Not again.......! Feral Hog Control in East Texas

[Blue68f100]

One of the first State Parks and Wildlife hunt (around Palistine) I went on in the 80's had hogs on the menu. We were instructed to shoot any and all we saw. I did not see any but on the way back to the camp one was draped across the front bumper of a Jeep that we later found out was near 400#. They did not show up on my Dad's place till last year. He said they use to pass through his spring branch but never stayed. That all changed during the 2nd yr drought that east Texas was in.

It's going to take a lot of work to keep them in check. I hope the TPW find a way to easily control their breading and get them under control.

Subtraction is easier than Linear regression......

[Twmaster]

I hope the TPW find a way to easily control their breading and get them under control

A rifleman behind every blade of grass.....

[Gunner11]

Just revisited the thread after some time away, that 458 looks amazing, do you have any photos of the effect on pigs?

[sixgunner455]

I hope the TPW find a way to easily control their breading and get them under control.

? how're you gonna control breeding? Wild animals are gonna breed. The only real way to affect that is population reductions, which Texas seems to fully support already.

[JRH6856]

Off the top of my heand, it might help if TPW paid a bounty for sows and shoats. Maybe fund the program with special hog hunting license and a special registry where landowners would pay a fee to list their land for hunting in the bounty program. Hogs taken on a regular license or on non-bounty land would not be eligible for the bounty.

But this probably wouldn't work for some reason I haven't considered.

[Flintknapper]

A "bounty" system would in fact have an impact (probably a significant one), but I doubt you would get much landowner participation if a fee to the State were required...or listing of their land involved.

Presumably...the person who dispatches the pig would be the one claiming the bounty, so the landowner loses twice:

1. Pays fee to State (penalized) to list his/her property for an Exotic animal the State does not own and wants little to do with.

2. Bounty on hogs killed goes to person who killed it.

Not much incentive there for the landowner.

Presently, the State of Texas does little more than provide information about Feral Hogs, but TPWD has been liberal with respect to how we may hunt them. That is helpful in a non-monetary way.

Most landowners primary concern is the damage hogs do to property and the strain that competition for food/habitat has on more desirable wildlife.

If the landowner is smart, he/she will find a way to have some pigs removed AND receive some small compensation. Any money that can be made from it...helps repair the damage done.

[JRH6856]

Not much incentive there for the landowner.

Unless the landowner had something to gain by reducing the damage done by hogs to his property.

I wasn't thinking about hunting exotic animals, but more along the line of controlling agricultural damage. Probably need to be some cooperation between TPW and TDA. Maybe joint funding

[Twmaster]

If the landowner is smart, he/she will find a way to have some pigs removed AND receive some small compensation. Any money that can be made from it...helps repair the damage done.

I would be happy to pay a reasonable fee to a land owner to hunt hogs.

[Flintknapper]

Unless the landowner had something to gain by reducing the damage done by hogs to his property.

Yes...of course, that's the whole point of it. Just saying that as it stands...landowners can allow hunters to enter their land for free, or even charge them to do so. They are also free to advertise such, no need to involve the State UNLESS there is a substantial benefit.

Most landowners are loathe to deal with the State/Government any more than is necessary (if there is not some type of co-operative to it).

I don't know what the answer is...and am open to all suggestions as long as the end result is fewer pigs. So keep throwing ideas out there, maybe someone will come up with a workable solution. I sure don't have one.

[Sergei Mosin]

In this state, Game & Parks maintains a list of hunters willing to go after antlerless deer (we have too many deer around here.) Hunters sign up for the list and landowners can look for a hunter. The state acts only as a go-between at no cost to either hunters or landowners and I suspect very little if any cost to the state.

Now this program just started and I don't know how successful it is, but I suspect that if a similar list existed in Texas, there would be no shortage of willing hog hunters and landowners in need could seek them out.

[Twmaster]

Oklahoma has a hog hunter registry. The idea is to put landowners with pig problems in touch with folks willing to kill the pigs.

http://www.oda.state.ok.us/ais/feralswine.htm

[Flintknapper]

Oklahoma has a hog hunter registry. The idea is to put landowners with pig problems in touch with folks willing to kill the pigs.

In the article they pretty much admit it hasn't been terribly successful (to date).

But....I applaud them for trying.

