Another hog hunting post

[Guest Whitfed]

Guys

I have been lurking on the site for some time and wanted to ask a couple of questions. I lived in TX for 6 years and got to do some serious day and night hog hunting. I moved to TN in 2007 and had a couple of kiddos, so my hunting took a sharp decline. I am looking to get back into hog hunting and am very disappointed with the TN wildlife law of 2011. Punish everyone for the actions of a handful and in the end limit the number of hunters targeting hog. I am still shaking my head.

But, I wanted to see if they're are any guys on here that have any land, friends with land or want to help locate land to do some hog hunting. I currently use 5.56 Barnes TSX 70gr round I load up. Have most of the night time equipment - PVS 14 unit and getting some high lumen green lights.

I noticed on another post, reaching out to local game wardens works well too. But if there are any guys wanting to do some hog hunting, I am game.

I plan on hitting the 3 gun match tomorrow in Manchester, weather holding that is.

Also, what do most of you hunt hog with? 300blk, 7.62, 6.8 or etc?
I really think we should start a push to repeal the 2011 law, I guarantee the numbers and spread of hog, have done nothing but go up since then.

[itchytriggerfinger]

...
Also, what do most of you hunt hog with? 300blk, 7.62, 6.8 or etc?
...

 

A Predator recurve, cedar shaft, with 135gr Zwicky!

[Dolomite`s Breezy]

Kinda off topic and I dont know the answer to your question.. BUT....

 

There was a guy( and his friends) on another board that went hog hunting barefoot with spears... he had pictures posted also... I was really impressed.. :)

[KahrMan]

Welcome to the board Whitfed.  A lot of guys around here like to use big bores.  45-70, 458 socom, '06 etc.  I am sure a few other will sound off in a bit.

Also, in Tennessee you can not hunt at night except for coons.

[Guest Whitfed]

As in most states, hunting hog at night can be done, but as with assigning agents you must notify TN Wildlife.

Landowners are now able to more easily control wild hogs on their properties. They can shoot wild hogs year-round during the day without limit and trap with bait outside of big game seasons. In addition, landowners may obtain an exemption from their TWRA regional office allowing them to kill wild hogs at night using a spotlight and trap year-round. Family members and tenants that qualify under the Farmland Owner License Exemption (License Fees) and up to ten additional designees may help private landowners with wild hog control efforts. For properties over 1000 acres, an additional designee per 100 acres may be assigned. In order to renew each year, exemption holders are required to report the number of hogs killed on their property and the manner in which they were killed to TWRA. Landowners may also take advantage of technical assistance provided by TWRA to help with a trapping program or additional wild hog control techniques. Edited January 25, 2014 by Whitfed

[DaveS]

As in most states, hunting hog at night can be done, but as with assigning agents you must notify TN Wildlife.

Landowners are now able to more easily control wild hogs on their properties. They can shoot wild hogs year-round during the day without limit and trap with bait outside of big game seasons. In addition, landowners may obtain an exemption from their TWRA regional office allowing them to kill wild hogs at night using a spotlight and trap year-round. Family members and tenants that qualify under the Farmland Owner License Exemption (License Fees) and up to ten additional designees may help private landowners with wild hog control efforts. For properties over 1000 acres, an additional designee per 100 acres may be assigned. In order to renew each year, exemption holders are required to report the number of hogs killed on their property and the manner in which they were killed to TWRA. Landowners may also take advantage of technical assistance provided by TWRA to help with a trapping program or additional wild hog control techniques.

There are a couple of land owners here that will put you on their list for 500 to 1000 dollars a year. Go for it! When TWRA changed the laws on hog hunting, many land owners saw dollar signs and a way to make money from hunters wanting to hog hunt. I will promise you (I'm not going to tell you how I know) that these landowners hog programs have stepped up two fold for the sake of keeping 10 or more people on a list at 500 a pop, just to hunt hogs. Win win for mr. farmer. The other problem we have with the pig regulations here, I can take you to a WMA in a certain county in this state (one closed to pig hunting) right now and show you pigs. I sat in my tree stand numerous times hunting this WMA and watched pigs feeding. Guess what? I couldn't shoot them. So yes, TWRA's pig plan is working.

