85 mph in US

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/10/29/texans-go-hog-wild-on-first-night-of-85-mph-tollway-four-accide/

If you've never been to Texas, you might not know what the hell could be the big deal about some wild pigs, but let me tell you - they are a menace.

They are EVERYWHERE! Seriously, everywhere. They closed down a runway at DFW last summer in the middle of the day because a pack of them were out there. DF'inW Int'l Airport! Not exactly out in the middle of nowhere.

Most of the pigs are between 100-150 pounds, but there are many that excede that. We regularly see/kill 250lbs plus pigs on our property.

They are terrible. They tear up everything looking for roots and grubs to eat (and anything else, even other dead pigs) and they will chase you if you get too close. Two years ago, I killed one while deer hunting - waiting 30 mins, walked 5 mins to the truck, drove to the pig (it was now dark) got out to collect the pig, and was fortunate enough to see the group of 30 plus charging me in the headlights to get off a shot (hitting a second pig) and scaring them back into the woods.

These things tear up vehicles all the time, and they are hard to see. They weigh alot, and are not very tall. In taller grass, you often cannot see them at night (they are black) as their eyes are hidden in the grass. Animals like deer do not have this problem. And with the weight being so low, they will usually go under a car, rather than over it (like a deer, coyote, etc.) This can cause major issues. I have seen cars flipped because they hit a pig. Never seen a deer do that.

Basically, they are our bears (though there are a few of those in very, very select areas here thanks to re-naturalization programs). They are big, they do nothing but cause trouble, and while they usually run from you, they can be deadly. Yes, they are like bears. Slightly smaller bears, with less fur, and with lots of buddies hanging around.

The worst thing is that you cannot kill them fast enough. They have like 3-4 litters a year, with 8-12 piglets each time. Basically, you have to hunt them everyday, hard, usually with multiple hunters, (and sometimes, dogs) to deter them from coming on your property. They are still there, they just bother your neighbors. This is usually just a temporary fix, though.

They are open to hunting all year round, with no limits. You can even shoot them from helicopters.

Yeah, they stink. They are the reason I (and many others) always go onto owner forums and look for a way to turn our highbeams and foglights on at the same time. No one in the city can fathom why you would want to run your highbeams in the fog, but all the country guys know it's not for fog, it's to shine the ditches.

BTW, Tux, where the hell is that feature on my 2010 Ram??? It used to be a simple trip to the dealer for the 03-08s, and it was just a jumper in the relay box before that... On mine? No one knows... We even tried changing the country code to Canada, but no joy...

Okay, hog rant over... for now.

Speaking of wild hogs (haven't read the article yet), some moron thought that those wild pigs would be awful fun to hunt in Iowa.

They are the closest equivalent to rodents that isn't a rodent. They're tough, they breed like rabbits, and they ruin everything. Like what Sim said, its open season on them, literally. If you want to kill just to kill go wild hog hunting and bring the biggest baddest gun you have and kill every last one of them, boars, sows, piglets...everything.

Good analogy. And yeah, they want them dead here so bad that they legalized hunting with a supressor (silencer) on your rifle. So now you can go out at night, spot light them, and shoot several before they know what's going on.

Are they good to eat at least? I mean, they're free range bacon. Also, I wish there were an 85mph speed limit around me, stomping grounds for my Cavalier. But I'd want to remove the 107mph governor.

From what I've heard they are not any good for food. Extremely tough, and to make it tasty you've gotta cook the hell out of it...but I could be wrong that's just what I know. Its an animal for sport hunting and for that it is damn good. They're aggressive and difficult to kill with low powered rifles if memory serves. I know if you're on the ground the boars will charge and try to cut you open with their tusks.

They can be, but you gotta be selective with your kill or be prepared to do a lot of work.

If you want to eat it quick, shoot a piglet or small pig, preferably a female. The big pigs, especially the boars, taste like swamp.

Ever had bad catfish? Or old seafood? You know that nasty, muddy, gamey, lakey, etc. taste? Yeah, multiply that by 10. That's what the big ones taste like (atlease around here) because of all the crap they eat and where they live.

Down south, where there is more farming, and the pigs consume more grain, they taste a little better.

Anyway, if you kill a big one, you can make it taste great - just like farm-raised - if you are willing to work with it.

You have to field-dress it FAST! The blood is nasty, and it needs to come out of the animal quick.

Once the game is dressed, it needs to be cut into manageable pieces and placed in a salt-bath as quickly as possible. Using loads of salt and ice in a cooler is the best way. As the ice melts, you drain the water (atleast once a day), then add more salt and ice. This process actually draws the blood (which is what tastes bad) out of the meat.

After a minimum of three days of this, the meat can be processed more fully (if you didn't process it before) and cooked just like you cook any other pork cuts. Loins, ribs, chops, whatever. After the bath, it is actually more tender and juicier than store-bought.

This is the most effective way to take the gamey taste out of the meat (this works on more than just pigs, you just don't have to do it as long for them), but some people prefer just to slow cook it. This works, but not nearly as well. There will still be some gamey flavor.

