Texas has long faced the destruction feral hogs can have on land and wildlife. Now feral hogs' rampant damage is stretching as far north as Canada, with particularly prominent populations in U.S. northern border states, including Montana and North Dakota, the New York Times reports.
"In the past 30 years, the hogs have expanded their range to 38 states from 17," according to the Times.
And this spread isn't natural, it's being caused by people, scientists explain. Dale Nolte, manager of the feral swine program at the Department of Agriculture, told the outlet that there's "every reason to believe they are being moved in the backs of pickup trucks and released to create hunting opportunities.”
While Texas has developed creative hunting practices to stave off the swine epidemic, from air balloon strikes to the "HeliBacon," a helicopter that can be chartered for pricey hog-hunt excursions. However, for some states, hunting creates an incentive for hosting hog populations rather than a solution.
In those places, "people to distribute feral pigs for sport," the Times explains. "Hunting makes the animals warier and scatters sounders, or family groups, which go on to multiply in new family groups."
The swine have been capable of surviving the extreme winters in northern states and have been steadily multiplying. Their effects have not yet been as carefully documented as they are in the south. What experts do know is that state officials should plan to contain hog populations sooner rather than later.
This rings especially true and urgent in recent months.
These hogs are not typically known to be predatory, but a November encounter proved deadly for a woman in Anahuac, Texas. Christine Rollins was found dead with animal bites on her body. The Jefferson County Coroner's Office determined it was a feral hog assault that caused Rollin's death. However, that's an extreme and rare example of what these swine can do. If they cause human casualties it's usually by spreading disease through contaminated waters, including E. coli outbreaks in produce.
It's more common that the invasive species attacks ecosystems rather than people. They destabilize habitats and ravage private properties, agricultural crops — to the tune of $52 million in one recent finding —and wetlands by trampling on them. Even worse, they breed quickly. Their gestation period is roughly 120 days and they can breed as young as six months old.
Because of their negative effects on the environment and on communities, officials in The Woodlands — where this issue is particularly pronounced — are hosting an educational seminar on Feb. 20 at Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC), 8801 Gosling Road, in The Woodlands. The lecture will discuss how to tackle the growing problem and will feature guest speaker Chris Watts, a wildlife damage management biologist with the Texas A&M University AgriLife Extension and the Texas Wildlife Services Program.
So, what should the non-hog states do? Establish seasons on the relatively non-existent hogs and charge a huge fee for licenses to make hunting them unattractive?
Texas has long faced the destruction feral hogs can have on land and wildlife. Now feral hogs' rampant damage is stretching as far north as Canada, with particularly prominent populations in U.S. northern border states, including Montana and North Dakota, the New York Times reports.
One more thing for the NY times to get wrong. Havent heard of a single instance of feral hogs in Montana, or north dakota.
Texas has long faced the destruction feral hogs can have on land and wildlife. Now feral hogs' rampant damage is stretching as far north as Canada, with particularly prominent populations in U.S. northern border states, including Montana and North Dakota, the New York Times reports.
One more thing for the NY times to get strong. Havent heard of a single instance of feral hogs in Montana, or north dakota.
Texas has long faced the destruction feral hogs can have on land and wildlife. Now feral hogs' rampant damage is stretching as far north as Canada, with particularly prominent populations in U.S. northern border states, including Montana and North Dakota, the New York Times reports.
One more thing for the NY times to get strong. Havent heard of a single instance of feral hogs in Montana, or north dakota.
Maybe somebody else has...
I've heard rumors of them (wild boars actually) escaping game farms in Canada and ending up in either the Pembina Gorge or Turtle Mountains. However, I've never seen one, known or talked with anyone who's seen one, and haven't seen any game-camera pictures of them being circulated either.
" Good News " ? per the cost of hog hunting in Texas. ?????
I didn't read anything about a LOW license fee or a FREE feral hog hunting season in Texas. I know, I know, it's not the TGFD it's the landowners. WELL.......
I understand YOUR ? in the OP.
The essence of that " Houston Chronicle " article is Talk, Talk, Talk.
IF the Texians seriously wanted to reduce or eradicate feral hogs >>> QUIT charging an outrageous $$$$$$.
Alright Texians -- FLAME on. I can take it. Get Real or SHUT UP.
Jerry --> an Arkansan close enuff to help IF you are serious.
I have heard of hunting clubs buying breeding age hogs taking out the ear tags and releasing them here in Pa. hoping to replace low deer population numbers with another animal for hunting opportunities . Here in the mountains of north central Pa. the bear population would seem to have kept numbers in check though. I'm on fence about the right and wrong of it, as I can see both sides of the issue. BUT IMHO the PGC is partially at fault for it themselves as they have lowered deer numbers in most of the state to the point hunters are frustrated with hunting entire season and seeing a handful of deer.
Begs the question, "just how bad do ranchers in general really want the hogs gone?" On one hand they complain of out of control damage but on the other are more than happy to ask scalpers price to hunters that would like to hunt them.
Begs the question, "just how bad do ranchers in general really want the hogs gone?" On one hand they complain of out of control damage but on the other are more than happy to ask scalpers price to hunters that would like to hunt them.
I live next to one of the largest ranches in our county. For years the owner never would let me hunt over there because it was "Leased". Recently he has been begging me to shoot the hogs in the pasture behind my house. I would too, but they are only back there at 2 - 3 am, causing the neighbors dogs to bark incessantly, then retreat to the bayou where I'm not allowed. From what I can see, they are really tearing up his place. Let him spend some of his "Leased" money on fixing the problem.
" Good News " ? per the cost of hog hunting in Texas. ?????
I didn't read anything about a LOW license fee or a FREE feral hog hunting season in Texas. I know, I know, it's not the TGFD it's the landowners. WELL.......
I understand YOUR ? in the OP.
The essence of that " Houston Chronicle " article is Talk, Talk, Talk.
IF the Texians seriously wanted to reduce or eradicate feral hogs >>> QUIT charging an outrageous $$$$$$.
Alright Texians -- FLAME on. I can take it. Get Real or SHUT UP.
Jerry --> an Arkansan close enuff to help IF you are serious.
When the whitetail deer population began explode here in the late 1980's, a lot of farmers were claiming crop damage, and I know it did happen, although probably not as much as some of them said. Anyway, the KDFWR's answer was to tell the farmers to allow hunters to come in and kill the deer. That did not suit too well with most farmers, as most of them did not want to open up their land to hunters, unless they knew who it was. I was farming back then, and had experienced some crop damage myself, and being a hunter, I figured if the problem got serious enough, I'd thin the herd out myself.
My point in this.........2 things.......the state's wildlife people look to make money first, and that means that if one wants to hunt, one must pay. Same thing with most landowners, as they are looking for something out it too. Out of state hunters coming into Kentucky and leasing land to hunt on has driven the price of hunting up here, and the days of free hunting are long gone, unless you're lucky enough to have family who own land.
As a landowner, I can't blame someone for making money off their land, as that's their right to do so. BUT......that landowner then should not complain that animals are causing them a problem, when they are making money off that animal. Same way with the state, if they're going to make a big deal out of the damage that hogs are causing, then they need to ease the restrictions on hunting them.
A guy here in the Turtles mountains had a fenced in hog hunt area for a while. The natives cut holes in the fences and eventually killed them all. I have never seen a wild hog here in North Dakota. Ed k
It's a tough situation for sure. I don't blame private landowners one bit though for making money on it, and I dang sure wouldn't want the generally idiotic, clueless clowns toting guns to have access to my place if I owned it. You could hire a helicopter and hunt 3 days a week and you wouldn't control the population now. Nothing short of poison will do the trick.
It's a tough situation for sure. ..... You could hire a helicopter and hunt 3 days a week and you wouldn't control the population now. Nothing short of poison will do the trick.
That just amazes me. Back East, the early farmers/settlers would release hogs, let them reproduce and every now & then round a bunch of them up and drive them into town for slaughter. But the East doesn't have 1/2 the problem with ferals that Texas does. In most of the East, there aren't any. Apparently they were wiped out after the free range days.
Why is it so much harder to get rid of them in Texas?
There was a place here that I used to coyote hunt on. Farm was sold, and new owners were city folks, who told me they didn't want anyone shooting the animals. They got them some chickens, ducks for the pond, goats for the pasture, and some little bunnies to hop around the yard. A year later, I get a call........................we'd like you to come and shoot some coyotes, as we don't have anymore rabbits, chickens or ducks...........the coyotes done ate them all.
If hogs get bad enough, and someone wants them gone, they'll get serious about doing it.
It's a tough situation for sure. ..... You could hire a helicopter and hunt 3 days a week and you wouldn't control the population now. Nothing short of poison will do the trick.
That just amazes me. Back East, the early farmers/settlers would release hogs, let them reproduce and every now & then round a bunch of them up and drive them into town for slaughter. But the East doesn't have 1/2 the problem with ferals that Texas does. In most of the East, there aren't any. Apparently they were wiped out after the free range days.
Why is it so much harder to get rid of them in Texas?
It sounds like wild feral hogs are tough to get rid of no matter where they are found, at least according to sources quoted in this article: Feral Hogs On Montana's Northern Border
It's a tough situation for sure. ..... You could hire a helicopter and hunt 3 days a week and you wouldn't control the population now. Nothing short of poison will do the trick.
That just amazes me. Back East, the early farmers/settlers would release hogs, let them reproduce and every now & then round a bunch of them up and drive them into town for slaughter. But the East doesn't have 1/2 the problem with ferals that Texas does. In most of the East, there aren't any. Apparently they were wiped out after the free range days.
Why is it so much harder to get rid of them in Texas?
You ever been to Texas? I mean real Texas ,not Austin, or SA. Though there are a lot of swine in both those cities.
" Good News " ? per the cost of hog hunting in Texas. ?????
I didn't read anything about a LOW license fee or a FREE feral hog hunting season in Texas. I know, I know, it's not the TGFD it's the landowners. WELL.......
I understand YOUR ? in the OP.
The essence of that " Houston Chronicle " article is Talk, Talk, Talk.
IF the Texians seriously wanted to reduce or eradicate feral hogs >>> QUIT charging an outrageous $$$$$$.
