Fishing/Hunting

[Justajester]

I'm sure some people must enjoy these activities out of their van. Does anyone on here share spots? I was hoping a few people wouldn't mind giving me some good spots to camp near good fishing holes, particularly in the south. Or, better yet, meet up, relax, and enjoy some fishing together with me for a week or two.<br />Also, if anyone out there is a hunter in the south, particularly for pigs, deer, or alligator...please let me know.<br />Thanks,<br />Tom

 

[josephusminimus]

Justajester:&nbsp; You might consider putting something on craigslist San Antonio, San Angelo, and some of the other South Texas sites if you'd like to hunt wild hog.&nbsp; They're currently a major nuisance in Texas, tearing up fences, buildings, multiplying a lot more quickly than anyone's figured out how to control.&nbsp; Around here the ranchers hire helicopters to find the herds and shoot them from the sky.&nbsp; But that's expensive.&nbsp; <br /><br />There's a lot of exotic game ranch business here, and goat ranching, all of which are vulnerable to predator activity.&nbsp; The ranchers tend to hire hunters to come in and find the animals when predators begin depredating their livestock.&nbsp; <br /><br />I'd suppose a person who understands coyote, knows how to track a bobcat, is willing to find herds of feral swine and kill them, could get plenty of places to park an RV and enthusiastic ranchers to provide a few necessities.<br /><br />

 

[Justajester]

Great idea!!! Hadn't thought about that, I'll definitely give that a try.

 

[josephusminimus]

