How Texas Dealt With 2 Million Feral Hogs

[Rem280]

Let's not forget how smart these SOBs are. You shoot one or two at your feeder during deer season, and you won't see them again around that time. They will go nocturnal and only show up on your camera.

TX is not the only one with this issue. Here in GA, the peanut farmers get hammered every year by the hogs. I've seen what they can do in one night.

We have a rule, if hogs come out to the feeder during deer season, we shoot the hogs no questions asked. Here in GA, they are not bad to eat.

What part of GA? They used to come and go when we hunted Unadilla and Ludawici.

 

[Jason Miller]

Sorry guys, but I have to get on my soapbox on this issue of "offering to help, but they want $$ instead."

From a landowner's perspective, they can't just let a few do-gooders onto their property to roam freely with ARs, and God only knows what other weapons, to "help", AND mostly at night. The liability is enormous in this day and age. I act as a guide on a property, so now I should just volunteer over a few weekends of my month, hunting all night for a few guys can come "help"?

I'm on property over 100 days per year, and on average killing 60-100 hogs annually without actually targeting them. That's 25% of the pigs we kill in total, with the helicopters getting the remaining ones. Killing 400 per year is just keeping them at bay.

How many to you think the average guy can come kill in a weekend?? The only person getting anything out of that scenario is the guy "helping".

Wanna help? Come out to the ranch and smooth out pig ruts, fix fence, cut brush in the Texas summer heat and the landowner will eventually trust you enough to let you come "help", after signing a big, fat waiver, of course.
Cows are $3,500-$3,800 these days in case you accidentally kill one of those instead.

Good point.

 

[Flbt]

That's what don't get. There is clearly a market, but charging big bucks to kill them completely nullifies any sympathy I would have for agricultural damage.

Well last time I know of any one checking for a hunting business 2 mil. Liability ins policy was 3k
And that was for doves not hogs

 

[Flbt]

People in Florida cry about hogs, refuse to let people help with the problem, and then others price gauge for hunts. That AI video does not tell the full story. Deer destroy crops also. Hence Deer Deprivation Permits. Hogs are invasive just as much as people are. Never forget.

You ever own a farm and let hunters come in?
How many horses,cattle were shot?
Dogs ran over?
Equipment shot?
Gates left open and stock out?
Crops ran over?
Sued because some one fell down?

 

[Flbt]

You ever own a farm and let hunters come in?
How many horses,cattle were shot?
Dogs ran over?
Equipment shot?
Gates left open and stock out?
Crops ran over?
Sued because some one fell down?

I know of everyone one of them they have happened .
Why do you think lease of hunting land started so hard in fl in the 80s?”
They pay to be there
There is a contact that says what happens is any of the above miss haps happen.
And they have there own insurance.

 

[Rem280]

You ever own a farm and let hunters come in?
How many horses,cattle were shot?
Dogs ran over?
Equipment shot?
Gates left open and stock out?
Crops ran over?
Sued because some one fell down?

U are right. Give up and complain. Ask the government to help. Never forget, humans are as invasive as hogs. Maybe if people looked them as a resource instead of a problem it would help things. Until then cry me a river.

 

[Flbt]

U are right. Give up and complain. Ask the government to help. Never forget, humans are as invasive as hogs. Maybe if people looked them as a resource instead of a problem it would help things. Until then cry me a river.

I dont really complain about them and I have hunters on the place.
And trap.
And have people i trust with there own insurance policy come in with dogs.

I dont get people are just a invasive.
Deepening on what migration plan you go with over 20 thousand years ago people were here.
Hogs since the Spanish kicked them off the boat1539 there a hell of a difference in time line there buddy

 

[Saul]

There could not be a worse time for me to not eat pork!

 

[Flbt]

U are right. Give up and complain. Ask the government to help. Never forget, humans are as invasive as hogs. Maybe if people looked them as a resource instead of a problem it would help things. Until then cry me a river.

And if you had a rat problem in your house.
Are you going to let any and everyone in your yard and house and out building that comes by with a 22 help?

 

[Rem280]

And if you had a rat problem in your house.
Are you going to let any and everyone in your yard and house and out building that comes by with a 22 help?

not at all! I will just bitch and complain! Beg the government to help me!

 

[PARA45]

What part of GA? They used to come and go when we hunted Unadilla and Ludawici.

About 35 miles north of Unadilla, in Warner Robins. I hunted in Unadilla the last 6 years until my friend’s in-laws sold their property.

 

[mdwest]

We have a rule, if hogs come out to the feeder during deer season, we shoot the hogs no questions asked. Here in GA, they are not bad to eat.

Our rule is similar.. but even more defined..

If you see a pig.. no matter time or day… no matter whatever else you are doing… you are now on a pig hunt…

Doesn’t matter if we are deer hunting, turkey hunting, coyote hunting, or just walking around doing property maintenance…

If a pig shows up, stop what you are doing immediately, and shoot the pig..

 

[wesheltonj]

Our rule is similar.. but even more defined..

If you see a pig.. no matter time or day… no matter whatever else you are doing… you are now on a pig hunt…

Doesn’t matter if we are deer hunting, turkey hunting, coyote hunting, or just walking around doing property maintenance…

If a pig shows up, stop what you are doing immediately, and shoot the pig..