Alright Texians -- FLAME on. I can take it. Get Real or SHUT UP.
Jerry --> an Arkansan close enuff to help IF you are serious.
When the whitetail deer population began explode here in the late 1980's, a lot of farmers were claiming crop damage, and I know it did happen, although probably not as much as some of them said. Anyway, the KDFWR's answer was to tell the farmers to allow hunters to come in and kill the deer. That did not suit too well with most farmers, as most of them did not want to open up their land to hunters, unless they knew who it was. I was farming back then, and had experienced some crop damage myself, and being a hunter, I figured if the problem got serious enough, I'd thin the herd out myself.
My point in this.........2 things.......the state's wildlife people look to make money first, and that means that if one wants to hunt, one must pay. Same thing with most landowners, as they are looking for something out it too. Out of state hunters coming into Kentucky and leasing land to hunt on has driven the price of hunting up here, and the days of free hunting are long gone, unless you're lucky enough to have family who own land.
As a landowner, I can't blame someone for making money off their land, as that's their right to do so. BUT......that landowner then should not complain that animals are causing them a problem, when they are making money off that animal. Same way with the state, if they're going to make a big deal out of the damage that hogs are causing, then they need to ease the restrictions on hunting them.
I kill more than a few pigs every year, between me and the ranch hands we kill about 600 pigs a year, give or take a few, our ranch rule is shoot them when and where you see them, then pick them up and take them to the dump, as for paid hunts, it costs more in time to do them than they are worth.
I know they can and do survive in a lot of different places, but I'm thinking there's a reason they do so much better down in Texas,Florida and places like that. Montana or Alberta aren't Texas/Florida, and while they can certainly survive here it's going to be a much tougher go. I see articles posted out here too about this wild boar "emergency" strangely enough always written by some guy or group that is "researching the problem" and probably needs a few more years of government funding to complete the study.
I've seen exactly one wild boar in the 12+ years I've lived here, and that's one more than most have seen. I think I'll hold off panicking for a little while longer.
We recently left our lease in Breckinridge, Tx for another area. Ferals there will and have nearly destroyed the place. We spent the better part of the last two seasons killing pigs...deer have moved on. No more turkeys and deer on game cams are rarely seen. Ranch owner is aged and stopped raising cattle so pig population is incredible. I killed six the last weekend there and I was by myself. Worms and buzzards gotta eat too!
I agree with Rio7 about bringing in outside hog hunters. It's a whole different dynamic and a PITA unless you're set up for it. And, getting set up takes time and costs money. Time IS money. So, why should a rancher become a free host of a hoard of outsiders running rampant over his land. If you let them on the place, you gotta manage them, lest they leave gates open, create havoc, etc. Nothing good to come out of it.
Now, if one so chooses to set up for hog hunting guests, those guests need to pay their way. Killing hogs is a good thing, but a secondary concern to having the place over run with "guests". Don't ya reckon that's one reason Texas is so against trespassing on private property. And, yep, they're pretty serious about it.
You gotta see it from their point of view. As a land owner, I do.
I know they can and do survive in a lot of different places, but I'm thinking there's a reason they do so much better down in Texas,Florida and places like that. Montana or Alberta aren't Texas/Florida, and while they can certainly survive here it's going to be a much tougher go. I see articles posted out here too about this wild boar "emergency" strangely enough always written by some guy or group that is "researching the problem" and probably needs a few more years of government funding to complete the study.
I've seen exactly one wild boar in the 12+ years I've lived here, and that's one more than most have seen. I think I'll hold off panicking for a little while longer.
One of my former coworkers was working as a peace officer in central Alberta. Over coffee,, she stated that her county had placed a bounty on wild hogs as they had a problem.
Because people are so tight lipped about where the hogs exist, I volunteered myself to help out. If she heard from a landowner with an actual problem, she was to contact me. I've heard nothing from her.
Hogs are here, just very localized and almost completely nocturnal.
If locals hear of hog escapes, they have free pork in the freezer. SSS is their MO. Escapees, at least in Southern Alberta do not last long.
We recently left our lease in Breckinridge, Tx for another area. Ferals there will and have nearly destroyed the place. We spent the better part of the last two seasons killing pigs...deer have moved on. No more turkeys and deer on game cams are rarely seen. Ranch owner is aged and stopped raising cattle so pig population is incredible. I killed six the last weekend there and I was by myself. Worms and buzzards gotta eat too!
I know they can and do survive in a lot of different places, but I'm thinking there's a reason they do so much better down in Texas,Florida and places like that. Montana or Alberta aren't Texas/Florida, and while they can certainly survive here it's going to be a much tougher go. I see articles posted out here too about this wild boar "emergency" strangely enough always written by some guy or group that is "researching the problem" and probably needs a few more years of government funding to complete the study.
I've seen exactly one wild boar in the 12+ years I've lived here, and that's one more than most have seen. I think I'll hold off panicking for a little while longer.
One of my former coworkers was working as a peace officer in central Alberta. Over coffee,, she stated that her county had placed a bounty on wild hogs as they had a problem.
Because people are so tight lipped about where the hogs exist, I volunteered myself to help out. If she heard from a landowner with an actual problem, she was to contact me. I've heard nothing from her.
Hogs are here, just very localized and almost completely nocturnal.
If locals hear of hog escapes, they have free pork in the freezer. SSS is their MO. Escapees, at least in Southern Alberta do not last long.
There was a place here that I used to coyote hunt on. Farm was sold, and new owners were city folks, who told me they didn't want anyone shooting the animals. They got them some chickens, ducks for the pond, goats for the pasture, and some little bunnies to hop around the yard. A year later, I get a call........................we'd like you to come and shoot some coyotes, as we don't have anymore rabbits, chickens or ducks...........the coyotes done ate them all.
If hogs get bad enough, and someone wants them gone, they'll get serious about doing it.
You'll never kill all the coyotes either just by hunting. So how would you suggest keeping the hog problem under control, short of poison?
The.problem is, when you shoot one hog of a group, the rest all haul ass going away. You cant shoot anymore or you might hit one in the butt, which is ok if you're alone. However, anyone ever sees you do it and mentions it around, there could be hell to pay.
I have never hunted hogs. Other then 3 domestic ones, I have never shot a hog. (Warthogs excluded)
But I see it as just one more land-management issue that farmers and ranchers need to address. Those that want to treat them as a cash crop can do so with 100% justification. It's their land!
But those that had an actual problem with over populations of hogs are foolish to try to extract money from those that would help resolve the problem. Greed is a common problem with people everywhere and part of human nature. Wisdom is that power in someones character to know when to rein in their greed so the overall future can be improved. Like sewing seed. You buy seed and toss it around in hopes to have a larger crop later. Demanding money from someone who would help you is the mark of a fool. But fools can own land, and if they do they have an absolute right to be a fool on their own land.
Only someone below the level of a fool will pay him. And there are some "sub-fools" who will in this world.
I remember years ago driving across a large open area of Nevada desert when I came upon a man in a truck with 2 flat tires. One on the ground and the spare. He was VERY thankful when I aborted my day's plan and helped him remove the flat from the wheel and also load up his spare and drove him to Fallon Nevada to get both flats fixed, and then drove him back to the truck out in the desert.
Now see if you can guess what I would have done if he had told me when I stopped that he would love it if I'd help him, but he wanted me to pay him $300 dollars first before he'd let me help him. (The easy answer to that question is............nothing. I'd have smiled and told him to have a nice day, and to wait for someone more foolish them himself to show up.)
If a land owner is actually having a problem they will be grateful for help..... OR they are simply not honest, and they are saying they have a problem but it's just a lie. They have no real problem at all. For those that are allowing the hogs to infest their land to sell the hunts, more power to them.
But there are many that actually want the hogs removed and such a person WILL NOT ask money for the help ----- anymore then they would ask you to pay them to fix their tire. I know one land owner in Oklahoma, one in Louisiana and one in Texas that have told me I can come and shoot hogs ANY time and with no limits and no charge at all. The one in Louisiana even says I can stay in his guest house for free and he'll bay all the food too, but I MUST kill a lot of hogs if I come. See........that man wants the hogs killed off.
There was a place here that I used to coyote hunt on. Farm was sold, and new owners were city folks, who told me they didn't want anyone shooting the animals. They got them some chickens, ducks for the pond, goats for the pasture, and some little bunnies to hop around the yard. A year later, I get a call........................we'd like you to come and shoot some coyotes, as we don't have anymore rabbits, chickens or ducks...........the coyotes done ate them all.
If hogs get bad enough, and someone wants them gone, they'll get serious about doing it.
You'll never kill all the coyotes either just by hunting. So how would you suggest keeping the hog problem under control, short of poison?
JG, not having hogs to worry about, I'll admit that it's comparing apples with oranges, when I'm talking about deer or coyotes here, it's different from the hogs that Texas has. But, a person has to make a choice......am I serious about controlling a pest or not. I know for a fact that I can't kill all the coyotes on a certain farm, but I can hunt them so hard that they are no longer a serious threat, and have done so. The local Mennonites have just about rid their farms of them by trapping and poison year round, illegal of course, but it's worked.
My point about hogs is that they can be controlled too, if someone is serious enough. Might take some time, and some unorthodox methods, but in the end, they'd be just like the buffalo of the late 1800's, and the passenger pigeon. They can be eliminated.
It's a tough situation for sure. ..... You could hire a helicopter and hunt 3 days a week and you wouldn't control the population now. Nothing short of poison will do the trick.
That just amazes me. Back East, the early farmers/settlers would release hogs, let them reproduce and every now & then round a bunch of them up and drive them into town for slaughter. But the East doesn't have 1/2 the problem with ferals that Texas does. In most of the East, there aren't any. Apparently they were wiped out after the free range days.
Why is it so much harder to get rid of them in Texas?
I have no way to prove this, but my take is this. As an example. When I was a kid closest wild hogs I knew of were in the Riley mtns, Cedar Mtn chain along the Sandy creek gap in Llano county. They been there better than 150/160 years. They were the result of the same type frontier catch & release program Tyrone mentioned above. I was practically raised on a Blanco county ranch mebbe 25 miles east ( at the most) from the above location. We had no hogs. Never saw any hogs, always heard old folks stories about all the wild hogs in Llano and northern Gillespie county. Then they were phantom like and elusive like "black panthers"! Other than in those afore mentioned locations.
