Hog hunting in Texas

[shooter357]

I was initially looking into a .308 but after talking to my brother in Texas, he has me wanting to go with at least a 30-06. What do any of you think?
Does anyone know if FMJ are legal for hunting in Texas?

[P-11 shooter]

Oh boy.

Tomcat should be here shortly with a novel on the subject. Prepare to be informed :P)

[shooter357]

I forgot about him. I even brought him up in the conversation about the pics he sent me with the coyotes.

[Tomcat088]

LOL, I'm already here and on top of it. You said the magic words "Texas" (being the main one), and then "hog". I'll try to elaborate a bit on everything, although depending on a few things it can get a little confusing.

The first thing that you should know is that there are a couple of kinds of "hogs" in Texas. Depending on if you purchase a hunt with someone and if they're an outfitter or more of a farmer could change things. There ARE regulations on Javalena, but there are NOT THE SAME regulations for "feral hogs". Both are a type of pig, although they're quite different. There are also different regulations for licenses, depending on the purpose of the hunt. If you're "depredating pigs" then you technically don't need a license for hunting feral hogs. If you're "hunting pigs" and the outfitter has an outfit that sells hunts, then you DO need a non resident hunting license. It depends on a lot of things and is a bit confusing at times. If you're mainly only here to hunt feral hogs, and need a license, then the cheapest license will be the "Non-resident 5 day special hunting type" for $45. If you intend on being here longer than that to hunt hogs, you'll hvae to go with the "Non-resident special hunting" for $125. This will outline some of the laws and rules of the licenses for you http://www.fishgame.com/resource/resources.aspx?Rid=3 . Part of the big deal is that if you need a license, then you MUST have "Hunter Education" or an equivalent that Texas honors. Since you were born after Sept 2, 1971, you have to have hunter's education, it's mandatory for EVERYONE hunting that is born after that date. It doesn't matter if you're a resident or not, you MUST have it. You cannot get a hunting license without it, or if some idiot sells you a license without one just because you told him that you have had it. When the game warden stops you, and you don't have it, you're looking at a BIG fine, especially since you're from out of state. Texas is VERY big on enforcing game laws, and they will take you for everything that they legally can get. They have no problem impounding your firearms, vehicles, and anything else that you have while you were committing the act. FOLLOW THE LAWS, lol, trust me on this. You may be able to do the "education deferral", if you're only gonna do this one time, then that might be easier and better. It means you have 1 year to complete your hunter education, and you can only do it once. After that, you MUST have the hunter education. If you defer, it'll add another $10 to your license.

This is the clause that is the law about "depredating hogs or coyotes," "Depredating feral hogs, if a landowner (resident or non-resident) or landowner's agent or lessee is taking feral hogs causing depredation on the landowner's land." Since you're ont the land owner, you'd have to be his "agent" or "lessee" in order to get away with it. So you may want to talk to the land owner. The game wardens aren't that hard on locals about hunting hogs, but I don't know if they'd be as gracious with an out of stater. If you talk too much, act in a way they consider disrespectful, or especially like a smart @$$, don't count on them doing you any favors.

Ok, now to the other "laws" about hunting hogs. Hogs fall under "exotic game", so they have their own set of laws. They are NOT considered game animals, which is where most of the major regulations are. Here's a page to help with some definitions for you and help give credibility to what I'm saying http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publicat...x.phtml#exotic . You CAN hunt in Texas with semi auto's, depending on what animal you're hunting, there may or may not be some other regulations. You CAN hunt feral hogs with AR's or other semi auto's like SKS's, AK's, etc. You CAN hunt feral hogs with suppressors. So far as I know, you CAN hunt feral hogs with FMJ's (although I don't know if I'd recommend it or not, we'll get into that in a moment). The law says that you MUST have a valid hunting permit (some exceptions for hogs), you CANNOT hunt them from a public road or right of way (this does not cover private roads or "turn rows"). You CANNOT hunt the exotic without the land owner's permission, and you CANNOT be in possession of an exotic carcass without the land owner's consent.

Game animals have a fair amount of regulations with firearms, etc. Varmints and other "non game" animals (exotics) fall under this: Nongame Animals (Non-Protected): Any lawful firearm, pellet gun, or other air gun is legal. So as far as I know, there is NO requirement for caliber, center fire, suppressors, etc. I'm gonna give you a link to SOME (not all) of the regulations for hunting. You'll notice it says it is NOT legal to hunt with suppressors, rimfires, etc, but notice that's under "Game animals". http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publicat...al/hunt/means/ It is also perfectly legal to hunt feral hogs from vehicles, boats, etc, and to bait them. PLEASE get a copy of the handbook, so that you can look over all the laws. Texas is SERIOUS about their game laws, and as I said before, they will impound your truck, firearms, EVERYTHING.

