How Texas Dealt With 2 Million Feral Hogs

[HookMeUpII]

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.

Are they monetizing a problem? Or trying to solve it?

I brought the same thing up on here in the past. I just don't see it. Sorry. There is an inflection point. No one is arguing a reasonable fee isn't fair. But the amounts they're charging are ridiculous in a lot of cases. I get there are expenses like feed, feeders, guides etc.

Helo hog hunting is a different animal, I understand why that's expensive.

As for on foot/blind hunting, that's different. If you're breaking even on allowing hunting but stopping the damage to your crops/land? Be happy and leave it at that. Expecting to monetize a problem you have, that's already costing you money, and then expecting to turn a substantial profit? That's just called greed. Especially when some folks complain about the problem after.

If it's not making a substantial dent in the population, via hunting, then get to trapping. Or hire a dog crew and trap.

I get the liability, potential vandalism of the land/facilities/etc. I'd love to live in a perfect world without problems as well.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

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.

Does this work on other non-desirables? Asking for a friend.

 

[Datchew]

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..

Some ranch owners in uvalde area I hunt with have a similar rule for coyotes

 

[Flbt]

Are they monetizing a problem? Or trying to solve it?

I brought the same thing up on here in the past. I just don't see it. Sorry. There is an inflection point. No one is arguing a reasonable fee isn't fair. But the amounts they're charging are ridiculous in a lot of cases. I get there are expenses like feed, feeders, guides etc.

Helo hog hunting is a different animal, I understand why that's expensive.

As for on foot/blind hunting, that's different. If you're breaking even on allowing hunting but stopping the damage to your crops/land? Be happy and leave it at that. Expecting to monetize a problem you have, that's already costing you money, and then expecting to turn a substantial profit? That's just called greed. Especially when some folks complain about the problem after.

If it's not making a substantial dent in the population, via hunting, then get to trapping. Or hire a dog crew and trap.

I get the liability, potential vandalism of the land/facilities/etc. I'd love to live in a perfect world without problems as well.

I don’t know. It’s just the cost goes up for the land owners when you try to get business type coverage.
I don’t know what the cost is most places.
There a guy in Perry I think there 150$ a day.
There a few farms in ga that turned there’s over to a night hunting group. The group not the farmer was wanting 1500$ a night.

There some places here that let ( Known) dog hunters in for nothing because every one knows they have insurance coverage

 

[HookMeUpII]

Does this work on other non-desirables? Asking for a friend.

Good question. The fact NJ actually was able to do something right is mind-blowing enough for me to even answer. Nowadays they'd probably offer them gender affirming surgery and ask what pronoun they prefer.

Without digressing, I guess it could?

 

[Hunting Hitman]

Problem is not even close to being solved. I spoke to the government trapper yesterday and he just shot 563 in 3 days out of a Helicopter on the Red river. We killed 248 hogs on my high fence last year.
You can’t get rid of them all only keep them in check.

HH

 

[JG26Irish_2]

I get it that hunting hogs can be a profitable revenue steam for ranchers who are over run with them but it is the same with any game animal. If they are valuable as game animals, then stop whining about the destructive side effects of having them on the ranch. If they are varmints and you want rid of them, then let the hunters in to kill them off.

I see the same thing in the Dakotas and other Western plains lands. Prairie Dogs are everywhere and eat all the grass, leave hole that cattle step in and break legs, spread disease, etc, etc. Guess what? My son and I would go door to door asking ranchers to allow us to hunt prairie dogs and to a man, nobody said "No". We were invited in with open arms and the only requests were:

• Close and latch the gates behind you.
• Watch out for my cattle.
• Be safe and have fun.
• Stop in at the ranch house and let us know when you leave the property.

We were mostly shooting 223's and 243's or 22-250's for this. Not once was cattle shot. Not once was a gate left open. No trash or brass was left on the ground, and we always thanked them for the time on their land. Often we were invited to stay for Steak dinners with the ranch hands. So, there is a model for doing this. But, I must also say that hogs are like coyotes, the more you kill, the more they breed. So, it is not likely to eradicate them. Only keep the numbers depressed.

