Wild boars in Texas?

[DCM]

It looks like I may be going on a wild boar hunt in TX early next year.
My questions are what should I bring and what should I expect?
I am thining about a 7mm mag with FLGCs and a 375 mag with LFNs.
What other equipment is recommended besides guns and ammo?
What size are most of the boars? Weight and hight?

[LIMPINGJ]

A sharp knife and plenty ice for the ice chest if you want the meat.

[725]

Small ones are tastier.

[drinks]

They are shot with everything from air rifles to .458s.
.30-30 is more than enough, .22 mag. gets a lot of them, a pistol cartridge carbine, .357, .44 mag. .45 lc is great for under 100 yds or so.
Most are shot after dark so night vision scopes are a big help.
A friend likes his SKS with a night vision scope, works fine for him.

[300savage]

Deep woods off.. headlamp.. two sharp knives and a diamond steel.. glow tacks to mark blood if needed at night.. it can get wet and cold so plan fer it .

[WilliamDahl]

Texas is a large country. Depending upon where you will be, hog hunting can be a bit different. If you are up in the northern parts of our country (i.e. around Amarillo) in the winter, it gets cold. If you are down south near Mexico, it is decidedly warmer in the "winter". Mosquito repellant is always a good idea though.

We have a fairly open door policy with our northern neighbor (i.e. the US), but we're still our own country, so you need to respect that. Just remember to order grits with your breakfast and Lone Star or Shiner beer for lunch and dinner and you'll do fine. Oh, and if you are in a rural area, driving an old Ford F-150 will let you blend right in.

[Stephen Cohen]

A few sets of disposable latex gloves, a few good sized garbage bags, couple of disposable wash cloths and small first aid kit, nothing wrecks a trip like a septic wound. These items are in my bum pack at all times. Oh if you do shoot one with 22mag don't turn your back on it, I know first hand.

[starmac]

I was born and bred in Texas, but shore never had to drink lonestar or shiner. lol

[Griz44mag]

Deep woods off.. headlamp

Bring a really big cooler, take as many as you can possibly haul away. And thank you!
Don't forget to leave lots behind for the 'yotes so we will have good predator hunting the following year.
If you are coming in the summer, snake boots and leggings are good, saved me a painful bite several times. I went through that once, not much fun.
Pretty much anything 75gr and bigger, 1200 fps or faster, will take a hog down, they are not hard to kill if you hit them solid, if not, know where the closest tree or pickup bed is. Even short tusks can make some nasty cuts. (Remember the part about snakes boots and leggings?)
Camera for pictures to post here.
And have fun!

[x101airborne]

I was born and bred in Texas, but shore never had to drink lonestar or shiner. lol

Boy, you missed out. LoneStar is the Natural Light of the area and Shiner (10 miles away) is the Cadillac of beers.

As far as boar hunting goes, don't try to over-think it. They are tough. And I have been caught with my pants down, figuratively, on a couple occasions. Don't ever go out without a backup weapon of even marginal ability. I like a 40 SW with decent cast rounds on a lanyard and a good belt. But you do not need a cannon to put them down reliably. Anything with the impact performance of the 30-30 is well enough to 150 yards. Most of the hogs around here you will encounter are 200 pounds or under. A 300 pounder is a "hoss" and a 400 pounder is a once in a lifetime kill. In 30 years of hunting, I have seen 2 dead (not by me) and I have encountered one and did not get a shot. If you are comfortable with a 7 mag, that is great. But a magnum is not necessary. I use the 7.62x39 from an AR with night vision for most of my hunting. Use whatever you like, but a 6.5x55 or a 7 mauser is MORE than enough.

[helice]

Wow! Texas sounds a lot like North Dakota: Mosquito spray, warm sox, buzz tail leggings, two knives, F-150s. You'd want to order lefsa instead of grits though.
My 308 worked fine on a sow. DRT. I repeat the above: the little ones taste great, and be sure to pack a hog-leg.

[WilliamDahl]

Wow! Texas sounds a lot like North Dakota: Mosquito spray, warm sox, buzz tail leggings, two knives, F-150s. You'd want to order lefsa instead of grits though.
My 308 worked fine on a sow. DRT. I repeat the above: the little ones taste great, and be sure to pack a hog-leg.

Not really... Our definition "cold" is probably what North Dakota considers a warm day. I'm pretty sure that I had my air-conditioner on for at least 11 months out of the year last year (and I am not even in the most southern part of Texas).

[WilliamDahl]

Boy, you missed out. LoneStar is the Natural Light of the area and Shiner (10 miles away) is the Cadillac of beers.

Well, I wouldn't insult Shiner by comparing it with a *** GM product, but it is not that bad of a beer if you get it fresh out of the keg like the brewer intended for it to taste. It's not as good as St. Arnold's, but if you are drinking it, you'll blend in and people might not think you're one of those Damn Yankee carpetbaggers who come down here because they are tired of shoveling snow.