Now then, recommendations on firearms, caliber, etc. This is kind of a tough question, and part of it depends on what kind of hunting you're doing, and what you want to accomplish. Some outfits will sell you so many pigs for a certain price, while others will be "as many as you can kill", etc. If you have a limited number of pigs to kill, and it's not that big of a number; a bolt gun, particularly a "big bore rifle" will serve you well. If the outfitter has a "wounded" policy, where you have to bring back every animal you wound, or else that's the end of your hunt, then you probably don't want the biggest magnum rifle you have, although a "reasonable" bolt gun will work great. You could use a magnum as well, but you're really gonna have to watch your line of fire. You WILL sometimes shoot through pigs (depending on where you hit them, bullet weight and design, and velocity); if you wound others behinds them, you may have to track them, and that could be a HUGE headache. If you are allowed to kill a LOT of hogs, then semi auto is DEFINITELY the way to go. You'll have WAY more fun getting lots of follow up shots on pigs, with minimal effort. Please do NOT think that I am saying you should "spray and pray" on hogs. I'm just saying that if you want to take multiple hogs and have the best chance at follow up shots, semi-auto rifles are the way to go. Part of your decision will depend on how you're going to be hunting and the outfitters rules. Some guys won't really have any rules besides being safe, this is because we have a MAJOR problem with feral hogs. There are quite a few guys that DO like to take advantage of out of state guys that don't realize how plentiful feral hogs are in Texas.

I've shot a LOT of hogs in my life (hundreds). I'm a bolt gun guy and that's what I usually carry around my pickup, and it's chambered in .300 WSM. You have to keep in mind that I don't just shoot feral hogs, and I do NOT see it as the "perfect hog gun". I LOVE to shoot pigs with magnum rifles, you know that you got enough penetration, you hear an INSANE thump, and if you watch your shots you can take at least 1 other pig behind it with a lethal shot. To some people, this will sound quite unethical, but we MUST kill as many hogs as we can, they're a BIG problem here. One of the best rifles that you could probably take hog hunting would be something like an AR-10 or a variation of an M1 (Garand or M1A, NOT a carbine). .308's are NOT my favorite caliber, they're plenty enough penetration for pigs, and in a semi auto you can really get into hammering some pigs. After you fire 1 round, you're going to have moving targets; a hog running 30 mph or faster, while you're trying to run the bolt, be safe and now sweep someone or something behind the target, find them in the scope, breathe right and make a hit is NOT easy. An AR gets rid of some of those variables, and if you're hunting in a remote place can help eliminate some of the others. I wouldn't deter you from a .308 one bit, especially on a paid hunt where you can shoot lots of hogs. Depending on the area of Texas that you're hunting, you may get some longer shots than you're used to, but you'll also have some fairly close shots. Some of us also run hogs with trucks, and in that case even 00 buckshot from shotguns with 8 shot magazines work well also. Keep in mind this isn't any kind of optimum set up for other types of hunting, and lots of guys will NOT take someone they don't know on this type of hunting. It's something they do with people that are experienced, 100% safe (not speculation), so you probably WON'T be doing this type of hunting.

AR15's work as well, but they're kind of a "trade off". I've killed a TON of pigs with AR15's, but I've seen plenty of guys wound pigs as opposed to kill them with AR15's. The .223 WILL penetrate pigs and kill them, but sometimes the expanding bullets from .223's are NOT the best. If you're using varmint bullets on feral hogs, you are NOT gonna get enough penetration, and you'll have lots of pigs run off. Heavy bullets are what I prefer on pigs, for ANY caliber; all of that is assuming that your rifle can shoot them accurately. If you choose a "deer bullet" for .223 and your AR shoots it well, you can definitely use it to hunt feral hogs. They work really well because they're so low recoil, and just barely enough to get the job done. I like headshots for the first shot on pigs, because it'll drop the pig regardless of caliber, and you can usually get a head and the heart of a pig behind it lined up. With a .223, you probably will NOT get enough penetration to get 2 pigs per shot, and that's a bit of a trade off to some people.

