Hi all
Looking for a javalena/hog hunt in the Houston area (or Austin) I am not interested in a stand or feeder environment. A night hunt would be great (from California so we aren't allowed here)
Any recommendations for options I can look at? A little cost sensitive

javelina aren't native to the houston region

you have to pay to hunt in texas, if you want anything like a reasonable chance ..

you can get on peccary (javelina) south of austin .. more like san antonio and west of there,,

the higher the price the more likely you will be to at least have a shot

you WILL be hunting feeders and stands, if you want anything like a decent chance on a 1 or 2 day hunt, or you'll be wasting your money ....

fair chase on pigs, in texas, is tough to comeby, and requires knowing SEVERAL people to hook you up

all that being said - prices can range from 150 a day to 1000 a day, depending on the outfitter and or landowner and their rules

if you REQUIRE the right to stalk, you must confirm that in the discussions

most places allow or encourage night hunting, in some fashion ... 2x scope or set at 2 x is a good idea

its not easy hunting, pigs are smart, have ears and noses better than probably any game, and if they could look up easier, they would have better eyes

good luck, and i hope all your desires are met

jeffe--I could have put him on some hogs a few years ago-right?

YEPPER!!
totally fair hunting ... wild hogs ... though he doesn't want to hunt from a stand or with feeder

I noticed the"sensitive" comment relative to cost.
Be aware that a Texas out-of-state license may not be inexpensive.
Bob Nisbet

quote:

Originally posted by Tebsinar:
I noticed the"sensitive" comment relative to cost.
Be aware that a Texas out-of-state license may not be inexpensive.
Bob Nisbet

Nah, a bargain compared to most places. About $45 or so for a five day permit. This allows a non-resident birds, small game, and all non-game animals like hogs and coyotes.

Vinny: Either reconcile yourself to hunting from a baited stand or from a truck driving along baited roads. "Spot and stalk" hog hunting isn't going to be realistic.

For javelinas you'll have to go to south or southwest Texas -- at least two hundred miles from Houston. There is some good hog hunting in South Texas, so combining the two is possible.

Spot and stalk hunting in most hog locales in TX is tough because of the brush. Most areas you'll hunt over feeders or bait of some kind where typical Texas brush has been cleared. I like to compromise - bait an area (like corning a road), then return to camp and strike out on foot to "creep" the roads, trying to sneak up on feeding pigs. Pigs make a lot of noise when they're eating (especially crunchy corn), and one can often get within bow range if one is patient. I have seen videos in which this worked for javelina as well, though I've never personally done it. We do the same bait and creep at night, only we trade bows for muzzleloaders or rifles. Of course, you need to make sure the outfitter/guide/landowner knows up front that you want to do something like this and get him/her to buy into it.

Also, be aware that it is illegal to hunt javelinas as night. They are considered a game animal. The $45 does allow you take two javelinas.

Bob

This isn't all that close but you could probably grab a SW airlines flight and try this

http://forums.accuratereloadin...2100588/m/9031035521

which is about as cheap as you're going to find a hog hunt. AFA stalking goes, you'd have to ask, and a lot depends on how good a tracker you are. MANY places that hogs lay up are not places you're going to be strolling through taking the breeze if you follow my drift........if not, you'll find out the first mesquite or cedar break you try to crawl through. OTOH on some places you can walk senderos and probably kill a hog(s) if you walk far enough, it just depends on the place. You can come up to my place and stalk all you want, but it's a 5 1/2 hour drive from Houston with no convenient place to stay.

quote:

Originally posted by Bob in TX:
They are considered a game animal.
Bob

Dang .. i guess you are right, but *I* have never considered them to be a game animal ... i don't eat the stinky @#$%@#$@#$@

thanks for the feedback. Sounds like if i want to take a javelina squeezing it into a business trip requires some consideration (not at night, no true spot and stalk)

A couple hundred bucks was what i was hoping for, $45 license is no issue so sounds like its time and style rather than cost/location. Location seems like a pain but not a show stopper since we can't do a night hunt, i can drive at night to/from the location so something 2-4 hrs away from Austin/Houston isn't a big deal and seems some do exist in that range.

Anyone do either of these?:
http://www.huntencino.com/stxarea.asp

http://www.huntinfo.com/etom/

Not that it's critical, but the license is $48.00.

Those places might be a good choice, but, especially on the second one, spot and stalk is not as easy as you'd think. Many ranches in S Texas have been negatively impacted by the drought we had last year. I'd ask before I go.

I can also tell you that if they hunt them much, you'll have a damn difficult time seeing pigs in daylight on 6000 acres. My place is over 4000 and my pigs are mostly nocturnal due to hunting pressure BUT, the good news is that this time of the year, from now to late spring, is the best for catching them moving around in daylight as food sources are scarce. Good luck.

GG.....sorry, I forgot about the increase to $48.