[Lonegun1894]

I have used everything in my collection starting with .22LR pistols to .45-70 rifles, and everything in between, including muzzleloaders, pistol caliber lever-actions, and various handguns, in addition to archery gear. Don't overthink it, just use whatever gun you're comfortable with and can shoot well. Bring a backup handgun, just in case, but you PROBABLY won't need it. At least one or two good sharp knives, and they don't have to be big, so don't worry about that. My most used one only has a 3-3.5" blade, so not huge, just comfortable. I will second the sharpening stone or diamond stone, those come in handy. Bug spray, and regardless of the weather, long pants, long sleeves, and boots. Dress for the weather, but even when it is warm, wear enough to cover your skin so it protects you from sunburn/plants/insects, and a hat of some kind (weather appropriate). Most are 200lbs or smaller, but I have taken a few slightly over 300 and one that was just over 400. All tasted great, but the bigger ones got baked sealed in foil or a crock pot while the smaller ones got BBQd. If you get a bigger one, just think low heat and slow cooking and seal in the moisture and they turn out great anyway. A cooler, or several, plenty of ice, and trashbags. And bring baby wipes to clean your hands off well, even if you wear latex gloves for cleaning/butchering. If you're not going to mount the head, put a "security round" through it, just to be safe. That is what I do, and I have never had one try to come back to life on me after I started this practice. Even a .22 is enough for this, so it doesn't need to be a large caliber by any means. Ranges vary, but I have yet to not manage to get inside 100yds when I tried, and my normal shots are 25-50yds, so handguns are fine for this type of hunting. My most three used modern calibers are .22LR, .357 Mag, and .30-30. I also use .45 Colt a lot, but it really isn't needed as I get pass throughs even with the .22 LR handguns. Most of my hogs run less than 20 yds, and the longest run to date is 50yds. It is all in the placement. Just make sure you study up on pig anatomy as it isn't the same as the deer that we're all used to. Just put your shot in the right place and you will do fine and eat well. As to the stuff about having a tree or truck, I won't tell you not to, as I have been charged a few times, but I always stand my ground and have yet to fail to put one in the head to stop the charge--but I also know that this will fail me some day and I will get nailed sooner or later. Can't play that game and always win, so remember that. What kind of nerves do you have, and are you willing to take that gamble like I do, knowing that you might succeed for life, or it might be the first time you have it happen that those tusks will get you. If you have any doubt, or a woman at home who will kill you for taking this chance if the hog doesn't, please don't play this game. Here is the way I see it. I usually carry a .357 Security Six as my backup, and it is the same one that I carry on duty, so it is an extension of me. It is plenty of gun, and very accurate, and I have full confidence in it. Just carry something you're comfortable with and shoot well, get close enough to get within your comfort range, and put the bullet where it belongs. There is nothing magical about a hog, although they are a bit tougher and often bigger than deer. Lets put it this way, while I don't recommend this for everyone, I have taken quite a few by taking a walk in the woods at night with a pocketknife, .22 handgun, and flashlight. They're considered varmints here so night hunting and lights are legal, and there is no caliber limitation. Be safe, and enjoy your hunt.

[HighHook]

WoW! Visiting gods Country, shooting/ hunting with homemade cast boolits, drinking Great beer, driving f150's ( already do that) sounds like my kind of fun...

[Cosmiceyes]

I was born and bred in Texas, but shore never had to drink lonestar or shiner. lol

Well said "City Slicker"! 's
Attachment 79622

[TXGunNut]

Wild boars in Texas? Better hurry on down before we run out, they're going fast! And don't believe the stories about the mean ones, it's just a story we tell to scare the tourists. Most are docile as can be when a big slow chunk of lead goes where it's supposed to.
All kidding aside check with your outfitter/guide/host for gear recommendations. They know what works in their situation and they very much want you to be successful. Like any hunting situation safe gun handling is a must, especially when things get a little crazy.
Have fun, kill a big pile of them and take pictures. If you're a beer drinker I think you'll enjoy the St Arnold's beer, only problem is you may not be able to find it when you get home.

[drinks]

For the bigger ones, I just chunk it up, add an equal amount of store bought boston butt and season properly, grind, stuff and smoke.
Never a bit tough!

[customcutter]

Make sure you use latex gloves, especially if you have any open wounds on your hands or anywhere you may get blood or body fluids from the pig. They are known to carry burcelosis(sp), we call it bangs disease here in Fl. If you do get a boar, remove his pecker and testicles as soon as he hits the dirt. Makes a world of difference in the taste of the meat.

[kevindtimm]

Wow! Texas sounds a lot like North Dakota: Mosquito spray, warm sox, buzz tail leggings, two knives, F-150s. You'd want to order lefsa instead of grits though.
My 308 worked fine on a sow. DRT. I repeat the above: the little ones taste great, and be sure to pack a hog-leg.

I've lived (and hunted) in Dallas and Austin area and have yet to put a drop of bug spray on my person (and always giggle when people talk about big mosquitos, they have clearly never been to Northern MN in the summer). Lefse is for sure the way to go in ND, but here they're just potato tortillas