Pigs are quite thick, and even when you aim for their hearts, they have a "plate" that helps protect it. The plate is made of cartilage and gets thicker and further back as they get older. It's why if you're shooting pigs with varmint bullets even for the heart and lungs, you'll have limited success. A .308, and even smaller calibers that are moving fast (.243, .270, etc) WILL shoot through this plate without much trouble. As I said, using heavy bullets that penetrate well are what you want with pigs. You can use FMJ's, and they help with the penetration of the .223, but if you don't take headshots or know EXACTLY where the vitals of hogs are, you're not gonna have much success killing hogs. Feral hog hearts are NOT in the same place as other game animals. I'll be sending you a photo via PM that is a bit gorey for most people on the forum that shows you how far forward their heart and lungs are. You're basically gonna be punching through the front shoulder, quite low, if you want to catch their heart. Trying to make perfect hits on running pigs, in a place that you're not used to doesn't work as well as people like to think.



Most people are terrible at shooting at moving targets to begin with. It's part of the reason that I have mixed feeling about FMJ's, you'll get lots of wounded pigs. So if you go with .223, you most likely want a heavy bullet (non varmint), that will expand. If you're going with larger caliber, you probably also want a heavy, deep penetrating bullet. I like the accubonds and would recommend 165-180 grain if you're shooting a .308. If you decide to go with a .30-06, .300 winmag, etc., I think 180 grain is the way to go. It'll recoil more than you may be used to, but it'll put the hurting on pigs. Fast expanding bullets like Berger Hunting, Hornady A-max and V-max, Nosler Ballistic Tips, etc. will NOT work well on hogs. I'm not degrading these bullets, and use some of these bullets for other applications, but NOT hogs. You want some harder hitting bullets that are known for deeper penetration like Nosler Accubond, Hornady Inter-bond, Barnes TSX and TSX tipped, Swift Scirocco, etc. There's lots of other good bullets available, those are just some that quickly came to mind. As I said, if you have a lot of pigs to kill, an AR15 or AR10 are about as good as it gets, IF you know the limitations of the platform and your shooting.

Pig hunting is a lot of fun, and it can be a little dangerous. Please feel free to ask me any other questions that you might have, I'll try my best to answer them for you. Please also feel free to ask about a particular weapon, caliber, bullet/load, etc. If you know where you'll be hunting pigs, style of hunting, and terrain, that will help as well. I know this is a lot of information, but I hope it's helped answer some of your questions. If you have more, keep 'em coming.

[Fr0sty]

LOL, I'm already here and on top of it. You said the magic words "Texas" (being the main one), and then "hog". I'll try to elaborate a bit on everything, although depending on a few things it can get a little confusing.

The first thing that you should know is that there are a couple of kinds of "hogs" in Texas. Depending on if you purchase a hunt with someone and if they're an outfitter or more of a farmer could change things. There ARE regulations on Javalena, but there are NOT THE SAME regulations for "feral hogs". Both are a type of pig, although they're quite different. There are ..............................

Tomcat

Nice write up as always, and it brought a question to mind. A couple of years ago I had to head to Graham TX for work. While I was there I had a chance to do a lot of driving and I noticed how the land was laid out. When I left I started to have this idea of long range hog shots. I did some research and saw that the hogs can be a tough critter to take down if the shot is not placed accurately.

With that said and hearing that you have a lot of experience with these animals, what are your thoughts on long range hog shots? I was considering my 338 LM, ideal range being 600m+. My 338 is fed by 10rd boxes so follow up shots although no where near the speed of a semi would be pretty timely(however due to range, they would not be "fast" by any means). Your point on pass-through has been well taken. I think they will lend itself to the fun of the hunt, or the inability to take a shot, but may provide a more sporting situation.

Anyways, as a person that knows both aspects (LR shooting, and hog hunting) what are your thoughts on this? I was looking to send 250gr - 300gr projectiles moving pretty quick. So yea, just a day dream of mine at this point.

[Tomcat088]

Tomcat

Nice write up as always, and it brought a question to mind. A couple of years ago I had to head to Graham TX for work. While I was there I had a chance to do a lot of driving and I noticed how the land was laid out. When I left I started to have this idea of long range hog shots. I did some research and saw that the hogs can be a tough critter to take down if the shot is not placed accurately.

With that said and hearing that you have a lot of experience with these animals, what are your thoughts on long range hog shots? I was considering my 338 LM, ideal range being 600m+. My 338 is fed by 10rd boxes so follow up shots although no where near the speed of a semi would be pretty timely(however due to range, they would not be "fast" by any means). Your point on pass-through has been well taken. I think they will lend itself to the fun of the hunt, or the inability to take a shot, but may provide a more sporting situation.

