Author Topic: The over 300 club...let's see'm! (Read 3164 times)

drdougrx · « **on:** February 09, 2008, 04:10:55 AM »

Was showing my wife the pics that dictator posted a few fays ago, what a great boar! I'm really fascinated to see these big hogs, so, I got to thinking that the GB community collectively must have a heck of a lot of huge hogs in the freezer. So, I for one would like to see them (maybe I have too much time on my hands).

Anyway, I'll start...here are mine with pre-field dressed weights:

I shot this one in at a preserve in VT, weighed 365lb:

New York, 318lbs:

VT again, 400lbs:

drdougrx · « **Reply #1 on:** February 09, 2008, 04:49:25 PM »

OK...so...I guess I won't suggest this again...sorry.

Graybeard · « **Reply #2 on:** February 09, 2008, 05:33:48 PM »

I've never had a scale but for one taken out at the Reed Ranch in Texas when I shot the Gray Ghost Whumpus Hog and he didn't make 300. Got none for ya.

drdougrx · « **Reply #3 on:** February 10, 2008, 03:54:33 AM »

Thanks for the reply GB....It's fun to see big hogs (actually any hog at all always stirs up some interest). They seem to be more available these days than I remember, so I'm think guys are shooting more of them.

Cheesehead · « **Reply #4 on:** February 10, 2008, 03:58:03 AM »

Drdougrx,

What kinda rifle is that in the first pic?

Cheese

Dictator · « **Reply #5 on:** February 10, 2008, 04:04:26 AM »

drdoug----Those are some nice boars. I too love seeing them all. I never tire of the different sizes, colors, etc. Here is my only real monster to date. I've shot smaller ones in MO. but nothing like this one. I took him in the U P of Michigan. He weighed 480 lbs and still tastes great. The video is of one I was trying to get close to when we spotted the big guy. Look how bloody the one is that I got close to is from fighting

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCQn7RzSCj4

Graybeard · « **Reply #6 on:** February 10, 2008, 04:19:40 AM »

My first preserve hunt was at the now defunct (I think) Telico Junction Lodge. It was a nice place and if still open likely still is a nice place but their hogs for the most part were not huge. They trapped them from the adjacent National Forest land and released them into the more or less hog proof fence they had around what I was told was 2000 acres.

The hogs seemed to mostly run from about 125 to 250 pounds that they released into their enclosure if they were smaller or female they turned them back into the NF land rather than their enclosure. When I was there the guide told me they had captured one well over 300 awhile back but it had been taken the week before I got there. He showed me the trap they had caught it in and the trap was mostly trashed.

If you specifically requested an "over 300 pound" hog prior to your hunt they imported them from elsewhere just for the hunt and turned it loose in a much smaller enclosure they had just for that purpose and your hog would be the only hog in there. One guy there was a museum curator hunting for a hog to mount full body for a museum (not the one he was curator at) and they brought in one for him. It was huge and I'd say it likely went over 400 but they didn't have scales so we'll never know.

The one I shot was a red one I'd guess went a tad over 200 and there were also two bow hunters there at the same time as we were. One took one at least 50-75 pounds larger than mine that was black and the other took one I'd guess went no more than 125 that was also a black hog.

When we went to Carter's Pasture in FL for a fallow deer hunt Mike had a huge bunch of hogs in his 1100 acre pasture and told us we could shoot all the eating size (under 100 pounds) we wanted for free after taking our fallow deer. I took one and my wife took one and I'd guess both were in the 70-80 pound size ideal for eating. She saw a huge one while hunting for a meat hog and the guide tried to get her to shoot it but it was clearly a trophy boar not a meat hog and she was concerned what the owner would say if she returned with such a huge trophy boar instead of the meat hog I was paying him for her to hunt. We saw the camp hog that ate scraps from the lodge kitchen and I'd guess it went well over 300 pounds. They saw one come thru camp one day when I was out hunting that from the way all talked including the guide it must have been an over 400 pounder.

They had hundreds if not thousands of hogs in that swampy patch of ground that ranged from over 400 to little babies just born as they had been living wild on that land since the Spanish turned them loose there hundreds of years ago. I'm sure had I been on a trophy hog hunt rather than a fallow deer hunt I could have taken a monster size one there.

The rest of my hog hunts have all been for free ranging hogs with no fences to contain them and on none of those hunts have I seen any I'd think went over 300 pounds. Other have seen and taken such size hogs at some of those free range places I've hunted but I didn't see any that big and took smaller ones every where else I've hunted them and was successful at it. On free range hogs especially on public land here in Bama you do not kill one or even see one on every trip. It's not like preserve hunting at all.

