Who has the larges population of hogs
- Thread starter Mattg1500
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jglass
LSB Member
Interesting topic. Often wondered how to estimate hog population in a given area but difficult to do because the hogs move around from area to area. I saw a hog population map last week that estimated North and Western Florida had 10 hogs per square mile which I think is way low. Then again maybe not after the jungle areas are averaged out with the urban developed areas.
Based on what I see in Florida with my own eyes and the videos shown of Texas, Texas has the most large groups of hogs. We have all seen pictures of herds of hogs in Texas and I don't see that in Florida. A couple of times last winter I saw, and shot at sounders of 12 or so hogs. I usually see lone hogs or maybe a pair of hogs. But Florida has very limited visibility because of vegetation so most of my hog sightings are 50 yards or less. More like 30-40 yards. My thermo scope has proven the hogs are out there but we don't see them.
Don’t you know everything’s bigger and better in TEXAS.
Very cool map. Thanks!
437
LSB Active Member
Florida has tons for sure, but I don't think you can be close to a big city and expect to see them like the yootoobes nirvana vids of TX. Our prime hog area and southeastern gate to the property is exactly 19.52 miles from my living room by the waterfront of downtown Tampa. It's on the edge of a preserve, but we have tons of housing around 3 of the 4 borders so they can only come from that area. It's postage stamp housing developments that have been clear cut of any vegetation and trees pure concrete hell which is very common in FL's coastal regions. Move into the middle of the state and they are absolutely brimming over the lid. I have an acquaintance on a lease about 40 miles west of Miami in the swamp who shoots hogs every single trip out literally within minutes of getting on the property. It's location specific in that once you hit FL they are out there, but ya can't be on the doorstep of housing communities and sky scrapers.....at least near Tampa anyway. Also have a friend in south GA who manages deer populations for several leases in north FL and south GA he kills hogs constantly.
My guess is the above map is indicated to be "hoggie" if there is one hog in that county. There is no mention of "huntable population".
Up here in NW Florida,the three western counties are hit and miss. Some of the bigger hunting clubs (1000A+) have hogs and some don't. Most of the farmers that I have talked to over on Florida's western boundry with Alabama have never seen a hog.
On my club,which is about 25 miles north of Pensacola we have hogs now where we didn't just a couple of years ago. This past deer season the hog kill rate was up by about 75%. This is most likely,at least partially,attributed to the wood harvest operations all around us. --- pruhdlr
Up here in NW Florida,the three western counties are hit and miss. Some of the bigger hunting clubs (1000A+) have hogs and some don't. Most of the farmers that I have talked to over on Florida's western boundry with Alabama have never seen a hog.
On my club,which is about 25 miles north of Pensacola we have hogs now where we didn't just a couple of years ago. This past deer season the hog kill rate was up by about 75%. This is most likely,at least partially,attributed to the wood harvest operations all around us. --- pruhdlr
Hogs can afford to live there? Bwhahahah.
If i were a hog thats where id go to feel safe since they are up there with NY with their gun laws lol
jglass
LSB Member
The info I read says Florida is #2 for hog population, Texas #1
Quote: Tampa Bay Times
"Florida has an estimated 1 million feral pigs — the most in the country per square mile"
One solution to Florida's wild pig problem: Eat them
Quote: Tampa Bay Times
"Florida has an estimated 1 million feral pigs — the most in the country per square mile"
One solution to Florida's wild pig problem: Eat them
I just google mapped my house in Pa to Austin,Tx. If i did go there I wouldnt know where to start. In Ga i hunt all private farms of my friends and his friends. The whole trip cost me under $800 including gas
437
LSB Active Member
that's a great gig! 3 of us on our lease have been on an absolute frenzy trying to find private land in FL just snake eyes everywhere. sod farms, all manner of produce farms, cattle ranches, golf courses, private land with emails, letters and business cards at feed stores and to aforementioned parties using a form letter from a friend in TX that worked well for them. just nada in our locations of central FL. if ya got the hook up on private go get 'em that's great! out of all that i found one sod farmer about an hour from me who already has a thermal crew he uses that said if he ever had an issue he'd call us up.
jglass
LSB Member
This is how I found private property to hunt on in Florida. I found names and addresses from the county web site of property owners.
I mailed 25 or 30 people letters asking for permission to hunt the wild hogs. In the letter I included pictures of the hogs grazing along the roads. Next, I told people owned a small machine shop business, I taught boating and hunter safety courses for the Illinois DNR,
I was an Eagle Boy Scout and where we stay while in Florida. In each letter I included a self addressed stamped envelope with a card people could sign with a YES or NO box to check off. I also gave people the option of having me call them just to talk. About half never came back.
I addressed the envelopes in my own hand writing. But, I acquired three pieces of property to hunt on from this mailing. I acquired more property to hunt by word of mouth. People in the area know me now.
Now that I have private property secured I walk 3 miles of roadway collecting trash and litter. I do it on Sundays so people see me. I also give the locals hogs I have killed. My goal is I want the locals to want me hunting on that property. Just offering a property owner some cleanup work may get you on some ground. Sometimes it is all about public relations.
Now before you start writing letters let me say I tried contacting land owners like this two more times and acquired NO property to hunt on and received very few responses. I do not know why. I think it was more commercial property. Property owners have told me how they have been violated, people trespass and trash their property. It is no wonder they want know one on their property.
I mailed 25 or 30 people letters asking for permission to hunt the wild hogs. In the letter I included pictures of the hogs grazing along the roads. Next, I told people owned a small machine shop business, I taught boating and hunter safety courses for the Illinois DNR,
I was an Eagle Boy Scout and where we stay while in Florida. In each letter I included a self addressed stamped envelope with a card people could sign with a YES or NO box to check off. I also gave people the option of having me call them just to talk. About half never came back.
