South Texas Hogs on Foot: Close-Range Chaos in the Brush

South Texas Hogs on Foot: Close-Range Chaos in the Brush

There’s hunting hogs from a stand. And then there’s hunting hogs on foot in the thorn-choked, mesquite-laced wilds of South Texas. One is predictable. The other is chaos. Last March, I joined a buddy on a walk-in-only WMA outside Laredo for a ground-stalk hog hunt. We weren’t sitting in blinds. We weren’t baiting. We were sneaking, sweating, and squinting through catclaw thickets—looking to get inside 30 yards of sounders we couldn’t always see.

Here’s what went down when the brush exploded—and what I’ll never forget.

🥾 Boots on Ground: Why We Walked In

We knew most guys were sitting over feeders or firebreaks near vehicle access. So we pushed 2.3 miles deep into the live oak and mesquite scrub—cutting through dry creek beds, glassing every pocket of shade, and pausing to listen for rooting.

🎙️ “We weren’t chasing pigs—we were intercepting patterns.”

By noon, the sun was hammering the back of our necks, and the brush seemed still. Until it wasn’t.

🐗 Chaos at 20 Yards: A Hog Storm in the Mesquite

At 12:37PM, we paused to glass a bowl rimmed by cedars. I took a knee. My buddy froze mid-step.

A low grunt.

Then cracking brush.

Suddenly, a group of hogs barreled out of the bowl, weaving through the thorns at full tilt. A boar peeled off and charged left—straight at us.

I raised my AR, found his shoulder, and fired.

The shot hit low, the boar spun, and the brush exploded with motion. A second pig broke cover to our right. My buddy swung, fired once—dropped it. Mine ran another 25 yards before collapsing in a patch of prickly pear.

🎙️ “It all happened in 11 seconds. And it felt like a full hour.”

💡 Lessons From a Close-Range Hog Blitz

✔️ Always glass before you move – That knee I took gave me a line of sight
✔️ Brush breaks noise discipline – We whispered less, moved smarter
✔️ Expect unpredictable behavior – The boar didn’t flee, he charged
✔️ Have backup angles – My buddy’s 2 o’clock coverage made the second shot possible
✔️ Know your zero, know your hold – Quick shots in tight cover don’t allow time for guessing

🎙️ “There’s no time to think when pigs bust—only time to react right.”

🧰 Gear That Handled the Brush Hunt

There’s no tree stand. No bait timer. No 200-yard comfort zone. Just you, the pig, and the brush between you. That’s what makes South Texas hogs on foot so intense. You earn every yard. Every drop of sweat. Every second of chaos.

“You don’t call the shot when you’re in the brush. You answer it.”