G I/T V By Richard Franklin of Richards Custom Rifl es
www.richardscustomrifl
es.com • richardscustomrifl
es@gmail.com
Stress-Free Pillar Bedding .....................................$24.00 Metal working for a Rifl e Smith ..............................24.00 Inletti ng, Bedding & Clearcoati ng stocks 2 disc. .....29.00 Build a Smokeless Powder Muzzleloader 2 disc. ....29.00 Making & using Click Charts ...................................24.00 Precision Reloading for Accuracy ...........................24.00
G H V
Death in the Green Grass (one) ..............................24.00 Death in the Green Grass (two) 2 disc ....................29.00 Hunti ng Groundhogs with Muzzleloaders ..............24.00
Postage included. Check or Paypal
Richard Franklin, 10433 Stewartsville Rd. Vinton, Virginia 24179
deer I have killed with this bullet, lodged under the hide on the off side. Feral hogs have become a plague not only across the
South but in other areas as well. Texas has the dubious honor of having the largest number of feral hogs in the nation. Their numbers are now estimated to exceed two million in Texas. They also are found in two-thirds of our other states. Their destructive rooting isn’t limited to woods, pastures, and farmlands. They sometimes are seen destroying lawns in residential neighborhoods within the city limits of small communities around Houston. They even frequent the grassy areas of the Johnson Space Center. Efforts to eradicate these pests have been a miserable
failure. Professional hog hunters have been used to get rid of feral hogs in pastures where they are being really de- structive. Although many are trapped and removed, these methods seldom are the answers to the feral hog problem. With sows having eight or more pigs two or three times a year it is easy to see how quickly they can overpopulate an area. Helicopters recently have been approved by the Texas Parks and Wildlife folks to permit hog hunting from the air. I don’t anticipate very much success from hunting this way. After a shot or two has been fired they will simply escape to nearby wooded areas. Another approach to resolving the problem lies with a group of wildlife biologists. They are experimenting with a poison that is highly attractive to hogs and is quickly fatal once ingested by feral hogs. This compound is supposed to be completely ignored by other animals. The jury is still out on this. We have yet to see if it will become an approved practice and will truly help eliminate feral hogs. Hogs will eat just about anything, with acorns being
their favorite food. The acorn crop coincides with the opening of our Texas deer season and deer hunters take a lot of hogs. Those weighing from 75 to 200 pounds often are butchered, offering a source of pork that is free of feed lot additives. When larger hogs are shot, particularly an old boar, they are left in the woods because the meat is unpalatable. These attract coyotes, thus offering hunters a shot at another pest. Butchering hogs is not without certain risks. The han-
dling of feral hogs may expose an individual to an organism that causes tularemia, commonly known as rabbit fever. Hunters are advised to wear latex gloves when butchering feral hogs, particularly if there are cuts or scratches on the hands. Tularemia is characterized by chills, fever, ulcers on
Page 110 Spring 2012
the skin, and other unpleasant symptoms. It can be fatal in some cases. Feral hogs also may have bacteria that cause brucellosis. Meat from these hogs, as with any other animal food product, should be thoroughly cooked. A hog’s ability to absorb lead and keep going is over-
rated, I believe, because their aggressive reputation causes excited hunters to sometimes make poor shots when their adrenalin is working. Some hunters I have talked with be- lieve a 30-06 or 7mm Magnum is needed to stop a hog. When they tell me this I am reminded of a day when I saw several large shoats wallowing in the shallow end of a lake. The rifle I had with me at the time was a rimfire loaded with 22 Long Rifle match ammo. When they saw me they ran over the dam toward the woods. The two I shot were hit behind the shoulder and ran only a short distance. I gave both of my grandsons, Jeremiah and Matt, a
Remington Model 700 chambered in 222 Remington. Each of these rifles shoots half-inch groups at one hundred yards with 24.5 grains of Hodgdon 322 and Hornady 55-grain spire points. Both of these youngsters have taken hogs and deer with their rifles without losing an animal. Jeremiah went on a hog hunt with several friends to a ranch in the Trinity River bottom that has a large population of hogs. Several were killed on this hunt. Jeremiah’s hog dropped in its tracks with a 55-grain Hornady to the head while a buddy shooting a 308 Winchester hit a hog behind the shoulder several times only to have it run well over a hundred yards. The 180-grain bullet apparently didn’t have enough shocking power to anchor the animal. Matt killed his first hog with his 222 Remington with one shot behind the shoulder. This hog ran a short distance and fell at the edge of the field. Dogs commonly are used to flush hogs out of thickets
during the day where they may be brought to bay and held until a hunter can get a shot. Some of these dogs are fitted with protective vests to help prevent serious injuries by a hog’s tusks. Hunters who use dogs have had more than one seriously injured or killed. Hunters too have been hurt by the sharp tusks of a mad hog when trying to save a dog while fighting a hog. Most folks who “still hunt” will sit beside a field in late afternoon where hogs often are seen. By nature, hogs are nocturnal and are wilder than deer, preferring to stay in the toughest thickets during the day. They usually come out in late afternoon or at night to feed. Being very protective of their young, a large sow is more than a match for a coyote. They also can be extremely dangerous to a person should you unexpectedly happen upon one with young pigs. The old boars are equally aggressive and have treed more than one surprised hunter. The other day I visited a sporting goods store and
happened to see several hog calls and tapes. I didn’t know hogs could be called in much the same way as coyotes. These calls imitate a young pig in distress. Calling feral hogs will be a new challenge for me. It is now July and the height of the worst drought Texas has seen for a hundred years. With more than two million acres burned, woods and pastures very dry, and temperatures around the hundred degree mark each afternoon, I will wait for cooler weather before trying to call hogs. And when I do I will be using the 223 Remington.
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