I have killed several wild hogs near Throckmorton. These are free ranging wild pigs. Several have been from 250 to 285 lbs. I have only killed two that weighed over 300 lbs [on a scale]. My scale only goes to 300 lbs, the biggest one weighed 325 to 330 baised on how far the pointer went past 300 lbs. The scale was not yet bottomed out.
Both of the two big ones were boars. There meat was great. My favorite size is 250 to 275 lbs. Unless I am totally out of pig meat I usually do not shoot one under 175 lbs.
Even if I have shot a boar that smells of "rutting around"
the meat has always been good. I have never shot a pig and left him lay. The meat is just too good.

Scales no doubt tell the tail. I shot a sow a few yrs back in the Texas Hill country, we hung it on the scales it and it went 232 if I remember correctly, I guessed it at 250. And that was a big pig. Good chance that will be the largest pig I shoot in my life time.

They do get bigger, but not real common. One of my hunting partners shot a boar in Mexico that was a monster, we didn't have scales, but I'd have bet my one ton it would have crowded 400.

I've mentioned this before, there is a pic of a pig in the mens room at bass pro shop in Katy Texas, its say world record 1400 and something pounds, it was shot in Mongolia, now thats a big pig.

Hello guys, i'm from south texas to gringo cazador sinton actually but i'm from small town called berclair. I hunt with dogs in the bee county and goliad county area and those hogs do get over 300 easily. I'm not directing this to anyone but yall are right that scale will bring someone back from fantasy land. Thats why when i post i don't put a weight with the pic like some folks.

I've killed one that weighed 320 and 3 others that were close but below 300. They were all lone boars. I don't weigh all of them, but the next biggest would probably be an old sow at about 225....I weighed her but don't remember perzackly what she weighed. I've slept since then, several times.

Most of our grown pigs around here weigh between 150 and 200. It takes a pretty big sow or an old boar to get much over that. They just have to travel too much to avoid sudden death by bullet syndrome as well as to eat.

However, there is a fair amount of agricultural activity, mostly corn, some soybeans around here that probably gives them a leg up weightwise to the mesquite and prickly pear variety.

I've heard of a couple of 500 pounders from what I consider to be reliable sources, but I haven't personally seen one near that size. I heard of a 600 pounder, killed eating dead chickens thrown out from the chicken houses when that was legal.....but I'm not sure they were sober .....however, it was a VERY big hog.

I haven't found size to be a factor in whether they eat good or not. Obviously young shoats are going to be more tender than an old boar, but it is not nearly as cut and dried as some would have you believe. This is referring to all still hunted animals. Running them with dogs or snaring them makes the meat worse if not inedible in many cases unless you pen them before killing them. Smell is a determining factor. All hogs that I have killed had a "piggy" smell, but if on top of that they have a stink, it just depends on how bad it is, a little, you can cook them and they'll eat fine, but your house may smell like urine in the process. A lot, I'd leave them for buzzards. However, I've never had one smell so bad that I didn't process him. I've had two that smelled a bit, both were good eating, just don't let your wife fry it on the stove, ESPECIALLY if she is the least bit "gun shy" about cooking wild game.

Gatogordo,

This was a "castrated" hog, and so I imagine that's why the tusks were so long, he wasn't either a fighter or a lover, just an eater!!

Whitworth,

I used a lowly .30-06, with my handloads consisting of 165g Partitions and Hodgdon H-4350 powder.

-Mr Mike

MrMike
I was not trying to question the accuracy of your scale. I was saying from the picture of your hog, baised on pigs we have shot and weighed that your pig was indeed a BIG ONE and there is no "blue sky" in your figures. Try to find a "spice" called "GRUB RUB", around here Albertsons carryes it. It has a lot of brown sugar in it and it is good on all meat from chicken to Bear.
Once again that is a nice pig.

MrMike
Did ya'll weigh that hog or is that an estimate?

It pegged the 300# ranch scale. . .

-Mr Mike

And I wouldn't have put you at a pound over 280.....

Nice pig, I wish ours would get long tusks, but I guess they wear them off. Although a very high ranking one (on someone's list was killed close by) but all the ones I've killed, including the 4 larger ones mentioned above had relatively short cutters.

MrMike
Thanks for the official talley. My wife and I both said we thought that pig would go at least 285lbs. Nice teeth.
Have you tried the meat yet?
PS The heart, floured and fried in olive oil is the best of all. Also the shoulders cooked in the oven with potaotes, onions, carrots, cellery, almost covered with, 1/2 water 1/2 beer and a can of stewed tomatoes is very good. Cook at 325 degrees for about 3 hours. MMMMMM good. Same recipe good for bear meat too.

MrMike,

That's a very nice hog. What did you kill it with?

Whitworth