Feral Pigs.

[HABCAN]

It occurs to me that strangely, at least in the 'Cowboy' states, the revival of the old British art of 'pig sticking' has not been added to the list of rodeo competitions, if not at least practiced amongst the younger set on a good cutting horse on the infested home ranch. Or isn't a 'blood sport' to be publicly displayed to today's effete audiences?? Seems to me it'd maybe reduce the damages done a bit and provide some pork protein for the larder. Comments?

[RED BEAR]

I have no problem with it but rest assured that someone will.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

The seeming abundance of feral hogs has come up for discussion before. Apparently there are places where there are so many that cause so much damage that there is an open season on them with no limit. I've seen U-tube videos where they hunt them from helicopters and knock them over like bowling pins. I'm surprised someone hasn't thought to harvest them commercially and sell the meat to China.

[Land Owner]

The prevalence of bovine and "pork-uline" diseases in feral hogs precludes their arduous capture, penning, deworming, transport LIVE to an FDA approved facility (try that with feral pigs sometime), killing, testing, FDA stamp of meat approval (one in a lot ruins the whole), butchering, packaging, freezing, transport again, etc. Feral pigs are just too much trouble to take the chance. Besides they DON'T WANT to go to the SAUGHTERHOUSE. Domestic pigs just don't care...

[john.k]

Yep,they are wild ,alright...........many years ago,I used to be able to sell clean carcases to a german small goods maker ,who wernt legal,regulations wise,but made really good stuff.....Anyway ,my old man suggested if I could trap some little ones and maybe fatten them,we could make good money........so I trapped about a dozen smallish ones and took them back to the farm......the old man had built a pigpen with his usual bits and pieces of junk,and we put the pigs into it,and gave them a bit to eat.........next morning the pen had been demolished ,pigs gone..........a couple of days later ,next door neighbour was carrying on about how his fields had been ploughed up,and it looked like wild pigs......But he said.....theres been no wild pigs here for years............anyhoo ,he was inclined to blame the pig farm over the creek for the damage......The old man says"keep your mouth shut,and dont tell anyone......and dont bring any more wild pigs here".

[SSGOldfart]

The seeming abundance of feral hogs has come up for discussion before. Apparently there are places where there are so many that cause so much damage that there is an open season on them with no limit. I've seen U-tube videos where they hunt them from helicopters and knock them over like bowling pins. I'm surprised someone hasn't thought to harvest them commercially and sell the meat to China.

They have tried it but for many reasons trapping and selling causes to many problems.


Most landowners will jump up and down over the hog issue,but just ask to hunt and they want a couple hundred dollars for a hog hunt. But they think it's the States problem to control the hogs and pay for damages?????????????????????????

[john.k]

yeah,you cant credit a couple of pigs could plough up five acres of potatoes in one night............but if you really want to see them go crazy,they cant resist yams,sweet potatoes.........they are so smart ,they quickly learn about poison,too,so never more that one or two get baited....guys hunt them with IR scopes,so they are smart and stay hidden at night ,and only come out in the daylight when they can see hunters........the big scare here would be if they got foot and mouth.......it would be impossible to controll spread by pigs.

[lightman]

I would expect "pig sticking" to be considered not PC. But, it works for me!

They are a big problem here in Arkansas and most of the Southern States. They breed fast and have hardly any natural enemies. We trap a few at the deer club and shoot a few more but they breed faster than we are taking them out. We skin them and cut up the meat and its pretty good. Hearing about the diseases that they can carry is pretty scary. Most places that will process deer won't accept them, citing Health Dept rules.

They have me seriously considering building another AR. Something supressed with night vision. They are not considered a game animal by Game and Fish and are not regulated. You can hunt them anytime, no caliber restrictions, bag limits, shooting hours, nothing. You are even allowed to hunt them at night during deer season just by making a phone call to Game and Fish.

I'm thinking it would be fun after you tag a few deer to nap some during the day and go sit on a deer stand at night.

We have had a few hog hunters come to camp to hunt. Its kind of fun! And some of them have some pretty good technology. GPS tracking collars, ect ect. They turn the dogs loose and listen for them to start trailing. Then you hop on the 4 wheelers, chase them down and someone goes in with a knife.

[375supermag]

Hi...
"Feral pigs"...
I don't know why but when I saw the title, I thought this thread would be about Democrat politicians.

[NSB]

The seeming abundance of feral hogs has come up for discussion before. Apparently there are places where there are so many that cause so much damage that there is an open season on them with no limit. I've seen U-tube videos where they hunt them from helicopters and knock them over like bowling pins. I'm surprised someone hasn't thought to harvest them commercially and sell the meat to China.

You better start reading the paper more. We now import pork from China. In fact, I think it's Smithfield that now imports all its pork products. What ever happened to all those "millions of people starving in China"?

[NSB]

"Pig sticking" will only give more ammo to the anti hunters. I don't know if you shoot live birds, or ever have, but that's now illegal in most if not all states. Hunters are now vastly out numbered by those who consider all hunting a "blood sport" and making it so won't do hunters any good in the long run. Just saying.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Maybe I should have used the purple font (but it's so hard to read!). I made the suggestion "tongue-in-cheek", knowing the hazards of pork, and just wanting to help out our good trading partners, the Chinese. I've known about the health hazards of pork, wild or domestic, for many years and don't touch it personally. After having seen the videos about how fish are commercially raised in the Far East, with chicken pens above the fish tanks providing their nourishment, I wouldn't eat anything imported from the Orient. Yuck!

[Walks]

Pig "Sticking" in the old days of the British Raj was very popular with Military Officers. But Horses were regularly injuried.

Who would risk a good cutting Horse ?

[bbs70]

Hi...
"Feral pigs"...
I don't know why but when I saw the title, I thought this thread would be about Democrat politicians.

Yeah the first thing that came to mind was Pelosi, O'Donnell, Feinstein, Oprah, etc

[bbs70]

Here in Mo you can't hunt hogs on state land.
They prefer to trap them, which might be a good idea, till the porkers learn to stay away from them
Private property owners don't want just anyone on their property hunting them, too much livestock accidently shot by uneducated hunters.
A few months ago they shut down part of the Mark Twain so paid professional hunters could shoot hogs by helicopter.

The state said it would rather pay professional hunters & trappers to get rid of the hogs.
They are afraid if there is an open season on them then people would import them for hunting sport
Well, wouldn't that hold true for the so called professional hunters & trappers so they can make a living off them.
Who over sees them?

[HABCAN]

Qui custodet ipsos custodes? Wisdom of the centuries. Follow the money.

[osteodoc08]

Still do it in Georgia. Bay the hogs with dogs and then Juke em right behind the leg with a large blade and move the blade up and down. Never done it but seen it done by some “hillbilly” friends of mine.

[rancher1913]

if anybody captures any little ones I would love to see how boulder handled a pig problem, probably just interbreed with the locals and nobody would notice.

[popper]

Really hate to tell you but Tilapia in the states is raised on droppings of other fish, same with pigs, feces added to their feed. Probably a lot of others I'm not aware of.

[Hogtamer]

I stuck a couple hundred over the years with sharp arrow out of a recurve bow. Best hunting on earth. Up close and squealy.