So what happened in the 1980’s? In the hill country, places started selling. Old established ranching folks dying. Folks movin’ in and buying all manner of ranches. From 10 to 10,000 acres . And what did everyone start doing? Putting up deer feeders!!! When I was a kid, no one put up feeders. Just wasnt heard of. We didn’t know what a deer feeder was. If you had a lease it was usually $100 a gun!
Then we got hit by a series of droughts. More feeders went up. Everybody and their little dog who had 25 acres put up a deer feeder. In some respects if it hadn’t been for those feeders the white tail population would of suffered greatly. They did to some extent, but the downside was deer weren’t the only critter eatin’ out of them feeders. Especially in the locations with an old established pig population. Also word got out about the same time of what fun it was to hunt hogs. People started trappin’ em and relocating em for hunting purposes.
So cut to the chase. Deer feeders and pig relocation are my theroitical causes for the boom.
I kill more than a few pigs every year, between me and the ranch hands we kill about 600 pigs a year, give or take a few, our ranch rule is shoot them when and where you see them, then pick them up and take them to the dump, Rio7
That's what we did down on the Gray when I managed it--one reason that I don't care if I never shoot another hog.
When I first got there, I let a few of the locals and some of the Border Patrol officers hunt hogs. However, it turned out that what they really wanted to do was ride their Jeeps and four-wheelers all over the ranch, looking for big deer, and maybe pop a hog on the way out--if they saw one.
In contrast, one of our neighbors over in Arizona owned a small ranch that didn't have any hogs. In the years when he and his two boys didn't draw deer tags, he would call and ask if they could come over and kill some hogs for meat. They would come by the house going in and ask me where we had seen hogs. They would go to those places and would usually drop back by the house a few hours later with three or four dressed hogs in the back of the pickup. They always made a point of showing me what they had shot and thanking me for the opportunity to hunt.
That's one way that you might get permission to hunt hogs on a ranch that has a problem.
KW, that sounds well thought out & very plausible.
I know some people with deer feeders, but really there's so much corn around that I don't think they make much difference. A deer in Kentucky or Missouri doesn't know what it means to be hungry - the Winters are too mild and there's too many crops for deer to ever starve to death.
Maybe too it's because the East is more crowded - if there was a wild hog somewhere, somebody would see it & blast it.
Tyrone, I knew some old ranches that still had some old derelict cedar stockade style hog traps on them 30 years ago. Folks quit ranging their hogs up there probably around WWII. Give or take a few years. And you are right as most know, many deer will shy away from feeders given they have ample natural forage.
)One old frend of mine up there close to Kingsland talked about an old wild azz boar that was always getting into his farrowing houses.)
But not our old friend the hog. 😉. He’s gonna eat what he finds. And the more food they have available the more offspring!
He also mentioned that there was a bad hog cholera epidemic that came thru that country in the early 60’s. Did quite a number on domestin and feral populations. But there were enough isolated feral pockets up in those highlands to survive. He stated the pigs had been on their ranch in the hills at least since the 1850’s! And he’s got some rought country back in there.
I kill more than a few pigs every year, between me and the ranch hands we kill about 600 pigs a year, give or take a few, our ranch rule is shoot them when and where you see them, then pick them up and take them to the dump, as for paid hunts, it costs more in time to do them than they are worth.
Rio7
I shoot prairie dogs on a South Dakota ranch. They don't charge me a dime. They give me the run of the place. I've literally killed thousands. Other than taking my call asking for permission or stopping and shooting the breeze I don't see any other overhead for the rancher. Texas ranchers should consider identifying good people and giving them a chance.
And it's okay to give them hard and fast rules. When his wife is home I use a suppressor. I'm not allowed to shoot north, carry off fossils or sheds, or shoot deer or antelope. I may not tear up the roads. I must always get permission before arriving. I pick up sheds and place them at the gate. AND I'm held responsible for anyone's damage when I'm there.
And this spread isn't natural, it's being caused by people, scientists explain. Dale Nolte, manager of the feral swine program at the Department of Agriculture, told the outlet that there's "every reason to believe they are being moved in the backs of pickup trucks and released to create hunting opportunities.”.
The idiots who get caught doing this should be beat to death, no exceptions.
And this spread isn't natural, it's being caused by people, scientists explain. Dale Nolte, manager of the feral swine program at the Department of Agriculture, told the outlet that there's "every reason to believe they are being moved in the backs of pickup trucks and released to create hunting opportunities.”.
The idiots who get caught doing this should be beat to death, no exceptions.
Yup! I knew some DH’s that did just that 30 years ago! I still have my little trap. When we caught pigs, we brought em home and fed em out in our hog pen. Then they went right in the freezer or sausage casing! The only two things I have found a hog can’t get out of!!! 😉
I get a kick out of the guys who said the cold winters would protect northern climes. Ever hear of Russia, bonehead? GD
I dont think mudhen said they wouldnt survive up north, bonehead.
I don't think he did either, nor did I say he did, but it's a comment I have heard often. This statement was even made by Alberta fish and wildlife spokesmen who should have known better. The thing is, these animals are a lot more adaptable than many think they are. In fact, northern hogs, like northern deer, grow bigger. Bosnians had a hell of a problem (especially after the UN disarmed them) with hogs eating crops. A friend, who was with the Canadian Forces, said they shot a lot of them in defence of crops. He said Bosnia was a classic case of the unintended consequences of gun control. I don't think there are many predators, apart from us, which prey on hogs. Maybe wolves and certainly bears, but I doubt they can make much of a dent and ranchers and farmers can't tolerate them either. GD
I kill more than a few pigs every year, between me and the ranch hands we kill about 600 pigs a year, give or take a few, our ranch rule is shoot them when and where you see them, then pick them up and take them to the dump, as for paid hunts, it costs more in time to do them than they are worth.
Rio7
I shoot prairie dogs on a South Dakota ranch. They don't charge me a dime. They give me the run of the place. I've literally killed thousands. Other than taking my call asking for permission or stopping and shooting the breeze I don't see any other overhead for the rancher. Texas ranchers should consider identifying good people and giving them a chance.
And it's okay to give them hard and fast rules. When his wife is home I use a suppressor. I'm not allowed to shoot north, carry off fossils or sheds, or shoot deer or antelope. I may not tear up the roads. I must always get permission before arriving. I pick up sheds and place them at the gate. AND I'm held responsible for anyone's damage when I'm there.
If everyone was like you it would not be a problem to let people on your land, but most leave trash, tear up the place, generally Fuuck things up for responsible people!
There was a place here that I used to coyote hunt on. Farm was sold, and new owners were city folks, who told me they didn't want anyone shooting the animals. They got them some chickens, ducks for the pond, goats for the pasture, and some little bunnies to hop around the yard. A year later, I get a call........................we'd like you to come and shoot some coyotes, as we don't have anymore rabbits, chickens or ducks...........the coyotes done ate them all.
If hogs get bad enough, and someone wants them gone, they'll get serious about doing it.
You'll never kill all the coyotes either just by hunting. So how would you suggest keeping the hog problem under control, short of poison?
JG, not having hogs to worry about, I'll admit that it's comparing apples with oranges, when I'm talking about deer or coyotes here, it's different from the hogs that Texas has. But, a person has to make a choice......am I serious about controlling a pest or not. I know for a fact that I can't kill all the coyotes on a certain farm, but I can hunt them so hard that they are no longer a serious threat, and have done so. The local Mennonites have just about rid their farms of them by trapping and poison year round, illegal of course, but it's worked.
My point about hogs is that they can be controlled too, if someone is serious enough. Might take some time, and some unorthodox methods, but in the end, they'd be just like the buffalo of the late 1800's, and the passenger pigeon. They can be eliminated.
I think they're probably smarter and more adaptable than Bison or Pigeon.
Control is difficult at best, elimination in my opinion, is impossible.
There was a place here that I used to coyote hunt on. Farm was sold, and new owners were city folks, who told me they didn't want anyone shooting the animals. They got them some chickens, ducks for the pond, goats for the pasture, and some little bunnies to hop around the yard. A year later, I get a call........................we'd like you to come and shoot some coyotes, as we don't have anymore rabbits, chickens or ducks...........the coyotes done ate them all.
If hogs get bad enough, and someone wants them gone, they'll get serious about doing it.
You'll never kill all the coyotes either just by hunting. So how would you suggest keeping the hog problem under control, short of poison?
JG, not having hogs to worry about, I'll admit that it's comparing apples with oranges, when I'm talking about deer or coyotes here, it's different from the hogs that Texas has. But, a person has to make a choice......am I serious about controlling a pest or not. I know for a fact that I can't kill all the coyotes on a certain farm, but I can hunt them so hard that they are no longer a serious threat, and have done so. The local Mennonites have just about rid their farms of them by trapping and poison year round, illegal of course, but it's worked.
My point about hogs is that they can be controlled too, if someone is serious enough. Might take some time, and some unorthodox methods, but in the end, they'd be just like the buffalo of the late 1800's, and the passenger pigeon. They can be eliminated.
I think they're probably smarter and more adaptable than Bison or Pigeon.
Control is difficult at best, elimination in my opinion, is impossible.
DF
DF, having raised domestic hogs for a good many years, I know how prolific hogs are, and that a hog is smarter than most folks realize. Again, it's impossible to compare apples to oranges, and hogs to pigeons or buffalo...........but given the correct antidote, anything can be eliminated, and I believe that would include wild hogs. It would take some doing admittedly, but I believe the technology and means to do so is there. Whether or not it ever happens, is another matter.
Just don't get caught killing them without a license if you take any meat or head. tusks, etc.
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In Texas, feral hogs may be killed by landowners or their agents on their property without a hunting license if the feral hogs are depredatory (causing damage) to land, livestock, and/or livelihood. This allows landowners to protect their resources and property from feral hogs and their destructive habits. However, it is a good idea for this group to have a hunting license if trapping or snaring will be used, as these activities could inadvertently affect wildlife species that require possession of a hunting license, such as white-tailed deer.
