Author Topic: Gray hogs  (Read 1112 times)

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Offline Dee

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Gray hogs
« on: January 15, 2007, 03:59:43 PM »
Friend of mine and I went hog huntin today. I got skunked. He shot a medium size boar (about 250lbs) and it was gray. The usual long head, and he was kinda poor. But then again we're just comin out of a two year drought, and the weather has been ruff for several days. His coat was ruff (the usual) and about 4 inches long, and he was a steel dust gray. Never seen one that color. Checked his teeth and he wasn't a cross with a domestic, he was pure feral. There were 28 hogs in the bunch countin the little-uns. Wasn't a good place to be on the ground in close, with the younguns and the sows. He uses a 3030, same as me.
Anybody ever killed a gray one?
You may all go to hell, I will go to Texas. Davy Crockett

Offline Land_Owner

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Re: Gray hogs
« Reply #1 on: January 15, 2007, 11:50:18 PM »
Yes! We kill a lot of grays, and reds, and black and white splotched, and of course deep blacks too.  I have not seen one in  barn yard pink. The little ones between 20 and 100 pounds are the best eating.  "Suckling pig" is a menu item in a lot of places.  When cooked a whole ham resembles a Turkey leg.  Get on 'em.  They're only gonna get big themselves and raise more piglets.  In the mean time, they're gonna tear the place up.

Offline Dee

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Re: Gray hogs
« Reply #2 on: January 16, 2007, 01:08:53 AM »
Oh, we've had feral hogs by the droves, for years here in North Central Texas. I just don't recall seening a gray one, and neither does my huntin friend. I'm 57 & he's 63 so we've seen a few. Most down here are black, red, and a few spotted.
You may all go to hell, I will go to Texas. Davy Crockett

Offline markc

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Re: Gray hogs
« Reply #3 on: January 16, 2007, 02:37:55 AM »
I've only seen one that was really gray all over.  It was large and rather scary looking.  Too bad I did not have a shot at it.  Most of ours are black or reddish with black.  If it stops raining and freezing the roads, I hope to get back and find another one for the smoke house...about  a 50# one would be about perfect. 
markc

Offline S_J_KENNELS

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Re: Gray hogs
« Reply #4 on: January 16, 2007, 03:37:56 AM »
In the 10 years we have been doggin hogs we have killed just about every color in the book. From Blue/grey looking hogs to white and everything inbetween. IMHO the more domestic influance you have in the herd the more color patterns you will see. Even if it is a true feral somewheres back a few generations there had to have been a domestic in the blood line. The only true russin/wild boar with out domestic influance that I know of are in breeding pens for stocking high fence ranches. I am not saying I am an expert, but just what I have learned doing some research on them. An yes I do know they get out of the fences and pens LOL :D
Shane

Offline Dee

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Re: Gray hogs
« Reply #5 on: January 16, 2007, 05:14:29 AM »
No SJ I don't argue with that. This one was just far removed from the cross. Domestic hogs are a hybrid of feral anyway. I guess I have seen most of the color patterns, just not the gray.
You may all go to hell, I will go to Texas. Davy Crockett

Offline S_J_KENNELS

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Re: Gray hogs
« Reply #6 on: January 16, 2007, 05:38:26 AM »
Grey seems to be a common color in some areas of South Texas where I hunt. A buddy of mine has been catching alot of blue/grey hogs this year. I guess it all depends on what type of domestic blood that line of ferals has in it some where back in the line. It would be interesting to find out.
Shane

Offline Graybeard

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Re: Gray hogs
« Reply #7 on: January 16, 2007, 06:39:40 AM »
Ya mean lak this:



We named him the Gray Ghost Whumpus Hog. Mark was there when I took this one on Jim Reed's Ranch.


Bill aka the Graybeard
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Offline .308sniper

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Re: Gray hogs
« Reply #8 on: January 16, 2007, 02:45:50 PM »
I've never shot one but I saw one while out hunting but was too dark to shoot.
have fun! get it done with a 308.

Offline markc

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Re: Gray hogs
« Reply #9 on: January 17, 2007, 02:25:40 AM »
Yep, I was there.  I think the real hunt came after the first shot. That was one tough critter wasn't he? 
markc

Offline drdougrx

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Re: Gray hogs
« Reply #10 on: January 20, 2007, 05:32:29 AM »
Does this qualify as gray???  High fence hog though..... 
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Offline rockbilly

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Re: Gray hogs
« Reply #11 on: January 20, 2007, 06:46:01 AM »
Dee said, "Checked his teeth and he wasn't a cross with a domestic, he was pure feral."

A feral pig is nothing more than a domestic that has gone wild.  The diffrent colors are a result of cross breeding either in the wild, or selective breeding by a producer to produce an animal for a specific purpose, such as more bacon, bigger hams, etc.  There are approximately 90 recognized breeds worldwide, and eight major breeds in the US.  The colors are basicly white, red, black and white.  Cross breeding produces pigs of all colors combinations.  The razorback is likely the oldest breed in America, and is not of the eight recognized breeds, but has inter-bred with domestic and produced another line.  The razorback has also been bred to the Russian and released all over  for the hunters.  In many of the Southern states there is a Piney Woods Rooter, a long snout pig that is simular in size and temperment to the razorback. They are mostly wild, and what a lot of the folks down south hunt.  But they have also inter-bred with domestic hogs that have gone wild.

Most of the pigs you see here in Texas are nothing more than a domestic that has gone wild, or feral.  I hate to admit it, but my partner and I contributed to the problem several years ago.  We set out on a venture to raise pigs, had over 100 in a pen on the farm near Noodle, Tx.  The bottm fell out of the pig market, we couldn't give a pig away. During this period we were having to buy feed for an animal that we though would never show us a return of investment, when they got out of the pen we didn't try to catch them, it was a blessing since we no longer had to feed them.  So likely, what you are hunting today may be an off-spring from one that excaped our pens in the 1980-81 time frame.  Our pigs were Duroc (Red) and Berkshire (Black with white points)

Offline Graybeard

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Re: Gray hogs
« Reply #12 on: January 20, 2007, 11:33:18 AM »
Doug, your photo won't open not even when I put in the URL and try. You really should open you an account at www.myhostedpics.com


Bill aka the Graybeard
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Offline drdougrx

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Re: Gray hogs
« Reply #13 on: January 20, 2007, 01:47:27 PM »
Y'know GB....you are sooo correct as always.  Will get work'n on it.
If you like, please enjoy some of my hunt pics at:

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