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

I'd like to see the State do a study in several counties implementing a 'Bounty' on hogs and see if that 'incentive' would bring about a noticeable decrease in numbers. Along with that...the possible 'cons' would need to be studied and considered.
 
Flintknapper said:
I'd like to see the State do a study in several counties implementing a 'Bounty' on hogs and see if that 'incentive' would bring about a noticeable decrease in numbers. Along with that...the possible 'cons' would need to be studied and considered.
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You’d probably see the cost of hunting them on ranches go up the exact amount of the bounty. Texas is one thing. There’s not a lot of public land. But paying to hunt them in Oklahoma seems kinda foolish unless you don’t have the time to put in to finding them on all the public land we have. And two weeks ago a neighbor to one of the private lands that backs up to public land I hunt killed a 450lb boar we’ve been chasing. That land is overrun with feral hogs.

As an aside. Trappers and hog doggers are paid good money for feral hogs around here to be transported to hunting ranches. There’s a guy in Adair OK that has a “hunting ranch” (I use those words VERY loosely) and I know for a fact he pays people to trap feral hogs so he can have clients hunt them as they walk around his pasture with the bison, elk, wildebeest, Cape and water buffalo and other exotics on his 100 hundred acre high fence “ranch”.
 
Flintknapper said:
I'd like to see the State do a study in several counties implementing a 'Bounty' on hogs and see if that 'incentive' would bring about a noticeable decrease in numbers. Along with that...the possible 'cons' would need to be studied and considered.
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Well if they would research places where predators were treated similarly, they'd see GREAT decline (large cats, wolves, coyotes). Cons: drunken Bubba trying to cash in with the neighbor's blue ribbon Beau.
 
BigBore44 said:
As an aside. Trappers and hog doggers are paid good money for feral hogs around here to be transported to hunting ranches. There’s a guy in Adair OK that has a “hunting ranch” (I use those words VERY loosely) and I know for a fact he pays people to trap feral hogs so he can have clients hunt them as they walk around his pasture with the bison, elk, wildebeest, Cape and water buffalo and other exotics on his 100 hundred acre high fence “ranch”.
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That's how most hog hunting ranches operate, you're still hunting a smart, wild animal, that becomes smarter with every shot. If not for these types of hunting ranches the wild hog problem would be a lot worse.
 
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Double Naught Spy said:
What diseases do hogs carry? Surprisingly, not much different than what is carried by natural wildlife. People always worry about the disease hogs carry but you never hear about them being worried about all the diseases that deer carry, which includes about 90% or more of overlap and there are a lot more deer than hogs.. Pigs do definitely increases the nastiness of stuff carried in streams, however. This has been demonstrated in several states where increased contamination and sediment load has been correlated with hogs.
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People ignore the dangers of eating store-bought, factory pork. This was written by an MD:


"One of the most potentially acute hazards is contamination with pathogenic bacteria.

According to a surprising new investigation by Consumer Reports, 69 percent of all raw pork samples tested — nearly 200 samples in total — were contaminated with the dangerous bacteria Yersinia enterocolitica, which causes fever and gastrointestinal illness with diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach cramps.

Ground pork was more likely than pork chops to be contaminated.

The pork also tested positive for other contaminants, including the controversial drug ractopamine, which is banned in many parts of the world, including China and Europe. The drug, which was found in more than 20 percent of the samples, is used to boost growth in the animal while leaving the meat lean. Worst of all, many of the bacteria found in the pork were resistant to multiple antibiotics, making treatment, should you fall ill, all the more problematic and potentially lethal.

According to the featured report:

"We found salmonella, staphylococcus aureus, or listeria monocytogenes, more common causes of foodborne illness, in 3 to 7 percent of samples. And 11 percent harbored enterococcus, which can indicate fecal contamination and can cause problems such as urinary-tract infections."
 
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Flintknapper said:
I'd like to see the State do a study in several counties implementing a 'Bounty' on hogs and see if that 'incentive' would bring about a noticeable decrease in numbers. Along with that...the possible 'cons' would need to be studied and considered.
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Rather than another government program, my suggestion has long been a free-market solution, allow wild pork to be sold in supermarkets and restaurants, after it has been packaged by a reputable, inspected processor just like store-bought meat is today. It is illegal to do so with game animals, but since wild hogs are an undesirable invasive species, why not? If Bubba could get $100-200 for a large hog you'd see their numbers drop, it would be like a pork gold rush. We hunters can't do the job, there aren't enough of us. I make one hog hunting trip a year to TX or OK, shoot one or two, and my freezer is set until next year.

Many high end restaurants in Europe, especially Germany and Italy, serve wild boar. These are free-range animals with no hormones or antibiotics, exactly what lots of people are looking for today and will pay more for. The buzzards can eat something else.
 
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Paul7 said:
Rather than another government program, my suggestion has long been a free-market solution, allow wild pork to be sold in supermarkets and restaurants, after it has been packaged by a reputable, inspected processor just like store-bought meat is today.
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This is not illegal. I have a relative who works for a company that processes feral hogs in Texas. It seems that the market (i.e. price) for 'wild boar' meat is better in Europe than in the U.S. so most of the product goes there. You can trap and sell live hogs today in Texas. The prices fluctuate but buyers are always active.
 
der Teufel said:
This is not illegal. I have a relative who works for a company that processes feral hogs in Texas. It seems that the market (i.e. price) for 'wild boar' meat is better in Europe than in the U.S. so most of the product goes there. You can trap and sell live hogs today in Texas. The prices fluctuate but buyers are always active.
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I wasn't aware of that, I know we ship horsemeat to Europe. Too bad there isn't more domestic demand for wild boar.
 