This weekend is the start of the regular deer season, so I'll be out in the woods soon. (Not this weekend, as I have a car show Saturday and the NASCAR race on Sunday to go to) If you're interested, I'm sure I'd be able to get you some meat to try. We almost always see pigs at our feeders, and I don't mind killing a few if there aren't any deer out that day.

And yes, they are very hard to kill. They have very, very strong shoulder blades that protect almost all their vitals.

If you want to kill them, but not eat them, the most effective thing is to gut-shoot them. The shot will kill them, but not right away. They will run into the woods before they die. No mess, no fuss. Most people I know who kill them because they are a nuisance do that so that they don't have to go retrieve/clean up the animal to keep predators away.

If you want to drop them, you can try a head shot (but they have thick skulls too) or puncturing the shoulder blade, but you will need a very high-powered rifle with lots of pentrating power. My .30-06 with balistic tips has failed to drop them before from ranges of less than 75 yards. And our AR-15 (Civilian M4) just bounces off them.

There is avery small sweet-spot at the very front of their chest, where it joins their neck, but it's a 2" circle that you have to hit. And at the wrong angle, the shot is in-effective, as it will just go through.

The best weapon we've found to use against them is a .300 Mag. It's usually a one shot affair. And the .30-06 is probably the second best.

A .308 is okay at short ranges, but it really lacks the knock-down power.

Yea Ive heard the the hogs are as tough to kill as the nutria we have here in the NW. Can be mean as shit and a bitch to kill. Not sure about the hogs but heard that its the same... that a .22 will deflect right off the dome and just piss off the big rats.

We have the Nutria here too, and they are hard to kill, but not quite as hard to kill as the pigs. They don't cause as much damage either. At least not in my part of the state...

I wonder if 7.62x54mm is big enough to kill... I'm thinking yes. They are a nuisance here in GA too.

You shooting a Mosin Sorta?

.308 is a 7.62, though they did make more powerful versions of the 7.62 for certain rifles. It will do the trick with a very well placed shot under 100 yards.

Simcik, you were talking about dressing the big ones and all I could think of was, "Yummmm! Wild boar pulled pork sandwiches. Get me some meat and I'll slap it in a crock pot."

I agree, the AR-15 is nearly useless. Its native 5.56 mm round is really just a .223 with very little penetrating power. Now the military on the other hand gets a "supercharged" version. The military 5.56 mm has more powder packed behind the round, and when fired it moves circa 3,000 (between 2,800 and 3,100) feet:second. The NATO round also tumbles once inside the target, not-so for the civilian .223.

http://www.futurefirepower.com/myths-about-the-nato-556-cartridge
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5.56×45mm_NATO

I am seriously going to have to find a way to acquire a military-spec M-16. Part of the magic is in the NATO round, the other part is in the military M-16 barrel. They're fun rifles. And then there's the M-249. A machine gun so fun, we were only given a foot worth of the chain to fire in basic; the drill sergeants didn't want us to have too much fun.

Yeah I've got a mosin. It's a fun gun, I don't really hunt anything though. Can't imagine there are to many things out there that round can't stop.

Avanti there are 2 different types of .223's. I can't remember if it's Remington or Winchester that makes the civilian round but you are right it's not as hot of a round. You can't fire the mil spec .223 in a rifle designed for the civilian round because the mil spec round is a lot hotter. If you've got an AR though you should be able to get the same stuff the military uses (just no full auto).

I have nothing against other people going and hunting animals and what not, but there is no way in hell I would do it myself.

I not only don't want to deal with the mess, but I don't get any real enjoyment out of killing an animal. Unless the fucker is trying to eat me, then I'm all for it.

I love to shoot though, mainly to blow up shit like tannerite or other powdered explosives. I need something besides my .22 rifle though. SIG P250 is on my list, as well as a 1911 of some sort. Not sure if I want a bigger rifle or not, I have military buddies with plenty of those.

Oh and I prefer eating cow and chicken, preferably ready to cook/eat already.

There is a little bit of a sureal moment after you pull the trigger. You do feel some emotions. It's a very spiritual thing, at least with game animals. Predators and animals meaning you harm are different.

When I kill a deer, I eat it, 'cause it is tasty, has almost no fat in it, and is cheap (a $2.50 bullet and about $75 to have the whole thing processed, if I don't do it myself) compared to several hundred dollars of beef. Don't get me wrong, I love my steak and chicken, but wild game is a special thing.

Pigs, they are kinda weird. They can be food, but there are so many of them here, and there is no season, so it's not the same kind of experience. Also, they are a nuisance, so it's totally different to me. I would not kill a deer and not take the meat. I have killed pigs and just let them die. If I have a chance to get one this year, I may go ahead and do it. I could use some good bacon in the freezer, and I could send you guys some if you wanted it.

Wild pig bacon? I'd pay for some of that. I like to eat different animals I haven't eaten before, wild pig is on what's probably the shorter list by now of stuff I haven't eaten.

A friend on mine hunts wild pig for sport. He goes with his army friends only they don't use guns. They take guns just in case but the use knifes. Big ones. They find a pig and And wrestle it to the ground and stab it. One man per pig unless the one trying wrestle it gets into trouble. I think they are crazy!