<div id="webResults"><div class="searchResult webResult"><div class="resultTitlePane"><a class="resultTitle" href="http://cs.dogpile.com/ClickHandler....d=9&amp;hash=815B5831BDA5E1EA265544EF85D72DD1" target="_blank" data-icl-coi="540" data-icl-cop="results-main">TPWD: <strong>Feral</strong> <strong>Hogs</strong> - <strong>Texas</strong> Parks &amp; Wildlife Department </a></div><div class="resultDisplayUrlPane"><a class="resultDisplayUrl" href="http://cs.dogpile.com/ClickHandler....d=9&amp;hash=815B5831BDA5E1EA265544EF85D72DD1" target="_blank" data-icl-coi="540" data-icl-cop="results-main">www.tpwd.state.tx.us/&hellip;ild/wild/nuisance/<strong>feral</strong>_<strong>hogs</strong>/ </a><div class="resultsAttributionSeparator">&bull;</div><div class="resultAttribution">Found on: Google, Yahoo! 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Oklahoma-<strong>Texas</strong> <strong>Feral</strong> <strong>Hog</strong> <strong>Distribution</strong>: Darker areas = Denser <strong>Population</strong>.</div></div><div class="searchResult webResult"><div class="resultTitlePane"><a class="resultTitle" href="http://cs.dogpile.com/ClickHandler....d=9&amp;hash=4A3C3075C2179AD2D0A06F1682F1C5D9" target="_blank" data-icl-coi="540" data-icl-cop="results-main"><strong>Feral</strong> <strong>Hogs</strong> in <strong>Texas</strong> </a></div><div class="resultDisplayUrlPane"><a class="resultDisplayUrl" href="http://cs.dogpile.com/ClickHandler....d=9&amp;hash=4A3C3075C2179AD2D0A06F1682F1C5D9" target="_blank" data-icl-coi="540" data-icl-cop="results-main">icwdm.org/&hellip;ications/pdf/<strong>feral</strong>%20pig/txferalhogs.pdf </a><div class="resultsAttributionSeparator">&bull;</div><div class="resultAttribution">Found on: Google, Yandex</div></div><div class="resultDescription">The <strong>population</strong> and range of <strong>feral</strong> <strong>hogs</strong> have expanded dramatically because ... ers who suffer from their damage. <strong>Feral</strong> <strong>Hog</strong> <strong>Distribution</strong> in <strong>Texas</strong>. 5. Introduction ...</div></div><div class="searchResult webResult"><div class="resultTitlePane"><a class="resultTitle" href="http://cs.dogpile.com/ClickHandler....d=9&amp;hash=CC22C36D4DC27164B5A6F35206CFEF44" target="_blank" data-icl-coi="540" data-icl-cop="results-main">History and <strong>Distribution</strong> of <strong>Feral</strong> <strong>Hogs</strong> in <strong>Texas</strong> &laquo; <strong>Texas</strong> Natural ... </a></div><div class="resultDisplayUrlPane"><a class="resultDisplayUrl" href="http://cs.dogpile.com/ClickHandler....d=9&amp;hash=CC22C36D4DC27164B5A6F35206CFEF44" target="_blank" data-icl-coi="540" data-icl-cop="results-main">agrilife.org/&hellip;-<strong>distribution</strong>-of-<strong>feral</strong>-<strong>hogs</strong>-in-<strong>texas</strong>/ </a><div class="resultsAttributionSeparator">&bull;</div><div class="resultAttribution">Found on: Google, Yahoo! Search, Yandex</div></div><div class="resultDescription">History and <strong>Distribution</strong> of <strong>Feral</strong> <strong>Hogs</strong> in <strong>Texas</strong> ... With an estimated <strong>population</strong> of one million animals, <strong>feral</strong> <strong>hog</strong> numbers rank second behind the white-tailed ...</div></div><div class="searchResult webResult"><div class="resultTitlePane"><a class="resultTitle" href="http://cs.dogpile.com/ClickHandler....d=9&amp;hash=2C0D189642D54A9461DB18DADEF9E1D0" target="_blank" data-icl-coi="540" data-icl-cop="results-main"><strong>Feral</strong> <strong>Hog</strong> Statewide <strong>Population</strong> Growth and Density &laquo; Coping with ... </a></div><div class="resultDisplayUrlPane"><a class="resultDisplayUrl" href="http://cs.dogpile.com/ClickHandler....d=9&amp;hash=2C0D189642D54A9461DB18DADEF9E1D0" target="_blank" data-icl-coi="540" data-icl-cop="results-main">feralhogs.tamu.edu/&hellip;-<strong>population</strong>-growth-and-density/ </a><div class="resultsAttributionSeparator">&bull;</div><div class="resultAttribution">Found exclusively on: Yahoo! Search</div></div><div class="resultDescription">Department of Wildlife &amp; Fisheries Sciences <strong>Texas</strong> AgriLife Extension Service. 111 Nagle Hall | 2258 TAMU | College Station, TX 77843-2258 | Map</div></div><div class="searchResult webResult"><div class="resultTitlePane"><a class="resultTitle" href="http://cs.dogpile.com/ClickHandler....d=9&amp;hash=1A74C0FE7EC6728E293CD2F360C68EF8" target="_blank" data-icl-coi="540" data-icl-cop="results-main">Less expensive way to control <strong>Texas</strong>' <strong>feral</strong> <strong>hog</strong> <strong>population</strong> may ... </a></div><div class="resultDisplayUrlPane"><a class="resultDisplayUrl" href="http://cs.dogpile.com/ClickHandler....d=9&amp;hash=1A74C0FE7EC6728E293CD2F360C68EF8" target="_blank" data-icl-coi="540" data-icl-cop="results-main">www.caller.com/&hellip;ive-way-to-control-<strong>texas</strong>-<strong>feral</strong>-<strong>hog</strong>/ </a><div class="resultsAttributionSeparator">&bull;</div><div class="resultAttribution">Found exclusively on: Google</div></div><div class="resultDescription">Mar 27, 2011 ... Wild <strong>hogs</strong> are more abundant in <strong>Texas</strong> compared with <strong>populations</strong> in the ... Service cites recent <strong>population</strong> and density studies by Roel Lopez, ...