They got to my dam and rooted it up pretty badly. They tore up the face, back and top. I'm going to attempt some repairs but I doubt that it is going to cause leaks. But, if it ever rains again, it will cause some erosion. After raking everything back into place, I'll be adding a lot more FEL loads of big rocks which I have no shortage of.

And, there's not much I can do about it. They are 100% nocturnal so hunting won't help. I've tried trapping but they ignore the trap. I've even allowed highly experience trappers to try my place but they've given up and left. We've shot about 5 or 6 over the years and my Grandson shot a monster sow a couple of years ago. We just rarely see them except on game cams.

They showed up at my place about 10 to 15 years ago and this is the first time I've had a problem. Now, I'm chapped.

get a night scope and a silencer

Not a bad idea but I've tried to stay awake all night and it just doesn't happen.

How far is the dam from the house? I have a motion detector on my feeder that triggers a bell in the house 250 yards away.

What about offering up a night hog hunt to some responsible hunters in the area? They get to hunt hogs at no cost and you get a nuisance removed.

Dave
I hunt them at night on full moons and shoot them with regular scope. Also have A Elusive Technology hog lite that's I mount under the feeder at the house... Look out the window and if there is hogs I walk out the door and set the rifle on a folding chair and bang.... Have killed numerous pigs this way..... Shot one last nite

http://www.atncorp.com/

I have no experience using their product, but it looks interesting.

Isn't TAMU doing some research on a hog specific poison?

I don't live there and can't see the dam from my house.

Dale, I don't live there and don't really like the idea of anybody even knowing that I have all the stuff that I use. House, tractors, equipment, 4 wheelers(in a steel shipping container), welders, etc.

TBar, I would be up all night when the coons dropped by.

Maybe we will see some during deer season and get them to move elsewhere.

I wonder if an outside dog might help? Do hogs run if they hear a dog barking? I've seen some brutal YouTube videos of guys hunting hogs with dogs and the dogs generally seem to hold their own against the hog and the hogs wants to flee the pesty dogs.

Geeze Dave, that sounds serious. I don't have anything to offer except maybe condolences -- and I could send you some boxes of FREE rocks if you'll pay the shipping.

Seems like maybe you need to make ESSHUP and offer he can't refuse. My guess is that he could discourage a few of them from taking many more breaths, and then you and he could provide one heck of a BBQ.

If they are full nocturnal, they have some pressure on them. Otherwise they would be out some during the day...especially when it starts cooling off.

They are nomadic....you can chase them off, but some day they will be back.

I use a red light on my scope...supposedly they can't see red. Silloette them under moon/star light, then put the light on long enough to center the cross hairs on their neck, and bang...

I am near WF....if you ever want to open it up to a hunter, let me know.

Sean

Gonna set out tonight and pop one... Maybe

Dave,
As you know, hogs can cause a lot of damage in a short period of time. I had a friend had about 3 1/2 acres of a 7 acre hay field rooted up all in one night. It's hard to believe that they can wreak that much havoc in such a short period of time. It looked like he had disked the place up....truly incredible. I hope you get grip on the issue. The game wardens here in SE Texas suggest building panel traps and bait them with vinegar. Good luck...
Charlie

Vinegar? Why vinegar? Do hogs like pickles??

Bill,
Hogs have a strong sense of smell. Hogs like things that are pungent, (rotten sack of onions), rank, and strong smelling...the nastier, the better. We used to soak corn in vinegar and add a little yeast to the mix and store in a shed until the top nearly blew off of the 5 gal bucket. The hogs sensitive sense of smell can pick up the smell of vinegar from quite a distance.

Who in their right mind would make pickles with vinegar???

Hey this is Bill D. I have been accused of a lot of things but never ever of being in my right mind!!

I would never have thought of vinegar.

I recently went through the pantry and dug out a lot of date expired cans of food. So I took them and put them in my low mileage hog trap. I added some molasses and corn. They didn't mess with it.

In the past, I've mixed corn with light beer and a little yeast. Let it set for 3 or 4 days in the summer and serve. That worked once about 10 years ago but never again. When carrying a bucket of the stuff, you don't want to spill any on your pants leg.

I also had a trapper who used milk replacer. One hog actually pushed the trap about 8 ft and got to the bait. He loaded up his trap and left.

Bow hunting starts this weekend and I have 3 or 4 predatory 17 year olds that are itching to get at the hogs. Maybe more activity on the place will help.

Dave:

You could always hire this group!

http://www.hogdawgs.com/

DD1,
Check in to hog snares. First check their legality in your state. They are popular in Hawaii, especially the more populated areas, which is everywhere. Hog Snares should get you started or Google it. Tons of info on them.

Snares are certainly legal here and I've tried them. My problem is that they are so indiscriminate.

I don't kill coyotes, foxes, bobcats, etc. I kinda like them. I personally think that coyotes and bobcats are about the only thing that is on my side. Neighbors dogs are a different story.

I snared a beautiful fox which I regret.

I have 4 teenagers who will be hunting this year(again). They take a very occasional hog but their presence might help.

I'm going to move my trap to a different place in some very thick brush. I'm betting that works. Or, at least I hope it does. I'll use diesel soaked corn for bait. Hogs are about the only thing that are attracted to that.

A neighbor caught a young buck in his trap that broke it's neck when they were trying to release it.

Dave, I haven't seen deer attracted to sour corn either. I was told to mix strawberry Jello in with the corn, then sour it.

Had 18 hogs and pigs under my feeder at one time and have trail camera pictures to prove it. They came up in the yard and actually were eating under my porch. I turned the porch light on and screamed at them and they still did not run off!! Finally stopped feeding the deer and the hogs have left.