I'm back from Pearsall - from the last week end of deer season. I would like to report their is plenty of water in the soil and some of the weeds are dark green and almost calf high in river bottom country. We were seeing pigs till 10am and from 4pm on. We corn roads and have feeders gong on 4000 acres. As thick as it is you only can hunt about 500 acres properly anyway. Sunday night I saw a group of about 30 football sized pigs cleaning up a road. The pigs are back from the drought.
I ended up shooting a 9" spike & an old 8 management with a 17" spread - broken off g2 & g3 - 4 inch bases only scored around 80 but field dressed at 135. The deer where not moving much as everything is so lush they have everything they need to eat. ( and or maybe the full moon)
Sunday night near dark a sow some pigglets showed up on a road that had a 20 mph wind blowing across it I was able to close the distance from 250yds to approx 100 as the light faded - sat down in the road turned my scope down to 3X. Just as I started to get ready to shoot I felt a gust of wind hit the back of my neck - they then left in a hurry - no shot.
We will be back to see about the pigs next month.

Try these guys http://wildriverranchtexas.com/ , day and night vision hunts, in a stand or stalking. I have hunted there severals times, including Feb 21 of this year. I got a 126 pound boar hog at 75 yards and saw several mose! Tell them Jeff says hi!!!

excellent, thanks! I have an AR-15 in 6.8 SPCII so this would be really fun!

quote:

Originally posted by Stonecreek:

quote:

Originally posted by Tebsinar:
I noticed the"sensitive" comment relative to cost.
Be aware that a Texas out-of-state license may not be inexpensive.
Bob Nisbet

Nah, a bargain compared to most places. About $45 or so for a five day permit. This allows a non-resident birds, small game, and all non-game animals like hogs and coyotes.

Vinny: Either reconcile yourself to hunting from a baited stand or from a truck driving along baited roads. "Spot and stalk" hog hunting isn't going to be realistic.

For javelinas you'll have to go to south or southwest Texas -- at least two hundred miles from Houston. There is some good hog hunting in South Texas, so combining the two is possible.

That $48 five day special hunting permit is for hunting game ranches for exotics, and doesn't allow a non-resident to hunt Javalina! javalina is a protected game animal in Texas, while feral hogs are considered exotics, on non-indigenous animals! Javalina are not hogs at all but are their own specise collard Peccary, and are game animals.

The general Non residsent hunting license is $315.oo and as far as I know there is no 5 day non resident permit for Texas big game animals, only for non-game and some birds.

quote:

That $48 five day special hunting permit is for hunting game ranches for exotics, and doesn't allow a non-resident to hunt Javalina! javalina is a protected game animal in Texas, while feral hogs are considered exotics, on non-indigenous animals! Javalina are not hogs at all but are their own specise collard Peccary, and are game animals.

Sorry Mac, but you are wrong.

This is directly from the TP&W website.

Non-resident 5-Day Special Hunting (Type 157): $48

Legal for any period of 5 consecutive days (valid hunting dates will be printed on the license when issued). Valid to hunt: Exotic animals, all legal game birds (except turkeys), all nongame animals, squirrel, javelina and alligator (not valid for other game animals, NOT VALID FOR DEER). Stamp endorsement requirements apply.

quote:

Originally posted by Crazyhorseconsulting:

quote:

That $48 five day special hunting permit is for hunting game ranches for exotics, and doesn't allow a non-resident to hunt Javalina! javalina is a protected game animal in Texas, while feral hogs are considered exotics, on non-indigenous animals! Javalina are not hogs at all but are their own specise collard Peccary, and are game animals.

Sorry Mac, but you are wrong.

This is directly from the TP&W website.

Non-resident 5-Day Special Hunting (Type 157): $48

Legal for any period of 5 consecutive days (valid hunting dates will be printed on the license when issued). Valid to hunt: Exotic animals, all legal game birds (except turkeys),[B] all nongame animals, squirrel, javelina and alligator (not valid for other game animals, NOT VALID FOR DEER). Stamp endorsement requirements apply.[/b]

CHC I'me certainly not going to argue with the Game laws, but I would like to know when Javalina became a non-Protected animal in Texas. Feral hogs and Javalina are two seperate things, as you well know!

Call Steve at 979-324-5755 and see what kind of hog hunting trip he can offer. Last account I had he got $150/day, but that might be somewhat negotiable; I just don't know for sure.

The man operates out of College Station and covers a lot of area. I suspect he can put you on a hog or two...

Mac, all you have to do is read what I copied from the TP&W web site.

My apologies Mac, I am not meaning to be a smart/wise ass about this, as I do not know why TP&W classifies Javelina as a Game Animal, yet there is no tag for them on the license, and TP&W has no realistic figures on the total population in the state or the number of Javelina killed annualy.

I received a survey from TP&W in the mail a few days ago, asking me how many deer, whitetail or muley and how many Javelina I had killed.

I have never received such a survey in my 40 years of hunting in Texas.

In Arizona and New Mexico, Javelina are treated the same as any of those states other Big Game animals, complete with drawings and having to buy the hunting license seperate from the tag.

If the rest of my answer seems contrite, I am sorry.

I would like to see Javelina given more respect in Texas, but I seriously doubt that will ever happen.

Javelina and Squirrels are considered Game Animals in Texas, but can be hunted on the 5 Day Non-Resident Special Hunting license, Type 157.

Don't want to believe me , call Austin and ask them.

I would not be writing this stuff if I did not know what I was talking about.

I don't make the laws or enforce them, but I do make sure my clients have the proper license to hunt with me.

This is not anything new, the Javelina have been legal for Non-Residents on that license for as long as I have been taking clients out, which began in 1998.