Tennessee Hog Hunt

[KyBoarSlayer]

Thought I would at least try to explain the BoarSlayer thing, it all started from this hunt last year. We decided to go to Tennessee, (after all, as a young lad in eastern Tennessee was where I learned to hunt dang it) to whack some hogs. We decided to go to this place run by a guy names Ken Moody called Clark Range, in surely enough, Clarkrange, TN.




I was hunting with some old friends from PA:



Here's some of the terrain and feeders we were hunting:




Here's a tree where a boar had been sharpening it's tusks !


I ended up taking two really big boar, over 300 lbs a piece:







Here they are on the wall:



It was an awesome time, a really fun hunt. and the meat is amazing.

[Hawks Feather]

Nice mounts, neat pictures, and it looked like it would be a great time.  I am interested in knowing more about the hunt.  Did they use dogs, search and find, hang out around the feeders, etc.   

Jerry

[KyBoarSlayer]

Hey Jerry,
yeah they offered several methods. They do have dogs available, but we decided to try it without the dogs. I am a dog lover, and those hogs can be really hard on the dogs. In fact, they had memorials to several dogs they had lost over the years. I prefer a spot and stalk method of hunting hogs. You can usually hear them before you see them in the thick stuff. They also have blinds looking over feeders. The hogs seemed to hit the baits between 10-12 in the morning and then again in the evening.

[Todd Rahm]

That's pretty cool and I'm for sure envious. 

[HaMeR]

Those are some fine looking hogs for sure!!  Congratulations on a very successful hunt. 

[Bopeye]

Thats pretty awesome dude. That is beautiful country, just 20 miles north of me. My hunting partner and I hunt the back side of that place, just across the river, from that Lodge. He and I had hogs come into us twice while coyote hunting there. It will make you pucker for sure. 

[iahntr]

Good stuff !
Big boars too !!
Thanks for sharin

[coyotehunter_1]

That's some good looking tuskers you got there and with a hand cannon too! 

Like Bop said:

He and I had hogs come into us twice while coyote hunting there. It will make you pucker for sure. 

Yep, major pucker factor indeed, partner.... especially when it's half past dark thirty and all you can see is a rather LARGE black silhouette moving towards you. Times like those are when you wish you had something more powerful than a 222 varmint rifle in your hands. 

[FOsteology]

Does Tennessee have a hunt-able population of free-range feral hogs? Reason I ask, is because I couldn't help but notice the ear jewelry those hawgs are sporting.

If these porkers are behind fence, how in the heck do they KEEP them there?? If Tennessee doesn't have much of a population of free-range feral hawgs.... it'll be only a matter of time! Damn swine are notorious at being escape artists. And they're prolific breeders. They put rabbits to shame! 

[coyotehunter_1]

Does Tennessee have a hunt-able population of free-range feral hogs?

Fos,
Yes, we do. Certain counties hold larger populations of feral hogs than others. If you do a Google search on "Tennessee wild hog problem" you will find a mass of information on the subject.

This is a sample from our Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, just one of many articles pertaining to your question.

About Tennessee's Wild Hog Population
It is well documented that the introduction of exotic species has often led to the decline of native species. Most of the time, these declines go unnoticed because they occur in the less obtrusive bird, fish, and insect world. Unfortunately that is not always the case. There is an invader in Tennessee that happens to be one of the largest and most destructive animals in the nation, it is the wild hog.
Sus scrofa, otherwise known as the pig, was introduced to North America by the first European settlers. Although they have long been domesticated and are an extremely popular farm animal, free-ranging wild hogs are a different animal altogether. Their voracious appetite and destructive rooting behavior can cause severe habitat damage, especially to fields that have been planted for food production. Com¬pounding the problem is the fact that the female pigs (sows) can produce 2-3 litters per year, with each litter ranging in size of 6-12 piglets.
Considering young pigs become sexually mature at 6-8 months you can easily see the nightmarish reproductive capacity of these animals.
Besides the destructive nature of the hogs the greatest single threat comes from their potential to transmit swine brucellosis and pseudorabies to farm raised animals, both of which would have serious effects on Tennessee’s agricultural economy. Therefore, wild hogs are definitely a major threat to all Tennessee residents.
In just over a decade, the distribution of Tennessee’s wild hog population has spread at an alarming rate. Although first confined to small pockets in East Tennessee and the Cumberland Plateau, it is now estimated that viable hog populations can be found in close to a third of Tennessee’s counties. We need to stop the spread, and stop the spread now.
Feral hog season is open year-round on private lands with no bag limits whatsoever. In other words, we want you to kill as many hogs as possible to slow their spread. So please help us take aim at controlling wild hog populations.

Wild hogs are considered big game but are not required to be tagged or checked in at big game checking stations.
No hunting with dogs allowed except where indicated.
No limit, either sex.


Private Lands (Public Hunting Areas are considered private land)
Open year round. Dogs prohibited.

Other Public Hunting Lands
Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, during scheduled big game hunts, and also open January 19 - February 28, 2011.