</div></div><div class="searchResult webResult"><div class="resultTitlePane"><a class="resultTitle" href="http://cs.dogpile.com/ClickHandler....d=9&amp;hash=BC04AC3334A87E54629C1CECEE5E7E6D" target="_blank" data-icl-coi="540" data-icl-cop="results-main"><strong>Texas</strong>' 'pork chopper' law hasn't done much to control <strong>feral</strong> <strong>hogs</strong> ... </a></div><div class="resultDisplayUrlPane"><a class="resultDisplayUrl" href="http://cs.dogpile.com/ClickHandler....d=9&amp;hash=BC04AC3334A87E54629C1CECEE5E7E6D" target="_blank" data-icl-coi="540" data-icl-cop="results-main">www.reporternews.com/&hellip;ne-much-to-<strong>feral</strong>/?partner=RSS </a><div class="resultsAttributionSeparator">&bull;</div><div class="resultAttribution">Found exclusively on: Yahoo! Search</div></div><div class="resultDescription">The <strong>feral</strong> <strong>hog</strong> <strong>population</strong> in <strong>Texas</strong> numbers nearly 2.6 million and is the largest in the nation, according to the <strong>Texas</strong> Department of Agriculture.</div></div><div class="searchResult webResult"><div class="resultTitlePane"><a class="resultTitle" href="http://cs.dogpile.com/ClickHandler....d=9&amp;hash=EFB04E0879909502B1223149F7A97C14" target="_blank" data-icl-coi="540" data-icl-cop="results-main">The Range of <strong>Feral</strong> <strong>Hogs</strong> in <strong>Texas</strong> | <strong>Hog</strong> Hunting </a></div><div class="resultDisplayUrlPane"><a class="resultDisplayUrl" href="http://cs.dogpile.com/ClickHandler....d=9&amp;hash=EFB04E0879909502B1223149F7A97C14" target="_blank" data-icl-coi="540" data-icl-cop="results-main">www.huntinghog.com/&hellip;t/range-of-<strong>feral</strong>-<strong>hogs</strong>-in-<strong>texas</strong>/ </a><div class="resultsAttributionSeparator">&bull;</div><div class="resultAttribution">Found exclusively on: Yandex</div></div><div class="resultDescription">The Range of <strong>Feral</strong> <strong>Hogs</strong> in <strong>Texas</strong>. The increase in the <strong>feral</strong> <strong>hog</strong> <strong>population</strong> and <strong>distribution</strong> is due in part to intentional trapping and releasing, improved habitat, and increased wildlife&hellip;</div></div><div class="searchResult webResult"><div class="resultTitlePane"><a class="resultTitle" href="http://cs.dogpile.com/ClickHandler....d=9&amp;hash=A087AC77AE454FF40A77BD0EFDE09250" target="_blank" data-icl-coi="540" data-icl-cop="results-main">A Plague of Pigs in <strong>Texas</strong> | Science &amp; Nature | Smithsonian Magazine </a></div><div class="resultDisplayUrlPane"><a class="resultDisplayUrl" href="http://cs.dogpile.com/ClickHandler....d=9&amp;hash=A087AC77AE454FF40A77BD0EFDE09250" target="_blank" data-icl-coi="540" data-icl-cop="results-main">www.smithsonianmag.com/&hellip;lague-of-Pigs-in-<strong>Texas</strong>.html </a><div class="resultsAttributionSeparator">&bull;</div><div class="resultAttribution">Found exclusively on: Google</div></div><div class="resultDescription"><strong>Texas</strong> allows hunters to kill wild <strong>hogs</strong> year-round without limits or capture ... Even porcine <strong>populations</strong> reduced by 70 percent return to full strength within two or ...</div></div><div class="searchResult webResult"><div class="resultTitlePane"><a class="resultTitle" href="http://cs.dogpile.com/ClickHandler....d=9&amp;hash=E09F3A907E79D79B58F0F2E1C10379EF" target="_blank" data-icl-coi="540" data-icl-cop="results-main">&lsquo;Pork chopper&rsquo; law hasn&rsquo;t helped quell <strong>feral</strong> <strong>hogs</strong> in <strong>Texas</strong> ... </a></div><div class="resultDisplayUrlPane"><a class="resultDisplayUrl" href="http://cs.dogpile.com/ClickHandler....d=9&amp;hash=E09F3A907E79D79B58F0F2E1C10379EF" target="_blank" data-icl-coi="540" data-icl-cop="results-main">www.dallasnews.com/&hellip;al-<strong>hogs</strong>-in-<strong>texas</strong>-state-says.ece </a><div class="resultsAttributionSeparator">&bull;</div><div class="resultAttribution">Found exclusively on: Yahoo! Search</div></div><div class="resultDescription"><strong>HOG</strong> HEAVEN: The <strong>feral</strong> <strong>hog</strong> <strong>population</strong> in <strong>Texas</strong> is estimated at almost 2.6 million and is the largest in the nation, according to the <strong>Texas</strong> Department of ...</div></div></div>

