The wild hog population in central Texas has tripled the past five years. This is a great opportunity for hunters as the season is open year around with no bag limit. However ranchers do not view hogs as an opportunity, they just want to be rid of them. They tear up fences, hay fields and deer feeders. During wet weather they will root up 50 acres in a few days. Not even an 8 foot fence will stop them; they will find a low place to root under sooner or later.
On the plus side, the meat is delicious; just stay away from the old boars and sows. Any hog 150 pounds or less taste just like you buy in the store. The tenderloins are the best of course, pounded out and chicken fried. Most of the 30 hogs I have taken the past few years have been caught in traps. You can buy hog traps at many ranch supply stores but you can make one for less than $100 if you know how to weld. My favorite is made of one inch angle iron frame with hog panels on all sides, including top and bottom. Its 8 feet long by 5 foot wide and high. The three foot door is recessed with a coil spring and once shut will not open from the inside.
Once you get the first hog caught, others will push the door open and go in. My best catch was seven. This trap is portable, just load on a trailer and take to the next area. Believe me you want a strong trap when you walk up on an old sow with pigs. She will charge the sides and do anything to get to you. Yes, wild hogs can be dangerous so never corner one without a weapon. I once had to grab an over head limb and pull my feet up for a charging hog. My handgun didn’t get clear the holster. That quick draw stuff is only in the movies.
If you have an area that always has hogs you might think about building a permanent trap with hog panels and T posts. Farm supply stores sell the spring loaded trap door. If you have food inside the hogs will find the way in. One rancher I know has a pen 150 foot long by 60 foot wide with an automatic corn feeder inside. It even has shade and water. He collects hogs until he has a trailer load to sell. Yes you can sell live hogs. At the current time hogs over 100 pounds are bringing .30 per pound. It’s against the law to haul live hogs anywhere but to market. This is to stop the spread of hogs by hunting lease managers.
If you just want to go hog hunting, sitting on a corn feeder just at dark in an area with lots of hogs usually gets action. Most of the hogs will come in at night after they have been shot at a few times. It’s legal to hunt at night with a light and you can buy special hog lights for your feeder that put out a green light. Hogs are not afraid of a green light. Use a tripod stand to get off the ground; you don’t want to be down with the hogs. If you wound one in the dark, forget about it until morning, those tusks are sharp. It’s possible to call hogs with an electronic call that has several sounds of actual pigs, feeding, fighting and piglets. The squealing piglets seem to work the best. A simple hog feeder can be made from 4 inch PVC plastic pipe. Cut the pipe about 5 foot long and glue a screw off cap on one end. On the other end glue a cap with a hole in the middle to attach a chain. On the end of the chain attach a ring; this is to put over a T post. Drill several ½ inch holes in the pipe, screw off the lid and fill with corn. Put the ring over the T post, hogs will root it around in circles until every last grain of corn is gone. Put your tripod downwind about 50 yards. A lot has been said about bait for hogs, everything from jello to commercial bait costing $20 per bag. The fact is hogs will eat anything and are always hungry. I just use deer corn with a little pancake syrup on it. You can buy Hog in Heat scent, place a few drops inside the trap to attract the boars.
A friend of mine hunts hogs with dogs. This is an exciting way to hunt if you have good dogs. The trail dogs push the hog until cornered then the catch dog jumps in and locks on the hog and holds it until you arrive for the kill or the live catch. A GPS collar on the dogs helps. My Louisiana friends use handcuffs on the front and back legs. As you can imagine this could get a little tricky because that old boar is not happy. Sometimes hogs get so thick the rancher calls in the state hunters in helicopters. One rancher down river from me called them in and killed over 300 hogs in two days. That’s a lot of pork chops.
Hogs are dressed the same way as deer, after removing the entrails, hang up and wash out the inside. Remove the head and front feet and starting at the back ankles make a cut to the tail on each side. Pull the skin all the way down and remove. Cut off the two front shoulders and cut out the tenderloins, then the two hams. Be sure and save the ribs. Everything else can be trimmed off for pan sausage. Always wear gloves when handling hogs. You can make your own ham by rubbing in 1 tablespoon of Morton’s Tender Quick for each pound of ham. First remove the bone and put on the cure then cover all with brown sugar and place in plastic bag. Keep in the refrigerator for a week turning every two days. Remove the excess sugar than put on the mesquite smoker for 5 hours around 250 degrees. It will keep in the fridge for a month but believe me someone will eat it before then.
Hogs are very intelligent, with good eyes, ears and nose. They can become trap shy very quickly. Just like a trophy whitetail buck, the older larger hogs become nocturnal after a little hunting pressure. The hogs are here to stay so give it a try and good luck.
Pictured above is author Russ Porter with 7 hogs taken in a trap.
