My first hog in SHNF

[Bendbackshrimp]

Finally got my first hog in the national forest. I spotted two of them about 400 yds down a utility cut, thought about the long shot but needed to close the distance since I didn't have a bipod. They dropped down into a creek bed which gave me the chance to trot full speed while they were out of sight.
A few minutes later I dropped the closest one with one shot behind the ear.
Her partner hung around for a few minutes, snorting at me from the heavy brush, quite an experience.

[Light Keeper's Kid]

CONGRATS is that a 270 your useing

[Bendbackshrimp]

Yes, Ruger 270, great gun.

[Light Keeper's Kid]

Great choice on both,i love 270 cal. my brother has one and can hit a turkey target in the head all day

[yakin ag]

SHNF is infested with porkers...I've had a very close encounter with a large boar while on a solo backpacking trip there once, and like you said, I've seen a # of them on power ROWs

[Night Wing]

Was this a permit type hunt? I was thinking, this might be good for a walk about bow hunt.

BTW, I have an old 1976 Ruger M-77, with rear tang safety, heavy barreled sporter in 25-06. It's my favorite of all my rifles.

[Bendbackshrimp]

The APH permit for all TPW governed public lands, think the hog season goes through March 15 at SHNF and Alabama Creek WMA.

I've seen lots of hog sign there while deer scouting and hunting. Concentrate on the creek bottoms both early and late. This one was taken about 5 pm with just a little daylight left.

[Night Wing]

Thanks for the info. I'll google the SHNF and Alabama WMA. Looking for something closer to the house to rove with my bow.

[Trent D]

My brother and I did some hunting off of 1374 this past Saturday and came up empty. Matter of fact he only hog I've ever seen in SHNF was during the May/Spring squirrel season last year (can't shoot hogs in the WMA during that time). I know areas that have tons of tracks and rootings, but thus far theirs and my schedules haven't coincided.

I hunt a spot that's full of hardwoods with tons of acorns and tracks, but no hogs sighted in the 3 years I've hunted the forest. Lots of squirrels, but no pork.

I'm heading back there not this Friday, but next. I'll post up if I get anything.

Keep the reports coming.

Trent

[Bendbackshrimp]

Yeah, the 1374 and 222 area is good, you may also want to take a look at
the creeks closer to the lake just north of 1375. Good luck.

[Night Wing]

I hunt a spot that's full of hardwoods with tons of acorns and tracks, but no hogs sighted in the 3 years I've hunted the forest. Lots of squirrels, but no pork.

They might strictly be night feeders.

[Night Wing]

Yeah, the 1374 and 222 area is good, you may also want to take a look at
the creeks closer to the lake just north of 1375. Good luck.

Thanks for the tips. The area just north of 1375 is not too far of a drive for me.

[Trent D]

Got the kitchen pass for a Saturday morning hunt. I'm going to head back to my spot on 1374, but I will try to spend a bit of time afterwards checking out 1375 around the lake.

Thanks for the advice.

T

[GatorYak]

My brother and I did some hunting off of 1374 this past Saturday and came up empty. Matter of fact he only hog I've ever seen in SHNF was during the May/Spring squirrel season last year (can't shoot hogs in the WMA during that time). I know areas that have tons of tracks and rootings, but thus far theirs and my schedules haven't coincided.

I hunt a spot that's full of hardwoods with tons of acorns and tracks, but no hogs sighted in the 3 years I've hunted the forest. Lots of squirrels, but no pork.

I'm heading back there not this Friday, but next. I'll post up if I get anything.

Keep the reports coming.

Trent

I ranch in an area that is "litterally" chewed up by hogs. I always hunt near, not on top of,..... water. We're dry down here, don't know about that area, but.....a hog will drink several times a day. They will always be near water.......No water............No hogs!

[Trent D]

Spent another great morning in the forest. Had an owl perch on a branch less than 40 ft from my ground blind and try to figure out what I was for about 3-4 minutes. Had 3 squirrels playing within 60 ft of me all morning. Not a single grunt to be heard.

That's why they call it hunting and not shooting.

I do have to say that the signs weren't there. No fresh tracks or rootings. Still lots of acorns and the creeks are full of water, but very few indications that hogs had been in there this week.

Heard a crew hunting with dogs. Sure would have loved to have been running with them.

I can make one last hunt, next Friday, before the season ends. Time to find another spot...

Trent

[Treuse Goose]

Nice Piggy, ya'll hear or see any turkeys out there?

[GatorYak]

Finally got my first hog in the national forest. I spotted ..........

I just took another look at your sow. That pig sure shows a lot more "eastern Russian trait" than our hogs do, I wonder what a really BIG hog will weigh, way over there east? I think it still stands, but the state record hog was killed on a place about 2 miles from one of our pastures. He was shot near a milo and corn field in south Victoria County If my old "brain box" doesn't fail me, I am pretty sure that hog weighed in excess of 850 lbs.

