Hog hunting in PA

[wch]

I see that there's a problem with feral hogs in Butler County, southern PA, and wonder if anyone has hunted them and might know if private landowners might allow hunting in the area.

[bosterr]

I live in Clarion County and never heard of a hog problem in Butler County. Where did you see that?

[dragon813gt]

Is Bedford in Butler county? The game commission has not officially announced a problem yet. But someone it would be great to hunt them so they put them on their farm. Care to guess if they got out? I don't know if they are a problem. But there is a resident population that's growing.

[quack1]

Bedford isn't in Butler county. I live in Butler county, hunt a lot all over the county and have never seen feral hogs.

[RU shooter]

No Bedford is down along the state line with MD/WVa. From what I gather the game commission wants whatever ones are running around total eradicated before they become a problem. only one county to the east of me

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ma...ord_County.svg

[dg31872]

If you don't have hogs, consider yourselves lucky. If you are a landowner in the South, than they are a real problem. Just my two cents...

[bosterr]

There's a hog farm about 10 minutes from me that has a nice lodge, but far too pricey for me. Also one outside of Eau Claire, Butler County, but it's a pretty small fenced in area. Pick one out, then shoot it kind of place. Not for me either.

[bosterr]

Also wondering... how well hogs would "winter over" in a colder climate like we have. Of course the farms would feed theirs.

[wch]

Yep, pooched that one-Bedford, not Butler.
For info on feral swine, try a google search for "feral swine".
They're a big problem in the South, Texas in particular.

[Freightman]

Getting worse to, if you do not have a hog problem in Texas you will sooner or later. I live in what you folks would consider desert got 11" of rain last year,7" year before and there are hogs in the county where there weren't five years ago. I think those things can survive almost anywhere.

[Antietamgw]

As much as I'd like to hunt them, I hope to never see any feral hogs in my area. Hope you boys get 'em all before they get into Maryland.... Deer damage is bad enough on some of our rented crop ground.

[Roundnoser]

A few years ago, there was a small upstart hunting preserve in Allegheny Twp., Butler County that had wild pigs escape. They were to be shot on sight. Not sure if there are any left running around. Haven't heard of any lately.

[oldfart1956]

Ya know I've been hearing this myth about feral hogs in Pa. but I belong to a coupl'a other Pa. forums and keep in touch with a fair number of sportsmen throughout the state. And I have yet to find anyone that's actually seen one, know someone that has seen one, or even seen an authentic hog track. I'm not saying they don't have an escapee on occasion from hunting (?) farms or whatever ya call em' but I think it's mostly hype. And I'm still on the fence about feral hogs. (pun intended) I hear a lot of whining about all the damage they cause....and then see fees charged to hunt them. Let me see if I understand...you've got a feral hog problem...but you want to charge me to kill them. Do farmers collect taxpayers money to pay for hog related damage? Hmmmm....? I smell a hog in the woodpile. On the upside...they breed several times a year.... have litters up to a dozen....get up to 200lbs. in a few months....they're tasty. Here in Pa. we put a real hurt on the whitetails with overabundant doe tags. We, the sportsmen did that....not the Game Commission. So I'm still not sure hogs are the boogyman some make them out to be. Do they cause a lot of damage? Sure they do. Stop charging hunting/trespass fees to kill them and the problem might be solved. Just my rambeling thoughts for today. Audie....the Oldfart..

[FLHTC]

I believe its a ruse to shut the Tioga preserve down, IMHO

[kir_kenix]

Hogs can live darn near anywhere...and once they get a foothold they are tough to eradicate. I live in Nebraska, and my relatives have popped a couple of little hogs that were going/gone feral in the southern part of the state. They get out, they reproduce and BOOM, they are everywhere. I guess in the next 30 years we will have little piggies all over the midwest and moving elsewhere.

[jbc]

Ya know I've been hearing this myth about feral hogs in Pa. but I belong to a coupl'a other Pa. forums and keep in touch with a fair number of sportsmen throughout the state. And I have yet to find anyone that's actually seen one, know someone that has seen one, or even seen an authentic hog track. I'm not saying they don't have an escapee on occasion from hunting (?) farms or whatever ya call em' but I think it's mostly hype. And I'm still on the fence about feral hogs. (pun intended) I hear a lot of whining about all the damage they cause....and then see fees charged to hunt them. Let me see if I understand...you've got a feral hog problem...but you want to charge me to kill them. Do farmers collect taxpayers money to pay for hog related damage? Hmmmm....? I smell a hog in the woodpile. On the upside...they breed several times a year.... have litters up to a dozen....get up to 200lbs. in a few months....they're tasty. Here in Pa. we put a real hurt on the whitetails with overabundant doe tags. We, the sportsmen did that....not the Game Commission. So I'm still not sure hogs are the boogyman some make them out to be. Do they cause a lot of damage? Sure they do. Stop charging hunting/trespass fees to kill them and the problem might be solved. Just my rambeling thoughts for today. Audie....the Oldfart..

+1000, plenty of whining about hogs. Every time I hear someone complaining about hogs I pipe up and offer to travel with a couple friends on my dime and come help with the problem, and share the young good eating pigs with the landowner. 99 out of a hundred start to stumble and mention "fees" Let the hogs come, we certainly have the habitat for them since the deer population has tanked.

[338RemUltraMag]

I live here in Bedford County, New Paris in fact... If any of yall wanna get together for a shoot I would be happy to help coordinate. As far as pigs, my boss at work is a Game Commissioner (sp) and has yet to say anything to me about a wild pig populace in Bedford Co.

[mpmarty]

When in language school in Monterrey California in the fifties we used to hunt feral pigs in the nearby woods. Climb a tree and wait.... Some guys even used 1911A1s and GI hardball.

[fcvan]

Marty, they still have a hog problem in Monterey county. I grew up in Santa Barbara county, and we would hunt pig further back in the Los Padres National Forest. I never knew there to be much of a pig problem in Del Norte County but we sure had problems with big cats getting sheep and goats around Fort Dick. I would imagine the cats would keep the pigs in check. I worked with a guy from Brookings, OR who guided pig hunts in Humboldt County somewhere near Fortuna. Like others, I have a hard time paying someone for the privilege of helping them with their pig problem. Frank

[Larry D Barr]

We've a big problem with 'em here in Texas, but all you need to hunt 'em is a valid hunting license and there's no season and no bag limit. You can hunt from helicopters...a new growth industry here And you can jacklight 'em, as long as you let the possum sheriff know about it first, and subject to some restrictions in known deer areas.