The Oinkalogical Thread

[oldcorpgunny]

What breed is the feral hog? Is it the Russian Blue Boar or something else?

It is my understanding from one of WDFW's game biologists that they are truly feral and came about from domestic swine that escaped.

 

[Cogs]

It is my understanding from one of WDFW's game biologists that they are truly feral and came about from domestic swine that escaped.

Perhaps then a different breed (mix) than the Blue Boar I hunted in the 60's in California. I'm sure the feral hogs of today are a mix of many breeds.

 

[oldcorpgunny]

Perhaps then a different breed (mix) than the Blue Boar I hunted in the 60's in California. I'm sure the feral hogs of today are a mix of many breeds.

There are some that believe that they might be descended from members of congress, but that's pure speculation.

 

[Cogs]

There are some that believe that they might be descended from members of congress, but that's pure speculation.

Perfect! I'm on board with that! Fire At Will!!! (poor Will).

 

[GWS]

I hunted pigs back in the PRK around King City and Fort Hunter Liggett.
I preferred the hunt in mid-summer when the pigs were raiding the barley fields. Set up an ambush in their path to their bedding areas.
My best summer hunt was up at 3AM in King City and home and in bed before noon. That was a hoot There were hundreds, seriously hundreds of pigs all running for home/their bedding areas, I scanned for the biggest but found a big boar and hit him twice with a 30-06. The second shot was unnecessary as he was dropping but he was moving forward so I hit him again. I do not enjoy crawling in the brush looking for a wounded angry boar so yeah Hit him again. Anyway my pal shot a big sow and this all done with the sun barely up. Got them dressed out and loaded in my beater pickup then we bought every bag of ice at some little market in Soledad and drove like a bat out of hell to San Jose because at 7:30 it was already 90 degrees. I got to my butcher with very little ice left but got them in for processing then went home, hosed out the bed of my truck, took a shower and flopped into bed by 11:00AM. I got chops, roasts, ham and 80+ pounds of bratwurst. That butcher made the best!
Hunting in the winter was spot and stalk. I prefer summer because the pigs are eating grain whereas in the winter, they're eating anything they can find from cow pies to carrion. That said, the one sow I took in the winter was delicious.
Plus, in winter the pigs are scattered and harder to find. In summer they are all going to one given place and easier to harvest.

 

[titsonritz]

I've had just about enough of this anti-cop crap, oh wait....

 

[Cogs]

I hunted pigs back in the PRK around King City and Fort Hunter Liggett.
I preferred the hunt in mid-summer when the pigs were raiding the barley fields. Set up an ambush in their path to their bedding areas.
My best summer hunt was up at 3AM in King City and home and in bed before noon. That was a hoot There were hundreds, seriously hundreds of pigs all running for home/their bedding areas, I scanned for the biggest but found a big boar and hit him twice with a 30-06. The second shot was unnecessary as he was dropping but he was moving forward so I hit him again. I do not enjoy crawling in the brush looking for a wounded angry boar so yeah Hit him again. Anyway my pal shot a big sow and this all done with the sun barely up. Got them dressed out and loaded in my beater pickup then we bought every bag of ice at some little market in Soledad and drove like a bat out of hell to San Jose because at 7:30 it was already 90 degrees. I got to my butcher with very little ice left but got them in for processing then went home, hosed out the bed of my truck, took a shower and flopped into bed by 11:00AM. I got chops, roasts, ham and 80+ pounds of bratwurst. That butcher made the best!
Hunting in the winter was spot and stalk. I prefer summer because the pigs are eating grain whereas in the winter, they're eating anything they can find from cow pies to carrion. That said, the one sow I took in the winter was delicious.
Plus, in winter the pigs are scattered and harder to find. In summer they are all going to one given place and easier to harvest.

Small world! I did my pig hunting outside of King City! 1969. My dad set up shop on the Mee Ranch, East of San Lucas for 1 year while working for Tom Mee. It was something like 30,000 acres! Heck of a lot of fun for a bunch of young boys!

 

[Cogs]

I've had just about enough of this anti-cop crap, oh wait....

Ha!!! That one took me a while, but I finally got it. Thought you posted to the wrong thread!

 

[bbbass]

In the late 60s and early 70s, my brother and his friends hunted Javelina in Central Calif. They used .357 and 44mag and went into the brush for them. I thought they were completely nutso!

Much later in life, I had two occasions to be at Westin hotel/resorts in Tucson. The Javelina were most active at night and would come right onto the patio in back of my room. They were so close that I thought they would come inside if I opened the slider.

Not sure how mean Javelina are, but wasn't there a case a few years back where they killed a woman that was out walking her dog?