I will be in Texas to hunt other game soon along the Gulf coast. I asked about popping a few hogs while on the ranch and was told, "Sure, they are $500 each". Really? Thanks but no thanks. I save my money for another Warthog.

 

[Daryl S]

Good video. Being amongst wolf problems since the 1970's, I wondered if and when poisons were going to be tried on the hogs. Poison is the only way of actually controlling the wolves, once a certain level of population is achieved. Back in the 50's that was the case and wholesale poisoning of the wolves began. This knocked them back to where it took 20 years for them to recover. Now, it's just some locals who put out poisoned baits for them with methods that eliminate coyotes or other carnivores from being susceptible to the baits. This has reduced the numbers to where we are seeing moose and elk in areas that were devoid of the ungulates for some years.

 

[Flbt]

Are they monetizing a problem? Or trying to solve it?

I brought the same thing up on here in the past. I just don't see it. Sorry. There is an inflection point. No one is arguing a reasonable fee isn't fair. But the amounts they're charging are ridiculous in a lot of cases. I get there are expenses like feed, feeders, guides etc.

Helo hog hunting is a different animal, I understand why that's expensive.

As for on foot/blind hunting, that's different. If you're breaking even on allowing hunting but stopping the damage to your crops/land? Be happy and leave it at that. Expecting to monetize a problem you have, that's already costing you money, and then expecting to turn a substantial profit? That's just called greed. Especially when some folks complain about the problem after.

If it's not making a substantial dent in the population, via hunting, then get to trapping. Or hire a dog crew and trap.

I get the liability, potential vandalism of the land/facilities/etc. I'd love to live in a perfect world without problems as well.

And for me I let a lot of family hunt
And when the dog guys are available I let them hunt. One big reason the guy that over sees it. Takes care of any damage that any of his people do.

Luckily we have not had a lot of them in awhile.

 

[Flbt]

I get it that hunting hogs can be a profitable revenue steam for ranchers who are over run with them but it is the same with any game animal. If they are valuable as game animals, then stop whining about the destructive side effects of having them on the ranch. If they are varmints and you want rid of them, then let the hunters in to kill them off.

I see the same thing in the Dakotas and other Western plains lands. Prairie Dogs are everywhere and eat all the grass, leave hole that cattle step in and break legs, spread disease, etc, etc. Guess what? My son and I would go door to door asking ranchers to allow us to hunt prairie dogs and to a man, nobody said "No". We were invited in with open arms and the only requests were:

• Close and latch the gates behind you.
• Watch out for my cattle.
• Be safe and have fun.
• Stop in at the ranch house and let us know when you leave the property.

We were mostly shooting 223's and 243's or 22-250's for this. Not once was cattle shot. Not once was a gate left open. No trash or brass was left on the ground, and we always thanked them for the time on their land. Often we were invited to stay for Steak dinners with the ranch hands. So, there is a model for doing this. But, I must also say that hogs are like coyotes, the more you kill, the more they breed. So, it is not likely to eradicate them. Only keep the numbers depressed.

I will be in Texas to hunt other game soon along the Gulf coast. I asked about popping a few hogs while on the ranch and was told, "Sure, they are $500 each". Really? Thanks but no thanks. I save my money for another Warthog.

Thats how it was around here. But in the 70-80
A lot was blamed on south fl hunters coming up.
The guys I met from sf were good people.
But cows/ horses / equipment / fires/ gates left open
Really pushed the hunt any where out the window.
1 cow getting hurt no one’s welcome back
Unless your known.
Then lease started and then that completely stoped permission hunting.
Everyone around me has there land in a lease.
No one does day hunts.
And my place is not that big and have quite a few kids hunting it.
So there really no room for me to let any one just walk up and in.
Around me it’s mostly small acers especially compared to some in tx.
That might make a difference in how it’s looked at to.