A hunting license is required when hunting feral hogs for trophy and/or food. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department outlines requirements in its annual hunting and fishing regulations publication, the Outdoor Annual. See the specific legal methods in this publication, but a hunting license permits use of firearms, snaring, and trapping in the fight against feral hogs.
All hunting licenses are valid from date of purchase until August 31 unless otherwise noted. In addition to a hunting license, additional endorsements may be required. For specific information on Lifetime, Disabled Veteran, Texas resident active duty military, and Combination licenses, view combination hunting and fishing licenses packages.
A hunting license is required of any person (resident or nonresident), of any age, to hunt any animal, bird, frog or turtle in this state, except the following:
coyotes, if the coyotes are attacking, about to attack, or have recently attacked livestock, domestic animals, or fowl. feral hogs on private property with landowner authorization. fur-bearing animals, if the hunter possesses a commercial trapper’s license. depredating fur-bearing animals, if a landowner (resident or non-resident) or landowner’s agent is taking fur-bearing animals causing depredation on the landowner’s land. No portion of the nuisance fur-bearer may be possessed, sold or retained for any purpose.
All laws and regulations governing hunter education requirements still apply.
" Good News " ? per the cost of hog hunting in Texas. ?????
I didn't read anything about a LOW license fee or a FREE feral hog hunting season in Texas. I know, I know, it's not the TGFD it's the landowners. WELL.......
I understand YOUR ? in the OP.
The essence of that " Houston Chronicle " article is Talk, Talk, Talk.
IF the Texians seriously wanted to reduce or eradicate feral hogs >>> QUIT charging an outrageous $$$$$$.
Alright Texians -- FLAME on. I can take it. Get Real or SHUT UP.
Jerry --> an Arkansan close enuff to help IF you are serious.
When the whitetail deer population began explode here in the late 1980's, a lot of farmers were claiming crop damage, and I know it did happen, although probably not as much as some of them said. Anyway, the KDFWR's answer was to tell the farmers to allow hunters to come in and kill the deer. That did not suit too well with most farmers, as most of them did not want to open up their land to hunters, unless they knew who it was. I was farming back then, and had experienced some crop damage myself, and being a hunter, I figured if the problem got serious enough, I'd thin the herd out myself.
My point in this.........2 things.......the state's wildlife people look to make money first, and that means that if one wants to hunt, one must pay. Same thing with most landowners, as they are looking for something out it too. Out of state hunters coming into Kentucky and leasing land to hunt on has driven the price of hunting up here, and the days of free hunting are long gone, unless you're lucky enough to have family who own land.
As a landowner, I can't blame someone for making money off their land, as that's their right to do so. BUT......that landowner then should not complain that animals are causing them a problem, when they are making money off that animal. Same way with the state, if they're going to make a big deal out of the damage that hogs are causing, then they need to ease the restrictions on hunting them.
First off, I don't recall any landowners complaining. At least here at the 'Fire...
Originally Posted by jwall
Alright Texians -- FLAME on. I can take it. Get Real or SHUT UP.
Please, anyone post where that has happened.
Second, we are NOT gonna hunt our way out of the feral hog problem.
That's a fact.
There's lots of people that don't have a clue about killing hogs.
Say you have a sounder of 40 hogs. You set up to hunt them. The sounder comes in, and of course you pick the biggest BOAR in the group to shoot...
A nano-second after you shoot that boar, you have 39 freshly educated hogs disappear into the brush.
So you have really put a dent in the hog population by shooting that boar. Right?
Now that educated sounder may not be seen for months. And then maybe only at 2:30am...
Anyone compiled that list of posts where landowners are coming here complaining about hogs, but charging money to shoot them yet? LOL...
I bet even most of those posting crap in these threads as usual have not even seen a feral hog. Much less killed one.
Texas has long faced the destruction feral hogs can have on land and wildlife. Now feral hogs' rampant damage is stretching as far north as Canada, with particularly prominent populations in U.S. northern border states, including Montana and North Dakota, the New York Times reports.
One more thing for the NY times to get strong. Havent heard of a single instance of feral hogs in Montana, or north dakota.
Maybe somebody else has...
I've heard rumors of them (wild boars actually) escaping game farms in Canada and ending up in either the Pembina Gorge or Turtle Mountains. However, I've never seen one, known or talked with anyone who's seen one, and haven't seen any game-camera pictures of them being circulated either.
I've seen that hog map before and was surprised to see that one county in ND had a population. I wondered how they got there.
I shoot quite a few pigs in my day to day travels, not in TX but close enough. I hear guys at the feed store loudly complaining all the time about them tearing up crops and pasture. Yet almost none of those guys carry a rifle in the truck, if they do they’ll probably lob a couple shots out at a sounder caught feeding out in the open occasionally but never really put any effort into actually hunting and shooting them. They all are more than happy to let me go sneak around down on the creek bottoms and shoot all I want, which I’m thankful for.
As RBB says, if you shoot them up they’ll leave for a while, maybe they come back maybe another mob moves in but you can clear them out for a little bit. I’m talking quarters now and not 20 sections mind you.
I hate that they cost folks money tearing up ag lands. I also hate when the state sends the helicopter team out and burns up lord knows how many taxpayer dollars a day to basically scatter them. Once they make it in the dark thickets and bottoms they’re safe and they know it, not much short of a fire will move them out of a big briar patch.
The one bright spot, for me at least, is that there’s no substitute for practice. And there’s no better way to practice shooting critters than shooting critters. I hunt them year around so instead of one or two deer and one elk, plus a dozen coyotes and bobcats a year I get to shoot all that plus another 50 or 75 pigs.
There was a place here that I used to coyote hunt on. Farm was sold, and new owners were city folks, who told me they didn't want anyone shooting the animals. They got them some chickens, ducks for the pond, goats for the pasture, and some little bunnies to hop around the yard. A year later, I get a call........................we'd like you to come and shoot some coyotes, as we don't have anymore rabbits, chickens or ducks...........the coyotes done ate them all.
If hogs get bad enough, and someone wants them gone, they'll get serious about doing it.
You'll never kill all the coyotes either just by hunting. So how would you suggest keeping the hog problem under control, short of poison?
JG, not having hogs to worry about, I'll admit that it's comparing apples with oranges, when I'm talking about deer or coyotes here, it's different from the hogs that Texas has. But, a person has to make a choice......am I serious about controlling a pest or not. I know for a fact that I can't kill all the coyotes on a certain farm, but I can hunt them so hard that they are no longer a serious threat, and have done so. The local Mennonites have just about rid their farms of them by trapping and poison year round, illegal of course, but it's worked.
My point about hogs is that they can be controlled too, if someone is serious enough. Might take some time, and some unorthodox methods, but in the end, they'd be just like the buffalo of the late 1800's, and the passenger pigeon. They can be eliminated.
I think they're probably smarter and more adaptable than Bison or Pigeon.
Control is difficult at best, elimination in my opinion, is impossible.
DF
DF, having raised domestic hogs for a good many years, I know how prolific hogs are, and that a hog is smarter than most folks realize. Again, it's impossible to compare apples to oranges, and hogs to pigeons or buffalo...........but given the correct antidote, anything can be eliminated, and I believe that would include wild hogs. It would take some doing admittedly, but I believe the technology and means to do so is there. Whether or not it ever happens, is another matter.
You say it's impossible to compare apples to oranges but have been doing it multiple times.
I try not to talk about a subject I know nothing about or have no experience with. You obviously have no hog experience.
Of course they’re edible, they’re just pigs same as farm pigs. Some are rank and nasty but most are fine if you’re so inclined. I’m tired of fooling with them so normally just leave them lay but if I decide I need some pork the loins can be removed in under 5 minutes with a pocketknife.
It's a tough situation for sure. ..... You could hire a helicopter and hunt 3 days a week and you wouldn't control the population now. Nothing short of poison will do the trick.
That just amazes me. Back East, the early farmers/settlers would release hogs, let them reproduce and every now & then round a bunch of them up and drive them into town for slaughter. But the East doesn't have 1/2 the problem with ferals that Texas does. In most of the East, there aren't any. Apparently they were wiped out after the free range days.
Why is it so much harder to get rid of them in Texas?
Just my opinion..... Population density could be the difference. In the east, there are more people per sq mile. Also, the people are more scattered, meaning it's hard to go 2-3 miles without seeing a house. In Tx., you can go for 10-15 miles and not see a house. Lots more open country in Tx.
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So what happened in the 1980’s? In the hill country, places started selling. Old established ranching folks dying. Folks movin’ in and buying all manner of ranches. From 10 to 10,000 acres . And what did everyone start doing? Putting up deer feeders!!!
Something else happened in the 80's that probably had more impact on hogs than the feeders...... Swine brucellosis was eradicated. Up until that time, the disease kept the feral hog populations in check.
Of course they’re edible, they’re just pigs same as farm pigs. Some are rank and nasty but most are fine if you’re so inclined. I’m tired of fooling with them so normally just leave them lay but if I decide I need some pork the loins can be removed in under 5 minutes with a pocketknife.
Younger ones and sows eat good. After I saw trail cam evidence of a bunch of hogs eating hog carcasses, I decided I’ll kill all I can, but get my pork from Kroger’s. And with the warning about diseases they carry, wear gloves skinning them, another vote for store bought pork.
It's a tough situation for sure. ..... You could hire a helicopter and hunt 3 days a week and you wouldn't control the population now. Nothing short of poison will do the trick.
That just amazes me. Back East, the early farmers/settlers would release hogs, let them reproduce and every now & then round a bunch of them up and drive them into town for slaughter. But the East doesn't have 1/2 the problem with ferals that Texas does. In most of the East, there aren't any. Apparently they were wiped out after the free range days.
Why is it so much harder to get rid of them in Texas?
Just my opinion..... Population density could be the difference. In the east, there are more people per sq mile. Also, the people are more scattered, meaning it's hard to go 2-3 miles without seeing a house. In Tx., you can go for 10-15 miles and not see a house. Lots more open country in Tx.
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So what happened in the 1980’s? In the hill country, places started selling. Old established ranching folks dying. Folks movin’ in and buying all manner of ranches. From 10 to 10,000 acres . And what did everyone start doing? Putting up deer feeders!!!
