Feral Hogs

[Pilothawk]

I have a small hobby farm that I have been working to try to get my hay up to sufficient quality to sell to the horse folks in the DFW metromess.

Lately the feral hogs are doing tremendous damage to my fields. I must have two to three acres that have been effectively plowed by these critters. The areas affected are going to have to be disced up and sprigged.

How many of you have a significant feral hog problem, or is that more of a Texas thing?

 

[keh]

I haven't seen any signs of them in my area of W SC but parts of the state with swamps have some. Go for a walk in the Congaree Swamp Nat'l park below Columbia SC and you will see numerous tracks. The park people don't like the damage they do to plants and wildlife and are talking killing as many as possible. No trap and relocate for them. Also hogs in the TN, NC, GA mountains, same reaction from the park ranger there.

Don't think the 3 S's are necessary here, just the first S.

KEH

 

[oleblu]

I don't remember the website, but the general thought from the "goverment" man was that there are (on average) 2 hogs per acre in Texas.
Maybe some "FREE HUNTING" signs are needed. LOL

 

[Colin Brown]

Check out Texas pig hunts on Ebay. It seems that a lot of folks in your neck of the wood share your problem.

 

[Anonymous-0]

It is not a Texas thing. There are 2 kinds of places. Those that have wild hogs, and those that will have wild hogs in the future. If it wasn't for the huge Mt Lion population in California we would have pigs everywhere. Once they show up it is impossible to get rid of them. Kill as many as you can. Contrary to what you may hear they die easy and they never attack. I have killed dozens with a 223 and 64 grain power points.

 

[Greyhorse]

Got the same problem, I'm about 50 miles east of Dallas. The worst part about the mess they make is how rough the fields are and how hard it is to get them smooth again. I shot several last fall and hoped the bodies would keep the rest away, nope, they walked around them and rooted the area up around them the next night! And they will charge if they have piglets..... not too likely but they will if they feel their babies are threatened.

 

[LAA]

There is a good export market for North Texas live hogs, free range meat. There are plenty of trappers advertising their services for free. The livestock weekly has a few adds every week.

 

[muduc]

FREE BACON!!

 

[chuck bolton]

is this meat really edible? i know the javelina in the desert southwest is a horrible thing to eat-- tho i guess if you were hungry enough

 

[mudcat49]

The population today in the USA (Most in south) is estamited to be 6,000,000 in two to three years that number could jump to 10,000,000. A sow will have 3 litters in a 14 month period and each litter can be anywhere from 8 to 12 or 13 pigs! They are really bad here in South Florida We are 1/2 mile from Lake Okeechobee and they are all over the place, they come on my land, we shoot them and they stay away for a while then more come back. I myself have eaten many a pound of wild hog meat and if done right it is as good as store bought pork! A lot of places north of Florida have imported Russian boars for hunting and these have bred with the USA sows and we are seeing a new "Superhog" There is a show that comes on Discovery called "Pig Bomb" and it is a good one to watch about this problem!

 

[Fordfarmer]

Not near the problem here that you have, but we have them even here in WI. Deer hunters are encouraged to shoot any they see, by most land owners and even the DNR. Landowners can shoot them year round, no license needed on their land. The closest ones I've heard of are an hour's drive west of me, so I haven't had a chance to shoot one yet. Hope I never see them on my place.