Posted on 03/19/2016 5:56:34 PM PDT by w1n1
Wild hogs are among some of the most destructive invasive species and even feast on whitetail deer.
A picture has surface on Facebook of a wild hog holding a dead fawn in the clasps of its mouth. Feral hogs have been causing serious environmental issues across many southern states. According to the Smithsonian in 2011, hogs are doing hundreds of millions of dollars of damage.
Are wild hogs a culprit for a decrease in deer harvest numbers in some states? These pictures certainly give the allusion that it’s possible. Read the rest of the wild hogs story here.
“At the rate they breed, that would barely make dent...”
Job security. A person could make a decent living with a good rifle and a truck to haul the carcasses. Plus you can make barbecue out of them and sell that.
When I was a kid in the 60s we had neighbors who caught wild hogs for the meat.
They literally would catch them by the hind legs after their dogs bayed them. They would feed them in pens for a few months before processing them.
All their dogs were scarred but I don’t think any of the family were ever hurt.
“Illusion” doesn’t work either.
“Appearance” is the word he was looking for.
had a texas guy we hunted with tell me wild hogs on a ranch near him had learned to run game into barb wire and eat them
I think you’re right.
I have raised hogs and hunted hogs. I am off the belief that there is no such thing as a domesticated hog. To me they are always a feral and wild animal. I avoid going in the pen with them and never turn my back on them.
I’ve heard a wild sow can have a litter of 12 piglets of which 13 will survive.
Maxwell the Geico pitch-hog says he likes his venison, au jus with a touch of horseradish.
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service surveyed landowners in the Spring of 2011 to determine how many pigs they removed by all legal means from the Texas landscape in 2010. A total of 697 survey respondents controlling 1.8 million acres from 137 Texas counties removed 36,646 pigs in 2010. Trapping represented 57% of the total and shooting 35%. Dogs removed 6% of the total and snares removed just 2%. Of the “shooting” category, only 11% of the total pigs removed were taken by hunters. Based on this survey, we estimate 753,646 wild pigs are removed each year. We also know that from 2004- 2009, 461,000 hogs were federally inspected prior to slaughter at TX processing plants. These pigs were generally trapped then sold to buying stations. However, this is only a percentage of the pigs kept for home use or taken by hunters. Several studies suggest that annual hunter harvest averages 24% of the population–but these data are also lacking. It takes between 50% and 70% of a population to be controlled annually just to hold the numbers stable from one year to the next (Our population model suggested 66% had to be removed to hold the population stable). Therefore, recreational hunting alone cannot keep a population in check.
I’ve seen domestic sows fighting over dead baby pigs that one of the sows accidentally smothered by laying on it. Seen it more than once. These wild hogs are very dangerous.
Swearingen and Woo knew. (Deadwood reference)
Really? That’s what keeps us coming back...offbeat stuff you won’t find on any other member board. You thought that pic was gross? Sheesh...that’s nothing. Want to see my colonoscopy pics? Hold on a sec while I go get ‘em from the family album.
I imagine feeding them corn for several months would improve the meat flavor immensely. That and lopping off the hog family jewels.
Folks pen ferals and fatten them up/cleanse them around here, maybe they taste better, like purging catfish or crawdads. One thing I’ve never heard of is ferals eating *each other*.. well, except the newborn litters. Interesting there is no market solution to ferals. You’d think drone-drivers could poison-dart them for fun and profit.
That’s incredible, thanks for posting
Yes they would geld them but typically would not catch large boars. Obviously, they are dangerous but also my neighbor said a large percentage of the larger boars would just die from the operation.
Where are the cast members of American Hoggers on A&E when you need them? Talk bout a fun reality show to watch although I don’t care if Mountain Monsters is fiction, its just plain ole fun to watch.
“Really, I could do without these gross pictures. What is the purpose of displaying them on FR?”
Education about reality.
Some people are so insulated from the reality of nature that they think it is like the old Disney movies.
This leads to a population that makes political decisions based on false assumptions about reality.
“I have only eaten feral hog once and yes, it tasted nasty!”
They may not have been cared for properly.
I have had then many times, always delicious. I would love to hunt, shoot, and eat some more.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.