Something else happened in the 80's that probably had more impact on hogs than the feeders...... Swine brucellosis was eradicated. Up until that time, the disease kept the feral hog populations in check.
.
Thank Randy that makes a lot of sense. Like a perfect hognado scenario!!
It's a tough situation for sure. ..... You could hire a helicopter and hunt 3 days a week and you wouldn't control the population now. Nothing short of poison will do the trick.
That just amazes me. Back East, the early farmers/settlers would release hogs, let them reproduce and every now & then round a bunch of them up and drive them into town for slaughter. But the East doesn't have 1/2 the problem with ferals that Texas does. In most of the East, there aren't any. Apparently they were wiped out after the free range days.
Why is it so much harder to get rid of them in Texas?
Just my opinion..... Population density could be the difference. In the east, there are more people per sq mile. Also, the people are more scattered, meaning it's hard to go 2-3 miles without seeing a house. In Tx., you can go for 10-15 miles and not see a house. Lots more open country in Tx.
Quote
So what happened in the 1980’s? In the hill country, places started selling. Old established ranching folks dying. Folks movin’ in and buying all manner of ranches. From 10 to 10,000 acres . And what did everyone start doing? Putting up deer feeders!!!
Something else happened in the 80's that probably had more impact on hogs than the feeders...... Swine brucellosis was eradicated. Up until that time, the disease kept the feral hog populations in check.
Alaska had a population from the '70s up to the very late '90s, probably spring of '99. Some dude thought he could get them started on Marmot Island and then get the logging contract after they girdled a bunch of trees. Hogs found life easier on the beach. A few horrible springs in a row nailed them.
Of course they’re edible, they’re just pigs same as farm pigs. Some are rank and nasty but most are fine if you’re so inclined. I’m tired of fooling with them so normally just leave them lay but if I decide I need some pork the loins can be removed in under 5 minutes with a pocketknife.
Younger ones and sows eat good. After I saw trail cam evidence of a bunch of hogs eating hog carcasses, I decided I’ll kill all I can, but get my pork from Kroger’s. And with the warning about diseases they carry, wear gloves skinning them, another vote for store bought pork.
Just me.
DF
I don’t eat them anymore, don’t touch them without gloves!
Swine brucellosis is caused by the bacteria Brucella suis, and is closely related to Brucella abortus, which causes brucellosis in cattle. Texas is currently considered Swine Brucellosis free for large "commercial" herds, although infection continues to be found at times in smaller backyard herds. In these instances, infection is usually the result of exposure to feral swine. Swine Brucellosis is known to be prevalent in Texas's feral swine population.
Swine Brucellosis is a reportable disease to the Texas Animal Health Commission.
We lease our ranch in Dimmit Co. out to deer hunters. We require them to shoot two hogs to each deer they kill. Helps a little. We also have traps set up and give the kill to the 'undocumented workers' from the neighboring farms.
In addition to Bangs disease (brucellosis) there is Leptospirosis among others. None of those are something to play with. Humans can get brucellosis, also referred to as “undulate fever” from the raging fever that comes and goes. It can get into bones, including vertebrae. Nasty stuff.
My mom’s middle sis had undulate fever. I remember them talking about it. I think she got it from unpasteurized milk during WWII. They would get the milk from a neighbor.
Alaska had a population from the '70s up to the very late '90s, probably spring of '99. Some dude thought he could get them started on Marmot Island and then get the logging contract after they girdled a bunch of trees. Hogs found life easier on the beach. A few horrible springs in a row nailed them.
Art, We had a small attempt at boars here in the Ag Area back in the 70s. Deep snow, deep cold and grizzlies may have been a problem for em.
We Pasteurized our farm produced milk. My folks were serious about that. They knew about those stories.
I got pretty good at milking cows. My forearm muscles got strong. I could out squeeze most of my buds, even bigger ones. One childhood memory, I had picked up pecans to buy a shotgun. Dad had a friend with a store who let him get me a Win M-12 wholesale, $80 as I remember, retail was $108. I was out in the barn milking when I heard him drive up. I couldn’t get finished milking that cow quick enough to go get my new shotgun. Funny how such memories stick.
Ingwe: Indeed the semi-wildish feral hogs are invading Montana (at least there have been many verified sightings!) up on the "high-Line and just south of the Canadian border. Word is they have migrated down from Canada? I saw this on the local news station out of Butte a couple months ago - so take that for what it's worth. I sure haven't seen one. Hold into the wind VarmintGuy
Old son and his soon to be wife went to school at Northwestern State in Natchitoches. Duing the week they picked up pecans there on campus and brought em home on long weekends and sold em to the buyer at the feed store. Then, While they were home they trapped hogs for the wild hog buyer back when the European markets were buying em for fancy restaurants. They made some good money.
I chuckled to myself when I saw the friendly dude named Jerry from Arkansas offer his “services” for a free hog hunt. Coupled with his “get real or shut up” comment for landowners. Since Arkansas is involved, I’ll relate a story that my FIL used to tell.
I married a ranch raised lady from a Rocky Mountain state which has a good antelope population. Before his passing quite a few years ago, my FIL used to relate a story about a group of three Arkansas hunters who met him one day on the county road near the SW corner of his property and asked for permission to hunt antelope on his property. He told them that he only allowed locals to hunt and that he’d pass. At that point in time, the driver of the pickup got cutely arrogant with him about not letting them hunt by expressing how safe they were and that they were responsible hunters who had come a long way to hunt and to spend some money while there to support the local area economy, and that they deserved the right to hunt.
MY FIL, who had a good sense of humor, then asked him if he had just bought the pickup that the three were in or had he had it for some time. Naturally the guy told him that he had owned it for some period of time. At that point my FIL asked him if he knew “Joe Schmoe” who was a rancher maybe 10 miles down the road from my FIL’s ranch. At the mention of a name, the driver got very quiet with a strange look on his face, but he said he had never heard the name before.
With that my FIL informed him that “Joe” had called him the night before to tell him about three hunters he had ran off his land that day. He also provided a license plate and a description of the truck for my FIL. At that point my FIL also told the driver that it was probably a coincidence, but the truck he was driving was very similar to the truck he was told about, and even more coincidental, the Arkansas license plate was the same that “Joe” gave him the night before as he flashed a piece of paper out his open window with the plate state and plate number written on it. At that point, they quickly thanked him (for doing nothing for them) and turned around and went back down the road.
It turned out that the day before they had gained hunting permission on “Joe’s” land. He told them to stay on any 2-tracks off the main road and to not drive on the pastureland and to look for livestock before shooting. He also reminded them about the state’s “no shooting off the main county road or from a vehicle on a county road” law. About 10 minutes later while going somewhere on the main ranch county maintained road, he saw the three hunters stop on the road ahead of him and eye a group of antelope maybe 200 yards further down the road that were slowly walking down the middle of the road. One hunter got out of the truck and walked into the bar ditch maybe 50 feet off the road and promptly shot down the road at an antelope standing in the middle of the road. When "Joe" confronted them about what he had just seen, they told him that they had complied with the law by getting off the road, even though the dead antelope was now laying where it was shot in the middle of the road. He told them to get their antelope off the road, gutted and tagged, and to get off his land before he called a game warden on them. He then followed them to the end of his property.
I know a guy who looks after some land for others about 130 miles from my urban home. He has a common phrase for when hunters ask to hunt for free and complain when they are turned down. If they complain he reminds them and he tells me that he tells them that “No good deed goes unpunished” and the answer is still no.
Not allowing hunting by anybody, even friends is a good policy. If you ever revoke that privilege for any reason they will always hate you. I know from sad experience. We kill our on problem wildlife and semi feral pit bulls.
Only complain when land owners complain about the animals, but don't let people hunt. Then around here it seems they want our tax dollars to fix their problem.
All you folks expecting farmers and ranchers to give you free access to drive and tramp all over their property in your quest for entertainment, here's a suggestion. Drive on over to Portland Or, or San Francisco, or Los Angeles and pick up a load of transients with their tents and move them into your back yard and back bedrooms.
What, you do not want to deal with their broken beer bottles and trash, and feces, and filth, and just plain bad manners, and ungrateful attitudes?
90% of the idiots out there buying hunting licenses, if given free access to farm lands would treat them just like the homeless would treat your house.
Oh, but you're one of the ten percent? Then pony up and prove it.
I am remembering back in the early '70s before Idaho law was hard on trespassers. We used to have to chase down and run off ten to fifteen carloads of Boise area pheasant hunters each Saturday and Sunday during season.
We did not particularly bother with them the first year we owned the property. Until we heard pellets bouncing off the roof of the house with toddlers playing in the yard, and a couple cows came into the milk barn with pellets under their skin, and more than one barn cat killed, and a cow dog peppered hard, and one horse with carrying pellets.
Anyhow, one particular fine day we had intercepted another outfit. This group in a brand new Suburban, carrying fine O/U shotguns, dressed in the finest upland game gear, and a couple of expensive GSH dogs in the kennel.
When we stopped them and informed them they were trespassing, one mouthed off something about they could just buy and sell our whole outfit. (It was not the first or last time we heard such comments from trespassers)
I asked for their address. They said "Why?"
"Well, because we are planning a big family reunion and barbecue. Have you got a pool?"
Man, it got real quiet. Then the sputtering started. "Bu bu but that's different"
And this spread isn't natural, it's being caused by people, scientists explain. Dale Nolte, manager of the feral swine program at the Department of Agriculture, told the outlet that there's "every reason to believe they are being moved in the backs of pickup trucks and released to create hunting opportunities.”.
The idiots who get caught doing this should be beat to death, no exceptions.
a lot of a-holes have done this in North East Texas in the 1990s. Mostly the the hound hunters did it.
And this spread isn't natural, it's being caused by people, scientists explain. Dale Nolte, manager of the feral swine program at the Department of Agriculture, told the outlet that there's "every reason to believe they are being moved in the backs of pickup trucks and released to create hunting opportunities.”.
The idiots who get caught doing this should be beat to death, no exceptions.
a lot of a-holes have done this in North East Texas in the 1990s. Mostly the the hound hunters did it.
Begs the question, "just how bad do ranchers in general really want the hogs gone?" On one hand they complain of out of control damage but on the other are more than happy to ask scalpers price to hunters that would like to hunt them.
