Author Topic: Pig Hunting in the USA (Read 3446 times)

pigman · « **on:** December 07, 2003, 11:42:55 PM »

Howde. :sniper:

I'm planning a holliday to the States next year and want to go pig hunting to see what the similarities and differences are in the US pigs vs the Australian pigs. Can anyone suggest some spots or operators worth researching.

In particular, I like to track pigs on foot and shoot them and or find them with dogs and dispatch them with a knife. I have no interest in chasing a pig in a fenced property.

PS - Does anyone know any good online, realtime chat sites to discuss pig hunting in greater depth.

And on a final note, you have never really experienced true pug hunting until you hunt them in the outback of Australia. Has anyone tried it ?

Cheers

PIGMAN

Savage · « **Reply #1 on:** December 08, 2003, 03:39:02 AM »

pigman,
I'm afraid we don't have anything that will compare to the "Outback" you're accustomed to. We do have a good variety of pig hunting pretty well all over the country. It seems the consensus of this forum is that only the major calibers should be used on the 200# variety. You know, anything you might use for cape buffalo or rino. Don't know what you'd use for the quarter ton variety that the moderator on this forum hunts. Our pigs are very uneducated here in Arkansas, and are frequently taken with lesser calibers, as they have no idea how tough they are. I hope someone on this forum can help you make a good choice of hunt locales!
Stay Safe,
Savage

markc · « **Reply #2 on:** December 08, 2003, 04:23:57 AM »

there are plenty of hog doggers who would be glad to take you hunting. There is a fine gentleman named Dougls Mason here in Texas who takes alot of hunters out after hogs with his dogs. You can locate him at
www.texasboars.com

I have hunted with him 3 times now, and he will do his absolute best to put you on some hogs.
:-) markc

The Trap Maker · « **Reply #3 on:** December 09, 2003, 02:51:10 PM »

Take a look at www.thetrapmaker.com Hog hunting in Northern Calif.

TimWieneke · « **Reply #4 on:** December 10, 2003, 05:05:55 AM »

Our pigs here don't have that funny Russell Crowe accent. :grin:

Seriously though, in the U.S. you can hunt pigs safari style, behind dogs, tree stands, or spot and stalk in the mountains, swamps, deserts or thick evergreen forests - whatever you want to try.

BTW - here in the midwest, our pig hunts may not be as exciting as down under, but I'll stake our pig cooking against yours any day...

Tim

Graybeard · « **Reply #5 on:** December 10, 2003, 06:49:35 AM »

PIGMAN I'm sure there are plenty of places which can give you the experience you are seeking. The Nail Ranch has a web site and they offer free range hunting of hogs and deer. You can do this on horse back even if you wish. Walking and stalking should be no problem to set up with them. They are a huge working cattle ranch with an active hunting program. They are located in TX.

I've personally hunted at the Reed Ranch in TX also and that is a free range fair chase hunt if you wish or you can hunt over bait. Jim has links to his site on Texasboars.com or you could search for the Reed Family Range. Jim has a couple of somewhat primitive cabins on the ranch you likely could arrange to stay in if you wished and as long as nothing else was going on I'd think he'd let you do all the stalking and looking you want down in the river bottoms for hogs.

No doubt there are many more I'm just not aware of in TX. Florida also has some free range hog hunting on cattle ranches I believe. I'm not sure the names of them but I've read of them. I've been to Carter's pasture which while NOT free range as there is a high fence surrounding 1100 acres of the thickest jungle you could want it too can give you all the chase you want if you talk Mike Carter into turning you loose out there to stalk them on foot rather than hunting over a feeder.

At any of these places I think you'll find the challenge at least equal to what you have at home.

GB

pigman · « **Reply #6 on:** December 10, 2003, 10:21:24 AM »

Tim

You've got me there, out pigs do have a few disease problems (thank goodness you guys invented Macdonalds). If we are really desperate and want to eat the pig meat, we do the usual things like check the liver and so on then if no nasty spots, we cook him up for a looooooooooong time

Mosly the pig meat becomes dog meat or thrown in the river for the crocs to eat.

matt d · « **Reply #7 on:** December 10, 2003, 12:55:23 PM »

Pigman,

regarding your first post:

"And on a final note, you have never really experienced true pug hunting until you hunt them in the outback of Australia. Has anyone tried it ?"

I was wondering what kind of pigs and hunts would inspire this comment? I'm very interested to hear about the pigs on your side of the earth.

Savage your post was funny.

matt d

pigman · « **Reply #8 on:** December 10, 2003, 07:51:59 PM »

Matt

Picture this, your walking through the bush and come into knee high grass. You have a knife and two dogs. The dogs go spastic as they see a pig and start chasing it. All of a sudden the grass opens up as 15 pigs appear from the grass and charge the dogs then when they see you, they charge you. These pigs are 100Kg Plus with big long sharp tusks. (We call them razorbacks).

Then, your in survival mode and your running for your life, the dogs realise they are in the same situation and they are gone to. You find a tree and jump up it.

The pigs go away and you call your dogs, one returns. One doesnt. You wait for 1 hr and he doesnt return. You leave your shirt on the ground, gps the spot then come back tomorrow. You come back three days in a row and hes not there. On the 4th day you come back and find parts of the dog - its been ripped to shreds by the pigs.

