On a nearly 1,000-acre high fenced West Texas ranch, six boars were viewed on game cameras in the middle of the night, despite consistent efforts to remove hogs from the property.
Several sow hogs were removed by helicopter hunting each year, but each year the ranch was flown, the boars weren’t seen. The best hog dogs in the county, along with their owner, came
to the ranch. The dogs couldn’t smell or track the boars.
Finally, one was found dead in the summer of 2022.
Later in the fall, two were shot at feeders when the weather
was cold and rainy. Before Thanksgiving, a solid black hog was shot, with the impact and squeal being heard, but the hog wasn’t recovered. The shooter announced a $100 bounty for anyone who could finish the job. Later in the weekend, another big black hog made the mistake of coming to a feeder and was shot. It wasn’t the solid black hog, though, as it had white on its legs.
The boars continued to evade hunters. This winter, several young adults went out at night, making several rounds while using Fusion Thermal scopes. They saw lots of animals, but not the boars.
During the New Year’s weekend, a boar passed by, not stopping at a feeder but being noticed by a hunter in the blind. A shot was taken, the hunter thought he hit the hog, but it wasn’t recovered either. He thought it was the big black one and added another $100 to the pot for the elusive boar.
Was it? Maybe.
Then, during the February freeze with freezing rain falling, a hunter was checking the fenceline and a boar appeared at 375 yards. The truck was eased to 220 yards as the hog was facing away and the white spot on his rump was a dead giveaway that this was not the solid black boar. The hunter considered a Texas heart shot, but just as he was ready to shoot, the boar turned broadside, and was shot just behind the ear.
Are they all gone?
Not likely. The solid black hog may be still at large, even though it has supposedly been shot twice. The tracks of a large hog walking along the fence line have definitely been observed. And there is probably at least one more out there, despite all of the effort.
The boars taken were big, to say the least. One bottomed out a 350-pound (uncertified) scale, while another weighed 280 pounds.
Now, after being outwitted and outsmarted, removing the last of the big boars has become a mission with a $200 bounty up for grabs.