Still waiting on somebody to post alla these ranchers posts here at the Fire that are complainin' about hogs and charging scalper's prices...
Only complain when land owners complain about the animals, but don't let people hunt. Then around here it seems they want our tax dollars to fix their problem.
Or they charge to hunt and still collect money from G&F (sportsman's dollars) for crop damage. That should end.
Wonder how many of these folks post here on the fire? Again, I dunno??
Yet all landowners in Texas are "Ranchers".
And they ALL deny access and charge a king's ransom to hunt hogs!
And the ALL complain about hog damage while charging that high dollar for access!
Here's a tad bit of a clue for the ignorant....
1) If they are selling hog hunts, they DON'T complain about hogs. In fact, they LOVE hogs. The more the merrier. In fact I have known some outfitters to go to the sale barn and buy hogs for the hunters to shoot....
2) If they are selling hog hunts, they probably aren't charging enough to make it worth their while to deal with drunks, idiots, and people that want to shoot everything with hair on it, on every square inch of land they own.
3) Most "ranchers" I know lease their ranch for hunting. Those that pay for an annual deer lease would probably be pissed if 30-40 other hunters a weekend were driving around shooting everything they see. So ranchers kill hogs where they can, and let the hunters kill what hogs they can. I don't really ever hear either complaining.
I wonder if the idiots who pose their kill with a rifle resting on the filthy carcass have ever seen what blood does to bluing? More money for the gunsmith's pocket, I guess! Jerry
A friend has 6,000 acres of wood and crop land, 5 miles on the Red River, surrounded by thousands of acres of National Refuge woodland. He leases his land for hunting. He thought if he was gonna have hogs, may as well have good ones. So, he takes a truck and trailer to TN, brings back a load of Russians, turns them out.
BIG mistake. His hog problem is now much worse, was NOT a good idea. The offspring hybrids have that typical ridge of hair down their backs, are colored a bit different than domestic feral hogs. I think he probably regrets that move, although he would never admit it.
Good thing the Tennessee wildlife people didn't catch him with a truckload of feral hogs- - - -he would have seen what the inside of a county jail looks like! Transporting live "wild" hogs is strictly forbidden! The wild pig population on the Cumberland Plateau is the leftover offspring of Russian boars imported by wealthy damyankee "sportsmen" in the early 1900's to stock private hunting clubs. They adapted to the terrain perfectly, and began cross-breeding with free-range domestic hogs. The result was a big population of wild pigs with Russian features and the weight of domestic pigs. A hundred years later, they're still there. Jerry
This guy is known for taking short cuts. He killed an elephant in Africa with a special built, curare tipped spear. He had a professional video made which turned into evidence in a Federal Lacy Act trial. It cost him a pile of money, no hunting locally or internationally for 5 years. His defense in court was the PH actually killed (finished) the elephant with his .470 double gun. The judge wasn't impressed. The PH got in trouble in his country, had to pay a big fine.
So, a Gooseneck trailer load of Russian hogs from TN was no big hill for a climber, if you get my drift.
Ridgerunner justice also has a tendency to take a few shortcuts at times. The big reason the TWRA doesn't want live ferals getting trucked around is the huge risk of spreading the diseases they can carry to domestic hogs being farmed legitimately. Not all Tennessee "justice" happens in a courtroom, especially over in the eastern part of the state! Jerry
Ridgerunner justice also has a tendency to take a few shortcuts at times. The big reason the TWRA doesn't want live ferals getting trucked around is the huge risk of spreading the diseases they can carry to domestic hogs being farmed legitimately. Not all Tennessee "justice" happens in a courtroom, especially over in the eastern part of the state! Jerry
I hear ya. Been there a few times. Don’t doubt that one bit.
Wonder how many of these folks post here on the fire? Again, I dunno??
Yet all landowners in Texas are "Ranchers".
And they ALL deny access and charge a king's ransom to hunt hogs!
And the ALL complain about hog damage while charging that high dollar for access!
Here's a tad bit of a clue for the ignorant....
1) If they are selling hog hunts, they DON'T complain about hogs. In fact, they LOVE hogs. The more the merrier. In fact I have known some outfitters to go to the sale barn and buy hogs for the hunters to shoot....
2) If they are selling hog hunts, they probably aren't charging enough to make it worth their while to deal with drunks, idiots, and people that want to shoot everything with hair on it, on every square inch of land they own.
3) Most "ranchers" I know lease their ranch for hunting. Those that pay for an annual deer lease would probably be pissed if 30-40 other hunters a weekend were driving around shooting everything they see. So ranchers kill hogs where they can, and let the hunters kill what hogs they can. I don't really ever hear either complaining.
I think I'll call the FDA on Monday and see how many more tax dollars I have coming due to the hog problem. Sure is nice being able to make a living from collecting Gov't money off hogs and the high dollar hunting charges. I might be able to come off welfare in a year or two if this keeps up.
I think I'll call the FDA on Monday and see how many more tax dollars I have coming due to the hog problem. Sure is nice being able to make a living from collecting Gov't money off hogs and the high dollar hunting charges. I might be able to come off welfare in a year or two if this keeps up.
Jim
Yep. Me too. Them sob’s owe me lots of money with all the hogs I’ve got.
We have a pack of 6 timber wolves just north of here. I am sure they could kill a lot of feral hogs. Our moose population is way down. Maybe the DNR would put them in a truck and haul them to Texas?
I gotta a big pig in the trap, will have to check him out better when it gets daylight. We have a little boy in camp. Maybe his dad will bring him up where I’m at. It be cool if the little one can kill that pig.
There is so much difference in what most people call hunting , and what happens in Texas, Texans kill stuff, there is no hunting involved, you sit and watch corn thrown on the ground , and then you choose whether to shoot that deer or let it grow a couple more years. Its a business just like anything else, if you have the green you can shoot whatever you want, but hunting it is not .
There is so much difference in what most people call hunting , and what happens in Texas, Texans kill stuff, there is no hunting involved, you sit and watch corn thrown on the ground , and then you choose whether to shoot that deer or let it grow a couple more years. Its a business just like anything else, if you have the green you can shoot whatever you want, but hunting it is not .
I don't know where you live but you should come to Texas (especially the south Texas brush country) and show us the right way to hunt. Maybe a landowner will give you an opportunity to demonstrate your superior hunting methods and skills. The last deer lease I had was overrun with hogs and 10 of us killed over 70 hogs at corn feeders during bow season. When rifle season started they disappeared (went nocturnal) after you shot a hog with a rifle. The rancher let 2 young local young guys hunt hogs year round with dogs (pit bulls) except during hunting season. The weekend before bow season started they hunted all weekend with dogs and killed ONE small boar hog,
I lived and worked in Odessa for years, the "deer lease" was my first experience at Texas deer hunting, it consisted of ten or twelve corn feeders on timers, set to go off at half hour intervals, us "hunters" could chose to sit and watch one of these feeders, or ride around in the back of a truck with a bench seat bolted to a rack in the back, the trucks were the most comfortable because you had a cooler beside you and the view changed as you changed feeders, there was no special equipment needed.
I have hunted 10 other states for everything from doves and grouse to mule deer and elk from Tennessee to Wyoming and no where was anything like what I experienced in Texas. I don't understand why Texans get so redassed over how they kill stuff, it's just not done like that anywhere else in the country, and in most places it's illegal to shoot from a truck or over bait, it's just that simple.
I lived and worked in Odessa for years, the "deer lease" was my first experience at Texas deer hunting, it consisted of ten or twelve corn feeders on timers, set to go off at half hour intervals, us "hunters" could chose to sit and watch one of these feeders, or ride around in the back of a truck with a bench seat bolted to a rack in the back, the trucks were the most comfortable because you had a cooler beside you and the view changed as you changed feeders, there was no special equipment needed.
I have hunted 10 other states for everything from doves and grouse to mule deer and elk from Tennessee to Wyoming and no where was anything like what I experienced in Texas. I don't understand why Texans get so redassed over how they kill stuff, it's just not done like that anywhere else in the country, and in most places it's illegal to shoot from a truck or over bait, it's just that simple.
I'm sure everyone in Texas is losing sleep over what your condescending judgements of them are.
I have Sandbilly's number around here somewhere, if ya'll want to start a club or something....LOL.
I lived and worked in Odessa for years, the "deer lease" was my first experience at Texas deer hunting, it consisted of ten or twelve corn feeders on timers, set to go off at half hour intervals, us "hunters" could chose to sit and watch one of these feeders, or ride around in the back of a truck with a bench seat bolted to a rack in the back, the trucks were the most comfortable because you had a cooler beside you and the view changed as you changed feeders, there was no special equipment needed.
I have hunted 10 other states for everything from doves and grouse to mule deer and elk from Tennessee to Wyoming and no where was anything like what I experienced in Texas. I don't understand why Texans get so redassed over how they kill stuff, it's just not done like that anywhere else in the country, and in most places it's illegal to shoot from a truck or over bait, it's just that simple.
I'm sure everyone in Texas is losing sleep over what your condescending judgements of them are.
I have Sandbilly's number around here somewhere, if ya'll want to start a club or something....LOL.
I'm just glad we have such a big market for our corn, and what's condescending about riding around in a truck drinking beer, I just don't consider it "hunting deer" 'but to each their own .
I'm just glad we have such a big market for our corn, and what's condescending about riding around in a truck drinking beer, I just don't consider it "hunting deer" 'but to each their own .
Who rides around in a truck drinking beer and hunting deer? Not me. I don't even know anyone that does.
Divided we fall.
Some parts of our country hunt deer with dogs.
I'm not particularly fond of that method. In fact, we shoot dogs for chasing deer here. But it is how many hunt in some areas.
Hunting a spot where corn is put out is unethical... While hunting a waterhole in the desert is all good.
We used to ride around at night and shoot jackrabbits. That was fun, probably drank a beer or two also!
If you were like me,you probably drank a bunch of beers.....Lol
We did, my company truck had a headache rack, so I built a seat to bolt on the rack. Your feet were on the toolbox. It was nothing to shoot 200 rabbits in a night. It took a lot of beer!
We used to ride around at night and shoot jackrabbits. That was fun, probably drank a beer or two also!