I addressed the envelopes in my own hand writing. But, I acquired three pieces of property to hunt on from this mailing. I acquired more property to hunt by word of mouth. People in the area know me now.
Now that I have private property secured I walk 3 miles of roadway collecting trash and litter. I do it on Sundays so people see me. I also give the locals hogs I have killed. My goal is I want the locals to want me hunting on that property. Just offering a property owner some cleanup work may get you on some ground. Sometimes it is all about public relations.
Now before you start writing letters let me say I tried contacting land owners like this two more times and acquired NO property to hunt on and received very few responses. I do not know why. I think it was more commercial property. Property owners have told me how they have been violated, people trespass and trash their property. It is no wonder they want know one on their property.
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437
LSB Active Member
Already put out 18 letters only 1 taker on a maybe down the road if his thermal crew doesn't do a good job. I didn't go out and talk to these guys they are all on gated property you can't walk up and ring a doorbell letters are the only way to get in to them or an email. Our biggest problem is there is almost no land left within the 1 hour Tampa area that is big enough to fire rifles on and doesn't run into ordinances with platte subdivisions/neighborhoods or is either bank owned. Southwest Florida Water Management District(SWFMD) has take tons of it through eminent domain and the rest of the owners sold out to the bigger cattle ranches there are 2 big ones in our area. Then that land runs right into the Green Swamp preserve. The only private land left is guys on an acre in a double wide and ya can't blast rifles in that scenario.
It's difficult to explain beyond raw numbers the property values in our county and Tampa's growth is literally exploding you'd have to drive around our county and see it with your own eyes. A guy across the street paid $575k for a home on a tiny lot last fall(90 year old bungalo home at $335 sq ft), bulldozed it and is putting up a new build that will be well north of $600/sq ft when he is done....and it's only expanding out from Tampa city limits even the price of a dumper home 20 miles out of town is insane. During the spastic real estate crash any empty parcel of hunt potential land you see was snapped up by The Blackstone Real Estate Fund or has a commercial bank/broker sign in the ground. Blackstone is the largest Private Equity firm in the world they have lots of dry powder.
It's difficult to explain beyond raw numbers the property values in our county and Tampa's growth is literally exploding you'd have to drive around our county and see it with your own eyes. A guy across the street paid $575k for a home on a tiny lot last fall(90 year old bungalo home at $335 sq ft), bulldozed it and is putting up a new build that will be well north of $600/sq ft when he is done....and it's only expanding out from Tampa city limits even the price of a dumper home 20 miles out of town is insane. During the spastic real estate crash any empty parcel of hunt potential land you see was snapped up by The Blackstone Real Estate Fund or has a commercial bank/broker sign in the ground. Blackstone is the largest Private Equity firm in the world they have lots of dry powder.
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jglass
LSB Member
That's how it is where I live West of Chicago. We are 60 miles from Chicago but only 20 miles or less from the suburbs. We can look Eastward out our kitchen window and see for 25 miles over corn fields but still see the suburbs and the planes flying out of O'Hare airport. I'm lucky to have one friend that lives far enough from any town to have a gun range in his back yard, (that I can use) and a sportsman club 8 miles away with a shooting range. Years ago as a kid I could go shooting at a number of places but not today.
We have a weekend place on the Mississippi River about 90 miles from here. I spent years looking for a place to shoot in Iowa. Finally asked a family that owns a number of stone quarries in Iowa for a place to shoot. When the guy said yes I almost fainted. I asked if I should call before going out the guy said, "No, you can go whenever you want to". I must look pretty harmless. The downside is the police also shoot there so I get a little harassment from them. The friction sort of takes the fun out of it, but as long as I have permission, I'm shooting there. I have to be sure everything is right because I could encounter a cop at any minute.
We have a weekend place on the Mississippi River about 90 miles from here. I spent years looking for a place to shoot in Iowa. Finally asked a family that owns a number of stone quarries in Iowa for a place to shoot. When the guy said yes I almost fainted. I asked if I should call before going out the guy said, "No, you can go whenever you want to". I must look pretty harmless. The downside is the police also shoot there so I get a little harassment from them. The friction sort of takes the fun out of it, but as long as I have permission, I'm shooting there. I have to be sure everything is right because I could encounter a cop at any minute.
437
LSB Active Member
That's great you have hook ups use 'em! I'm running down on the last 7 weeks of my lease term and will likely be out of the game at that point. Can't justify paying what we pay for a property that is being destroyed by loggers continuously and where we only really get about 5 months we can hog hunt unrestricted. Will keep trying to get private land permission somewhere I won't stop that pursuit, but gonna have to expand outward maybe to the panhandle or across the state towards Okeechobee and be willing to make it an overnight trip where I drive up and hunt, get a room and come back in the morning. Got a lot of peanut farms up towards I-10 I'm going to start researching that outlet more.
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My lease in FL has a lot of hogs. Since moving to the Crestview area, a lot of farming N of us, I have found 2 more places I am invited to all through word of mouth. I am told the farmers in Alabama and just S in FL are allowing the good old boy network to come and kill hogs. I found one guy that goes out almost every evening, has thermal and 2 others that use night vision and help the farmers out. Country boys that you earn their respect or are recommended by a buddy..My electrician and a Handyman are connected so I am fortunate, now if I was just younger to do it more...lol
I was able to get access to a place in Fla a few years ago but the drive from Ga to there was to much. I found it on GON.com forum. It was a deer lease that had a hog problem. Lots of flooded areas and thick as heck. Maybe check that site out and see what you can come up with. It was $175 to cover insurance thats all