I've been to TX. a coupla times hog hunting. My buddy and I want to go again, next year. The last place we hunted was below Uvalde, and we most likely will hunt there again. However, since I have a year, I'm doing some looking around. The hogs we shot were all in the 100-135 lb. range. Was looking for a place, where besides meat hogs, we might get a chance at a big trophy boar. One coveat; we will go in mid/late Feb. and my buddy says its gotta be warm[we're Indiana snow birds], so north TX. is out. Any opinions/suggestions wanted.

Mad Dog

I'm not sure about "Trophy Hogs", however I do know this young man who killed a very big hog on 4K Ranch near Brady, Texas.

Rusty, Where is the 4K/ Do they have a website?

Mad Dog

Not inexpensive, but if you're looking for large boar ...

http://www.4b-ranch.com/hunt_boar.php

AP, seen that sight before. Just more than I want to spend on a trophy boar, even if it is pure russian. More in mind of a big feral/hybrid, with good cutters- at less $$s.

Mad Dog

While the likelihood of finding a good boar are pretty decent over much of the state, keep in mind that a fully mature boar will generally only run 180-220 pounds. A few rare ones will grow substantially past that, but they are the exception and certainly not the rule.

The tales of 6-700 pounders are just that -- tall tales. Either that, or they were hunting pen-raised specimens that were fattened up and released for the hunt.

I've beem fortunate in that I've taken hogs well into 3-figures. Some were via hunting, some were basic ADC-type situations and some were happenstance encounters that didn't bode well for the piggies. But of all those hogs, those reaching or surpassing 300 pounds were very few and far between.

The top picture is a hog from the summer of 2008. He had incredible girth -- moreso than any other hog I've taken. He was rolling fat, too. He weighed 353 on an old farm scale.

The 2nd photo is from 2002 and was taken with a 50mm lens so there is no wide-angle distortion (I HATE that effect, by the way!). I didn't get to weigh him due to an approaching thunderstorm but consider him the biggest I've taken. He did not have great girth but was very long. In that photo, my knee is touching the body of the hog, and at that time I weighed around 195 pounds. My best estimate on this hog is somewhere between 350 and 375. I could not move him at all myself and had to have the neighbors come with their front-end loader to assist.

But most boars you'll find will be like the rest of the photos: good, solid representative samples but nowhere near the 300-pound mark (and many well shy of 200). Some may have good tusks, but many will likely be broken off. And some of the younger boars may actually have better cutters than the older ones as they haven't been fighting for long.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that "trophy" is a very subjective term and is actually what you make of the hunt.

There's no one area of the state recognized as the creme de la creme in terms of big boars, but the southern coastal regions, south Texas and the upper Trans-Pecos regions would probably hold your best odds. There are lots of hogs in East Texas, but far more smller hogs are taken -- not because larger hogs aren't present but partly because of the impenetrable brush and thick cover available.

Let us know what you decide, and be sure and post picture when the time comes.

Good luck!

Bobby, nice hogs!

Yes, I know what you mean about size. Not so much thinking of weight, but some decent cutters. Will probably keep looking in south Tx. south and west/east of San Antonio. I really like that area, anyway. Before it's said and done, I'll probably wind up going back to the ranch south of Uvalde. We did have a blast while we were there, and I'm sure there are some bigger boars there, if we can "dumb" into them.

Mad Dog

As to cutters, from what I have seen, south Texas and the northern reaches of the Trans-Pecos have produced some of the most impressive.

If you want to get the attention of the boars, there is one thing I'll recommend you try: Black Gold. If you could get someone to put out a bottle before you arrive, your odds of seeing any boar that may be in the area would certainly go up.

Or at least if you could put it out the day you arrive, you'd stack the cards in your favor.

It's holding power is amazing. I've even seen fully mature boars visit a spot where Black GOld was put out during the heat of a mid-summer day -- and big hogs don't like the heat.

Here is a link to it.

Bobby
www.brutalboarcreations.com/black-gold.htm

We have killed a few hogs south of San Antonio in LaSalle county (maybe 600 pigs). In the last five years the biggest hog we have killed has been 265 pounds. Only one hog has been killed over 300 pounds on the place and that was over 10 years ago. Wild boars spend a lot of time and energy fighting, breeding and moving burning up calories. If you get any hog over 225 pounds in south Texas consider it a trophy. As far as cutters, we have a lot of sand in the dirt and that seems to keep the tusk short for their size. We have only had three or four boars with decent tusk over these last past years.

This is New Year's Eve, you might check at Gilly's about 10pm...

Rich

Rich, what is that saying? At 10 a 2, at 2 a 10?

I believe WIllie Nelson sang:

"Last night I came home at 2 with a 10, but at 10 I woke up with a 2..."

The difference between a fox and a boar is a six pack.

Rusty:

Not knocking kelly, but I hold the record for the largest hog for a DRSS hunt at 4K. Kelly's was 289 lbs; mine bottomed the scale out at at least 310+ pounds, a record I am proud to hold!

If warm is what you want then you will generally top out around 300 pounds. I have personally killed a 400 pound hog in King county and seen several much larger just west of Benjamin. Trophy huntin ain't about the weather or if it's day or night, it's about time in the field and luck. If your just down for a few days it's all about luck.

quote:

Originally posted by 577NitroExpress:
Not knocking kelly, but I hold the record for the largest hog for a DRSS hunt at 4K.

And that was one of 3 he shot... that I had to help load... in the mud!

There are quite a few big boars north and west of the DFW area. There is a hunting/processor in Graham that could probably hook you up with some good sized pigs. Go to thier website. clearforkcountry.com I have killed a few 250+ hogs in this area.

Thanks, Paul. I didn't have a picture of yours.