If you were like me,you probably drank a bunch of beers.....Lol
We did, my company truck had a headache rack, so I built a seat to bolt on the rack. Your feet were on the toolbox. It was nothing to shoot 200 rabbits in a night. It took s lot of beer!
That's about all we had to shoot at when I was a kid out in west Texas!
Jackrabbits and coyotes. Coyotes were bringing $20 each back then. We thought we were rich.
I lived and worked in Odessa for years, the "deer lease" was my first experience at Texas deer hunting, it consisted of ten or twelve corn feeders on timers, set to go off at half hour intervals, us "hunters" could chose to sit and watch one of these feeders, or ride around in the back of a truck with a bench seat bolted to a rack in the back, the trucks were the most comfortable because you had a cooler beside you and the view changed as you changed feeders, there was no special equipment needed.
I have hunted 10 other states for everything from doves and grouse to mule deer and elk from Tennessee to Wyoming and no where was anything like what I experienced in Texas. I don't understand why Texans get so redassed over how they kill stuff, it's just not done like that anywhere else in the country, and in most places it's illegal to shoot from a truck or over bait, it's just that simple.
I'm sure everyone in Texas is losing sleep over what your condescending judgements of them are.
I have Sandbilly's number around here somewhere, if ya'll want to start a club or something....LOL.
Most here know it’s not hunting, they just won’t post it because they don’t want to listen to you whine your no hunting ass off about it.
Some just can’t get it done any other way.
I’m a Texas resident, it’s pretty much the only thing embarrassing about the state for this TEXAN.
I lived and worked in Odessa for years, the "deer lease" was my first experience at Texas deer hunting, it consisted of ten or twelve corn feeders on timers, set to go off at half hour intervals, us "hunters" could chose to sit and watch one of these feeders, or ride around in the back of a truck with a bench seat bolted to a rack in the back, the trucks were the most comfortable because you had a cooler beside you and the view changed as you changed feeders, there was no special equipment needed.
I have hunted 10 other states for everything from doves and grouse to mule deer and elk from Tennessee to Wyoming and no where was anything like what I experienced in Texas. I don't understand why Texans get so redassed over how they kill stuff, it's just not done like that anywhere else in the country, and in most places it's illegal to shoot from a truck or over bait, it's just that simple.
I'm sure everyone in Texas is losing sleep over what your condescending judgements of them are.
I have Sandbilly's number around here somewhere, if ya'll want to start a club or something....LOL.
Most here know it’s not hunting, they just won’t post it because they don’t want to listen to you whine your no hunting ass off about it.
Some just can’t get it done any other way.
I’m a Texas resident, it’s pretty much the only thing embarrassing about the state for this TEXAN.
It doesn’t embarrass me. I don’t have much time to hunt. Scattering our corn lets you see a little more game. When I hunted Coleman County, we hunted the winter wheat fields. I guess that’s bad too????
Oh gawd, don't you just love the hunting "purists" who do everything so perfectly instead of giving due regard to hunting conditions that might favor baiting?
Oh gawd, don't you just love the hunting "purists" who do everything so perfectly instead of giving due regard to hunting conditions that might favor baiting?
Yup! To me hunting over corn is no different from utilizing telescopic sights and a repeating rifle.
But to each his own. I don’t care one way or the other.
Oh gawd, don't you just love the hunting "purists" who do everything so perfectly instead of giving due regard to hunting conditions that might favor baiting?
Yup! To me hunting over corn is no different from utilizing telescopic sights and a repeating rifle.
But to each his own. I don’t care one way or the other.
Or using laser range finders and scopes with all kinds of gizmos to take game at 800 yards.
I lived and worked in Odessa for years, the "deer lease" was my first experience at Texas deer hunting, it consisted of ten or twelve corn feeders on timers, set to go off at half hour intervals, us "hunters" could chose to sit and watch one of these feeders, or ride around in the back of a truck with a bench seat bolted to a rack in the back, the trucks were the most comfortable because you had a cooler beside you and the view changed as you changed feeders, there was no special equipment needed.
I have hunted 10 other states for everything from doves and grouse to mule deer and elk from Tennessee to Wyoming and no where was anything like what I experienced in Texas. I don't understand why Texans get so redassed over how they kill stuff, it's just not done like that anywhere else in the country, and in most places it's illegal to shoot from a truck or over bait, it's just that simple.
I'm sure everyone in Texas is losing sleep over what your condescending judgements of them are.
I have Sandbilly's number around here somewhere, if ya'll want to start a club or something....LOL.
Most here know it’s not hunting, they just won’t post it because they don’t want to listen to you whine your no hunting ass off about it.
Some just can’t get it done any other way.
I’m a Texas resident, it’s pretty much the only thing embarrassing about the state for this TEXAN.
Most here know it’s not hunting, they just won’t post it because they don’t want to listen to you whine your no hunting ass off about it.
Some just can’t get it done any other way.
I’m a Texas resident, it’s pretty much the only thing embarrassing about the state for this TEXAN.
You got lots of folks to educate to your way of thinking.
Best get to it!
I find those numbers very interesting as I am told by DNR personell that Wisconsin bases regulations very much with non-resident hunters in mind for such little return in license fee's. A playoff game for the Packer's brings in over 15 million for the weekend for the Green Bay area.
I find those numbers very interesting as I am told by DNR personell that Wisconsin bases regulations very much with non-resident hunters in mind for such little return in license fee's. A playoff game for the Packer's brings in over 15 million for the weekend for the Green Bay area.
I think Texas does it's own thing as far as out of states licenses sold. But, as an industry, hunting and fishing brings in more than $15 Billion annually in Texas.
never knew Ga had the most nonresident hunting licenses sold. Interesting, I'm sure a lot of that is the Florida crowd leasing up any scrub deer lease they can find...and we do get our share of out of state hog hunters.
I agree with Rio7 about bringing in outside hog hunters. It's a whole different dynamic and a PITA unless you're set up for it. And, getting set up takes time and costs money. Time IS money. So, why should a rancher become a free host of a hoard of outsiders running rampant over his land. If you let them on the place, you gotta manage them, lest they leave gates open, create havoc, etc. Nothing good to come out of it.
Now, if one so chooses to set up for hog hunting guests, those guests need to pay their way. Killing hogs is a good thing, but a secondary concern to having the place over run with "guests". Don't ya reckon that's one reason Texas is so against trespassing on private property. And, yep, they're pretty serious about it.
You gotta see it from their point of view. As a land owner, I do.
I lived and worked in Odessa for years, the "deer lease" was my first experience at Texas deer hunting, it consisted of ten or twelve corn feeders on timers, set to go off at half hour intervals, us "hunters" could chose to sit and watch one of these feeders, or ride around in the back of a truck with a bench seat bolted to a rack in the back, the trucks were the most comfortable because you had a cooler beside you and the view changed as you changed feeders, there was no special equipment needed.
I have hunted 10 other states for everything from doves and grouse to mule deer and elk from Tennessee to Wyoming and no where was anything like what I experienced in Texas. I don't understand why Texans get so redassed over how they kill stuff, it's just not done like that anywhere else in the country, and in most places it's illegal to shoot from a truck or over bait, it's just that simple.
I'm sure everyone in Texas is losing sleep over what your condescending judgements of them are.
I have Sandbilly's number around here somewhere, if ya'll want to start a club or something....LOL.
Most here know it’s not hunting, they just won’t post it because they don’t want to listen to you whine your no hunting ass off about it.
Some just can’t get it done any other way.
I’m a Texas resident, it’s pretty much the only thing embarrassing about the state for this TEXAN.
"twelve corn feeders on timers, set to go off at half hour intervals"
I suspected you were a liar but this statement proves it. NOBODY in Texas has ever set a feeder to go off every 30 minutes.
I have 4 of them and all are hooked to a 20,000# silos. I have to get it refilled every month. $2,800/month but I am getting rich because I charge $1,500/month to hunt. Oh yeah Sandbilly, you might live in Texas but you are in no way, form, or fashion a Texan. It embarases me to hear you call yourself one of us.
"Hey dickweed, the next feeder went off in a half hour, 12 feeders, 6 hours, then start at the beginning again, oldtimers getting to you?"
I don't believe that either.
He's already proven himself to be a liar. Now he is trying to show the extent to which he will lie to talk himself out of the lie. I would rather have the hogs share my land with me than several of you whining, bitching, complaining boys that think you are owed something for free.
At least long range requires some skill.A retarded monkey can load a feeder, huh Hanco?
JG wouldn’t know, the high fence hired help has the feeders loaded before he show up...
J,
I sure don't know what's wrong in your life. Nor do I propose to tell you how to fix it.
But I do know that there's something very wrong. I suggest you start looking into that.
I'm ashamed for you. You aren't who everyone thought you were. Might be time to start changing that. (Not talking about changing what people think of you, but what's wrong. )
Something else happened in the 80's that probably had more impact on hogs than the feeders...... Swine brucellosis was eradicated. Up until that time, the disease kept the feral hog populations in check.
I'm curious. If pigs are so hard to catch, how did they vaccinate all those wild ones to eradicate a disease? If they had them caught, why did they turn them loose again? They've been trying for years to eradicate it in buffalo and elk in Yellowstone but it's still there. I'm not trying to be snide here. I'd just like to know how they could eradicate a disease like that?
I'm not trying to be snide here. I'd just like to know how they could eradicate a disease like that?
Sure you are. No doubt.
Reckon he may have been talking about domestic hogs?
Quote
Swine brucellosis is an infectious disease of swine caused by Brucella suis (B. suis) biovars 1 or 3. Swine exposed to B. suis develop a bacteremia (bacterial infection in the blood). Infection can then localize in various tissues. The disease typically causes chronic inflammatory lesions in the reproductive organs which can cause abortions, infertility and low milk production. It may also localize in joints, leading to lameness. It’s important to note that swine brucellosis is potentially a zoonotic disease (people can contract it). People in direct contact with potentially infected swine should take precautions as directed by public health experts. Commercial swine in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are free from swine brucellosis.However, feral swine and domestic swine in close contact with them remain a reservoir in the U.S.
Treatment in affected animals is not curative. Disease prevention is the best approach since there is no vaccine or treatment for swine brucellosis.