We (along with another gentleman, had several thousand acres of "lower" country leased, back in the 70's and 80's. It lay between the mouth of the Guadalupe River, and the Victoria Barge Canal. During one, of several, floods, we were moving cattle to the Barge Canal high bluff area. My dad and a friend, went back in the ranch to check for lost and missed cattle. A huge hog ran across the gravel road, that ran along "Hog Bayou". My dad stopped the 4X4 and Shelby stepped out and shot this big boar. He fell, then stood up and ran in the opposite direction. Dad hit him with a 30-06 in the neck, he fell, got up, Selby shot again with his 30-30 and dad shot again. That's four .30 cal. rds. at 40 to 50 yds. and he was still kickin'. One more shot to the brain and the problem of loading this critter was just beginning.

To make a LONG story....a bit shorter....I'll get to the point. This hog, when put inside an 8' LWB pickup, lying diagonally, hung out of the bed, over the tail gate. They hung that brute up in the barn and with his head laying horizontal on the floor, his hocks were higher than my dad could reach. He was 6'1" at that time. The hocks would have to have been over 8-1/2/feet. They couldn't weigh him whole. Those old cotton scales only went to 500#. They weighed parts, and guessed he weighed around 700#. Somewhere, my mom has the pictures....I'll get them and post them someday soon.

[Bendbackshrimp]

As far as the turkey go, I've hunted the nat'l forest for the past 2 years and have seen only 2 sets of tracks and have not seen or heard one yet. Think the sabine and angelina areas hold better populations of the easterns.

I've seen 5 hogs during my trips, all were either hanging around the creeks like the two in this report or trotting along game trails along the creeks.
The largest looked to be around 300 lbs and was a mixed brown/white color.
He was trotting full speed and had about a one second window at a shot. I wasn't quick enough on that one.

Also, I only hunt there on weekdays. I'm sure that may help in spotting those creatures.

[Bloodhound]

Finally got my first hog in the national forest. I spotted ..........

I just took another look at your sow. That pig sure shows a lot more "eastern Russian trait" than our hogs do, I wonder what a really BIG hog will weigh, way over there east? I think it still stands, but the state record hog was killed on a place about 2 miles from one of our pastures. He was shot near a milo and corn field in south Victoria County If my old "brain box" doesn't fail me, I am pretty sure that hog weighed in excess of 850 lbs.

We (along with another gentleman, had several thousand acres of "lower" country leased, back in the 70's and 80's. It lay between the mouth of the Guadalupe River, and the Victoria Barge Canal. During one, of several, floods, we were moving cattle to the Barge Canal high bluff area. My dad and a friend, went back in the ranch to check for lost and missed cattle. A huge hog ran across the gravel road, that ran along "Hog Bayou". My dad stopped the 4X4 and Shelby stepped out and shot this big boar. He fell, then stood up and ran in the opposite direction. Dad hit him with a 30-06 in the neck, he fell, got up, Selby shot again with his 30-30 and dad shot again. That's four .30 cal. rds. at 40 to 50 yds. and he was still kickin'. One more shot to the brain and the problem of loading this critter was just beginning.

To make a LONG story....a bit shorter....I'll get to the point. This hog, when put inside an 8' LWB pickup, lying diagonally, hung out of the bed, over the tail gate. They hung that brute up in the barn and with his head laying horizontal on the floor, his hocks were higher than my dad could reach. He was 6'1" at that time. The hocks would have to have been over 8-1/2/feet. They couldn't weigh him whole. Those old cotton scales only went to 500#. They weighed parts, and guessed he weighed around 700#. Somewhere, my mom has the pictures....I'll get them and post them someday soon.

Did you find the pics, Gator Yak?

[Phishtech]

Thanks for the info. I'll google the SHNF and Alabama WMA. Looking for something closer to the house to rove with my bow.

Good to see you back. Thought maybe you'd kicked the bucket.

[Milkjug]

Bloodhound's posts are 95% on resurrected ancient historical threads.

I want to say he suckered someone into a "OMG Jolly Roger is posting again" comment a couple weeks back but that may have been another ressurector's work.

NW is still gone with the wind. Meh, never cared too much for flounder or traditional archery anyways.

[Bloodhound]

Lol. I've had a great time reading these threads. I'm back to 2008. I just now decided to go back to page 1 to see what people wrote on these ancient threads. Didn't mean to trick anyone

[hillbillie]

The Area around Cagle is infested with hogs. I have seen them multiple times swimming across the creeks while I was there kayaking. I'm talking BIG one's that look to have a lot of Russian in them like the ones in Victoria. Be careful messing with them I saw one tear up a hog trap made out of cross ties, then got the Mexican ranch-hand. Then tried to tear up my friends hunting jeep. I would have never believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes.

Have A Blessed Day!