[308win]

I believe Ohio had some sort of privately initiated registry that was established to match hunters with land owners to hunt feral hogs. I haven't heard much about it lately and don't know how successful it was or wasn't. Access to hunting opportunities is something that the hunter has to work at and earn. The opportunities for non-monetary access are fewer everyday. If I owned a huntable tract I would be selective about who, how, and for what I would grant access. Sad state of affairs? Perhaps but it is what it is. Sorry for the digression.

[Blue68f100]

? how're you gonna control breeding? Wild animals are gonna breed. The only real way to affect that is population reductions, which Texas seems to fully support already.

They have been doing research on birth control on the hogs as well as a poison (food delivery system) to kill them off without impacting the other wild life. Kind of how they distribute rabies vac to wolfs and other wild life. The problem is big enough they will continue to do research on it but I may never see it in my life time. So in the mean time it's the old fashion way via lead delivery.

TPWD believe that since there is no fees required, any method may be used, hunted day or night, more will be taken out. I applaud them for giving us an open book to use any means possible.

[JRH6856]

Most landowners are loathe to deal with the State/Government any more than is necessary (if there is not some type of co-operative to it).

And a lot of landowners are loathe to allow hunting on their land. I know that sometimes, the hunters can be more destructive than the hunted, so I guess for landowners is it pick your poison in some cases.

Seems like there should be a business opportunity here for someone to trap hogs and sell them for slaughter. Packers could call it "free range pork" (which it is) and probably sell it at a premium price. May need some legislation or deregulation of some sort to create the incentive. OTOH, there are so many hogs it would probably knock the bottom out of the market for pork belly futures...

[repmurcs]

Flint --- Ya gotta hook a brother up with some of those beasts...
My RRA 458 is arriving tomorrow - Proud papa I am, would love to give a couple of those thumpers
a test fire.

Go big bore or go home !!!

[Mike1234567]

Originally Posted by repmurcs

Flint --- Ya gotta hook a brother up with some of those beasts...
My RRA 458 is arriving tomorrow - Proud papa I am, would love to give a couple of those thumpers
a test fire.

Go big bore or go home !!!

Beggars... yeah, I'm one too!!

[Texan Scott]

Just read in a gun mag yesterday that the TX parks& wildife board voted to allow (by regulation) sound suppressors for hunting (believe all hunting, not just noxious animals). The article was WOEFULY scant of informative detail.

A) anyone know more about this reg change? facts, details? if all rifle hunting can now be done with a suppressor, it'd be more of an incentive to save for one/ go through all the ppwrk. (if i start saving pennies now, i might be able to affford a new rifle w/ suppressor this decade. )

B) how heavy would a .458 need to be to remain subsonic in a 16-20" bbl? 550 or 600 gr?

edited to say: must update resume: "5-year goals include: #11) Purchase of an assault weapon with silencer, capable of blowing raggedy half-inch holes clear through 500 lb animals." Think the post office would consider me 'over-qualified'?

[repmurcs]

Beggar is such a hard word ... Guinea pig ... yeah that's Alot better

[Flintknapper]

how heavy would a .458 need to be to remain subsonic in a 16-20" bbl? 550 or 600 gr?

No need to go 20" with the SOCOM barrel for either velocity gain (negligible) or for running Sub's.

You can load 400 grain bullets subsonic easily. Probably do certain 300 grain bullets (Barnes TTSX).

If you plan on using a suppressor...it will add 10"-12" to your barrel length...so consider that if going with a 20".

SBR makes suppressor for the SOCOM...but be advised...low pressure/Big-Bores are hard to make very quiet.

[Certaindeaf]

I had been meaning to say that this is the best thread ever. Yep.

Did anyone ever smoke one out of its hole like Elmer did down in Mexico?.. think they used hole dogs too.
Anyway, I'd like to bust a Warthog with a 4" M29 before I die.

[rgilbert]

Flint, This hog actually charged me while I was trying to stalk him one night. He got away on that night, but three weeks later my buddy set up on him and was able to kill him using his night vision. The hog weighed 254lbs and had 2 3/4 cutters. He scored 533.76 in the Weiser Weight and Tusk records.