On the 5th day, you come back with 5 of your mates armed to the teeth looking for some payback.

This was a true story . If your hunting with knives and a couple of dogs, the pig has a fair chance and the adrenelin really pumps.

Great Stuff

markc · « **Reply #9 on:** December 11, 2003, 03:14:46 AM »

that account is far different from what I've experienced on the hog/dog hunts I've been on. I've not yet seen any of the dogs used by the hunters in my area, ever back down from a hog of any size or any size group of hogs. Now, we've always used more than 2 dogs at a time and kept the catch dogs on a lead until the hogs were bayed up. What breed of dogs are ya'll using there? 99% of the hogs taken on the hunts I've been on are taken out alive. No one is allowed a firearm, except for the dog owner/handler. Knives and rope only.
markc

markc · « **Reply #10 on:** December 11, 2003, 03:16:50 AM »

PS, most of the handlers have tracking devices to track lost dogs in the woods. We have walked miles through the woods at night looking for a dog we were getting a weak signal on only to find an exhausted dog trying to bay up a large mean ole boar all by himself. Fun ain't it.
markc

matt d · « **Reply #11 on:** December 11, 2003, 06:04:59 AM »

pigman,
Thanks for the reply. I thought I would ask you about your pig hunts to try and understand the differences between the outback and the pig hunting here in Central California. In regards to your trip here, see the Golden Gate bridge, time square, a baseball game, Disneyland, go to a Cabela's super store or a Bass Pro Shops, come have a beer with me but don't pay to go pig hunting when you can do the exact same thing cheaper where you live. If you run into 15 pigs with two dogs that don't work together you'll end up with the same thing here. I'm not ripping on your dogs, I'm not ripping on your hunts, I'm just saying that it is the same here if you want it to be. As far as the "true pig hunting" comment you might want to reconsider your thinking. One, you've never hunted here, you don't know. Two, if you are asking for help here, I would make an effort to respect your friends here. If you still
want to come here and if you want to spot and stalk, you might want to try a place in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, or Monterey counties in California. I know that they have good terain for this type of hunting.

Matt

pigman · « **Reply #12 on:** December 11, 2003, 07:55:17 PM »

Matt

Wasnt trying to offend. My comment about true hunting was in relation to free range pigs - many of the posts I have read are for hunts on fenced property and I assumed thats how it was done in the US . Where I am, there are no fences.

Reference dog hunts, I have had friends whos dogs have died of a heart attack because they get too hot and will not stop once after a pig. Depends on the dog I suppose.

Tracking collars is a good idea, might look into that one

Cheers

matt d · « **Reply #13 on:** December 12, 2003, 05:48:35 AM »

" I'm not ripping on your dogs, I'm not ripping on your hunts, I'm just saying that it is the same here if you want it to be." - from last post

I don't know anything about fenced in pigs. It sounds kind of fun in a way but wouldn't trade it.

Cheers, Matt d.

Graybeard · « **Reply #14 on:** December 12, 2003, 07:05:47 AM »

Pigman, all hog hunting here is not by any means within fences. Not by a long shot. We have plenty of free range hog hunting here as well. But also have fenced preserves offering them for those who wish. I can drive about 75 miles and hunt them right here in Bama. Might not find them as it is some seriously tough and thick mess they are in and no dogs allowed. It is pure spot and stalk hunting. I've done same in south Bama, GA and TX as well on free range hogs.

Lots of states have just as pure free range hunting as you do.

GB

HWooldridge · « **Reply #15 on:** December 12, 2003, 09:04:31 AM »

Pigman,

I live in Central Texas and there are plenty of big hogs here. 100 kg is a good sized animal but we have seen them over 200 kg. Most of the land is privately owned but there are lots of ranches in the multi-thousand acre category so for all intents and purposes, it functions as "free range". Go on the Web and look for areas around Sabinal Texas. You can go on a paid hunt and be almost guaranteed good results. Another way is to visit the state owned WMA (Wildlife Management Areas). They do lottery drawings every year but also have first-come, first-serve waiting lines during hunting season. Since hogs are considered varmints, it would likely be fairly easy to get on for a day or two of hunting. Good luck...H

gregdemars · « **Reply #16 on:** December 16, 2003, 05:27:06 AM »

Kinda feel sorry for you guys in the outback. I heard you can't bring in handguns.

pigman · « **Reply #17 on:** December 16, 2003, 11:19:03 PM »

mate, dont get me going

we are not even allowed to have semi automatic rifles or pump action shotguns, yet we can have a pump action rifle - how stupid is that.

Handguns are now very difficult to own unless they are below a certain calibre and barrel length, less than 10 in the mag and you shoot regularly at a club.

Damb do gooder greenies. Wait till the indonesians invade us then i bet they will be regretting these stupid laws that dont make any sense. Even our police think our gun laws are a joke.

I hear you guys can get pretty much anything you like over there ?

ps - maybe thats why we have so many pigs, not enough rednecks running round with 7.62 ak47's and 30 rnd mags.

gregdemars · « **Reply #18 on:** December 17, 2003, 05:21:49 AM »

What does your guide use for back-up? Boomerang? Send in the "dingos" ?

matt d · « **Reply #19 on:** December 17, 2003, 05:30:20 AM »

too funny