Same here.

 

[AZDAVE]

I will throw a bit of history and hogs 101.

The hogs started in the western hemisphere when sailors dropped them off in new lands (IE FLA up to the Carolina's and in california on the islands especially. The purpose is that hogs are tough and multiply so when they sailed back along those shores that could hunt the pigs and smoke or salt their meat for the return trip to Europe. Now some 450years later they have multiplied and moved west as far as Texas and not sure how far north.

For those haven't been around on a farm growing up.

Hogs have 8-12 per litter and 85 % survive vs rabbits where 10% survive. They can start breeding a 9-10 months and have 3 litters a year. so you do the math.

The problem is that say you kill everyone on your ranch/farm and sit down and smile. Well the neighbors on all sides didn't do the same so you will have pigs back on your place in under a month. so unless there is a coordinated kill them all from Texas all the way east and their north to south range at the same time you will never get rid of them. Unless there is some kind of swine pandemic that kills them all.

So when you see a pig shoot it

 

[Finprof]

On the topic of landowner permission, Arcadia Plantation near Georgetown SC stopped allowing hunters because of liability concerns. I have been hunting hogs there with an outfitter for about 20 years. The outfitter is very knowledgeable about hogs and has strict rules for hunters but the owners were too concerned about liability.
Arcadia plantation was formed by the owner of Bromo Seltzer who married a Vanderbilt. About 10 years ago we couldn’t hunt there for a while because Princess Margaret was a guest.

 

[gbflyer]

Crop and property damage is a weird thing. Where I grew up in W CO the dept of fish and game built tall, nice deer fences around orchards to keep them out. The orchardists...some of them anyway...left the gates open and called the game warden to come deal with the deer. So the deer got shot.

I looked into a pig hunt when I was bored out of my mind with family at a Texas Hill Country gathering. It was $500-$750 to go tip over a feral pig. For real? I own land and can see the landowners point sort of. I guess weigh damage vs. the very low risk of getting sued. If you live life worried about that you'll never leave the house. Make them sign a waiver, tell them a beef will cost them $5K, put assets in a corp or trust, and ride on.

 

[Flbt]

not at all! I will just bitch and complain! Beg the government to help me!

So basically you want a free hunt.
And don’t like being told the reason why there hard to get.
Then say the same stuff over again.

 

[Flbt]

I will throw a bit of history and hogs 101.

The hogs started in the western hemisphere when sailors dropped them off in new lands (IE FLA up to the Carolina's and in california on the islands especially. The purpose is that hogs are tough and multiply so when they sailed back along those shores that could hunt the pigs and smoke or salt their meat for the return trip to Europe. Now some 450years later they have multiplied and moved west as far as Texas and not sure how far north.

For those haven't been around on a farm growing up.

Hogs have 8-12 per litter and 85 % survive vs rabbits where 10% survive. They can start breeding a 9-10 months and have 3 litters a year. so you do the math.

The problem is that say you kill everyone on your ranch/farm and sit down and smile. Well the neighbors on all sides didn't do the same so you will have pigs back on your place in under a month. so unless there is a coordinated kill them all from Texas all the way east and their north to south range at the same time you will never get rid of them. Unless there is some kind of swine pandemic that kills them all.

So when you see a pig shoot it

There was also a time when farms marked hogs and let them free range.
Which put more out there.
Then the ones turned out to “hunt”
And remember when the animal rights people got farrowing pens. Hogs were tuned out.

And here any way it’s believed that a lot of pot belly pigs were let lose to. When the pet market dropped off

 

[Flbt]

Crop and property damage is a weird thing. Where I grew up in W CO the dept of fish and game built tall, nice deer fences around orchards to keep them out. The orchardists...some of them anyway...left the gates open and called the game warden to come deal with the deer. So the deer got shot.

I looked into a pig hunt when I was bored out of my mind with family at a Texas Hill Country gathering. It was $500-$750 to go tip over a feral pig. For real? I own land and can see the landowners point sort of. I guess weigh damage vs. the very low risk of getting sued. If you live life worried about that you'll never leave the house. Make them sign a waiver, tell them a beef will cost them $5K, put assets in a corp or trust, and ride on.

Or just lease it and make them have insurance.
Or let people you trust hunt.

I was told there a big difference for insurance and liability between letting friends and family hunt vs a hunting business
And if you don’t charge enough to make money it makes no difference to the insurance company and liability
That all you are is a bad business.

 

[HookMeUpII]

More like "is dealing with." I was down there in December. Talking to a few ranch owners, it's still a huge problem. I don't think they will ever be able to get it to where they would like it to be. It is more a case of slowing the bleeding, if anything. The problem is too far out ahead of control at this point.

My theory is, nature is eventually going to find a way. Look no farther than to the snow geese problem. 25 years ago, same issue, there were too many and they're eating the whole tundra up. Now they are debating pulling back on the CO season because stocks are on the decline due to bird flu. We already know there is a swine flu, so it's not a far stretch.

I love hunting hogs. If TX or OK were reasonably close to me, I would be going...a lot.

FWIW, NJ almost had an issue. Shockingly, the state did something right and got it before the problem became too big. Rumor was they caught a couple big boars, castrated them, radio collared them, and they went right back to their little groups...and then the state killed them all.

Too much common sense for this state.