Hog hunts near Austin TX

[OnceFired]

Hi all

Looking for recommendations on locations to go hog hunting north of Austin, TX. Grew up around guns, but not hunters. I've personally never been hunting before, and I want to go. I understand hog hunts are the cheapest overall mostly due to no license needed.

I live in Cedar Park - so driving down the street into Leander or Liberty Hill is a cakewalk. Burnet, Bertram, Lampassas, Florence, Briggs, Georgetown etc are all certainly within reason. Any recommendations on where to go?

I am looking for as easy on the wallet as possible. If there are swaths of land where there's a hog problem, I have heard of many landowners simply giving permission without having to pay to hunt. That or a barter of services would be ideal, but I'm open overall. I intend to harvest and process what I hunt. So I am also looking for a good processor, and need to understand what it's going to take to get the hog out of the woods.

What do you recommend?

OF

[jmra]

If you've never been hunting I'd recommend finding an experienced hunter to go with. Hogs can be mean.

[OnceFired]

Agreed, but I don't know anyone local who hunts. Yet.

[Chemist45]

Hello Oncefired,
First of all, you do need a license. Although it is legal to take hogs any time and almost any method, you still need a valid Texas hunting license.
This will cost you $25. No landowner will let you on their property without it.
http://tpwd.texas.gov/business/licenses ... ndex.phtml" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There are a number of game ranches around you that sell hog hunts for $100 - $150.
Here is one:
http://www.dbhunting.com/rates.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
(Not a recommendation - I found it on Google)
This hunt will entail sitting in a blind near an automatic corn feeder and waiting for the feeder to trigger. Once that happens the hogs will come running and you can shoot one.
Some places will field dress it for you, others will not.

I too have heard that there are landowners just looking for people like you and I to take hogs off of their property and will not charge for it - they understand we are doing them a favor.
I am now convinced that these people are as common as unicorns. I wish you luck in your search.

If anyone knows of an opportunity like I describe above, I'd be happy to take the landowner up on it and I'll even teach Oncefired how to field dress and butcher a hog in the bargain.
I butcher my own game and eat what I shoot.

[OnceFired]

@Chemist45

Thanks for your reply. This seems in direct contradiction to another official source of information regarding hog hunts in TX
http://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdo ... nd-permits

I am not opposed to having the basic license since the basic resident license itself is cheap.

The link you provided is the overall area I am looking in. I've been looking to buy land near Oatmeal, so I know that area pretty well just by driving around the backroads with my wife. Hopefully I can find something back in there. But yes, I have heard the same unicorn status for the free hunts.

How many hogs can be harvested on a given hunt by one hunter? I know it depends on how many seem to be of proper age etc but if they're such a nuisance, I imagine there is a higher limit than for other species?

OF

[Pawpaw]

@Chemist45

Thanks for your reply. This seems in direct contradiction to another official source of information regarding hog hunts in TX
http://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdo ... nd-permits

I am not opposed to having the basic license since the basic resident license itself is cheap.

The link you provided is the overall area I am looking in. I've been looking to buy land near Oatmeal, so I know that area pretty well just by driving around the backroads with my wife. Hopefully I can find something back in there. But yes, I have heard the same unicorn status for the free hunts.

How many hogs can be harvested on a given hunt by one hunter? I know it depends on how many seem to be of proper age etc but if they're such a nuisance, I imagine there is a higher limit than for other species?

OF

Your link says:

A hunting license is not required to hunt the following:

Coyotes, if the coyotes are attacking, about to attack or have recently attacked livestock, domestic animals or fowl.

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.

Fur-bearing animals, if the hunter possesses a trapper's license or if the fur-bearing animals are causing depredation.

You would not be the landowner's agent, unless he hired you to do it. You obviously would not be the lessee.

This link http://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/nui ... eral_hogs/ says:

Feral hogs are unprotected, exotic, non-game animals. Therefore, they may be taken by any means or methods at any time of year. There are no seasons or bag limits, however a hunting license and landowner permission are required to hunt them.

[OnceFired]

Ah. I understood agent to mean his representative, but it seems there is a stronger & more narrow definition by Texas Parks & Wildlife. Gotcha.

OF

[ELB]

Make sure you thoroughly vet whoever you plan to hunt with. I ran across this on another board a couple years ago:
http://ingunowners.com/forums/great-out ... ost2603588" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://ingunowners.com/forums/great-out ... ost2615242" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
This guy eventually got a refund. The info on that particular hunting operation was already on the 'net, he just didn't see it before he went.

[johncanfield]

..How many hogs can be harvested on a given hunt by one hunter? I know it depends on how many seem to be of proper age etc but if they're such a nuisance, I imagine there is a higher limit than for other species?OF

There is no limit as to numbers, age, etc. HOWEVER... once your gun fires, the hogs scatter so your real-world bag limit is one assuming you hit it . If you use a semi-auto, you might manage to get one or two more. Hogs are fast and smart.

If the ranch is large enough, you can move to another area and try your luck again - that's what we do when I hunt on my BIL's ranch or a friend's ranch. Once the hogs get pressured, they will only come out in the middle of the night or they will move to another ranch.

As far as eating the wild porkers, we don't - we pull them out of the way with the truck or Mule and leave them for the carrion eaters. I've heard reports that wild hogs taste a) horrible or b) good - pick one.

[Abraham]

I've eaten feral hogs that were delicious and not in the least gamey.

I've also eaten some that were quite gamey.

It depends (I"m guessing) on what they've been eating on a regular basis.

[OnceFired]

Are we going to need an ATV to haul the hog out after field dressing it?

I haven't ever tried to drag a 150 lb dead weight any real distance on a hike. :)

OF

[johncanfield]

If you walk in, you'll have to pack it out however if we're walking our ride isn't too far away. There are carry backpacks and carry carts that would work well if you are walking a long way. You aren't going to drag even a 100 pound hog very far.

[Chemist45]

I've killed and eaten three hogs.
None were trophy sized. All were good eating.
My wife, brother and sister in all all enjoyed eating the pork.
YMMV.

[OnceFired]

How big were they hogs Chemist45?

I'm trying to understand an average amount of meat to be had from a typical hunt.

OF

[Chemist45]

OnceFired asked

How big were they hogs Chemist45?

I think the largest was ~120 on the hoof. We probably netted out 80 pounds of meat from that one.
I didn't weigh at the time - this is just best guessing.