 

[josephusminimus]

Justajester:&nbsp; These Texans tend to leave hog carcasses lying around for the buzzards after a killing spree.&nbsp; But you might look into selling the meat off the radar if you decide to do this thing and manage to do it.&nbsp; There's a lot of meat on on a full grown feral hog and on the sows it's no different than anything you'd buy in a store, flavor-wise.&nbsp; The pigs are good, too.&nbsp; It's only the mature boar-hogs have a serious flavor issue.<br /><br />The flavor of the meat's generally better for trapped hogs, as opposed to those killed in a state of high anxiety, running, that sort of thing.&nbsp; <br /><h2 class="entry-title"><a title="Permalink to Feral Hog&nbsp;Plague" href="http://sofarfromheaven.com/2011/11/21/feral-hog-plague/" rel="bookmark">Feral Hog&nbsp;Plague</a></h2><br />The skulls from the mature hogs have a value, also.&nbsp; People sell them at flea markets and auctions.&nbsp; I've sometimes seen the tusks sold on Ebay.<br /><br />But you might consider having a big pig roast gathering for the folks who consider this a group of sorts.&nbsp; I've noticed today there's a pig roast in TN planned.&nbsp; If you find yourself in possession of a lot of dead pigs you might be able to draw them to you like flies to an outhouse.

 

[Fuz]

As part of our ongoing plans for self sufficiency we'll be learning how to hunt and fish. I expect to make more mistakes and failures than successes but all the hard work and learning will be worth it when I no longer need to go to the store to find my food.

 

[josephusminimus]

Hi fuz.&nbsp; It's mostly illegal to do it with 'game' or 'sport' animals, but you might find it's worth learning a lot about trapping and snaring if you're looking at wild meat as a potential survival issue.<br /><br />Snares, particularly.&nbsp; Animals become trap-wise, but they never become snare-wise.&nbsp; And snares will bring home the meat ten times over what a rifle will.&nbsp; <br /><br />There's a lot to be learned about snaring, but it can be done with everything from deer to rodents.&nbsp; As for fishing, trot-lining them will catch more, far more consistently than a rod and reel.&nbsp; Trot-lining ducks will bring more meat home than a shotgun.&nbsp; Almost anything can be trot-lined, I reckons.<br /><br />

 

[mockturtle]

I like to fish but I never kid myself that I'm catching enough fish to cover the cost of my license, gear and fuel.&nbsp; But, hey, that's not what fishing's for! <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" />

 

[Pikachu711]

I can see myself starting fishing again when I'm in an area when the opportunity presents itself. I used to fish years ago and just gave it up. Now I just may take up that hobby for some free food when I'm in the right surroundings.

 

[Seraphim]

I fished a bit when we lived in Florida, but never became an enthusiast. After retirement, however, DW and I plan to fish a bit, and maybe take up up hunting, since we'll have time...

 

[sl1966]

It's mostly illegal to do it with 'game' or 'sport' animals

<br /><br />I didn't understand this. What's mostly illegal and why?<br /><br />

 

[josephusminimus]

It's mostly illegal to do it with 'game' or 'sport' animals

<br /><br />I didn't understand this. What's mostly illegal and why?<br /><br />

State game statutes and regulations define the precise methods allowable to acquire particular animals and fish.&nbsp; The methods vary from state-to-state, but they're usually the product of a mix of wildlife population management, hunting and hunter fee economics, tourism, and an abstraction involving 'fairness' to the animals or fish.&nbsp; Hunting deer, for instance, with dogs is forbidden in Texas.&nbsp; Even though there are more deer in Texas today than there were when the Spaniards arrived, the deer population was once almost wiped out by running deer with dogs, so it's forbidden.<br /><br />Some states forbid any trapping or snaring of animals of any sort.&nbsp; Most others allow it in the instance of some species, but forbid it for others.&nbsp; Probably no state in the US allows snaring deer, and I'd speculate it involves the ease with which it can be done, combined with the economics of selling hunting leases, hunting licenses and equipment.&nbsp; And the fairness abstraction.<br /><br />But, on the other hand, a person can kill a feral hog, or any domestic animal gone feral, by any means imaginable.<br /><br />Trot lining, noodling and various other methods of making the fishing experience into a more efficient method of acquiring food, are also either severely restricted and regulated, or are forbidden.<br /><br />I'm not aware of anywhere in the US allowing water fowl to be trotlined, which makes a lot of sense from wildlife management perspective.&nbsp;&nbsp;But in cities across the US it's being done illegally on a more-or-less constant basis by people living on the streets operating under a different value system.&nbsp;

 

[sl1966]

I was wondering if that's what you meant, after I posted my question. Thanks for clearing that up.<br /><br /><br /><br />

 

[josephusminimus]

I was wondering if that's what you meant, after I posted my question. Thanks for clearing that up.

