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Mulefoot #7 #7172118 05/17/18 01:53 PM
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I got my 7th Montague County Mulefoot hog last night. Here is the top of a front foot and the bottom of a hind foot to show what they look like. This was a small sow, only 90 lbs, but she had farrowed piglets previously, but was not pregnant when killed. I have another hog that should be down there as well, but am waiting on a call from the landowner to see about going out and looking for it...




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Re: Mulefoot #7 [Re: Double Naught Spy] #7172217 05/17/18 03:40 PM
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That is cool.

Is the mulefoot thing something that is more prevalent in certain areas? Kind of like melanistic coyotes? There are some places melanistic coyotes are found fairly regularly, and other places (like up here where I am at), almost never.

Re: Mulefoot #7 [Re: Double Naught Spy] #7172242 05/17/18 04:08 PM
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Interesting. I've never seen one where I hunt. I guess no one around here ever raised them.


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Re: Mulefoot #7 [Re: Double Naught Spy] #7172243 05/17/18 04:09 PM
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I killed a mule deer out west of Kermit that had elongated hooves. 'Figured it was all the sand dunes out there.


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Re: Mulefoot #7 [Re: Double Naught Spy] #7172285 05/17/18 05:00 PM
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While certainly unique and somewhat rare , you should be buying a lotto ticket every time your kill one of these just to see if you’re lucky or if they’re are just more out there that aren’t being reported...

I’m semi-superstitious and would have also given Destiny a nod in that the value “90” is both the weight of the pig and your bullet you shot it with ...

Might mean to say you should buy 90 dollars worth of lotto tickets or that you hunted 90 miles from your home

Am I loco

Last edited by Pig_Popper; 05/17/18 05:01 PM.

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Re: Mulefoot #7 [Re: der Teufel] #7172292 05/17/18 05:15 PM
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Originally Posted by JTPinTX
That is cool.

Is the mulefoot thing something that is more prevalent in certain areas? Kind of like melanistic coyotes? There are some places melanistic coyotes are found fairly regularly, and other places (like up here where I am at), almost never.


Here is a short vid I put together sometime back...



It is a genetic mutation that is hereditary. It used to be considered a defect and many farmers would kill a mulefooted piglet. Then farmers realized that mulefooted hogs were less apt to get hoof rot and it became desirable. In the late 1800s to early 1900s, mulefoots were regularly bred and became a noted breed of hog that was relished for their high quality of meat. Then the beef industry seemed to take off and the mulefoot industry went into decline. Now, it is considered a relic or heritage breed.

There are feral mulefooted found in numerous places in Texas. I suspect that there are a lot more killed that go unrecognized because hunters don't bother to look at the feet or aren't even familiar with the condition to recognize it if they were to see it.

In looking at some of the historic breeding records, mulefoots were bred in many areas of Texas, sometimes as whole herds (breeders) or as individuals introduced into non-mulefoot breeds to improve the local hogs with the infusion of mulefoot genetic material. I know that mulefoot hogs were sold to ranches in north Texas, but I haven't found records of any actual breeders in Montague County where I hunt, but I would not be surprised if there was one or more. Not all swine trading was on the books, right?

Originally Posted by der Teufel
Interesting. I've never seen one where I hunt. I guess no one around here ever raised them.


While they were bred on numerous ranches (recorded) in Texas and escapes or turnouts would contribute to a local population, this condition does occur naturally, though rarely. Again, I think most people just miss seeing the trait, not that it is common, but it really doesn't stand out unless you are looking for it.

The first one I killed was on a 220 lb boar. We spent a bunch of time trying to find the bullet hole in the boar and hauled him up to the house. There was something odd about the boar, but I could not put my finger on what it was until we were finished up with pictures and it dawned on me that its feet looked different. I had read about this trait and the recognized it for what it was. The landowner, long time hunter himself, had never seen or heard of such a thing.

Originally Posted by Creekrunner
I killed a mule deer out west of Kermit that had elongated hooves.


This is not related in any way. Elongated hooves in deer are not genetic, but due to a diet high in energy foods. Chances are your buck was eating a lot of supplements, such as hunters may do in hopes of producing bigger racks.



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Re: Mulefoot #7 [Re: Double Naught Spy] #7172451 05/17/18 08:37 PM
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Re: Mulefoot #7 [Re: Double Naught Spy] #7172501 05/17/18 09:41 PM
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Good information, and thanks for the video. I will have to try and pay attention and watch for it.

Re: Mulefoot #7 [Re: Double Naught Spy] #7172883 05/18/18 04:21 AM
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Interesting.

What is going on in Montague? Not a single pig on our two feeders since Jan. I am seeing lone boar tracks here and there but they are not hitting the feeders. We got wheat near by. Normally covered in hogs by now. Guess we killed them all last year.

Re: Mulefoot #7 [Re: Double Naught Spy] #7172889 05/18/18 04:33 AM
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I have a couple properties like that. They pass through occasionally, but are not staying. I have a couple of other properties where we continue to see them regularly, which is where I got my hogs on Wednesday.

You suggested that maybe you killed them all. I am more of the belief that the hogs seek shelter on sanctuary properties - those properties with absentee or inattentive owners where the hogs are not pursued by people. If you keep up the pressure, hogs will learn to avoid certain areas. They will be back from time to time and probe the property. Eventually, new ones will come along that don't realize the danger.

Still working on the video...

Last edited by Double Naught Spy; 05/18/18 05:04 AM.

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Re: Mulefoot #7 [Re: Double Naught Spy] #7176385 05/22/18 09:36 AM
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I guess I will look a little closer on the hoof. I usually kill drag to buzzard feeding area, or just clean for personal intake. Never really looked at the feets.

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