My reading indicates that feral hogs are a big problem in most states. Tho we don't seem to have them in Oregon. However, it would seem that they breed so well that the supply in many states will never be exhausted. I read stories of 900lb feral pigs. Ya wanna big bullet for those critters for sure! That said, there was a guy in Hawaii that hunted pigs with a knife or a spear. Big cojones!!!

 

[CountryGent]

Tho we don't seem to have them in Oregon. However, it would seem that they breed so well that the supply in many states will never be exhausted.

I've read it is an issue in Oregon, including the county I am in, but I don't recall ever seeing any.

 

[bbbass]

I've read it is an issue in Oregon, including the county I am in, but I don't recall ever seeing any.

We had a thread on that. There were more, but they're pretty much shot out in the past years.

 

[bbbass]

2018:

The state has managed over the past decade to cut the population — through trapping and aerial hunting — from more than 3,000 to less than 200. The remaining swine are roaming the vast wilderness of Central Oregon and the open terrain along the California border. https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/feral-swine-population-plummets-in-oregon/

 

[CountryGent]

I think it would be neat-o to take one of the .44 Magnum carbines out on such an outing. (We have a bolt-action and lever-action in said. The one on the left will wear a silencer, once BATFE approves said.)

 

[GWS]

Back in San Jose, during the drought a few years back, pigs were coming into the southern suburbs, knocking over garbage cans and rooting up lawns.
A golf course ended up hiring trappers to clear out the hogs.
We knew the route the hogs were taking out of the hills and could have had a field day and the land was owned by the golf course but they blew an opportunity to make money while solving their problem i.e. selling "permits" to hunt their land. Instead they chose to blow the money on hiring trappers who got rid of a lot of pigs, but nowhere near enough to end the problem.
A pity too because they could have made it an annual event. Hire a few guides to keep the hunters safe and sane and then have a big BBQ of a couple of those hogs to raise even more money. Alas, they were more worried about some Karens (We had them back in the day, just didn't call them "Karens") complaining about guns and killing harmless animals.

So, the course keeps getting torn up, the course keeps paying for trappers and a lot of meat goes to waste.
Phooey!

 

[Mikej]

Hard pass on the wild piggies for me. Tried it several times, tough, gamey, and stinks when you cook it. Plenty of relatively cheap cuts of pork available most places that are much better IMHO....

So you're saying this one ain't an eater?

Ha! I have one that's sporsterized with a scope, and one in original condition. Still like em both but the original one is the most accurate and first choice for most West side hunting.

I think I got to shoot that original condition Krag at my first clean-up. Yacolt Burn, rain, cold rain all day until the afternoon. Ian let me shoot it. Maybe that's where I got my urge for old wood and steel?

 

[Moose_7mm]

I've killed a fair number of hogs. I live in Oregon but am the 5th generation owner of a ranch in southern Monterey county. Hog hunting is my favorite! They have SUPER thick hides, so they need to be cooled FAST or the meat will start going bad. I usually recommend to people to not shoot anything with a back above your knee. That seems to be the size the taste is hit or miss. Ive shot a few that were 300lbs hanging and still tasted good, but they were thick on acorns. For a first timer I would say stick to a 30 caliber. My uncle has killed them with a .22 but I've seen 6 good shots with a 30-06 and still trying to charge. Have fun! And if you have to track them into the brush have the mindset like your tracking a wounded bear. They don't want to fight, but if they have to they can fight like hell!!

 

[DunRanull]

So you're saying this one ain't an eater?
View attachment 724128




I think I got to shoot that original condition Krag at my first clean-up. Yacolt Burn, rain, cold rain all day until the afternoon. Ian let me shoot it. Maybe that's where I got my urge for old wood and steel?

That right there looks like Wonder Warthog! Got to be photo-shopped, Ive raised hogs and never seen ANYthing near that size...

 

[Mikej]

That right there looks like Wonder Warthog! Got to be photo-shopped, Ive raised hogs and never seen ANYthing near that size...

LOL. Maybe photo shopped. I don't know. There are all kinds of pics when I google "Huge Hogs" All I know, in person, is the beautiful pigs at the Clackamas County Fair each year. I know the breeder sows are huge compared to the market hogs.

 

[MannyGlocks]

We have so many feral pigs in my part of the world that I had to have a fence installed to keep em out.

Before the fence, I could shoot them from the back porch....and did.

 

[FourTeeFive]

That right there looks like Wonder Warthog! Got to be photo-shopped, Ive raised hogs and never seen ANYthing near that size...

I've seen giant hogs in Russia years ago; bigger than that photo. No idea how big they'll get in the USA.