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Let’s talk tusks #7023915 01/04/18 03:31 AM
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Here on our place in central Tx, i’ve been killing and trapping hogs for years. But never yet have I found a hog with significant tusks. Some of the boars were in the 200 pound range, with one maybe 250ish, but no big cutters. Any thoughts on why that is? Is it an age thing, or genetics, or nutrition?

Last edited by 603Country; 01/04/18 03:32 AM.

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Re: Let’s talk tusks [Re: 603Country] #7023930 01/04/18 03:38 AM
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I'd like to know the answer to that too. I've killed over 100 hogs on our place in Lee county and not one had any real tusks.


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Re: Let’s talk tusks [Re: 603Country] #7023950 01/04/18 03:48 AM
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Idk but I’ve killed a few on Ft Hood with good tusks but the biggest I killed there had hardly any they were all broken and busted up.

Re: Let’s talk tusks [Re: 603Country] #7023966 01/04/18 04:01 AM
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It s genetics

Re: Let’s talk tusks [Re: 603Country] #7023969 01/04/18 04:03 AM
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Prob too much inbreeding. I’ve heard the really colorful pigs are due to inbreeding as well

Re: Let’s talk tusks [Re: 603Country] #7023976 01/04/18 04:08 AM
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I know they do break them off a lot but some seem to never grow big cutters. I saw some pigs come off a place in Franklin County that were always around 120-150 lbs. all had massive cutters. Only lasted about 3 years. Then they were and are just decent to hardly any. Has to be genetics. I saw a sow the other day that had been shot and she had really big cutters. So basically I have no idea! Lol


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Re: Let’s talk tusks [Re: TAT] #7024012 01/04/18 04:39 AM
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Originally Posted By: TAT
I know they do break them off a lot but some seem to never grow big cutters. I saw some pigs come off a place in Franklin County that were always around 120-150 lbs. all had massive cutters. Only lasted about 3 years. Then they were and are just decent to hardly any. Has to be genetics. I saw a sow the other day that had been shot and she had really big cutters. So basically I have no idea! Lol
roflmao

Re: Let’s talk tusks [Re: 603Country] #7024023 01/04/18 04:48 AM
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Back when I was assessing age based on tooth eruption and development, I had several boars ranging from 180-210 lbs that were less than 2.5 years old...with small tusks.


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Re: Let’s talk tusks [Re: 603Country] #7024059 01/04/18 07:18 AM
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We get some nice ones up in Montague on the bigger boars. Sometimes they were broken. I got one in Nov that were little over 4 inches. Another bigger boar killed same night were smaller. Big one I got few weeks ago might be closer to 5. Will see when I get the euro. Seems part genetic and how their bite is. In west Texas they are all pretty big. Buddy got one 6 inches and was not a big one.

Re: Let’s talk tusks [Re: 603Country] #7024065 01/04/18 08:35 AM
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Looking at mounts can be pretty deceiving as far as tusk size, as the tusks have a couple of inches inside the jaw bones, and once the skull dries out some, you can pull then out further. This is generally done to make them look more dynamic on the wall.
I don't know if there is any real definitive answers to locations, food sources, or genetics as far as tusk size....there seems to be a lot of variation all over the place in every category.

Re: Let’s talk tusks [Re: 603Country] #7024090 01/04/18 11:20 AM
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I have been hunting and trapping hogs for a while, have killed hundreds and the biggest hog I ever shot was close to 300# boar with very big cutters, other than that I have never really got a good set of them. I am around the San Antonio area.


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Re: Let’s talk tusks [Re: 603Country] #7024109 01/04/18 12:05 PM
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With food available pigs can go from 3 lbs babies, to 300 lbs pigs in 6-8 months . Genetic plays a part in this . Where cutters are concerned, genetics does play a role here too, but so does age. Takes a lot longer for them to grow then it does got them to put on weight. Think about it in same terms as antlers on deer. Exact same factors come into play . They also fight and break them, or grind them down a lot just being a holes, when showing they’re dominant . Catch one, cut him, and catch him again 8 months later, he’s gained ton of weight, and cutters significantly bigger. Same in captivity/high fence ect

Re: Let’s talk tusks [Re: 603Country] #7024112 01/04/18 12:10 PM
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Re: Let’s talk tusks [Re: 603Country] #7024114 01/04/18 12:11 PM
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Re: Let’s talk tusks [Re: 603Country] #7024120 01/04/18 12:17 PM
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These pictures are of pigs we killed that aged between 3-5 years. They really don’t start getting cutters until @2. Nutrition/genetics do play role. But so does age, and that’s a huge factor. Most of the pigs people kill are young pigs, under a year. Just doesn’t seem like it because weight can go on much faster than teeth . It’s identical in farm raised pigs. If they didn’t cut the needle teeth as babies, the breeder boars would have prehistoric look to them . Because they’d be alive and healthy at 8years old

Re: Let’s talk tusks [Re: Midwaytmm] #7024274 01/04/18 02:11 PM
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Originally Posted By: Midwaytmm
These pictures are of pigs we killed that aged between 3-5 years. They really don’t start getting cutters until @2. Nutrition/genetics do play role. But so does age, and that’s a huge factor. Most of the pigs people kill are young pigs, under a year. Just doesn’t seem like it because weight can go on much faster than teeth . It’s identical in farm raised pigs. If they didn’t cut the needle teeth as babies, the breeder boars would have prehistoric look to them . Because they’d be alive and healthy at 8years old


How do you age a pig? Cut them in half and count the rings? Seriously though I have no idea.