I haven't actually seen a live hog in 3 or 4 years. We occasionally get game cam pics of them. The predatory teens that hunt on my place had rather shoot a hog than a trophy buck.

It appears that they are now hanging close to the house so we just might take one.

Somebody say hogs?






The little ones in these pics have already "spawned" I'm sure. 3 litters a year I think is average. I've trapped them with some success but not near enough.

Looks like the definition of being over run by hogs...!!!

That was late March. Then I won't see many for a month and then they're BAAACK. Gone a month and then.....

Brian, I hope you have some hogs needing cleared out when I come down there to clear your pond in a couple weeks....gotta stop and spray an Arkansas pond on the way....

I don't think I've had or seen that many.

Do they make gill nets for hogs?

Snares are indiscriminate...get things you don't want.

What if you made a trap for the hog to push his snout/neck into and it was sized so a big one couldn't back his head back out? smaller critters (of course smaller hogs too) could back out?

maybe someone can invent a chinese finger trap texan sized for hogs?

Rex If they're in the area, I'll have plenty. When you coming?

Rex, bring Barnes bullets or the Nosler Accubonds for your 30-06. Hogs are tougher than deer unless you poke 'em in the ear.

OR the neck

If feral hogs had enough body fat to have 2 pounds of bacon each, they'd be extinct. Bacon makes everything better.

That's just crazy. I can't imagine dealing with that many unruly and uninvited visitors.

I use Nosler 100 grn Ballistic tip in my 26-06 and head or neck behind the ear and it's all over

It may depend on how far away they are too. I had a sounder of hogs that wouldn't stop walking at 300 yds. I had my .243 and I was using an 85g Barnes TSX bullet with a MV of 3350 fps.

I picked out the biggest one and let it fly. I heard the bullet hit, but they took off running and continued to run 1/2 mile until they were off of the property.

I'm still kicking myself that I didn't carry my 7mm Allen Magnum with me that morning when I checked the field.

Dave -

Maybe think about a Pond Boss thinning? Members you've gotten to know here on the forum - as opposed to a hog hunt with hunters you have no knowledge of? They could set up at multiple locations such that there's no crossfire.

We've got nasty hogs here in Georgia and found that Winchester Razorback 308 and 12gauge takes 'em out.

esshup, I hit one with my daughters 243 last weekend at 120 yds. 95 gr sierra, spun him like a top but never found him. I didn't look very hard.

The things we learn from each other on Pond Boss!

I had no idea that a bunch of adult swine was called a "sounder."

Thanks for the enlightenment.

Use an M-60 and get the whole batch !

Tannerite.......

It is my observation that thinning hogs is about like thinning sparrows.

You have to kill at least 80% of the population each year to reduce their numbers (70% is the break even point). The problem is, over 98% of the land in Texas is private...and though many farmers and ranchers will complain about the Hog problem, they will not let others hunt their land. Or they will want money to be able to hunt their land...so the Hog problem gets worse and they keep complaining.

Sean

The durn hogs are here today and gone tomorrow. So, trying to target them can be futile. And, until they messed with my dam, I've never had a reason to worry about them.

Maybe TJ could help Dave D.

Tannerite Hog Explosion

Here ya go Dave...coming up soon.



http://benwheelertx.com/

Looks like a good time Zep...up until the "wild hog ball." Think I will wait for others to comment to that

Looks like it would be a fun day.

I am sure with a little effort you could build one of these. Not sure about the cell phone trigger, but someone on here probably knows how to do that too!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFUNXKATbJg

or you could buy one of these!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsFXhGoDnW0


EIther way, then call the local zoo and tell them you have a bunch of meat to donate all they gotta do is come and get it!

Hogs & Vinegar cause they like Carolina Pork BBQ!!!

Doug

We drive down to Oklahoma every year to hunt hogs, imo there is no better eating wild critter than a hog!(turkey a close second) Let us know when and where and we'll bring the hounds down and put a hurtin on those piggies! My freezer always has room for more pork!

Don't think a 180gr will do it? I've never had anything move after firing..

It's all about shot placement.

Favorite rifle for Hog hunting is my 30-30. You poke em in the neck between the ear and shoulder with a 30-30, and they normally drop right there. Not too handy with them 300 yard shots though...

Sean

Shot placement is key, more than caliber.

I have killed many hogs with a 45.
Headshot behind the ear does work wonders.

A gut shot may get them to change directions, but that is about all.

I shot a hog with a 30-06 that just started running, never to be seen again.
It was a bad shot, too far back. I had hoped to break the back legs and get another shot (moving in the brush) but that didn't happen.

Seen other hogs shot with a 30-06, saw fat and meat fly as they went down squealing like crazy.
Then get up and run away.

Seen plenty killed with a .243, probably one of our favorite calibers.
My buddy sure regrets giving his up for the 30-06.
His dad on the other hand won't trade back.

Funniest story was running one down in a pasture one time in the truck, blasting at it with a shotgun and 00 buck, either missing or just making him mad.
When he hit the fence, it stretched a little bit and then threw him through the air onto his back.
He laid there stunned and I could swear you could see the tweety birds flying around his head.

I was trying to get my pistol out, but was too stunned and laughing to hard to manage to draw it from underneath my coveralls.

He then got up and slipped under the fence.

They are fun to hunt, but I wouldn't wish them upon anyone, after seeing the damage they can do.

If you guys ever want somebody to help out with your Hog problem please let me know Id be more than happy to try !