 

 First of all welcome to TGO! Always glad to have new blood here. Just a word of advice here; unless you are on a landowners list to pig hunt, and exempted by TWRA to do so...let lose of the PVS 14's and green lumen lights, because they are not legal and will get you locked up. Tennessee is NOT a pig hunting friendly state!

 

Dave

[Lumber_Jack]

FYI, most hunting leases, if initiated before the regs were changed, qualify for hog exemptions without limiting number of people. And it doesn't matter if you're new to the lease as long as the landowner leased it prior. And the landowner has to submit the request.

[Guest Whitfed]

Good to know. Thanks for the input and the reassures of our tax payers dollars at good use.

[cgpeanut]

Here's some inspiration guys! 250lbs of bone and hair! not much good meat beyond the shoulders because of the thick armor plating, head was half the body, but the backstrap , ribs, tenderloin and legs where good eating, Taken with 140gr 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser and a tikka sport rifle. Sent from my Nexus 7

[DaveS]

It doesn't take RPG's or shoulder smashing magnum rounds to bring a hog down. I have taken many of them with Bow, Muzzleloader, 5.56, 12ga slug and 7mm/08. There are members here that have taken them with .22 Mag. Hit their neck with just about anything and they'll fall down and die. I know a Federal Game Warden that shot a wild boar from his truck with a 7mm Mag. Roughly a 60 yard shot, hit the pig rig behind the shoulder and the bullet lodged in the almost 3 inch thick armor plating on the off side and never exited the pig! He ran about 40 yards before going down.

 

Dave

[KahrMan]

As in most states, hunting hog at night can be done, but as with assigning agents you must notify TN Wildlife.

Landowners are now able to more easily control wild hogs on their properties. They can shoot wild hogs year-round during the day without limit and trap with bait outside of big game seasons. In addition, landowners may obtain an exemption from their TWRA regional office allowing them to kill wild hogs at night using a spotlight and trap year-round. Family members and tenants that qualify under the Farmland Owner License Exemption (License Fees) and up to ten additional designees may help private landowners with wild hog control efforts. For properties over 1000 acres, an additional designee per 100 acres may be assigned. In order to renew each year, exemption holders are required to report the number of hogs killed on their property and the manner in which they were killed to TWRA. Landowners may also take advantage of technical assistance provided by TWRA to help with a trapping program or additional wild hog control techniques.

 

Did not know about the exemption.  Thanks for the info.

[Lumber_Jack]

Did not know about the exemption.  Thanks for the info.

 

 

The exemption allows you to kill hogs basically by "any means necessary" including bait, spot light, or any of the combo.  They just want you to keep track of hogs killed and the method used.

 

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[sybo]

I use .308, 30-06, .458 Socom, .223, 460 Smith Mag (overkill) 12 gauge, They aren't Dinosaurs...............

[Guest Whitfed]

Thanks for all the replies. After a month of digging, this new law is simply the dumbest wildlife regulation known to man kind. I get TN Wildlife wanted to stop the spread, but in the meantime the regular joe is getting the dirty end of the stick.

It appears there is more pressure on changing the law, than there ever has been. There had to be at least 4 news reports in the past month or so. Hopefully we are headed down the right path.

[Chris]

With good shot placement, the .223 will do the job, but I think it is a little light for hogs. Smaller pig like javelinas... sure. But a 300 lb russian boar... Personally, I like a little knock down power. The .45-70 fits that bill nicely. It will give you excellent penetration from any angle and is much more forgiving of less than optimal shot placement.

I've also had excellent, though less dramatic, results with the .308 using remington core-lokt in 180gr. I've taken a couple that way and we recovered the bullet (perfectly mushroomed) from under the skin on the far side from both boars.

[Guest Whitfed]

Interesting read from Polk county. This problem with hogs is not going away.

http://www.polknewsonline.com/2014/01/17/Outdoor_Sporting/Hog_season_changes_urged/12508.html

[Luke E.]

They will continue to spread, just don't see anything stopping them right now. They are edging further and further West into Mid TN and i'd say once they start coming from Alabama things will speed up further. It's just a shame that the situation will likely be allowed to get out of control before anything changes.

[DaveS]

They will continue to spread, just don't see anything stopping them right now. They are edging further and further West into Mid TN and i'd say once they start coming from Alabama things will speed up further. It's just a shame that the situation will likely be allowed to get out of control before anything changes.

