Flintknapper
Member
It all comes down to, is the purpose to get rid of the hogs, or is the purpose to get paid to have the hogs. That particular landowner makes the most rational business decision. the real issue is the externalities. In this case, the neighbouring landowners who have to deal with the reality that someone has come to realize that their business model relies on a thriving hog population.
At best, you are showing that the hogs are not a problem, sure, the appearance of a problem is important, that is part of the shtick. However, the hogs appear to be part of the business model, and if, as a business, it works, then it is not a problem, it is just a business. I am not criticising it, as a business, after all, it looks like an enjoyable business for all involved.
However, if the hogs really were a problem, they could be dealt with as a problem.
It's not a business practice for those wanting hogs gone, its the simple 'reality' that the hogs are here to stay. Unless neighboring properties also engage in managing the numbers....a landowner will always have hogs if the land is attractive to the pigs in any way.
Eradication is a pipe-dream *using current methods to control population*. Savvy landowners understand this and choose to mitigate the costs of damages done... by charging to have the hogs hunted. Quite separate from properties that WANT hogs for an income, don't confuse the two.
Except for high fenced property with reasonably open terrain....it simply isn't possible to 'hunt/shoot' your way out of the problem.
In the State of Texas...you can no more eradicate hogs....than you can fire ants. You can 'harass' them back and forth onto neighboring properties, but as soon as the 'pressure' subsides, they come right back. 'Swapping' hogs with your neighbors does little to reduce the population. The idea that MORE hunting equals MORE kills....simply doesn't pan out in many situations. The hogs learn...and adjust.
Good numbers can be killed on large properties with open areas that afford multiple shots by skilled hunters/marksmen using semi-autos and thermal optics. But even those properties quickly repopulate. Aerial hunts *on suitable property* is the single most effective method at present...and probably the only method that actually results in keeping numbers in check.