How ironic that two days after Jack Murphy’s post on aerial sniping and our follow-on discussion of pig plinkin’, the Wall Street Journal runs a piece on how the tactical market is influencing feral hog hunting.
Tactical Hog Control, started in 2009 by Texas ranchers Clark Osborne and Mr. Dreher, is among a handful of next-generation outfitters across the South offering a new style of hog hunting designed to appeal to hunters’ inner commando. Each client on a nocturnal hunt with the two men suits up with roughly $40,000 of military-grade gear, including semiautomatic rifles like the DPMS AR-10. The men prowl bumpy pastures and farmland in off-road vehicles bristling with gun racks and infrared headlights.
The equipment, combined with many states’ loose restrictions on hunting feral hogs, allows hunters to shoot a number of pigs in one outing.
“I believe every man in the U.S. has a tactical gene,” said Rod Pinkston, an Army veteran and former Olympic sharp-shooting coach whose Jager Pro guide service conducts high-tech hog hunts in western Georgia. “They’ve always wanted to be a soldier, a SWAT team member. We’re the closest thing to combat that these guys are ever going to experience.”
So true. And though the story doesn’t touch on hog hunting from a helo, it’s interesting to re-introduce the discussion over the applicability of this kind of hunting with real-world training. And it sure looks like a hell of a lot of fun, though as a hunter myself, I’m not a huge fan of just leaving meat for the coyotes…
{ 44 comments… read them below or add one }
Dont feel bad about it. They are non native destroyers of all things that hunters like. Most states have a standing kill order on them. See pig, DROP IT!
Time on the range might help his cause.
The training aspect of hog hunting is certainly a reality. I went down to Georgia a couple years in a row to hunt hogs. We were on the ground, bit it’s still a tough shot. Moving through a wooded area with NOD’s,chest rigs,and rifles was similar to tactical conditions. When you do find a hog, it’s usually startling,close up,and fast. Hitting a moving Target close to the ground at night is challenging. Some of the most fun I ever had!
But, having never hunt wild hogs, is the meat any good, or do you pretty much just leave it for the coyotes?
The meat is outstanding. I can’t speak for other hog hunting establishments, but part of the money we paid went to bbq’ing our kill out in the sticks. Anything we didn’t cook up and eat went to families in need.
Maybe next year, then. I'm hoping to put some venison on the table for Christmas dinner this year. Shame there aren't any in my area. California Dreaming!
Anyways, I'm not sure how I actually feel about this. I can definitely understand in your case where there's the range of training for such targets and conditions, but there's still the argument that hogs don't shoot back, and that for most people, myself included right now, this is just playing pretend. One weekend hunting hogs from trucks in tactical gear does not make you a SWAT doorkicker. Just sayin'. I think I'll stick to my old 30-06 and black limousines.
any hogs, I should say. There aren't any hogs in my area. But then, from those who know about them, perhaps its actually a good thing I'll have to drive the better part of a day to find some.
Why should we kiil animals for fun………
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feral_pigs#Feral_pig…
Feral pigs are a significant ecological problem, and one that can be reasonably dealt with with guns.
Because it's AWESOME!
Reducing numbers is of course reasonable! But using 5+ shots, hitting it once, just to use another 5+ to finally kill it. That's just disrespectful…
5.56 sometimes just doesn't do it. some of these hogs can take shots to the head multiple times. When I Hog hunt my loadout is an ar-15 62 grain amo with a sig p226 .40 cal because 9mm just doesn't do it and 55 grain cant cut it sometimes.
Steven R get the Beowulf 50 upper and put it on your AR15 lower no more problems and very fun!!!! try it you will love it.
using 5 shots on a feral hog isn't disrespectful. depending on the size of the animal, shot placement and the weapon you're using its downright essential.
down in Louisiana, over to Arkansas, Mississippi and Georgia you're talking about some pretty big, tough and hybrid animals that have been mixed with a Russian variety.
down south, like another poster said, you see a pig, you kill a pig. trust me…the farmers in the area and the natural wildlife will thank you.
solomon get a Beowulf 50 cal no need for any extra shots get one and you will see what i mean. Hogzilla doesn't stand a chance against the 400 grain soft point.
Ditto in Australia, though we have some backwards gun laws and hunting restrictions limiting the amount of actual good a single hunter can do.
To bad one nut job ruined it for millions of honest decent citizens of Australia, when i was there they didn't have any bans on any weapons and hunting was great out in the real bush. You gotta thank rebbeca for all of the bans and george soros her money man.
Sorry, but what's ironic about the Wall Street Journal's piece?
What’s ironic is that three days ago Jack Murphy did a write up on aerial platform shooting here on kitup. Some of the readers then had a discussion in the comments about hog hunting from helo’s.
Right, but that's not what ironic means. http://hotword.dictionary.com/ironic/
I have a beowolf 50 cal and we hunt the cr@p out of those hogs.The nice big bullets just goes through the sticks and hits the target nice and dead.The place were we live hogs are a major problem and you don't need any license just enough ammo for the day.
I am all for the unlimited hunting of feral pigs; they breed like rats and are very destructive of the local environment.
The kills should not be allowed to go to waste; if you don't use what you kill, then donate to a shelter or an organization that will use it to feed some one else less fortunate. As many of us know, feral pigs are prolific through out the lower 48 states and Hawaii to the point of being a major ecological problem. Besides they make great barbeque. For those who don't know, they are one of the smartest game animals anywhere, one hell of a challenge and a lot of fun. So help your local farmer/rancher and hunt a feral pig or five with no guilt. I do.
careful with those tusks though, those things will tear you up when they start thrashing side to side.
