I was hanging out in my LGS yesterday -- TJB Outdoors in Sweetwater, for the record -- and I asked about a couple of local hog-hunting operations that I ran across on the Net.
I had heard that they raise the hogs and release them to make a beeline for the feeders, with a stand nearby.
Not so. These are high-fence operations. The owner/outfitter buys wild hogs from local trappers to turn loose inside the fenced acreage with food and water sources. Hunters can fairly predictably hunt from stands overlooking these sources and harvest their critters.
I think it is a pretty smart way to extract maximum value from an invasive nuisance; the trappers, the ranch operators and the hunters all get something of value out of the feral hogs, in effect multiplying the benefit.
This is not intended as criticism in any way, lest someone misunderstands me.
Many of you are already aware of how this works, but I thought I would post it for those who didn't know. Call it feral hogonomics 101.

It's all in the minds eye! My hunting is all free range over feeders at night. I put a hundred bucks in corn out each month ( I don't have to pay to access the land). Some of my solar regulators have a "load" port so when we have these cloudy days in a row the battery does not pull down below where the photo cell stops working. The regulators do not have a dead band! Battery goes bad drops below the cut off voltage, lights off. Battery recovers just enough, lights on. Then off and the on. Strobe light effect! New battery is right at 200 bucks! Went to my place to hunt, one minute the lights are on the next they are off. Fairly new battery. Regulator is probably bad. Bring the battery in and recharges good. Regulators around 60 bucks with no load port. I sit lots of nights with no pigs! I am retired, when there is nothing pressing at home, I would rather sit in the woods and see nothing then stare at the TV! If you want to kill a pig and only have a few days/nights, my way has no guarantee and it's not cheap! Pick you poison!

Live Oak, I sure appreciate what you do.

Bill:
That's the way it worked where I shot the two hogs in Fla. Or said that's where he gets them. "whenever the trappers call with a bunch of hogs I go pick them up and dump them out here, sometimes twice a week, other times not for a couple months, I take them all".

His small place is close to Larry Shores: 2-5 miles max.

AND the place has several large holes in the fence. He said: "the hogs come and go,it's hard to keep the fences patched". I've wondered how far his trapped hogs from 4 hours south travel around the area.

Re: Could it possibly be they are the same "wild hogs" on Larry's place?

They were well trained by the feeders going off. Sure was a bunch of them came to the feeder we sat at. Not much sport in shooting a hog eating corn 30 feet away. We both still got "our Wild hogs".

George

George, how many acres inside the fence?

quote:

Originally posted by georgeld:
Bill:
That's the way it worked where I shot the two hogs in Fla. OR said that's where he get them. "whenever the trappers call with a bunch of hogs I go pick them up and dump them out here, sometimes twice a week, other times not for a couple months, I take them all".

His small place is close to Larry Shores: 2-5 miles max.

AND the place has several large holes in the fence. He said: "the hogs come and go,it's hard to keep the fences patched". I've wondered how far his trapped hogs from 4 hours south travel around the area.

Re: Could it possibly be they are the same "wild hogs" on Larry's place?

They were well trained by the feeders going off. Sure was a bunch of them came to the feeder we sat at. Not much sport in shooting a hog eating corn 30 feet away. We both still got "our hogs".

George

They can roam quite a way . Perhaps there are a few that came from that place . The entire area is inundated with hogs.

Bill:

I can't remember for sure if it was 25 or 40 some acres.

Maybe Larry can tell us. Sure wasn't very big.
Said there was over 200 hogs, mostly piggies in there. We'd just have to pick the one we wanted.
At least four of nearly 500lbs. We sure didn't see any near that big. Lots of heavy tree's and brush though.

George

quote:

We'd just have to pick the one we wanted.

What did that hog cost.

P dog, they are two for $350 at this outfit about 45 minutes from where I live:
https://sandforktexashoghunting.com/

Knew a guide here. He would buy trapped pigs and turn them loose in a high fence with other game. I think he said 1500 acres. When he could not get wild caught pigs he bought original red meat domestic pigs. He retired with lots of satisfied customers Like I said, its all in the mind's eye! No every one wants or can waste time and money for recreational hunting!

quote:

Originally posted by georgeld:
Bill:

I can't remember for sure if it was 25 or 40 some acres.

Maybe Larry can tell us. Sure wasn't very big.
Said there was over 200 hogs, mostly piggies in there. We'd just have to pick the one we wanted.
At least four of nearly 500lbs. We sure didn't see any near that big. Lots of heavy tree's and brush though.

George

No idea George. I know nothing about it . I have passed it heading to town from the dump .

