Texas may let hunters shoot pigs from choppers

Associated Press ^ | 2/19/09 | PAUL J. WEBER

[redk]

MERTZON, Texas (AP) — Millions of wild pigs weighing up to 300 pounds have been tearing up crops, trampling fences and eating just about anything in their path in Texas. But now they had better watch their hairy backs.

A state lawmaker is proposing to allow ordinary Texans with rifles and shotguns to shoot the voracious, tusked animals from helicopters.

[GladesGuru]

“Only Gov people are smart and rich enough to shoot pigs from a helicopter....... “

Truth being stranger than fiction, the following occurred in the Everglades, in Big Cypress National Preserve. Specifically, a few miles south of Loop Road (Pinecrest).

Ranger Randy was able to obtain funding for an “invasive species reduction program”, which translated into a helicopter with Ranger Randy playing door gunner.

One fine day, the Armed & Rangerous chased a large pig into a hammock (tree island) and came in for a close hover alongside the hammock. Bad move, as it turned out.

The four legged pig charged the two legged pigs-in-the-plane, sort of a last great act of defiance. When four legged pig hit the landing skids, the chopper moved and nearly lost the tail rotor to a nearby dwarf cypress tree.

Fortunately, bad porcine behavior was cured by a lead injection.

Unfortunately, the citizens didn’t get to read a headline like this one: Charging Pig Downs Rangers Gunship.

Pigs getting shot down by a real pig. Whodda thunk it?

Answer: The pig that charged.

Source: Ranger Randy and friends achieved a sort of local hilarious infamy when their exploits were overheard by Pinecrest hunter with scanners.

[GladesGuru]

“Shooting animals from helicopters is not “hunting”, anymore than shooting fish in a barrel is “fishing”.”

Agreed, is is not the usual type of hunting.

However, such ‘hunting’ is actually what biologists call “direct reduction” of a targeted population of animals.

Hunters, or other such humans with guns are vastly more controllable and more selective than mere predatory beasts.

[Eaker]

Last I checked Texans don’t give a shit about what foreigners think about what we do.

If yer not careful we might send a few good ole boys down there and take yer guns away for the fun of it.

[DieHard the Hunter]

> Hunters, or other such humans with guns are vastly more controllable and more selective than mere predatory beasts.

And quite a bit more sporting, too. I’ve no problem with exterminating feral pests — that’s always a good thing to do — it just isn’t “hunting” and oughtn’t to be called that. Anymore than rat exterminators should be called “hunters” or commercial fishermen should be called “anglers”.

Hunting and Angling are noble pastimes...

[Clemenza]

Much like the John Q. Laws who “hunt” Nutria in Louisiana. Shooting a large rat isn’t what I call hunting...

[DieHard the Hunter]

> Last I checked Texans don’t give a shit about what foreigners think about what we do.

Last time I checked, Texans were unable to do a dam’n thing about foreigners crossing their borders at will, so boo-hoo sucks to you.

> If yer not careful we might send a few good ole boys down there and take yer guns away for the fun of it.

Molon labe, mate. Better hurry tho’ before Obama takes your guns away first.

[GladesGuru]

“Hunting and Angling are noble pastimes...”

Well put.

[null and void]

Hoon? If you meant teenager, why didn’t you just say teenager???

[sockmonkey]

Time before last when I was driving out to my place in the boonies here in TX, I saw about 5 feral hog carcasses on the sides of the road.
A few years ago, a hunter at our place got tree’d by some teenage javelinas..he left his gun on the ground when he climbed the tree...oops.
The funniest thing was years ago, we had some cases of dynamite that had set too long, and weren’t safe to dispose of. I had called some companies that do that sort of thing, but they declined. My dad told me to just leave the doors on the shed open and the wild hogs would eat it..He said they would be attracted by the smell of picric? acid or something. He was right. They wild hogs did eat it..
Never did see any exploding hogs or anything. :)

[21twelve]

A few years ago I came to the conclusion that there are different ways to hunt. I’m probably still with you that hunting out of a vehicle isn’t a sport. (Not sure where it IS considered a sport. These pigs, and Alaskan wolves (I think) are shot from vehicles for “resource management” rather than hunting. (Hmmm - how about a flat-bottom skiff for ducks?)