Anyways, as a person that knows both aspects (LR shooting, and hog hunting) what are your thoughts on this? I was looking to send 250gr - 300gr projectiles moving pretty quick. So yea, just a day dream of mine at this point.

Howdy Frosty, thank you, and I'm glad that you liked the write up. It is definitely possible to engage and hit hogs from long range distances. I've done it quite a lot with "just" a .300 winmag, lol. Buddies and myself have hit them at 800 yards or a tad more, and even running a 180-190 grain bullet moving at a good clip, it still puts a hurting on them. I honestly don't think that a .308 at 800+ could get the job done, especially not a gas gun that is bleeding off a little pressure to cycle the action. At those kind of distances, semi's are slightly at a disadvantage over the equilvalent bolt gun. Follow up shots aren't your main concern, they're usually just a tad bit less accurate, less velocity, and the lock time on the triggers doesn't help either. So don't feel like you're at a disadvantage with a bolt gun. Every time we've engaged pigs at long range, it's been with bolt guns.

You'll have VERY good success on pigs at long range with a .338 Lapua, considering that you do your part and have a good load. It'll be easier to put cold bore hits on target, and you'll DEFINITELY have enough kinetic energy and speed to get penetration and kills. Most of the time, you can drop at least 2 at that range (if you start on the ends), before the pigs quite know what's going on. At longer ranges when you hit animals, sometimes they don't quite know what happened, so they stand there, try to take a step and fall over. When that happens, it doesn't startle the other animals at all, especially since the sound of the gunshot is quite dispersed, and sometimes not even heard because of wind and the noise the pigs are making. As I said, follow up shots aren't your biggest concern, just getting the cold bore shot on and taking one or maybe 2 is about as good as it's gonna get. The 250 grain bullets will have PLENTY of punch even past 1,000 yards, and if you're rifle likes them, that's what I would shoot. The 300 grain bullets would do just as good, but you usually have to push higher pressures to get the moving as fast, which can wear on the barrel, results in more recoil, and you'll still have more drop. So if your rifle likes sometimes around the 250 grain flavor, go for it, they'll get the job done.

Some people will argue with you about the ethics of taking any kind of animal long range, and that's all it is, ethics. If you can reliably put cold bore hits on target, and the bullet has enough kinetic energy to consistently kill the animal; there's no reason to have to worry. Most people can't put hits on target at longer ranges, and wind is always a factor. When you move up to cartridges like the .338's, you don't have to worry as much about the wind (still have to worry), and having enough kinetic energy to kill the animal isn't really a concern. Honestly, because of the big problems that we have with hogs, I don't care if you get solid hits on them, just get some hits and kill them. We MUST thin their numbers out here, it's just getting so out of hand. So while it may be a dream of yours, lol, it's definitely something that can be a reality.

[shooter357]

Tomcat088, thanks for the detailed info. You answered some questions I had before I even had them. I will be to the northeast of Dallas and as of now, not sure were I will be hunting. My brother will be talking to some family and friends about were to hunt. I would like to hunt private property with a landowner who just wants to see less of them. I want to do this for fun and some all natural meat. Since this will be my first visit to the state I want to do something to remember it by.

Thanks again Tomcat088 and I will most likely have more questions.

[Jrkotz]

I took a 50 Beowulf, it was obviously sufficient, but waaay more than necessary. They are def tough to kill. I'd take a 12 Ga or your deer rifle. FMJ are legal, but not an effective or humane round for hunting.

A 308 is almost ballistically identical to an '06 and would be a fantastic choice.

I'd say anything 243 or larger would do the trick. Head shots put 'em down quick.

Good luck!

-J

[shooter357]

When talking about headshots, can I figure you are talking about the area around the ear?

[Fr0sty]

Tomcat,

Thanks for the great information. I am not shooting the most accurate rifle by any stretch (But she is no chump either) and I still need to dial in an effective load. Once I get the fps where'd like, I need to stretch it's legs to 600yds, and as long as it does what it is supposed to and I do my part, I will head up to Williamsport for some trigger time at range.

I am still learning a lot about the 338 LM such as wind effects, drop, etc.. and how I react to shooting it. Recoil isn't the issue, it's the sound that will teach me a flinch.

Again, thank you for your posts and BTW> How is your Millet working out? (You can hit me up in a PM if you want)