PDS:

Seems like $100, plus some for over some size. I paid $650 each to him for mounting. First one was 147#, second 200# even with an infected hind leg from a tusk wound. We tossed the quarter.

I told him to send the hides to NY for tanning properly and I would pay the extra. He went ahead and self tanned them there against my wishes.

Moist down there, very dry up here (25%). Both cracked around the ears, eyes, corners of mouths and lips. On advice from one of our fine taxidermists here. I applied the black clay a few times. Until looking closely it's not obvious. Otherwise he did a nice job. Shipping was piss poor though. Couple old dirty pillows, handful of paper napkins. Heads were loose in the boxes, not mounted to keep from bouncing around. All the tusks were broken out. I reglued them.

IF you go there, record his promises and write it down on the tickets and make him sign it. I was very careful of my headshots so it wouldn't harm the skulls. Between the eyes and out the throats on both with a .243. He promised to boil the skulls in the same price. Never happened.

George

quote:

Originally posted by georgeld:
PDS:

Seems like $100, plus some for over some size. I paid $650 each to him for mounting. First one was 147#, second 200# even with an infected hind leg from a tusk wound. We tossed the quarter.

I told him to send the hides to NY for tanning properly and I would pay the extra. He went ahead and self tanned them there against my wishes.

Moist down there, very dry up here (25%). Both cracked around the ears, eyes, corners of mouths and lips. On advice from one of our fine taxidermists here. I applied the black clay a few times. Until looking closely it's not obvious. Otherwise he did a nice job. Shipping was piss poor though. Couple old dirty pillows, handful of paper napkins. Heads were loose in the boxes, not mounted to keep from bouncing around. All the tusks were broken out. I reglued them.

IF you go there, record his promises and write it down on the tickets and make him sign it. I was very careful of my headshots so it wouldn't harm the skulls. Between the eyes and out the throats on both with a .243. He promised to boil the skulls in the same price. Never happened.

George

Sounds like some one not to do business with

quote:

Originally posted by p dog shooter:

quote:

Originally posted by georgeld:
PDS:

Seems like $100, plus some for over some size. I paid $650 each to him for mounting. First one was 147#, second 200# even with an infected hind leg from a tusk wound. We tossed the quarter.

I told him to send the hides to NY for tanning properly and I would pay the extra. He went ahead and self tanned them there against my wishes.

Moist down there, very dry up here (25%). Both cracked around the ears, eyes, corners of mouths and lips. On advice from one of our fine taxidermists here. I applied the black clay a few times. Until looking closely it's not obvious. Otherwise he did a nice job. Shipping was piss poor though. Couple old dirty pillows, handful of paper napkins. Heads were loose in the boxes, not mounted to keep from bouncing around. All the tusks were broken out. I reglued them.

IF you go there, record his promises and write it down on the tickets and make him sign it. I was very careful of my headshots so it wouldn't harm the skulls. Between the eyes and out the throats on both with a .243. He promised to boil the skulls in the same price. Never happened.

George

Sounds like some one not to do business with

What a brilliant deduction!

Wild hogs can cover a 100 damn miles in a few days, Ive seen them on one ranch one day and 30 miles on another ranch the next day....Hunting high fence anyway you cut it depends on the size, but even then its not my choice...but on a 10,000 ac ranch high fence its pretty sporting and lots of hard work some times..

I have been paid by Texas ranchers to kill hogs, they are good at ruining pastures, fences and everything else including killing calves..Get to know your Texas neighbors and you wont have to pay to hunt hogs..Those high fences are for deer, not hogs, just some folks are making a little extra with those sale barn trapped hogs..The bigger ranches trap hogs and if someone wants to buy then it saves them a trip to the sale, many ranchers prefer trapping as to dealing with some hunters who toss beer and pop cans in the pasture fpr cattle to step on and cripple up on, leave gates open and ruin breeding program etc..tear up roads after a rain .., not by sportsmen, not by non residence, but by locals for the most part, and mostly hog hunters..Volunteer to help with ranch maintenance, help at branding time, help gather cattle if you can and you will get an invite to shoot deer, maybe a cull hunt, thats how it works..A cull hunt is hard work I catch hell if I don't show up at some friends or relatives to cull, most of those ranches need to kill up to 200 or more deer a year, late season ending, their friends get that option first. I get paid with a couple of bucks and several does, I Usually buy my own non resident license to get a couple of bucks out of the deal.

I don't know if Ive helped anyone here, but being on both ends of that program both a rancher and a hunter most of my life in Texas Ive seen the process work more than once. Just knowing a rancher won't cut it, gotta make a good friend first, those deer are money in the back, on my leased 75,000 acre ranch for instance, they paid all operational costs if your terms included the hunting..