Posted on 10/07/2010 10:22:12 AM PDT by smokingfrog
October is not be the best month to be a feral hog in the Texas.
The state’s Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples has declared October “Hog Out Month - Get the Hog Outta Texas!” as part of a campaign to eradicate the pests.
The campaign aims to get Texans to lock and load and hunt down the animals, which cause widespread damage to farmers and other landowners.
“Not only are feral hogs a costly nuisance to agricultural operations and wildlife habitats, but they are increasingly finding their way into urban areas and destroying residents’ yards, public parks and golf courses,” Staples said in a statement this week when the campaign was unveiled.
“On my ranch in East Texas, I have eliminated a number of hogs and I am asking Texans around the state to step up and join the county challenge to learn about feral hogs and how best to legally hunt and trap them in their area,” he added.
Feral hogs are mostly domestic pigs that have gone wild, with some European wild boars that have escaped from exotic game ranches thrown into the mix and bloodlines.
State officials estimate the feral hog population in Texas to be around 2 million and they are estimated to cause around $400 million in damage annually as they eat or root up pastures, crops and even golf courses.
This makes them one of the most costly invasive species in the country.
The campaign may not please some animal rights groups but Texas farmers don’t need much prompting to pull the trigger when it comes to feral hogs.
Their numbers are growing because they are prolific breeders with few natural predators and are moving into suburban and urban areas.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnews.canoe.ca ...
Because they are leading cheers on the sidelines at football games?
I make the boars and bigger sows into sausage.
The little ones under 50 lb. make the best BBQ.
I have been perfecting my live trap baiting.
Dude, we DO cook them. I wear rubber boots, apron, and gloves while skinning/cleaning/butchering them.
“Now if you go deer hunting, they want you to get your deer quickly and spend the rest of your time shooting as many hogs as possible.”
I own a drilling company and typically it is forbidden for oilfield workers to take firearms onto a lease.
In the last 5 years, I’ve had probably 20 ranchers ASK us to bring firearms and shoot as many pigs as they can.
I have a policy forbidding it for liability reasons, but I know for a fact that it occurs.
Try the mesquite smoke powder from butcherpacker.com
Its great stuff. I also add real maple syrup sometimes.
“I wear rubber boots, apron, and gloves while skinning/cleaning/butchering them.”
Sounds like a lot of trouble and risk for crappy meat.
I keep clean and the meat is great. Family, friends, and customers LOVE my BBQ & sausage.
I never waste game. Have you ever eaten beaver? Reminded me of goose, rich and dark.
Is .44 mag out of a 7-1/2 in. barrel enough gun for
hogs?
You gotta get a brain shot or break their neck. Shoot them in the heart with a .3006 and they will disappear into the brush. Incredibly tough to kill.
I live trap them and shoot them in the brain with .223.
We had a big boar in a trap. The guys only had a .22 pistol and a 9 mm. Shot it 10 times with .22. Two more shots with a 9 mm.
When they tried to load it on the truck it tried to bite them. A 20 gauge in the ear finished it.
“Have you ever eaten beaver?”
Yes.
“Reminded me of goose, rich and dark.”
I’ve never dated a girl who wasn’t white or Indian.
;-)
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