Some day I might decide to take Faye and us go for a really huge one in the over 300-400 pound class but for the most part I've just hunted free ranging hogs and took what came along rather than going to preserves to hunt them.

drdougrx · « **Reply #7 on:** February 10, 2008, 04:38:20 AM »

Thanks Everyone!

GB, truly appreciate the site and your wisdom and stories. I hunt them on preserves as I don't live anywhere they run free and to get in the car and drive down south for a hog hunt is not very high on my list of things to do (though I suppose I could be persuaded). Everytime I go to a preserve, I ask about trophy hogs. If they are available, I may, if funding permits and the other animals I'm after are either unavailable or I've taken them, choose to take one as a last animal. I see bears the same way, unless I'm specifically after a bear, I'ts an add on animal to a moose, caribou hunt for me (though in NE bears are much easier to hunt within a a few hours of home).

Hey Cheese...that rifle is a Marlin 1895 in 45/70 built in the 1970's with a 4 digit serial number. I worked in a gun shop in the 1980's and this gun was on the rack for the 8 years that I was there. The 45/70 craze had not yet erupted and it just sat, so I made an offer to the owner and bought it for a couple on hundred bucks.

Cheesehead · « **Reply #8 on:** February 10, 2008, 04:53:21 AM »

Drdoug,

Thats a great hog and a great BIG game rifle. Have one my self and love it. Tell us about the ammo you used for your hog hunt.

Cheese

S_J_KENNELS · « **Reply #9 on:** February 10, 2008, 10:16:33 AM »

Here are some of our bigger hogs. All free range and caught with dogs an a knife.

This one went over 300 as he field dressed at 250.

This one we put on a farmers grain scales and they went 535 live weight. Caught with 4 dogs. He had several inches of fat on him.

This one I have no clue how much he weighed in at. As even gutted 3 guys could not move him and he was too far into thick brush to get a truck to.

Here is a link to more hog pics. Some close to 300 but not there yet.

http://boards.tx-outdoors.com/photo_albums/default.asp?user=S%5FJ%5FKENNELS

and

http://boards.tx-outdoors.com/photo_albums/default.asp?user=S%5FJ%5FKENNELS2

drdougrx · « **Reply #10 on:** February 10, 2008, 12:59:16 PM »

Great Pics SJ......glad to see some real wild hogs that get this big!!!! And with a knife no less!!!

cheese....I don't use that rifle much anymore. I use a Ruger #1 exclusively because it fits me so much better, truly an extension of myself. On that hog (the one in the snow) I used a 400gr Rem FP. Now, I use a 350gr speer sp on top of 46gr IMR4895 for a velocity of 1690fps. I can shoot a 1" group at 100yrds with it and it absolutely bowls'm over. Used it on three hogs (two you see here) and a red stag and they just drop. Please see my "Back from Wild Hill" post in the exotics section for a blow by blow. It's a good, quick read!!!!

Ironwood · « **Reply #11 on:** April 07, 2008, 10:26:47 AM »

I got this one in Nacogdoches County, in East Texas back in 2005. Field dressed he was tipping the scales at 350 with his head still on the tailgate. A guy reached up and pulled him all the way off the tailgate. He dropped about 2 feet. Nearly torn the whole shed down and broke the scales. Have no Idea what he would have actually weighed. If you notice the blood on the ground and my feet. I'm standing beside the hog not behind it.

Wonder how much his ears would have weighed before they got chewed off!

drdougrx · « **Reply #12 on:** April 08, 2008, 01:44:41 AM »

Holy Crap Ironwood!!!

That's an impressive hog! Makes you wonder what they get into that gets their ears torn/bitten off!!!

Thanks for sharing!

Mikey · « **Reply #13 on:** April 08, 2008, 02:05:25 AM »

Doug - where in New York did you bag that hog. The last one I took went almost 400 lbs and was at a game ranch in northern New York near Ogdensburg. Place is called The Old Stone Fence. I'm either going back there or somewhere else close enough. Where did you hunt?

Mikey.