They are already here! Fort Campbell, LBL and Cross Creeks Wildlife Refuge has their fair share of them. Four years ago we were hunting some fine hogs off of Cross Creeks then it got halted by PETA. Three years ago as a result of violating an agreement with PETA hog hunting was stopped on the refuge. Two years ago on my work days at the refuge I was working ground crew while the USDA helicopter flew over head and shot, killed and or wounded 63 hogs of all sizes. The wounded ones were found and killed. Heads were removed from selected hogs to be sent to UT for testing. The next day, the "Pork Chopper" came back and 37 more hogs were put down. The program was called a success. They say no more hogs are there now. Then the geniuses at TWRA said the population can be controlled by NOT hunting them. Really? Ask several other states that tried that how well it worked? Florida? Alabama? Texas? Ask those states how it would work out if hunting was stopped. Well, there is still hogs there, not as many though and now they have been scattered to surrounding areas. There are pigs here now in places where they never were before. Only LBL and Fort Campbell allow pig hunting at this time. LBL on the northern side and Fort Campbell during deer season. There is rumor going around that Cross Creeks is working on a pig season now as soon as their agreement with PETA expires. Two local WMA's have pigs now, where they never did in the past. You can't hunt them. It's heart wrenching to sit in your deer stand and see hogs and knowing they cant' be shot. Talk to a few people of authority and you'll learn that TWRA does not have the personnel nor the funds to fight the hog population. Why do you think they allow land owners to hunt them like they do? Now they need to allow hunters to take care of them on public land.

 

Dave

[nightrunner]

Dont know how true it is but I have read that hogs react more to the shock from high velocity small-medium bore than from slow and heavy.

[DaveS]

I don't know, I've harvested them with Bow, Muzzleloader, Shotgun, 5.56 and 7mm/08 ect.. An arrow in the neck from Crossbow or Compound bow lets them go about 5 yards give of take and then they "stop, drop and flop". Any bullet hit in the neck and they "drop and flop" right there. Them hogs can't stand being hit in the neck with anything!!

 

Dave

[Luke E.]

They are already here! Fort Campbell, LBL and Cross Creeks Wildlife Refuge has their fair share of them. Four years ago we were hunting some fine hogs off of Cross Creeks then it got halted by PETA. Three years ago as a result of violating an agreement with PETA hog hunting was stopped on the refuge. Two years ago on my work days at the refuge I was working ground crew while the USDA helicopter flew over head and shot, killed and or wounded 63 hogs of all sizes. The wounded ones were found and killed. Heads were removed from selected hogs to be sent to UT for testing. The next day, the "Pork Chopper" came back and 37 more hogs were put down. The program was called a success. They say no more hogs are there now. Then the geniuses at TWRA said the population can be controlled by NOT hunting them. Really? Ask several other states that tried that how well it worked? Florida? Alabama? Texas? Ask those states how it would work out if hunting was stopped. Well, there is still hogs there, not as many though and now they have been scattered to surrounding areas. There are pigs here now in places where they never were before. Only LBL and Fort Campbell allow pig hunting at this time. LBL on the northern side and Fort Campbell during deer season. There is rumor going around that Cross Creeks is working on a pig season now as soon as their agreement with PETA expires. Two local WMA's have pigs now, where they never did in the past. You can't hunt them. It's heart wrenching to sit in your deer stand and see hogs and knowing they cant' be shot. Talk to a few people of authority and you'll learn that TWRA does not have the personnel nor the funds to fight the hog population. Why do you think they allow land owners to hunt them like they do? Now they need to allow hunters to take care of them on public land.

 

Dave

 

 I was already aware that they can spread really quickly but after making that trip to Graceville in Jan. to hunt an 80acre tract of land that 1 year before did not have a single hog on it that now has around 70+ that come through regularly and 30-40 of those don't seem to ever leave. The property has swamp land on the back portion so they seem to move from there to whatever area they feel like ripping up and back to the swamp.

 I know there are some in random places in deep mid TN like you are talking about but we're not having the widespread damage yet that other areas are having (that I know of anyways) A TWRA officer that used to be in our area was friends with a buddy of mine and they were actually trapping them on an island in the middle of Percy Priest Lake and that's right close to me. Why they only seemed to be on that island and not the surrounding land is still unknown to me but those young pigs he would bring out for bbq's sure were tasty! 

