Ferals

Around here, NC, mainly pigs. We have cats running feral, dogs have a hard time being true feral i.e. reproducing and establishing wild groups over time, although we do have some dogs interbreeding with coyotes.

English Sparrows and starlings. Filthy little beasts that have caused incalculable damage to native species.

Yeah, aside from a couple of bird species (noted), I can't think of any that constitute open shooting across the country. Even the evil feral hog is fairly heavily regulated in some states (as compared to open shooting).

Depends on the location, but yes feral species are a real problem...

Cats..just about anywhere in the USA where folks dump out cats "in the country"
Dogs..not sure if they really become feral, but wild dogs ARE a problem
pigs/hogs/swine OH YEAH! wild boars are INCREDIBLY tough, mean, aggressive.

Each state has its own set of "Game-n-Fish" law reagrding ferals....gotta ask the local Game-N-Fish guys about that.

Ground squirrels in Idaho.

We can go through more than a brick of .22LR before breaking for lunch, while watching these nasty little freaks of nature drag off their own dead and eat them. Normally 2.5 to 3 bricks per person in a day if we get out there early enough.


Kris

Eurasion collared dove.

In Colorado, with a small game or furbearer's license, coyote is year round, 24/7 proposition.

Please get this moved to hunting for more replies.

In my home state of Indiana, rual areas have cats, if you have any acreage and try to establish certain upland game species as cottontail rabbit or quail, you have to trap or shoot the ferals, they breed in the wild using abandoned buildings and some natural features as dens, keeping them under control is an ongoing affair to most land owners.

The Hoosier national Forest which covers a lot of the southern mid and western parts of the state are starting to report swine problems, our Department of Natural Resources, governs state game laws and is asking all hunters to report any feral swine, and at this time there are no laws governing the shooting of these hogs.

Folks, feral is not the same as a varmint. A coyote is not feral, nor is a starling. The former is a varmint and the latter is an invasive species. Feral animals are invasive species, but not all invasive species are feral.

In Alabama wild hogs are considered feral (in actuality they are the property of the landowner)with no closed season or bag limit. Coyotes and beaver are furbearers but have no closed (daylight hours only)season or bag limit. The only birds that may be shot (other than game birds during season) are blackbird,starling,sparrows and crows. All others are protected by law. All of Alabama is posted by law. Hunters must have in their possession a permit from the landowner or be accompanied by the landowner or his agent. Killing dogs or cats is a felony here,even if feral.

Hogs, mainly, huge problem in Texas. I caught two in the trap yesterday, just started running it after a front. But, it was hot Monday and they died in the trap as I couldn't get down there to check it until Tuesday. Oh, well, plenty more where they came from and vultures need to eat, too. I just need the meat. They were about 100 lbs a piece, perfect! I locked up the trap until we get some more consistent cool weather. Hogs will die when it gets up in to the high 80s, 90s. It was 96 degrees F Monday here. They don't have sweat glands, must shade and wallow to stay cool or the heat will kill 'em.

There's no seasons or limits here on rabbits. Not feral, but they breed like hogs and there's just no need to control them. We have exotics that escape from exotic ranches and roam, mostly in the hill country where I hear about this. There's not huge numbers of any one given species that I know of. But, if you on land next to an exotic ranch, there's always the possibility. LOL

We have feral dogs big time, they they are a shoot, shovel, and shut up type of deal due to political power of all the urban animal lovers that dump their excess in the country.

Gun Boy, you might get a kick out of this. I forgot to mention before, Wisconsin also has a small problem with the occasional feral kangaroo. This one was caught about 30 miles from my house:

The Great Dodgeville Kangaroo Mystery….

http://www.w-files.com/files/Kangaroos/Iowa_County/Kangaroo_Iowa_1-7-2005.htm

What the article doesn’t mention is at the time it was cold enough there was even a little snow on the ground in places, and at night temps were dropping well below freezing. The animal had been reported several times in the paper, and on TV, over the course of a couple of weeks.

It was something of a local joke - roll your eyes, stick out your tongue, make a drinking motion with your thumb… until they actually caught it!

To this day no one’s figured out where that kangaroo came from.

Oh, we have Starlings and House Sparrows out the waz. Forgot about Florida's Python problem, too. It's all in the news lately. There's fish, too, IE grass carp.

Eurasion collared dove.

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Hey, those things are awesome!

FWIW. the term "feral" according to both Funk and Wagnall's Standard Desk Dictionary and Webster's New World Dictionary means "wild" or "not domesticated". No other meaning other than "savage" is given to it. Around here "feral" generally refers to a domesticated animal that has reverted to the wild. For the purposes of this thread I think any non-game species qualifies. BTW starlings are a non-native invasive species from Europe.

Yeah, grass carp aren't feral, either. They were released in some reservoirs to control hydrilla. The pythons ARE feral, though, pets people turned loose because they got too big. One thing I read blamed hurricane Andrew for 'em. That's a little far fetched IMHO, but perhaps it released a few from pet shops where it hit. I'm not sure if a snake can be called a true feral animal, though, just thinkin' about it, as they're wild animals kept in cages, not domesticated animals, pets, livestock.

Gun Boy,

That kangaroo found a permanent home at our local zoo. Far as I know, he’s still there. But wait, it gets weirder. One year later:

The Great Mauston Kangaroo Mystery….

http://www.w-files.com/files/Kangaroos/Juneau_County/Kangaroo_Juneau_12-12-2005.htm

This one was found 30 miles, in the opposite direction, from my house. I’m no biologist, but I think it might be proof of a hitherto unknown native kangaroo species - the North American Cheese Colored Kangaroo, Macropodidae Macropus cheeseheadinus.

Traits include: a mixed yellow coloration, a fondness for green & gold and the color red, and a diet comprised primarily of field corn, squeaky cheese, and Miller beer.

Ones thing’s for sure. Technically, they can’t be considered feral, since kangaroos aren’t domesticated animals.

Hey, those things are awesome!

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Heck yeah you make 4 stuffed jalapenos out of them. Also what about Mouflan sheep (spelling probably wrong) are they considered feral, I know they are non native.

also foxes in australia, they take baby lam's in laming season. big problem, rabbits hares, pigs up north.

By feral I meant non-native and unwanted. Personally I think a controlled number is good for shooters, but not for farmers. Here we try to destroy all feral cats, dogs, camels and donkeys (Camels and donkeys are mainland only).

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Well, what with all the PETA/animal rights types here, you gotta shoot, shovel, and shut up with feral cats and dogs. Yes, they're a big problem.