Re: Let’s talk tusks [Re: 603Country] #7024450 01/04/18 03:52 PM
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Aging hogs can be accomplished through the assessment of tooth eruption and wear. Just like in humans or deer, each tooth (particularly adult teeth) eruption at about a certain age within a few months. Combine that with the amount of wear on the teeth and you can narrow the range. I used to do this for hogs, deer, and once in a while for humans from archaeological assemblages. I have a collection of article on aging animals from tooth wear. Unfortunately with the demise of photobucket, most of the images people had compiled more recently are not available.

Here are a couple long-eared articles for which I found pdfs.
https://pages.wustl.edu/files/pages/imce/liu/j_archaeol_sci_2014_lemoine.pdf
http://europepmc.org/backend/ptpmcrender.fcgi?accid=PMC1271522&blobtype=pdf

Maybe, Midwaytmm has some better links?

As he said, genetics do come into play (by default, they do for every aspect of the hog) which is why you don't see big cutters in young hogs, but tusks are not like antlers where we assume the bigger they are, the better the genetic stock. Age and nutrituion/health are going to be the big determiners. There is no correlation between hog weight and cutter length.


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Re: Let’s talk tusks [Re: Double Naught Spy] #7024488 01/04/18 04:14 PM
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Originally Posted By: Double Naught Spy

Age and nutrition/health are going to be the big determiners.
There is no correlation between hog weight and cutter length.



^^^THIS
My best set of cutters came off a fat, healthy 150 pound boar but even those were less than spectacular.
Most of the big AND old boars I have shoot have funky teeth!


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Re: Let’s talk tusks [Re: TexasKC] #7024607 01/04/18 05:09 PM
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Originally Posted By: TexasKC
I'd like to know the answer to that too. I've killed over 100 hogs on our place in Lee county and not one had any real tusks.

I also hunt in Lee County just south of Lexington (off of CR405) and while I don't see many hogs with large tusks, I've seen several in the past ten years that I've been hunting them.
None were outrageously large, but there have been a few that had decent tusks. I haven't shot 100 yet, more like 70 or so. Obviously I need to get out more!


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Re: Let’s talk tusks [Re: Double Naught Spy] #7024628 01/04/18 05:25 PM
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Originally Posted By: Double Naught Spy
Aging hogs can be accomplished through the assessment of tooth eruption and wear. Just like in humans or deer, each tooth (particularly adult teeth) eruption at about a certain age within a few months. Combine that with the amount of wear on the teeth and you can narrow the range. I used to do this for hogs, deer, and once in a while for humans from archaeological assemblages. I have a collection of article on aging animals from tooth wear. Unfortunately with the demise of photobucket, most of the images people had compiled more recently are not available.

Here are a couple long-eared articles for which I found pdfs.
https://pages.wustl.edu/files/pages/imce/liu/j_archaeol_sci_2014_lemoine.pdf
http://europepmc.org/backend/ptpmcrender.fcgi?accid=PMC1271522&blobtype=pdf

Maybe, Midwaytmm has some better links?

As he said, genetics do come into play (by default, they do for every aspect of the hog) which is why you don't see big cutters in young hogs, but tusks are not like antlers where we assume the bigger they are, the better the genetic stock. Age and nutrituion/health are going to be the big determiners. There is no correlation between hog weight and cutter length.


Very interesting


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Re: Let’s talk tusks [Re: 603Country] #7024674 01/04/18 05:57 PM
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What is the easiest and quickest way to remove the tusks from a hog? I just want to start a collection that I throw in a glass bowl.


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Re: Let’s talk tusks [Re: Mr. T.] #7024681 01/04/18 05:58 PM
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Originally Posted By: Mr. T.
What is the easiest and quickest way to remove the tusks from a hog? I just want to start a collection that I throw in a glass bowl.
burry the head for a couple weeks and the teeth will just pull right out. You could also boil but it’s more messy.

Re: Let’s talk tusks [Re: Mr. T.] #7024757 01/04/18 06:51 PM
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Originally Posted By: Mr. T.
What is the easiest and quickest way to remove the tusks from a hog? I just want to start a collection that I throw in a glass bowl.


Drop the head on top of a fire ant bed.
Those little stinkers will strip one pretty quickly.
Kick it out of pile in a week or two and they come out pretty easily.
If there are varmints in area, they may pack it off.


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Re: Let’s talk tusks [Re: Vern1] #7024846 01/04/18 07:53 PM
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Originally Posted By: Vern1
Originally Posted By: Mr. T.
What is the easiest and quickest way to remove the tusks from a hog? I just want to start a collection that I throw in a glass bowl.


Drop the head on top of a fire ant bed.
Those little stinkers will strip one pretty quickly.
Kick it out of pile in a week or two and they come out pretty easily.
If there are varmints in area, they may pack it off.


I should try this in the backyard when they come out in the spring. Have a javi head. I can stake a bucket over it for stench and varmits.

Re: Let’s talk tusks [Re: Vern1] #7025125 01/04/18 11:06 PM
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Originally Posted By: Vern1
Originally Posted By: Mr. T.
What is the easiest and quickest way to remove the tusks from a hog? I just want to start a collection that I throw in a glass bowl.


Drop the head on top of a fire ant bed.
Those little stinkers will strip one pretty quickly.
Kick it out of pile in a week or two and they come out pretty easily.
If there are varmints in area, they may pack it off.


I put a bobcat head in an ant pile at the lease in camp. Forgot it about when I left. It wasn't there the next week when I went back. Lol. Dang it. Still got the skin for a rug though!


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