 I just can't imagine why the TWRA can't see the error of their decision, it seems so painfully obvious. There were much better ways to deal with the problem at hand than to say "okay since you boys can't behave we're just gonna let the suckers breed like mad!" Maybe i'm missing something but like you said, one look at FL, AL and Texas and the numbers they kill of every year should be evidence that it's going to take every willing gun out there to keep them bayed.

 As I read your post and came across the word PETA I kinda through up a little ;)

[Luke E.]

Dont know how true it is but I have read that hogs react more to the shock from high velocity small-medium bore than from slow and heavy.

 

 I think shot placement is pretty important but I know for a fact that a 125gr nosler bullet fired from a 300aac at just under 2,000fps will flip one over on it's side. I think the next one I take a shot at I will try Dave's suggestion and make a neck shot.

[DaveS]

The USFWS (united states fish and wildlife service) set up the Wildlife Refuge System as a safe haven for wildlife. The USFWS wanted to allow hunting of certain species on the refuges and PETA got involved. An agreement was made in DC between the USFWS and PETA to limit the hunting of certain species on our Refuges. Small game (squirrel), deer and coyote was the agreed upon species to hunt. Cross Creeks cannot permit any other hunting based on this agreement, (a limited goose hunt was authorized). Rabbit, Dove or anything else can't be hunted. So a few years ago, Cross Creeks put feral hogs in their hunting regs, because they were starting to overrun the refuge. PETA got wind of this a couple years ago and filed suit for breach of contract and won. All hog hunting on the refuge stopped. We pushed for a rabbit and dove season and PETA said no. That's it in a nut shell. As soon as the agreement with PETA expires, hog hunting will be permitted on the refuge with the approval of TWRA. The state actually plays a roll in federal hunting regulations.

 

Dave

[Ron Padilla]

I didn't go back and reread but when does the agreement end with peta?

Thanks

[Luke E.]

The USFWS (united states fish and wildlife service) set up the Wildlife Refuge System as a safe haven for wildlife. The USFWS wanted to allow hunting of certain species on the refuges and PETA got involved. An agreement was made in DC between the USFWS and PETA to limit the hunting of certain species on our Refuges. Small game (squirrel), deer and coyote was the agreed upon species to hunt. Cross Creeks cannot permit any other hunting based on this agreement, (a limited goose hunt was authorized). Rabbit, Dove or anything else can't be hunted. So a few years ago, Cross Creeks put feral hogs in their hunting regs, because they were starting to overrun the refuge. PETA got wind of this a couple years ago and filed suit for breach of contract and won. All hog hunting on the refuge stopped. We pushed for a rabbit and dove season and PETA said no. That's it in a nut shell. As soon as the agreement with PETA expires, hog hunting will be permitted on the refuge with the approval of TWRA. The state actually plays a roll in federal hunting regulations.

 

Dave

 

 Who's responsible for allowing PETA to be involved in the first place? Whoever or whatever agency it was that allowed them to have a say so needs to be flushed and restaffed. The "bleeding hearts" over at PETA don't amount to anything more than a groups that gets their rocks of by stirring up trouble where there was no trouble. I had a good run in with a small troop of them in Florida while trying to make a living and learned first hand that nothing would make them happier than to cause someone to go out of business and loose everything they own. It may seem like i'm being a bit harsh towards them and I 100% am meaning to be as I wouldn't piss in one of their mouths if their tongue was on fire. Between them, Green piece and state and federal "environmental" agencies you couldn't find a half ounce of respect coming from my direction. I also have many run-ins with the FDEP (Florida Dept. of Environmental Protection) before and almost every one of the cases came down to them not liking the way something looked rather than them trying to mitigate any environmental damage (because there was nothing to mitigate). Rant over, thanks for listening ;)

 What most non hunters fail to realize is what true wildlife conservation is, they fail to realize that responsible hunting actually improves the health of different species and seem to think that having massive areas of un-hunted land that's over run with wildlife is good for them animals. Little do they realize that by protecting the hogs they are effectively causing great harm to almost everything else with legs in the area. I'm sure i'm preaching to the choir since all this is going on in your back door huh.