Been watching a group of Sows (3) with various sized offspring (20-60 lbs.) rooting around in my pasture behind the house. They have been staying about 250 yds. away from the house and because I haven't mowed that pasture yet they are all but hidden.

So....I figured if I mowed a single path from the spot where they have been showing up, back toward the house, they would surely take advantage of the easy pathway if I dribbled out some corn. Sure enough they found the corn the first day I put it out...BUT the smart little Devil's changed their feeding time from right at dusk...to well after dark. I guess they didn't feel comfortable coming near the house with any daylight left.

I had almost given up on the plan when I happened to spot them from my living room window about 7:00 p.m. yesterday evening. They were milling in and out of the tall grass out onto the cut path and then back into the tall stuff again. The younger pigs were staying on the path but the older Sows wouldn't (at first). I got my rifle out and took up a position on the back porch where I could use the railing to steady it.

The Sows finally determined that if they were to get anything to eat...they were going to have to go into the clearing or the little ones would eat all the corn (it doesn't take them long). As luck would have it....one of the shoats got right behind one of the Sows. Love it when they 'line up'.

Even though I was in an elevated position, I had to aim a bit lower on the Sow than I like, in order to also hit the Shoat behind it. But I've done this many times and the 405 gr. Soft Point never disappoints.

Both pigs went straight down as expected. I went to drag them off this afternoon and when I turned the Sow over...I noticed it had a large 'pustule' up near its shoulder. Nearly the size of a Grapefruit. I did NOT let curiosity get the better of me this time. I have opened up one of those before (found a .22 bullet lodged against a rib bone), but it was exceedingly gross. Vowed NEVER to do that again...and I kept my promise to myself.

Don't know if the others will return anytime soon, but I will be watching from my Air Conditioned living room. Not going out in the heat unless I have to.
 

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Nice shot. I’d open it up. But I’ve always been that type of person. Even when it backfires on me. Looks like you have a few flies down there in east Texas. I’ll trade you. Our mosquitos are the worst I’ve ever seen. The woods literally “hum” right now.
 
BigBore44 said:
Nice shot. I’d open it up. But I’ve always been that type of person. Even when it backfires on me. Looks like you have a few flies down there in east Texas. I’ll trade you. Our mosquitos are the worst I’ve ever seen. The woods literally “hum” right now.
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Yes, many flies. To be expected though. I left the carcasses overnight and then didn't get around to moving them until this afternoon. Usually the Coyotes find them overnight.
 
Ole Joe Clark said:
This thread is the reason I joined THR. I read every post too, now it's the first thread I check for new stories.

Have a blessed day,

Leon
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Don't say that....I feel like I am letting you down then. :(

I haven't stopped hitting the hogs (though I do hunt them less in the summer months) I just haven't been posting it here very much the last year or so. Seems there is much more interest in Videos with night vision (understandably). I'm just Old School, Low tech with an occasional story to tell. I'll have to do better.

Thank You for the well wishes (blessing)....and no less for you Sir.


Flint.
 
bldsmith said:
Yea, that's one of the things that gets me too. Watched them lance a big one on a cow on TV and about lost it.
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Understand completely. Hope no one viewing this post has just eaten.

At the risk of turning some stomachs (to include my own)...I have found the photos from the first pig that had such a Pustule.

At that time I was curious to know what might have caused it. I will never be that curious again...I can assure you.

In that case...it was a .22 caliber bullet laying right up against a rib bone. Perfectly shaped bullet. Probably lobbed in from a long distance. The hog seemed no worse for the wear. Just a really disgusting discovery.

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OK don't know what happened there (photobucket). Maybe just as well.
 
Flintknapper said:
Don't say that....I feel like I am letting you down then. :(

I haven't stopped hitting the hogs (though I do hunt them less in the summer months) I just haven't been posting it here very much the last year or so. Seems there is much more interest in Videos with night vision (understandably). I'm just Old School, Low tech with an occasional story to tell. I'll have to do better.

Thank You for the well wishes (blessing)....and no less for you Sir.


Flint.
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You are not letting me down if you don't post about shooting hogs. I do realize you (and everybody else) have a life outside of this and other forums. I have found that I don't do lots of things that I once did because interests/hobbies change, and I am getting older (75) and I can't do things I once did.

Have a blessed day,

Leon
 
Flintknapper said:
Don't say that....I feel like I am letting you down then. :(

I haven't stopped hitting the hogs (though I do hunt them less in the summer months) I just haven't been posting it here very much the last year or so. Seems there is much more interest in Videos with night vision (understandably). I'm just Old School, Low tech with an occasional story to tell. I'll have to do better.

Thank You for the well wishes (blessing)....and no less for you Sir.


Flint.
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I’m not sure of a longer running thread with more interest than this one. Low tech or not. I do wish you posted more. Even if they’re just stories. I like stories. Especially since my stories right involve walking into the woods after bathing in OFF (helps some I guess) and using a Therma-Cel (helps tremendously when sitting still), and deciding I don’t like mosquitos in my eyeballs, nor do I like spending more time picking ticks off me when I get home than I spent in the woods (I was picking ticks off me 3 days after) It will change. But not for awhile.

So yeah, tell us a story.
 
I have only cut open one such pustule. It was a small one. It felt like where the bullet had lodged under the skin from my shot and so I went to extract my bullet. It wasn't my bullet or any other bullet that I could find. It was a special white grease sort of feeling (slick, but sticky), ultra putrid smelling pocket o' puss. Gloves are your friend.

My bullet ended up being a couple of inches from that location.
 
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