Wild Hog Hunting With Dogs
In the following counties, dogs may be used for hunting wild hogs on the dates indicated. The hunts below are no limit, either sex.
Monroe, Polk (east of Hwy. 411 and north of Hwy. 64)
Gun/muzzleloader/archery - October 2-10, 2010 & December 31, 2010- January 3, 2011
Cumberland, Fentress, Pickett, Overton (except closed on the following public lands and their in-holdings: Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, Pickett State Forest WMA, Standing Stone State Forest WMA, Skinner Mountain WMA, and Catoosa WMA)
Gun/muzzleloader/archery - October 2-10, 2010, Nov. 1-4, 2010, Dec. 2-15, 2010 & December 31, 2010 - January 3, 2011
Blount, Cocke (south of I-40), Jefferson (east of Hwy 411), Sevier
Gun/muzzleloader/archery - September 27 - October 3, 2010
Blount, Cocke, Jefferson (east of Hwy 411), Monroe, Polk (east of Hwy. 411 and north of Hwy. 64), Sevier
Gun/muzzleloader/archery - November 1-4, 2010 & December 2-15, 2010


Source:
http://www.tn.gov/twra/feralhog.html


Edit to add:

Brett Dunlap, with USDA Wildlife Services, says the feral hog problem has intensified in Tennessee over the last decade, and will likely get worse before it gets better.
“There are very few areas in Tennessee that don’t have hogs right now. But we really don’t even have a really good handle on that. It’s not going to be very long before I would say it’s going to be a safe bet the vast majority, if not already, of Tennessee counties have a feral swine population.”
He goes on to say: “Feral hogs are nothing new to Tennessee, particularly in the East and the Cumberland Plateau. But in the last few years Dunlap says they’ve expanded into more developed areas, including Williamson and Sumner Counties. It’s hard to know how many feral hogs Tennessee has. The U.S. total is estimated around 5 million. Dunlap says they cause roughly a billion dollars of damage each year to agriculture alone.”


Source:
http://wpln.org/?p=15974

[FOsteology]

Without resorting to Google, I pretty much figured there had to be a healthy population of feral hogs in Tenn. If there weren't, then obviously there would be no preserves offering hawgs as those SOB's would eventually get out and start populating and causing tremendous damage in relatively short order.

I see the Tennessee WRA places restrictions on the use of dogs in some areas....  they may want to reconsider.

I reside in Texas, and we're overrun with feral hogs. Likely have more hawgs in the state than people! 
We have no restrictions (aside from having a valid hunting license and permission from land owner) and are encourage to kill feral hawgs 24/7/365 by any means. Dogs and traps seem to the be the most productive. And even then, to be honest..... it doesn't put much of a dent in their population.


KyBoarSlayer, now that you've taken a couple with a hand cannon, you NEED to go hawg dawgin'! There is absolutely nothing like hunting feral hawgs with a pack of dogs, and then sticking a BIG boar with your knife. Quite an adrenaline rush! 

[FinsnFur]

Over 300lbs apiece...thats a lot of pork
Some interesting pics there, thanks for sharing them 
We talk about taking on a hog hunt but havnt gotten there yet. Were still kinda limited in that department since there's only a few places that have them, that I'm aware of.

[KySongDog]

Nice size hogs ya got there, kyboarslayer.   

I killed one using dogs and my bow once.   The dogs add a whole new dimension to hunting hogs.    Quite a rush.

[coyotehunter_1]

FOs, we have a few guys around here that run catch dogs and do the knife thing.... that takes a special want to. 

The area KyBoarSlayer hunted is located on the northern section of the Cumberland Plateau in Fentress County, Alvin C.York country. Wild boar have been free roaming there since the first pioneers. Today, we have several wild boar guiding services based on the Plateau, some good, some not. I've heard nothing but good things about the guys at Clarkrange.   

Around here one of the most dangerous wild creatures in the woods  is a big sow hog with a litter of young. If she feels you are a danger to her piglets she will try her best to put a hurt on ya'.   

[riverboss]

That sounds like fun! I killed one at a place in Ohio called Double Ds years ago it wasnt much of an operation i almost went home and not shoot a hog. Im glad there are some good places to go i would like to try it again if i could get a real feel kind of hunt and not a shooting a fish in a bucket type of deal. Those are some dandys their for sure.

[FOsteology]

No doubt a sow with youngin's can put a hurtin' on ya!

There's been a time or two when a friend and I have run down some piglets and caught one or two. Get yourself in a safe position, and proceed to torment the little piggie to make it squeal and carry on as if it were in mortal danger. More likely than not, you'll soon have a group of pigs in a bad disposition..... Same with javelina, except with them you can actually use a call.

I've heard the shade and doo-rag wearing munchkin (GG, BIG George's BFF!) claim to be able to call in feral hogs with a predator call, however I remain unconvinced.


Where I live, we have an abundance of crops. Corn, milo, and wheat mainly. The feral hogs are a constant nuisance, and destroy several acres of crops every night. The young country boys in my AO run dogs on a regular basis. Even with the hawg doggin' and the use of traps, not much of a dent is made in their population.