[hoghunter95]

Yall, guess what. Me and my buddy went hog hunting last week on sunday morning before church, and we left at about three thirty in the morning. While we were driving around, a ~150 pound boar crossed the road in front of us. I slammed on the brakes and swerved, and came to a stop right in front of him. He took off into a wheat field, and I spun the truck around and yelled to my buddy to load the rifle. He yelled back that we were bouncing to much, and wouldn't do it. I got the pickup around in front of it and we jumped out. I had the spotlight and my jack knife, and all he grabbed was his bowie. We ran out there and the hog was really ticked off and was trying to bite and charging us and not giving us a chance in the world to get close enough to use the knives... we didn't have dogs. I said, "Nate, can throw that bowie?" He was like "Yeah!" I said "Throw it next time he turns towards me!" Right then the hog spun towards me and Nate threw that knife and sunk at least 8 inches of the knife into it, right behind the left shoulder. It turned and tried to bite him and he (a third degree kick-boxing black belt, and slight idiot) round house kicked it in the side of its head, almost knocking it over. It turned towards me again, and I yelled "Go get a gun!" While I kept the still very much alive hog busy, he ran to the pickup, grabbed his SKS and ran back, then realized he had field stripped it so it would fit in his case. He then ran back to the pickup, put it together, and came back, and shot it twice before it stopped breathing. I told him all I wanted him to do was bayonet it, so we could say we hadn't shot it, but he was a little trigger happy. It was his first hog hunt. We went on and shot two rabbits and a rattlesnake.

[82blackbird]

Flintnapper said, "Presently, the State of Texas does little more than provide information about Feral Hogs"

FYI, presently the state will provide feral hog control through the Wildlife Services department. To get their help the county has to have a County Trapper hired with county funds either tax money or private donations. Our trapper is paid with 1/3 county funds and private donations, 1/3 State Wildlife Services funds and 1/3 Federal APHIS funds. This gives us access to a trapper on the ground year around, helicopters and fixed wing aircraft. The aircraft are usually used in the winter months when the trees have no leaves with the exception of last year. A typical helicopter day is 400 hogs. Fixed wing is quite a bit less.

There are projects in the works by the Wildlife Services for people in the more wooded areas like you that cannot use the aircraft like West Texas can.

[Flintknapper]

FYI, presently the state will provide feral hog control through the Wildlife Services department.

Yes, I am well aware...I have looked into it quite a few times and the "services" are very much limited.

To get their help the county has to have a County Trapper hired with county funds either tax money or private donations.

Correct. In fact the "trapper" is not normally hired by the county at all, but the county must pony up for it. In my Region (NorthEast) there are 58 counties and about 10-11 full time trappers. Not enough to begin to make a dent.

Our trapper is paid with 1/3 county funds and private donations, 1/3 State Wildlife Services funds and 1/3 Federal APHIS funds. This gives us access to a trapper on the ground year around, helicopters and fixed wing aircraft.

So a single trapper in one county can work...what, 20-25 properties at most? With what kind of success rate? If this is the State's answer/participation...then I stand by my statement.

The aircraft are usually used in the winter months when the trees have no leaves with the exception of last year. A typical helicopter day is 400 hogs. Fixed wing is quite a bit less.

Aerial control can be effective...BUT isn't practical in many parts of the State. In relatively open and large areas, yes (with landowner permission). But when wooded areas and numerous small properties are involved, you can throw that method out the window.

There are projects in the works by the Wildlife Services for people in the more wooded areas like you that cannot use the aircraft like West Texas can.

Such as what?

I am not saying the Wildlife Services doing "nothing", just saying the "State" is doing "little" in any broad sense to combat the problem. There have been certain 'studies' done and a few attempts (in selected areas) to control the numbers, but look where we are four years later, no better.



http://agrilife.org/txwildlifeservic...ts/feral-hogs/

In early 2008, the Texas Department of Agriculture awarded the Texas AgriLife Extension Service $1 million for a feral hog abatement project for the next two years ($500 thousand per year).

The bulk of the grant money will be used by Wildlife Services, a unit of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service, to carry-out a number of specially identified direct control projects where control efforts can be measured.

Wildlife Services personnel will be removing hogs off specific properties identified in numerous counties throughout the state. We will be looking at the damage that hogs do to agricultural crops (vegetable crops, alfalfa, corn, milo, wheat, rice and peanuts) as well as damage they may present to a cattle rancher or pig producer, such as property damage or disease threat.

We will also be looking at green space around urban areas and the role feral hogs play in E. coli transmissions to watersheds.

This grant is not designed to be used to pay a bounty or to pay compensation for losses incurred by feral hogs. In fact the majority of the counties in the State will probably not see any direct benefit from this money, at least not this biennium.

The Texas Wildlife Services Program has always been available to provide assistance with dealing with feral hogs and will remain available to all citizens of the state. While direct control will be limited to availability of personnel in cooperative association areas, technical assistance can be provided to individuals on how they may best resolve their feral hog problems.