Texas Hog Hunting help

[mitchkeller87]

A buddying and I are going to Texas in March and would like to hunt some hog while we are down there. We really don't want to pay and outfitter if possible. If anyone is willing to help us find some pigs while we are there that would be great. It can be anywhere in the state since this is the purpose of the trip down. We would like to use our rifles and bows to take some pigs. We really appreciate it, Thanks.

 

[djones]

i don't think there are any hogs in texas

 

[djones]

i'm kidding of course. problem is most private land has limited access. you usually need to know someone who knows someone. i'm guessing few landowners are likely to let strangers come on their land and hunt when there are plenty of folks willing to pay for the privilege. even if hogs are so bad that they're causing a problem, many landowners have been abused by poachers shooting up equipment that it's just not worth the trouble.

i'd look into a day lease operation, but if you really don't want to pay, then check out the public hunting lands. it may be on the parks and wildlife site. not sure how much it is for out of state hunters, but you will need special permits as well as an out of state license.

 

[.30US]

Where are you coming from, and what kind of terrain do you want to hunt in Texas? I would say your chances of success without knowing someone who owns land, or paying for access are slim, based on my limited experience trying Texas public lands. My family has a couple of ranches that I usually hunt, but I think we must have the only piece of property that size in Texas without hogs anymore; we haven't seen any signs in six or seven years on our main ranch, but they're in the residential areas around us. I've been hunting friends' properties for years, and it's pretty much guaranteed success. When I get a wild hair to try something new, I pick up a public land permit and go wander the woods a day or so here and there. I've seen a fox, a couple of raccoons, and enough dangerous hunters to make me consider body armor and most of my buddies refuse to go back. If you whittle down a general area you're interested in, or terrain, I can probably help, with the exception of the panhandle.

 

[Bucklowery]

Where are you coming from, and what kind of terrain do you want to hunt in Texas? I would say your chances of success without knowing someone who owns land, or paying for access are slim, based on my limited experience trying Texas public lands. My family has a couple of ranches that I usually hunt, but I think we must have the only piece of property that size in Texas without hogs anymore; we haven't seen any signs in six or seven years on our main ranch, but they're in the residential areas around us. I've been hunting friends' properties for years, and it's pretty much guaranteed success. When I get a wild hair to try something new, I pick up a public land permit and go wander the woods a day or so here and there. I've seen a fox, a couple of raccoons, and enough dangerous hunters to make me consider body armor and most of my buddies refuse to go back. If you whittle down a general area you're interested in, or terrain, I can probably help, with the exception of the panhandle.

how about any area with some open areas. Looking for a area to do some longrange hog hunting. Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated.

thanks

buck

 

[WildRose]

Buck check online and see what you can find by using google. In some parts of the state the hogs are really hell on farmers and they advertise very reasonable rates for hog hunters year round. Some basically will charge you a minimal fee for room and board on their place and let you carry off all the hogs you can kill.

The rest consider them a resource and you will pay a considerable fee for access or have to go through an outfitter who leases hog hunting rights and does day hunts.

 

[.30US]

how about any area with some open areas. Looking for a area to do some longrange hog hunting. Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated.

thanks

buck

East Texas has some pretty nice pastures to hunt across, and a lot of power lines to hunt down in Southeast Texas. Going further north in East Texas and it's rolling pastures bordered by dense woods. I hunt Southeast Texas, north of Houston quite a bit on the edges of what's known as the Big Thicket. There are still long shots available, but they're often narrow shooting lanes down logging trails or power line/sewer right of ways.

South Texas has some of your best bets for big hogs. I like LaSalle County around Cotulla and Encinal, but anything down there is going to probably have good size hogs. Take snake leggings (not just boots) in the warmer months of Feb.-Nov., you'll thank me, especially if you have to go off a road to recover a hog. The brush is thick down in this area, but some of the senderos are really long, and it's pretty typical to put stands elevated at intersections of senderos giving you a good view, but, again, narrow firing lanes.

West Texas is one of my favorite places to hunt, but I don't get to often enough, and wasn't into long range hunting back when I used to hunt out there frequently. Anywhere from the Davis Mountains south to Big Bend is going to have a mix of hogs and javelina, and wide open areas to shoot. It's rugged and changes from rolling to rocky, but is some of the prettiest scenery Texas has to offer. If you've heard about antelope being a challenge to hunt, the area north of Ft. Davis will make you question it; herds stand right off the road and you can even get out and watch them from 50-100 feet away with them paying no concern.