<br /><br /><br />As several other posters implied, hunting and fishing under normal conditions is primarily a recreational activity.&nbsp; The distinction between that motive and the intention fuz suggested as a means of acquiring meat for the diet seemed worth a bit of elaboration.&nbsp; The recreational pastimes of hunting and fishing qualify as hobbies, whereas the self-sufficiencies fuz hopes to improve aren't likely to be fulfilled by the usual recreational methods.<br /><br />My thought is that a lot of folks with limited experience are led to believe otherwise and devote energies and resources to an effort doomed to failure because of a lot of information floating around on the web provided by the survivalist entrepreneurs.

 

[sl1966]

Personally speaking. Hunting is how I plan to supplement my foodstuffs. I don't intend for it to be my sole source of nourishment so much as to vary the menu on occasion.<br /><br />

 

[Seraphim]

Hadn't thought about trapping...<br /><br /><br />Need to find an instructor around here to learn about field prepping a carcass and cooking it: small game.

 

[josephusminimus]

Hadn't thought about trapping...<br /><br /><br />Need to find an instructor around here to learn about field prepping a carcass and cooking it: small game.

<br /><br />There's not much to it Seraphim.&nbsp; If you're in a rural area you might just stop and ask some old guy you see in a cafe to explain how it's done.<br /><br />I used to rabbit hunt with a guy who'd been a Navy Seal who dressed out rabbits immediately after killing by squeezing everything backward from the ribcage out the other end, yanking it off and throwing it in a burlap bag with the others.&nbsp; When we got to camp or back to town he'd tear the hide around the neck, pull it off the carcass lengthwise and open the abdominal cavity to scrape out whatever was left, clip off the legs at the kneejoints, and be done with it.<br /><br />Animals with tougher hides such as squirrels require a bit more, but not by much.

 

[sl1966]

I used to rabbit hunt with a guy who'd been a Navy Seal who dressed out rabbits immediately after killing by squeezing everything backward from the ribcage out the other end

<br /><br />You're talking about the push-gut method, I think. I've seen it done by rabbit hunters in the UK, but haven't had the op to try it out myself. Looking forward to learning since it seems like an effective way of gutting a rabbit without making too much of a mess. The method doesn't seem to work on all species though. A friend (in a hunting forum) from Trinidad tried it out on an Agouti and all it did was pee on him.<br /><br />

 

[josephusminimus]

I used to rabbit hunt with a guy who'd been a Navy Seal who dressed out rabbits immediately after killing by squeezing everything backward from the ribcage out the other end

<br /><br />You're talking about the push-gut method, I think. I've seen it done by rabbit hunters in the UK, but haven't had the op to try it out myself. Looking forward to learning since it seems like an effective way of gutting a rabbit without making too much of a mess. The method doesn't seem to work on all species though. A friend (in a hunting forum) from Trinidad tried it out on an Agouti and all it did was pee on him.<br /><br />

<br /><br />It requires a lot of strength in the hands,even with rabbits.&nbsp; But truthfully, a person's going to get his hands messy dressing out an animal.&nbsp; Rabbit's possibly the only one it can be done entirely without a cutting tool.&nbsp; And if a cutting tool's available a person might as well use it.<br /><br />I was merely trying to illustrate that gutting and dressing a small animal isn't rocket science.

 

[sl1966]

I was merely trying to illustrate that gutting and dressing a small animal isn't rocket science.

<br /><br />I know, and you're right in saying it's not. I was ID'ing the method you were talking about, and that it (sadly) doesn't work on all small critters. Then again I haven't ever tried it yet, and Agouti aren't common stateside.<br /><br />