Texas Fish & Game Magazine

A 725.8-pound hog taken in Southeast Texas recently created quite a stir. The sheer size of the animal was enough to get people’s attention, but something else quickly became the center of the discussion. The huge hog was black and white, with coloration more commonly associated with domestic swine than the stereotypical image of a Texas feral hog. That prompted an obvious question. Was this thing really feral?

Few things get a Texas coastal angler’s blood pumping like seeing gulls dipping and diving over open water. From Sabine Lake and Galveston Bay down through the Middle and Lower Coast, working birds can signal speckled trout driving shrimp and small baitfish toward the surface. Finding the birds, however, is only part of the game. How you approach them and what you do once you get there can make the difference between catching a couple of fish and really getting into the action.

Texas hunters heading into the woods this fall have something new to watch for besides deer, squirrels and other game. New World screwworm has emerged as a serious animal-health concern in Texas, and the arrival of hunting seasons could provide another important layer of surveillance as thousands of hunters spend time in wildlife habitat and begin examining harvested animals.

EVERY YEAR, SOMWHERE between the last hot week of September and the first cold morning of the season, a lot of us do the same thing. Pull the rifle out of the safe, wipe it down, fire three rounds to “confirm zero,” and call it ready. That is not an audit. That is a ritual. An audit is less comfortable, because it asks what has changed since last season. Your load changed. Your glass changed. The lease changed hands. The law changed in a state you drive through to get there.

TL;DR · LiTime’s ArgoSeeker comes in two sizes: the A1 (24V, 700W, 60 lb thrust, 13.45 lbs) and the A2 (48V, 2,000W, 120 lb thrust, 16.53 lbs). · A 2,000W rating converts to about 2.7 horsepower (1 hp is roughly 746 W). The “5HP” on the A2 is an equivalence claim about low-speed push, not a gas-engine power figure. · Runtime is battery watt-hours divided by watts. A 2,560Wh 24V battery would run the A1 flat out for roughly 3.7 hours before losses, and longer at part throttle.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) today released its 2026 Waterfowl Population Status Report. This report contains results from surveys and population estimation methods conducted by the USFWS, Canadian Wildlife Service and numerous state and provincial partners. The estimate for total breeding ducks in the traditional survey area was 33.4 million, which was similar to the 2025 estimate of 33.9 million and 6% below the long-term average (since 1955).

A new executive order signed Sept. 17 could eventually bring significant changes to recreational saltwater fishing, including new opportunities to turn decommissioned offshore oil and gas structures into artificial reefs. The order, “Restoring American Saltwater Angling and Recreation,” also addresses shark depredation, federal recreational fishing data, permitting and the use of state fisheries information in federal management.

I’ve seen some enormous feral hogs over the years, but a boar recently taken in Southeast Texas is on another level. Hunter Ken Swenson killed a massive black-and-white boar that tipped the scales at 725.8 pounds. And this isn’t an estimated weight. There’s a photo of the hog on the scale showing the 725.8-pound reading, and I was able to see the documentation firsthand. Swenson also provided video and information about this remarkable animal.

Hunter Nation, Inc., the nation’s leading grassroots advocacy organization dedicated to preserving America’s hunting heritage, celebrated President Donald J. Trump’s landmark Executive Order taking the first step towards delisting the Gray and Mexican wolf from the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The Executive Order recognizes the biological reality that gray wolf populations have far exceeded all federal recovery thresholds.

Towing your boat to remote fishing waters requires careful planning and more diligence than shorter local hauls. Sparse roadside services and variable road conditions can quickly turn a simple trip into a test of preparation and skill. Paying close attention to every aspect of your towing setup is essential for a safe and efficient adventure. WHEN YOU HEAD OFF THE BEATEN PATH for fishing, the differences between remote and local destinations become clear.