Feral Hogs??

[FTTPOW]

Tonight my son and I decided to try to see if we could spot any of the hogs we're trying to eliminate. Just before dark we spotted them after they came out of the woods into a soggy soybean field. We each picked one out and waited as long as we could before we lost the light. As near as I could tell with my Redfield Accurange, they were about 350 yrds. We both shot and they scattered for the woods, except for the one he shot at. It split from the rest and ran broadside to us. We poured it on and finally dropped him.
To make a long story short, I'm not so sure they're feral hogs. I'll try to post a picture tomorrow to see what everyone thinks.

 

[FTTPOW]

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What are we looking at here? Is this the result of a domestic hog that's been on the loose for about a year, or is this a strain of wild hog? I haven't measured the teeth, but they aren't more than 1 1/4" tops. The snout seems to be a little longer than usual. It has long very coarse black hair. He weighed about 175+ as near as we could tell.

I'm totally unfamiliar with what a wild hog should look like. What's your opinion?


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[sdbowyer]

Looks like a pretty wild strain to me. It would take some generations to make a domestic look like that. It might even be an escapee from an exotic ranch or part of a new population from escapees. Those perky ears and the hair are pretty far from the typical domestic. As far as tusk size, is that a boar or a sow? Be thankful!

 

[Rancho Loco]

Looks feral to me.

 

[FTTPOW]

I'm to meet with the local Game Warden at noon for a determination.

We only saw 3 of the 4 known adults. Another farmer took a shot on Friday night, but thought he missed. Maybe he didn't, that would explain why we only saw 3 last night. As near as I could count there are 7 young ones. They were milling around feeding before dusk in a thunderstorm and I couldn't get a clear count in the rain. The other 2 adults seemed smaller, maybe they were the sows. This was a boar and was visibly larger.

How good are they for eating? It looks like there may be a hog roast in the near future, if they're any good.

 

[larrysogla]

Looks like the typical California/Texas/Louisiana/Florida/Arkansas wild hogs that are posted in this Hog Forum. The longish snout, the sloping forehead with the wild BEADY eyes, the coarse black hair, the upright ears look all too familiar from the wild hog pictures posted here. I say those wild hogs will not be confined to those 80 wooded acres for long once the corn fields grow tall and they can migrate for miles hidden by the tall corn plants. Can you show the Game Warden your harvested specimen so that the State or County Game or Pest Control can start setting traps, many traps in the 80 acres and around the surrounding farms. These pesky wild hogs will multiply like rabbits and before you know it the whole county is populated by these pesky, DELISCIOUS, LUSCIOUS, TASTY, TENDER, SWEET SMELLING, pork meat fed by tender, green, corn plants and corn shoots.
Oh, by the way, if you build a corral type hog trap, make sure the corral fence is OVER 6 ft. tall. My buddy in Texas built a corral type hog trap and trapped 5 adult pigs all at one time. The pigs were calm until he tried to snare one in the leg with a wire snare. The pigs suddenly all became very agitated and started running back and forth inside the corral. All of a sudden one of the pigs jumped over the 5 ft. fence and the rest quickly followed and all made their escape leaving my buddy standing and scratching his head looking at a now empty corral. You are going to have a supply of year round lean, luscious, deliscious corn fed pork. 'Nuff said.

 

[FTTPOW]

The Game Warden took one look at the hog and said "SSShirt". They're wild, not domestic. Now it's no-holds-barred warfare. I'll keep trying to snipe at them in the evenings and Saturday we'll go full force.

This is getting to be fun.

 

[larrysogla]

With the corn fed hog meat, you definitely will have sweet tasting, sweet smelling, tasty pork chops. Hunting these very intelligent(some outdoor writers compare wild hog intelligence with that of a dog), wily, luscious, adaptable big game creatures is more fun that most folks imagine. It is great fun!!!! If not for the hard working farmer's sakes, I would definitely wish that the hog population would expand and increase so you could have a-la California year round hog hunting expeditions in your backyard and good meat and sausage to feed the family too!!!! You may want to google up how to make a wild hog live trap(cage type) and start welding your own from easy to obtain materials from the local hardware store. Those hogs will turn nocturnal and will avoid people once they are shot at and become gunshy. Wild hogs can travel up to 5-6 miles each night in search of food and water. So shooting at it continually will force the herd to abandon the 80 acres of habitat if pressured often with gunfire. They can travel to the next township in one night especially when the corn plants grow tall to hide their movements. Start baiting them and trap them. Might have to talk the local welding shop in building you a hog trap or make your own corral type hog trap. Anyways, you'll have lots of fun harvesting the tasty rototillers. God Bless.

