Feral Hogs Running Wild
Posted on 01/20/2014 5:43:57 AM PST by Don@VB
By Aaron Applegate The Virginian-Pilot © January 20, 2014 VIRGINIA BEACH
The destructive and fertile wild hogs that roam the marshes around Back Bay are poised for a bumper year.
Some of their favorite foods are abundant, and the guy with a knack for trapping them has moved to another job.
"I'm sure the pigs did a little dance," said Molly Brown, president of Friends of Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
The jig would have been for the departure of David Bishop, an invasive-species biologist who spent the past three years trying to keep in check the state's oldest population of hogs in the refuge and adjoining False Cape State Park.
(Excerpt) Read more at hamptonroads.com ...
LOL got me. more coffee please.
I’m sure you have to pay to have them trapped. Charge hunters $20 bucks for an unlimited hog license. They would happily pay, big bucks could be raised for land and game management and the problem still dealth with. Again, seems like a win-win for me.
The sows might be okay, but the testosterone will make the boar meat taste and smell funny.
Here in North Carolina, the state recently removed all restrictions on these animals; no season, no limit, no license required.
too many
That's great. As a hunter I wouldn't mind paying twenty bucks for an unlimited license as long as the funds were used for land and game managment. One question: Does NC allow you to use rifles to hunt hogs or is it shotgun slugs only? I'd love to try out my AR-10 hunting hogs, I think it would be a blast.
Absolutely. The effective hog trap consists of a temporary pen, an automatic feeder and a remote control gate. The pen segments have to be hauled onto the site, and a partial pen set up and the feeder programmed. several days of feeding with a partial pen, and then a full pen is set up, but the gate left open, and several more days of feeding and remote observing to see how many of the herd go into the pen. When you've achieved the maximum, you drop the gate and shoot any hogs too wary to get in the pen. Then shoot the ones in the pen before they break out.
The upside is that you get rid of a lot more of them than you would by hunting. The critters reproduce prolifically, and hunting just doesn't get rid of enough of them. They are a serious pest in the agricultural areas of south GA and do significant damage to crops. A more efficient method is needed rather than just hunting.
An industry needs to spring up which uses the feral pigs as feed stock.
How about a chain of “Hog Wild” rib joints, that feature the image of the nasty looking critters in their signage and serve only entrees made from the fresh kill?
Ribs, pulled pork, Cowboy sausage, red beans and rice with wild ham hocks etc etc etc.
I’ll bet even the boars could be made into sausage with the right supplements.
Feral Hogs Running Wild
You are sure right about the taste of boar hog meat. I have had it once and never want it again.
Have they ever tried hunting with no limit? I have a hard time believing that the hundreds of thousands of hunters in any state who would take advantaged of this wouddn't be very efficient, if not eliminate the hogs entirely. Most times I've seen trapping pushed it's always by the anti-hunting element as a more "humanitarian" alternative.
“Trapping? Just make it open season for hunting them or even put a bounty on them. Not only would it thin the herd but most hunters I know donate the meat they can’t eat to charity and homeless shelters. It would be a win-win situation.”
Now yer talkin. Get that guy out in TX that shoots them out of a chopper. He really racks up the numbers.
Why not feed the hogs something that will sterilize them - to slow down the breeding?
It is still edible, but just barely.
I suppose it is edible........ if you were hungry enough but it could turn me into a vegetarian.
P.S. The smell from cooking boar meat always reminded me of my dad’s sweaty t-shirts.
Already no limit or closed season in GA and has been that way for years, and the hogs continue to expand their numbers and range.
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.