It's all in the method you use to hunt them. I personally prefer to use either a pistol or rifle. I am getting a little old to be hunting with a spear or knife. As always safety is and should be one's primary concern; being injured during a hunt will ruin your day. Always use enough "gun" to humanly take your prey. Besides pigs are NOT native to this hemisphere.
He might consider buckshot next time.
The deer cullers in New Zealand have been using helicopters for years.
Check out this video for a taste. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9g1ZC24CT8g
Next step: to hunt hogs from home, comfortably sitting on sofa with beer, remote controlling a Predator-like model plane.
Why to go for a walk into fresh air? Obese is nice!
Too easy hunt. It's unfair.
How is it unfair??? Feral pigs have basically breed themselves into permanent residency here. They are very destructive of farmland and ranches to the point of effecting our food supply. Which means what you buy from your local market could make you ill or kill you. Feral pigs sense of smell is up to 10 times more sensitive than a dog and they are more intelligent as well. Again, HOW IS THAT UNFAIR???
How is it unfair??? Feral pigs are more intelligent than dogs and their sense of smell is up 10 times more sensitive. Besides being non-native to this continent; they have bred like rats to the point they are now here to stay. Feral pigs are so destructive to farms and ranches, they even endanger people. This not just through encounters in the wild, but also by contaminating water and food production. For example, the contaminated spinach from Salinas, California last year that made a lot of people sick and even killed a few was caused by feral pigs breaking in to the farm. Feral pigs are not easy to hunt, they are a very tough challenge no matter which method you use. Don't believe me? Just ask any hunter who hunts pigs regularly.
So, how is it unfair???
I agree those feral pigs are a plague. But for me this is not a " hunting game" It's something else, not a sport. May be very funny but in this manner the pigs are like the rats. Killing rats = hunting?
Should have used a minigun…
+5
Not going to be much left to eat, but sounds like a lot of fun to me.
Next time use a tank… Leave it to the hunters! At least they eat the meat.
Eradicating Feral Hogs is not Sport Hunting!
It is eradication of a invasive species that costs tens of millions of dollars in damage a year in Texas.
If you have ever walked into a a field of wheat that looks like it has been the site of 80 mm Mortar attack ,you will get a idea of the destruction these animals cause.
Its more akin to Zombie killing.
"Zombie killing" is an apt comparison. I would never hunt hogs with 5.56 as I have been with others that had to shoot five or more times. Upon examination of some head shots we found that the bullets just bounced off, leaving a slight indention or skip trail.
Well, they certanly take out the sport in hunting. One thing is that they shoot them for fun. Ok I get the point that theres a kill-order on hogs or whatever, but the least they could do would be to make sure the animal is dead, before aquiring a new target. Anything else is just disrespectful to the animal and to the hunting society.
Just my thoughts. Target PRACTICE should be on a range, not on living creatures!
If your on the ground then all you say would apply. But going out in your truck and trying to find them afterwards is not at all that easy nor cheap and can be very time consuming.
In heavy brush where you can't take a vehicle and finding them is three times as hard and very time consuming. Once you found them, carrying or dragging them out…well, lets just say it can be done but once you have done it a couple of times you don't do it anymore.
One guy I know has a dirt bike and rigged a sled up and gets them out that way in some of his land that is not too brushed up. But even then it is a hard task.
This is trashy. I love to hunt (nothing better than taking a nap in my tree stand) but this kind of waste is just not right. Kind of like those people that can’t even dress out what they kill. I call them posers, my buddy calls them pussies.
It is not pretty nor sporting I agree. But most I know consider this just plain killing and not hunting. Their aim is just to kill them all as fast as possible. Otherwise there will be three or four times as many to kill for your teenage kid to kill. They breed fast and have big litters and eat ANY and EVERY thing. Zombies are not as big a danger as these feral hogs are. Yet you hear nothing about it in the media unless it is a hit job or such.
While I appreciate the need to control and reduce feral hog populations, the fact is that they are still animals that do not need to suffer needlessly. Ethical, clean kill shots are not going to be made from a helicopter.
I agree the meat should be used but i would do this at a moment's notice if i had the opportunity!
i dont know that there's no sport in this ive never shot any weapon form any aircraft (moving or otherwise)im sure there is more to it than most people think. helicopters dont really seem like stable shooting platforms. i think that using a gun to take pray is a bit unfair but that's my opinion.
if you say you wouldnt do this to take at least one hog then i guess we just cant get along then
Yeah, it's a shame that wild hogs are rare in California, there used to be a population on Catalina Island but they've since been removed so no more hunting wild boar there. I think there may be some hunting in parts of Central & Northern CA but I don't think they're near as common as in other states.
As for boar not shooting back, I wouldn't feel too bad about it, they have a lot of tough grissle and an even tougher skull that makes him hard to kill. Add to that most adults have fairly large, razor sharp tusks and they're not afraid to use them if they feel threatened and/or cornered. Wild boar are definitely far from defenseless and from what I understand, require a certain amount of caution when hunting. One of these days I plan on trying my hand at wild boar hunting and when I do I'm planning on keeping my eye out for all of the trees with sturdy low hanging branches that I can use to haul my butt up in case I miss and/or end up just pissing it off; I know I'll have an armed guide who will serve as my backup but better safe than sorry I say.