At least long range requires some skill.A retarded monkey can load a feeder, huh Hanco?
JG wouldn’t know, the high fence hired help has the feeders loaded before he show up...
Well retard you think we run those feeders to shoot the does? The feeders attract the does which attract the bigger bucks, otherwise you don't see many big bucks around the feeders. That said maintaining a feeder can be a pain in the @ss, pigs digging up the legs and tipping them over, cows just knocking them over. On the other hand what do you do? Watch trails? I tend to watch the trails leading from bedding areas to the feeders. You do know that the feeders make life easier for the deer providing protein when it is hard to come by in late winter right? Yes fill us in on your holier than ours deer hunting method.
"If pigs are so hard to catch, how did they vaccinate all those wild ones to eradicate a disease?"
There's no way you could catch all the feral pigs and vaccinate them. Where did get that information? That's would be like trying to sterilize all the male feral pigs. They did wipe out all the screw worms in Texas by dropping sterilized male flies from airplanes all over Texas. It's hard to believe that worked.
"If pigs are so hard to catch, how did they vaccinate all those wild ones to eradicate a disease?"
There's no way you could catch all the feral pigs and vaccinate them. Where did get that information? That's would be like trying to sterilize all the male feral pigs. They did wipe out all the screw worms in Texas by dropping sterilized male flies from airplanes all over Texas. It's hard to believe that worked.
I was around when they did that. Found the little boxes the flies were dropped in, all over the ranch.
Screworms were a major issue to ranchers and livestock. Doctored many, many cattle for them. Lost a few calves too.
That program wiped out screworms, and the deer population explosion was a byproduct of it.
If the deer benefited massively, you know the feral hogs did too.
. They did wipe out all the screw worms in Texas by dropping sterilized male flies from airplanes all over Texas. It's hard to believe that worked.
I remember when I was a kid finding them little boxes they dropped the flies in way out in the pasture. They were a little cardboard box maybe 6" square. Had written on em what they were for.
I know one of the old ranchers up in Llano did say that the hog cholera that came thru in the late 50’s early 60’s did quite a number on all the pigs feral and domestic. But there were still lots of isolated pockets.
Barry I also remember when a kid, hearing about really old folks dying of screwworms. This was in south Texas and it was usually really old Mexican folks that lived out in the mesquites & brush by themselves. Remember hearimg it on the radio that was always on at my aunt's & uncle’s house. On the local news.
I have never hunted hogs. Other then 3 domestic ones, I have never shot a hog. (Warthogs excluded)
But I see it as just one more land-management issue that farmers and ranchers need to address. Those that want to treat them as a cash crop can do so with 100% justification. It's their land!
But those that had an actual problem with over populations of hogs are foolish to try to extract money from those that would help resolve the problem. Greed is a common problem with people everywhere and part of human nature. Wisdom is that power in someones character to know when to rein in their greed so the overall future can be improved. Like sewing seed. You buy seed and toss it around in hopes to have a larger crop later. Demanding money from someone who would help you is the mark of a fool. But fools can own land, and if they do they have an absolute right to be a fool on their own land.
Only someone below the level of a fool will pay him. And there are some "sub-fools" who will in this world.
I remember years ago driving across a large open area of Nevada desert when I came upon a man in a truck with 2 flat tires. One on the ground and the spare. He was VERY thankful when I aborted my day's plan and helped him remove the flat from the wheel and also load up his spare and drove him to Fallon Nevada to get both flats fixed, and then drove him back to the truck out in the desert.
Now see if you can guess what I would have done if he had told me when I stopped that he would love it if I'd help him, but he wanted me to pay him $300 dollars first before he'd let me help him. (The easy answer to that question is............nothing. I'd have smiled and told him to have a nice day, and to wait for someone more foolish them himself to show up.)
If a land owner is actually having a problem they will be grateful for help..... OR they are simply not honest, and they are saying they have a problem but it's just a lie. They have no real problem at all. For those that are allowing the hogs to infest their land to sell the hunts, more power to them.
But there are many that actually want the hogs removed and such a person WILL NOT ask money for the help ----- anymore then they would ask you to pay them to fix their tire. I know one land owner in Oklahoma, one in Louisiana and one in Texas that have told me I can come and shoot hogs ANY time and with no limits and no charge at all. The one in Louisiana even says I can stay in his guest house for free and he'll bay all the food too, but I MUST kill a lot of hogs if I come. See........that man wants the hogs killed off.
The “Why should I pay? I’d be doing the farmer/rancher a BIG favor” posts on hog hunting threads are always some of the funniest stuff on the internet. They’re always written by someone who hasn’t hunted in Texas and/or isn’t a landowner and/or they have never sat down and talked to one.
I used to hunt a 1200 acre rice farm in south Texas. I was friends with the owner and he knew he could trust me to shut gates and not endanger myself or his cattle. I had permission to do anything I wanted there and hunt whenever I wanted. The hunting was fantastic but the conditions were miserable due to heat, humidity and mosquitoes outside of January and February.
He and his tenant farmer split their profits and hog damage to their fields cost the about $60,000 a year so they had motivation to allow hunting. A professional trapper also trapped the place 365 days a year, and several other hunters occasionally killed hogs there.
The trapper captured over 500 hogs a year in big metal cage traps and sold them to a processing plant. The other hunters might have killed a 2-3 dozen combined. I drove down and hunted 2-3 times a month on overnight trips for a year. I killed about 50 hogs, not bad for a guy shooting an unsupressed bolt rifle without night vision or FLIR.
You know what good removing and killing all of those hogs did? Basically nothing. The farm was surrounded on all sides by incredibly dense brush. Hogs continued to pour out of the brush at night and raid their fields, especially when the rice was in the “doughy stage” of the head development - that’s one of their favorite meals.
The only thing that will cause a real decline in the hog population here is a swine disease. Trapping and poisoning are MUCH more effective than hunting but even they can’t keep up.
So, just for the sake of argument, let’s say you drive down from Whiningcunt, Wyoming, and you really are a good hunter. You also can shoot well and you don’t mind stepping around water moccasins and don’t care about clouds of mosquitoes.
The land owner doesn’t know this, so he has to take time out of his schedule to show you the place and guide you, or ask one of this workers to guide you and also to suspend all work in the area you’ll be hunting.
You bring a scoped deer rifle and are sitting at the edge of a clearing when 30 hogs walk out to feed. You take dead aim and kill one at 100 yards. Now there are 29 hogs making a beeline for the treeline at top speed, but you're a stud shooter and have no problem dropping two more on the run in the 30 yards they have to cover before the rest disappear into the brush. Congratulations. Those three hogs removed have done, well, nothing for the rancher. They’re a drop in the bucket. Meanwhile you were a potential snake bite victim and lawsuit waiting to happen.
I doubt it’s due, but we’ll give you more credit: you show up for the hunt with a suppressed AR with a great thermal scope. You invested in snake boots and aren’t phased by seeing a couple dozen water moccasins in your path in one night and the rancher has grown to trust you. You hunt hard for three days and nights and kill 50 hogs. Again, what does that change? Nada - not enough to move the needle in the slightest.
The truth is an unproven hunter is an enormous liability to a landowner, with way more potential lawsuit downside than upside. That said, if landowners know you’re a good hunter, a lot of folks will let you shoot all of the hogs you want. Heck, a lot of folks need does and management bucks culled too. I have a friend with a place in south Texas who has to cull 120 does a year.
The only places that sell hog hunts that I know of want to sell them to groups of hunters so they can make enough money to cover the expenses and make a bit of profit.
I don’t think anyone could say that better TexasPhotog. I’ve trapped, hunted on our deer lease relentlessly. I haven’t dropped the population a damn bit.
One thought that crossed my mind after reading all of this, that Texas Photog mentioned, is that I wonder if either of them ever had a need for or owned snake boots for their hunting exploits
When I was hunting that place at night I used to see several snakes every time I crossed one of the dikes. They were all coiled and waiting for a frog.
By the way, when the rice was in the "doughy head" stage it was tall enough to cover the shoulder of a hog. So it rare to get more than one shot at anything.
It was only in the winter, during the early stages of the rice plant's growth, that you could see a sounder of hogs and shoot more than one.
I don’t think anyone could say that better TexasPhotog. I’ve trapped, hunted on our deer lease relentlessly. I haven’t dropped the population a damn bit.
Maybe you could induce jimmy and SandBilly to lower themselves and offer them the opportunity to come on down to hunt. Let them do things their way, and with their combined expertise, all of your hog problems would vanish.
There are 10 on the lease, we may kill two or three a weekend. I’m the only one that traps. Sometimes I’ll catch a few too. We aren’t doing much to lower the population
I live in the Central Texas region.All the hogs in my area have gone nocturnal.If anyone books a hunt and wants to shQoot volume need to hunt with thermal scoped outfitters.JMHO
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![[Linked Image from i.postimg.cc]](https://i.postimg.cc/6qQ4KpGy/EDE5-EDB4-331-D-4-D4-A-B0-A9-84-A34-F554206.jpg)
![[Linked Image from i.postimg.cc]](https://i.postimg.cc/qMgSMNW0/87-DD0981-C2-C9-468-D-9393-010433-CA78-FD.jpg)
![[Linked Image from i.postimg.cc]](https://i.postimg.cc/sDqxxMf3/2-A639-A9-F-C94-F-456-C-98-A9-97-F17480-DF1-D.jpg)
![[Linked Image from i.postimg.cc]](https://i.postimg.cc/KzFBG85F/C244-D501-E172-499-C-9437-67-ED73923-E04.jpg)
![[Linked Image from i.postimg.cc]](https://i.postimg.cc/6pcf8Ryq/26-B25-BE4-8-F9-E-4-D8-C-9-F7-E-3-F88237-A84-F3.jpg)
![[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]](https://i.imgur.com/9A3Ssnk.jpg)
![[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]](https://i.imgur.com/YaQ1UgD.png)
(Not talking about changing what people think of you, but what's wrong. )
![[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]](https://i.imgur.com/a3EZEpW.jpg)
![[Linked Image from i.postimg.cc]](https://i.postimg.cc/tgT1MJg2/927-BA8-E9-13-A9-47-E6-95-BD-DD59-B3-F78-EE3.jpg)