 

[Nic Barca]

AU-RYTE! That looks like a wild pig to me. Next time, try getting closer. You find it easy compared to deer. Good to hear your having fun with them.

You can age them by the back teeth. Check the Aging Wild boars page on texasboars.com.Aging Wild Boars
After 5 years, it's just a guess based on how worn down the teeth are.
A feral animal is an animal whose ancestors are domesticated animals gone wild again. So pretty much all wild pigs in the continental US are feral or part feral even though we call them wild pigs. The young can still easily be domesticated again.
Tusk size very greatly from pig to pig. Some pigs never develope thick tusks and some grow large tusks within 4 or 5 years. Length is deturmined by how they are grinded off by the top tusks as has little to do with age.

 

[larrysogla]

FTTPOW,
You have to eliminate the entire herd quickly or the gunfire will force the herd to move to another location who knows where. Use whatever means available, tracking dogs, traps, baits, gunfire, archery might be better as their are no gunshots to spook the herd. But quickly my friend or they will move and then a few years down the road you and your neighbors will have year round hog hunting just like in Kaliforny, TX, La, FL and Ark. Anyways the wild hogs can definitely destroy acres of good crops in just one night. Hurry, hurry my friend and DON'T MISS!!!! Use a scope with a lighted reticle(they are cheap like the BSA, just like what we use in TX and bait the hogs with lots of corn(smelly, fermented corn mix preferable IF you have the time to ferment anything, which I don't think you have the time at all). If there is a full moon, they will be very, VERY visible moving in the terrain even at 150 yards away with a 3X9 power 40mm scope with a lighted reticle. You can POP them in the full moon even at 100 yds. away and score every time. Of course State and local hunting regs permitting night hunting or maybe your contact Game Warden will give you a nightime depredation permit. Time is in the wild hogs favor. The corn plants are growing and soon the hogs will be invisible and will start moving to farms and townships miles from you. When that happens, usually the wild hogs win the race against eradication. God Bless.

 

[larrysogla]

FTTPOW,
Any more porkies falling victim to the Ohio Hog Hunters????? What'z 'da good news. Hope we hear from you soon. And that porkie picture you posted was a real nice wild boar. 'Nuff said.

 

[baboltin]

go get them. thanks for the pics and keep them coming.

 

[Jagermeister]

By now your question has been answered here and by the warden. That's not a feral pig that got away last year! I wanted to add that you still call it a feral hog, even though it's ancestors may have gotten away anywhere from 200 years ago to 20 years ago. It does not take any real wild boar blood to make feral hogs look like that. They revert back to a wild looking animal just by living in the wild. If you read the hog hunting info here on JHO, it has a bunch of infor on the feral hog and how it changes appearance after being in the wild for several generations.

I hope you didn't shoot it up too badly, so you have some good meat left!

George

 

[FTTPOW]

The plan is on for tomorrow morning. We have plenty of folks lined up to sweep the area to make sure they come out in the open. Hopefully the action will take place in the woods and not out in the fields. Coordination and communication will be the key to success and most importantly, being safe. We have support from the landowners and the Game Wardens.

There's already plenty of good meat in the freezer and if all goes well, plenty more by this time tomorrow.


"Gonna be a good day, Tater"

 

[larrysogla]

80 acres is not that big and with a gaggle of armed folks, loaded and possibly firing away at fleeing pigs,it definitely puts some kind of risk on the crossfire/line of fire scenario. Hunter orange vest and hunter orange hats would be good safety items. In the heat of the moment when a wild hog is fleeing, the guy tracking it with his gun can lose awareness and pull the trigger without knowing at that instant who is in the line of fire. Shoot straight and be careful. God Bless y'all and take care.