Getting back into hunting after about a 25 year hiatus. Have hunted deer and small game in the past.

Going to go hog hunting for the first time this fall.


Is there a significant size differential, on average between Southeastern and Western Hogs?


I always assumed there was. Am I correct?

 
Genes and food.


If you want big, go shoot the ones snacking on peanuts all year in Georgia etc.  


Where I hunt in central Louisiana, there is plenty of water, but the pest insects and lack of food usually mean we don't get many monsters.  I get excited about anything over 180lbs.

No I don't think so.
IMHO Size is just determined 50% by genetics and 50% by availability of food.  
Based on my observation for past 4-5 years in South/Central Florida and  personally seen about 80 hogs harvested (seen/observed hundreds)...
Most hogs seem to hit about 80 lb. around 12 months and about 100 lb. around 16 months but then growth slows down after that.  
Around my area 3-4 y/o boars that are 150 lb. is average.  A typical 3-4 y/o sow will be about 130 lb.  
I've seen many healthy 1-2 y/o hogs that were about 120 lb.  
I've seen many healthy 5 y/o hogs that were about 150 lb. which seems to indicate genetic influence on size.
Anything bigger than about 180 lb. is a big hog.
Very rare to find sow larger than 200 lb around here...I've only seen 2 and they were just over 200 lb.  One sow I shot was just over 200 lb. and it was very fat 5 y/o.
Anything bigger than 225 lb. is a huge hog.
Anything bigger than 300 lb. is a lie unless there is photograph proof with hog on scale.
I've never seen one over 350 lb. in person in 30+ years.
Barr hogs gain weight faster and are usually fatter (wider) but not any longer than those not cut.

I'm not sure how this compares to hogs in other areas
 
 

They can get fairly large here in South Carolina. I have shot several around 300 lbs and have spotted a large sow several times that I swear is close to 400 lbs  but never can get a shot on her.
On average they are between 80 lbs - 150lbs.

This one was right at 300 lbs

I hear California has some large boars but I don't know personally.

We've killed many over 500 pounds here in North Central Florida in the wilderness with no ag crops whatsoever, and dozens over 400 pounds.

Broke my scale on them over 550 pounds!


Here is one at 420 pounds from my backyard.

Those are some very large pigs SkyPup. You definitely need a tractor to haul some of those beasts.

The largest one I've actually weighed on the scale was 582 pounds before it broke, but many were bigger.

That is a 20" barrel on my custom T/C carbine and a full sized SIG 556 Commando.

The TLB skid steer loader weighs 850 pounds and is 72" wide and lifts 2,800 pounds.

When we are going after 350+ sized hogs I take one of my SIG 716 7.62X51mms with me, like tonight since there are three of them on my game cam pics from last night.