Ironwood · « **Reply #14 on:** April 08, 2008, 05:47:24 AM »

DrDoug... Lots of boars lose their ears or at least parts of them. I don't know if it's from fighting each other or a battle with hog dogs. Which ever it might be this hog won.... cause he was still very much a boar hog!

drdougrx · « **Reply #15 on:** April 08, 2008, 04:53:00 PM »

Hey Mickey

Yep....Old Stone Fence iin New Rensellear Falls NY. Steve Fobare is the owner, a very nice fellow and I enjoyed his hospitality (though an 8+ hour drive from Beantown to hunt 77 acres doesn't get me all that excited). I'm going back to Wild Hill in VT this December for a winter trophy boar hunt that I intend to book just as soon as I'm notified that I have once again not been chosen for a bull permit in the moose lottery in either Maine or NH. So...I'll book mid-summer. Will probably go alone as I usually do so if you're interested, I'll keep you posted.

Ironwood · « **Reply #16 on:** April 09, 2008, 04:02:51 AM »

Here's another free ranging hog that I killed in Nacogdoches County, Texas some years back. She was one of my biggest. I don't know what she weighed. The processor forgot to weigh her before he processed her. I offered to pay him at least for the processed meat but he only charged me the minumum. I think I took home about 150 pounds of processed meat. That was after I gave a shoulder roast and some ham to the guy that helped me load up the processed meat.

drdougrx · « **Reply #17 on:** April 09, 2008, 08:19:10 AM »

Great pigs Iron!!!! If we had free ranging pigs up north I'd be hunting them wayyyy more often.

Ironwood · « **Reply #18 on:** April 09, 2008, 09:17:34 AM »

DrDoug... I used to have a passion for hunting feral hogs. Much more than I do these days. Now days it seems like a lot of work to kill a big ol' hog. However, if food prices keep going up I may be forced to hit the woods again.

I killed my first feral hog in the fall of 1969. Big sow with about 20 pigs. Shot her with a Winchester model 1894 rifle stamped 30 WCF The serial number was under 100,000.

Here's another heavy one. I don't know how much he weighed. If he wasn't 300 he was sure pushing it. I had to use a come-a-long to get him on to my 4 wheeler. I walked beside the 4 wheeler most of the way back to the camp. Poor ol' 4 wheeler really groaned and moaned with the hog and me both on it. Popped him with my Remington 700, 22-250. I handload the 70 grain Speer bullet for hogs and deer.

drdougrx · « **Reply #19 on:** April 09, 2008, 02:26:04 PM »

Very cool....food prices are one thing...now...if I could just figure out how to process'm to use instead of gas!!!

roger460xvr · « **Reply #20 on:** April 11, 2008, 03:42:56 PM »

Here's a florida hog not quit 300 though. shot with my 460xvr........ROGER460xvr

drdougrx · « **Reply #21 on:** April 11, 2008, 04:43:01 PM »

Go Roger!!!

Shot my 1st hog with a handgun. Maybe will leave the rifles at home next time!!!!!

elmer · « **Reply #22 on:** April 11, 2008, 08:45:05 PM »

Doug, at first I thought you were talking about members over 300 and I was tell you I've still got a ways to go.

I have never had a hog over 300 lbs. That is unless you count the combined weight of the two I killed tonight at Reed Ranch. I did kill them within 10 minutes of each other.

Those are some very impressive hogs guys.

drdougrx · « **Reply #23 on:** April 12, 2008, 03:37:14 AM »

Elmer.....

rickt300 · « **Reply #24 on:** May 09, 2008, 07:33:26 AM »

The only time I shoot the big ones is when I have been dealing with damaged feeders. The bigger pigs, especially the boars north of Guthrie Tx. are just not all that tasty. I tend to shoot the few that I see under 150 pounds. I think someone should set up a clearinghouse for hog hunts in the Seymore and Benjamin Texas area just to cull out some of the 300-500 pound pigs out there. The vast oat fields really draw the hogs.

howie1968 · « **Reply #25 on:** May 09, 2008, 11:00:05 AM »

here are a few of mine

Ironwood · « **Reply #26 on:** May 09, 2008, 11:20:11 AM »

Wow Howie! I see you have been busy since our last talk! Way to go! I hope we can get together soon. I bet you have some tall tales to share!

drdougrx · « **Reply #27 on:** May 09, 2008, 12:58:23 PM »

Howie....you da man!!!!!!!

Those are GREAT hogs!

Thanks for sharing!!!

howie1968 · « **Reply #28 on:** May 10, 2008, 03:39:10 AM »

ironwood that is a small sample of what i have been doing did a DVD whew all kinds of neat stuff i went bow onlya few years afo as it was a whole lot more challenging im dabbling with some traditonal hunting as well ill post some more of my hogs

Tad Houston · « **Reply #29 on:** May 20, 2008, 07:07:38 PM »

Heres my 300 pounder

Packing it out!