But after being with some guys that hunt cougar with dogs I changed my mind. It was a traditional method handed down to them. Or should I say they used to hunt that way - it has been outlawed in my state.

That is the other thing that bothers me. It is easy to grow up hunting deer and rabbit and think it “unsportsmanlike” to bait for bear, run dogs for raccoon and cats without seeing and doing it. (Heck, I even frowned on tree stands for deer).

Much like the liberals think that hunting with a gun, or a bird dog, is unsportsmanlike.

Sort of the “When they came for the bear baiters I did nothing, etc.” thing.

Back to the pigs - I recall some Discovery show where some guy offers to shoot the pigs on the farmers land for a fee, etc. Goes out at night, etc. He thought he had the place all scoped out and had layed his plan to ambush the pigs (hundreds of them). He didn’t see a single pig.

The following day they went back out to see where the pigs might have been the following night. They were one field over - only a few hundred yards away. The field was trashed.

[Eaker]

LOL!

Coupla good points there!

Keep in mind that hunting hogs from choppers is as close as we can get to what we Texans would like to do to the illegal alien criminal scum and Barry Obama.

[DieHard the Hunter]

> Keep in mind that hunting hogs from choppers is as close as we can get to what we Texans would like to do to the illegal alien criminal scum and Barry Obama.

Actually if that's what Texans like to do, I wouldn't mind being a Texan at all.

Meanwhile, a couple years ago some guy on South Island invented a new extreme sport for tourists: it's called "Fly-by-Wire" and it looks like insane fun. The sort of thing that Texans would probably enjoy doing.

Basically, they've got a cable that runs from a valley floor up to a pylon on top of a small hill -- I think it's near Queenstown. Anyrate:

They suspend a petrol motor from a pulley, put a propellor on the end of the motor, and a sling for the tourist to lie belly-down in front of it, with handls to steer. Start the motor and away you go...

Check out this photo:

Basically it scoots up and down the wire at crazy angles and loops, amazing vertical dives...

like I said, insane fun. If I ever get down to Queenstown again...

[Shqipo]

Has anyone warned Rosie O'Donnell about this? If not, please don't.

[Eaker]

I’d have to hit the bar after that.

Before of course to “courage up”!

Back to the thread, I guess what we do with fruit ain’t farming either. I have also pinged a Texan expert on the nomenclature.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kf4xfBjmtu8&feature=related

;<)

[DieHard the Hunter]

That’s hilarious! How did you make it explode? Firecracker?

[PAR35]

DOESN’T taste like chicken.

[Eaker]

Yep.

All you need is a lemon, firecracker, idiot, lighter and duct tape!

(I pinged the idiot this time)

[BlueDragon]

We are over run with them on the coast.

What part of the Coast? ...and...where's the last sign of them that you have seen, and how long ago?

There should be plenty of "sign" now, it's been raining for weeks...

Haven't made it out to go look myself, and although I have a tag, am presently only about three hundred+ miles away from home and rifles.

I'd know where to go looking if i was closer to home (and have a few decent ideas for where to start, where I'm at now), but if you have any good hog info, then by all means freepmail.

[DieHard the Hunter]

I must try that sometime. Ever made an apple travel 200 mph? All you need is a hard under-ripe apple, an 8-foot long piece of bamboo, and an idiot to aim at...

(Spear the apple with the bamboo and use the bamboo like you would if you were casting a fishing rod. Even with minimal effort you should be able to make the apple explode into applesauce on whatever/whoever it hits. Smarts mightily and might leave a bruise, but. With practise you should easily be able to lob it 100 yards or more. The longer the bamboo, the more leverage you get.)

[Eaker]

In my youth we made huge sling-shots with a similar outcome.

In my old age I prefer pyrotechnics.

(I can still hear them)