So I'm watching sons of guns and its the episode Hogzilla I think. Anyway they're building a hog killing 458. When they go to talk to their client he talks about numerous 500-650# hogs... I don't even think I've heard of one that big... What's the deal? Hog big do they legit get?

There are pigs that big and bigger out there, but they are rare. What you saw is typical tv "reality" sensationalizing.

I agree. It seems like as long as there is just a little bit of truth, or chance of truth about a statement it will "fly".

Probably about 20 years ago I saw a hog that went about 600 lbs. We were riding night hunting when this thing crossed the road about 75 yards from us. My buddies and I all looked at each other with that "did I just see that look". Well we never even got a shot off.

Biggest one I ever killed was just shy of 400 pounds. Had a buddy that said his son killed one some years ago in riverbottom area around the Navasota River that was over 600 pounds, but I always doubted that claim.

Naw, not unlucky, you're just really good at population control. Need to let a few of them 'pass' (you know, give 'em another year or two) so they have an opportunity grow into their full potential! JK. I've never seen one that big either. Never know tho, but again, might just 'Hollywood' talking (kinda like politicians).

I'm fairly certain that pigs that grow to monster proportions are bred with big breed domesticated pigs. Some domesticated pigs are so big they look like short-legged cows.

I was thinking about this over the weekend. Last spring my father killed a 235 lb. boar (EDIT: by scale - we weigh all of our pigs too), which I thought was fairly close to as big as they get in my neck of the woods. Last Friday I found his lower jaw near where we left his hide and gutpile and recognized it because one of his cutters was broken when we cleaned him. His third molars were just starting to emerge when he died, which I think ages him at twenty months or slightly less. Maybe it's just that the boars we've killed out there have all been young and unwise and there are some real monsters in the woods that just know how to not get shot.

In any event, my eyes still glaze over when I hear someone say "500-650 lb. hogs". I can believe 350-400, but rare. There are apparently some really big suckers in North Carolina, though.

a lot of TV is bs

Fixed it for ya

Biggest hog off our place was 235 lbs. Yes we weight them all. Ive seen a lot of "300" pound hogs that never saw a scale that were not as big as the 175 and 200 lb. hogs we have shot and weighed.

Not saying there are no big hogs and they don't exist, but the ones you see pictures of like Hogzilla etc. always come back to having some domestic in them and the vast majority of the ferals are stories about hogs that never saw a scale. The big hog contest in south Texas is routinely won by a hog around or less than 300 lbs. that should tell you something. Sure there is the needle in a haystack 400 pounder but its far from an everyday occurrence.

I can believe it .... if they cut the hogs and have a steady supply of protein/carb for them
to get fat on

the biggest domesticated pig was over 1100 lbs, raised in China, he was so fat he just laid there and ate

Knew an older gentleman in Oklahoma, back in the 40's his folk had the holding farm for local shipping of hogs. Point being, they received hogs from farmers in a 30 mile radius, held the hogs until special train could be sent to pick the hogs up and deliver them to the slaughter pens. Their facility was about 3 miles from the side/off track and everything had to be timed to move the hogs by herding them, similar to a cattle drive.

He said they always lost some hogs due to natural causes, such as heat and stress, but some would escape. He claimed there were hogs in the area over 500 pounds that had turned feral, just like large longhorn bulls in south Texas and along the Rio Grande. Spent their entire life avoiding humans. These animals have survived by being "cunning" and avoiding all areas or situations where they could be captured. In other words, these animals do not hang out at the rest stops and city parks looking for handouts.

to start with TV is for entertainment not education. My son was recently watching an "educational" animal show and they made the comment about a North American whitetail buck. He was obviously a mule deer even my 12 year old knew it and he's never seen a live mule deer!

Secondly I hear all the time that a big hog has to have domestic in him. The fact is 99% of all feral hogs are of domestic descent. Some may not be as far removed from livestock as others. A lot of the Hogzilla stories are high fenced old domestic boars period.

All that said we kill a few{2-3} over 300 each year and every few years a 400 pounder. In 21 years we've killed 3 that broke 500 and two of those were weighed on certified scales. They were very obviously as feral as they get. For the record 520{very old 8+} in 1996, 553{approx.5 yrs was robbing protein feeders} in 2007 and 500+{very old} in 2012.

The funny thing is that a 235 lb. boar LOOKS like an enormous animal. When my cousin, my father and I walked up to the aforementioned boar dead on the ground, my cousin went apes__t. "Holy (blank), man!! That sucker must weigh 300 lbs! I've never SEEN a pig that big before! Oh WOW, man!" - and that reaction, in which your inner redneck is completely unfettered and allowed to run rampant, is how I think stories about 500 lb. pigs get started.

How much do you think this pig weighs?

For reference, I'm 6'5" and weigh about 270 lbs. I'm about a foot away from her.

If I was a betting man, which im not. I would say your north of 270 and the hog is south.

Ive killed pigs that would go 275 and maybe push 300. Ive seen over 300-350lb pigs but like he said over 400 is really rare. I doubt russian pigs could get much bigger than that but feral domestics definately can. I raised pigs for 12 years and if you put good food to them they will keep growing.

This made me laugh very much. I actually call anything between 270 and 282 "about 270". Easier that way. Over 282, without limitation, is "about 275".

The sow weighed in at 187 lbs. A 187 lb. sow still looks like a pretty big critter.

I'm a firm believer in the 500+ lb hogs. Saw one several years back off a wheatfield in Seymour. Looked like a big sow with piglets (they were easily 800 yds out). Got my binoculars up and saw the "piglets" had piglets.

No BS, this pig was the size of a VW. Was never able to get a shot off, soon as I got off the 4 wheeler to try to get in closer, they took off across the Brazos.

They are out there, but they didnt get big by being dumb.

Glad you got a chuckle, not trying to be mean at all, but out of the folks I know over 6-4 there are very few that tip the scales at 270 and you didn't appear to be a bean pole kinda feller

The first pig I ever killed was a massive boar. It was so large it took the two of us to barely get him on the tail gate, and this was when I was in college and fit. Our scale went to 250 lbs, and it bottomed it out when we got his rear end off the tail gate. His front shoulders were still on the tail gate and we didn't even lift anymore after that. He was so large he waddled into the feeder before I shot him. Several of the older hunters on our place said that was the biggest pig they had ever seen. I've killed a few 200+ lb pigs confirmed by weight, and this pig was definitely 400+. Never even weighed another one 300+ pig since. Several 220- 250 lbs, but nothing over 300. So the 300 lb + pigs are not nearly as common.

No disrespect to the op, but in my opinion this is why people don't/shouldn't believe the stories.

About 800 yards estimating 500+ pounds and even determining the sex all off of a 4 wheeler with probably hand held binos. Little far fetched for me. But I love a good story as much as the next guy and have a few of my own. Had 2 bass jump into my boat while bow fishing, that is how it happened but without proof the GW wouldn't have believed me either.

Funny how people often aren't able to do a good job estimating the weight of pigs they have in their hands, but would proclaim a pig to be 500+ lbs and the size of the VW when nearly a half mile distant.



Nope. They got that big by eating. Not all big pigs are smart, LOL.

Hahaha sounds like you guys must really know your stuff... It's truly an honor to even be on the same forum of such exceptional Weight Determining Experts.

Any other tips and pointers you Pro's have for us Over Exaggerating Rookies would be greatly appreciated!

I know dang well I couldn't even come close to guessing the weight or gender of a pig at 800 yards, much less the 800 yard guestimate.

We weigh all ours that how I know how much they weigh. Most people don't weight theirs that's why I don't believe most of the outlandish claims.