Buffalo in a week or so. Pat & I are supposed to meet so I can pick it up to process. Gonna mix it with Boston Butt shoulder roasts...wild hog is too lean. Grocery chain has them on sale for 99 cents a pound this week. Time to stock up.
Charlie
Sounds great! Let me know how it turns out. Cause of my wife's little business, we currently have 5 freezers. Be happy to store a pound or three of that sausage for you guys!
Bill if it's half as good as the last batch Charlie made then it will be wonderful!! That guy can make sausage!!!!
Sitting in stand now to see if I can perforate another one
I believe ya Pat. Get him to let you try his fish jerky too!
Well the hogs showed back up at Pat W.'s place and he wasted no time workin' on 'em again...Pat was good enough to promise me this piney wood rooter to grind 'n shoot to make pork sausage.
I let hogzilla walk to get you a eating hog...... But if he shows tonight..... It's on. Hope you enjoy the sausage you will make from it . He had quite a layer of fat so he should be prime
I let hogzilla walk to get you a eating hog...... But if he shows tonight..... It's on. Hope you enjoy the sausage you will make from it . He had quite a layer of fat so he should be prime
Well, if "Big'un" shows up......stick him & shoot me a pic. Sounds perfect on the fresh killed pork. The more the fat the better.
Bob it was hard to pass on the biga piga but I told Charlie I would get him a nice one for sausage ( which he makes the best). So.....ole big prolly went 250-300 lbs. the other two that were running with him would not get close to him at all
What's the one hangin go, bout 180-190?
I went with a handicapped kid down here last yr. He has a pneumatic cross bow. It was just great to be out in the swamp, bout 90 degrees and just a few mosquitos. He ended up getting a young boar that was probably only about 150 but man it was good.
They are fun to hunt fer sure. That one went about 125
Man, that surprised me so I re-checked the pic and it is the same distortion Condello uses ta make his fish look larger. I was comparing it to the tractor and then realized the tractor is a bit away.
I'm still looking for a big boar with lots of teeth, most up here don't have big tusks for some reason..... Maybe the sand wears them down
Pat all the boar heads ya see hangin on walls have their tusks pulled up to look more fearsome. The ranch I hunted on last yr charged much more for "trophy" boar. They determined it a trophy if the tusks were 1" or longer. My friend was very careful to pick out a smaller one.
On an interesting note, check out the triple cutters on Pat's latest kill. I spoke with an old east Texas hog trapper about 10 years ago. He indicated that back in the 40's, you would never see cutters like that on a feral hog. It seems that they have been evolving to this (see pic below) in the past 75 years. Pretty interesting and a bit scary at the same time.
Wow now that is interesting.
Charlie I hadn't even noticed the cutters I guess cause it was near midnight.... Not a very good scuse is it
Hey Pat after a half dozen Falstaffs you were lucky to hit the dang hog. No apologies needed!
Dangit Bill how did u know that? Can't hide nuttin from ya
Just wish someone around here liked to coon hunt..... Got a ton of them
Well, Pat W. is at it again...he shot this dandy boar last night....look at the head on that rascal...
I'm still looking for a big boar with lots of teeth, most up here don't have big tusks for some reason..... Maybe the sand wears them down
Pat, you might try hunting in Alabama, where the Tuscaloosa.
He he he
Not bad, not bad at all
Well, Pat W. is still on the war path. He shot this big boar yesterday (Tuesday) morning hours before daylight. Pat indicated that the pistol in the photo was for size reference only.
Looks like the hog came armed and Pat got him in self defense. Well done!
Bill how did you guess!! Got to be ready
Well Pat W. is still wearing the hogs out in SE Texas...He shot this stinky "Piney Wood Rooter" on May 14th....check out the stones on that rascal!
Then, he shot this rascal 4-5 days later...Pat claimed he shot it with a rifle. Must've had a ricochet off of or splintered a bone to make that kind of an exit wound....A word to the wise, don't go creepin' around Pat's place at night uninvited...ha!
Sorry Charlie that was an entrance wound.... Fat blew up
Dang it, Pat...I thought maybe you'd crawled out there on all fours with a knife in your teeth and just stabbed him! Ha!
Charlie
Give me enough to drink and I probably would! Lol
Dogone it quit it or I'm gonna have ta stop by next Oct/Nov on my way ta Fl and see if yer really as crazy as me. If that isn't enough of a threat I'll bring Billy D as my apprentice.
Dogone it quit it or I'm gonna have ta stop by next Oct/Nov on my way ta Fl and see if yer really as crazy as me. If that isn't enough of a threat I'll bring Billy D as my apprentice.
I think that event might warrant a trip up to Oakwood!
Pat W. with another Saturday night / Sunday morning boar kill in Oakwood, TX. Will it ever end???