Far West Texas is what I consider anything west of about Van Horn, TX. My family has a lot of property out in southern Hudspeth County. It's all desert, scrub brush, sand, and rolling terrain. Perfect for taking long shots, but I have yet to see anything worth hunting on our land out there. I hear that as you go north into the Guadalupe Mountains area, there might be more worth hunting, but I haven't been up there.

Central Texas is great hunting, if you can find access to land at a reasonable cost. When my buddies and I used to get bored in college, we'd head east out of Austin to a friend's property and always find hogs. At one friend's ranch, long shots were easy to come by, but at another's it was more heavily wooded. I've seen plenty of hogs on the sides of the road or in fields through most of central TX, and often wished I could hunt some of the places from Dripping Springs to Fredericksburg to Canyon Lake to Mason.

Someone else will have to chime in about the northern parts of Texas, as I've never hunted up there nor spent a lot of time.

Open area is something we have in abundance, fortunately.

 

[WildRose]

Anywhere south and east of the Llano Estacado is potentially good hog country. Once you get up on the Llano though water gets scarce which severely limits hog populations.

Anywhere in the rest of N. TX you have a combination of agriculture and ranching you will find hogs.

Wheat fields and Hay pastures make for great long range shooting opportunities during the fall, winter, and spring, and even in the summer after the hay/wheat are harvested. Even better if you can get on those places during harvest because they'll push large herds of hogs out as they are cutting.

The problem is getting access. Leasing hunting rights is the rule up here and while the farmers and ranchers hate hogs, they'd for the most part rather not have people hunting them unless they are paying for the privilege to do so. For many they are just another resource to use to pay the bills either by leasing the hunting rights or by trapping and selling the hogs themselves.

 

[Bucklowery]

East Texas has some pretty nice pastures to hunt across, and a lot of power lines to hunt down in Southeast Texas. Going further north in East Texas and it's rolling pastures bordered by dense woods. I hunt Southeast Texas, north of Houston quite a bit on the edges of what's known as the Big Thicket. There are still long shots available, but they're often narrow shooting lanes down logging trails or power line/sewer right of ways.

South Texas has some of your best bets for big hogs. I like LaSalle County around Cotulla and Encinal, but anything down there is going to probably have good size hogs. Take snake leggings (not just boots) in the warmer months of Feb.-Nov., you'll thank me, especially if you have to go off a road to recover a hog. The brush is thick down in this area, but some of the senderos are really long, and it's pretty typical to put stands elevated at intersections of senderos giving you a good view, but, again, narrow firing lanes.

West Texas is one of my favorite places to hunt, but I don't get to often enough, and wasn't into long range hunting back when I used to hunt out there frequently. Anywhere from the Davis Mountains south to Big Bend is going to have a mix of hogs and javelina, and wide open areas to shoot. It's rugged and changes from rolling to rocky, but is some of the prettiest scenery Texas has to offer. If you've heard about antelope being a challenge to hunt, the area north of Ft. Davis will make you question it; herds stand right off the road and you can even get out and watch them from 50-100 feet away with them paying no concern.

Far West Texas is what I consider anything west of about Van Horn, TX. My family has a lot of property out in southern Hudspeth County. It's all desert, scrub brush, sand, and rolling terrain. Perfect for taking long shots, but I have yet to see anything worth hunting on our land out there. I hear that as you go north into the Guadalupe Mountains area, there might be more worth hunting, but I haven't been up there.

Central Texas is great hunting, if you can find access to land at a reasonable cost. When my buddies and I used to get bored in college, we'd head east out of Austin to a friend's property and always find hogs. At one friend's ranch, long shots were easy to come by, but at another's it was more heavily wooded. I've seen plenty of hogs on the sides of the road or in fields through most of central TX, and often wished I could hunt some of the places from Dripping Springs to Fredericksburg to Canyon Lake to Mason.

Someone else will have to chime in about the northern parts of Texas, as I've never hunted up there nor spent a lot of time.

Open area is something we have in abundance, fortunately.

Thanks to everyone. Thanks 30 for taking the time for so much info

 

[.30US]

Glad to help. If you have any more questions, post 'em or shoot me a message. A friend's best friend's family owns this ranch, and she highly recommends it: The Callaghan Ranch LTD