Our new place is overrun with wild hogs. Any tips on hunting them and getting rid of them in general?
:rifle:
Many, many, many (!) years ago my cousin and I spent all of our free time hunting hogs with trail dogs and pit bull dogs for catching. Not too many people did that then. Now, there are a lot of hog hunters, actively looking for places to hunt. I have seen areas where the hogs have been "caught out". I realize that our population (human) is much higher than in Texas, so less hunter density, but that may be an avenue to pursue. We did our best hunting at night, hogs are moving then and it is cooler for man and beast. Good luck.
I and about 10 friends would help you out but its a little far to travel for a day hunt :)
10 yrs or so ago Russian boar stock hogs got loose from a local game farm and multiplied to a huntable population.
I was the gofer while my pals pursued them in the winter.
they shot 23 that winter and the population dwindled or got smarter after that.
The local Dept of Environmental Conservation along with the USDA instituted a trapping program and now they are virtually gone.
Game farms close by are now Kaput
I have given thought to offering up a few hunts for those willing to pay for the opportunity. :D
I also would like to take a few of them myself. I love to make my own sausage. Anybody make traps?
Lee,
I think trapping is going to be the most efficient and cost effective method. Mom has them on her place in Fla and cousin and neighbors have caught a few. Just make a strong pen with a trap door built in the gate. A one way swinging door will allow more than one to enter if you are lucky. Just make sure they can't lift it from inside. Be sure it is staked down well so they can't get their noses under it and lift. Heavy welded panels from TSC would be easy to use. Could drive up Metal T posts to attach to. They put feed/bait in it with it open and let them feed a few days then set the trap.
Another option is snares which can be bought on line from various places and not too expensive. Putting some barriers up to funnel them into the noose will improve likelihood of catching them.
Check your local regs. Since they are not game animals many states allow shooting year round and even at night. If the area allowed and I were night hunting them I'd let the local game warden know my plans. He might even help get rid of them. Good luck.
Quote from: petefrom bearswamp on April 08, 2017, 07:20:37 AM
10 yrs or so ago Russian boar stock hogs got loose from a local game farm and multiplied to a huntable population.
I was the gofer while my pals pursued them in the winter.
they shot 23 that winter and the population dwindled or got smarter after that.
The local Dept of Environmental Conservation along with the USDA instituted a trapping program and now they are virtually gone.
Game farms close by are now Kaput
pete we had the same over by long eddy ny I was logging the other side of the hill and never seen one the locals and dec was shooting up a storm I was mad I never got to see or shoot one off the skidder :D
one year we trapped or shot over 70. Once you catch a few in a trap, you have to move it, they are smart and will not go back in that trap. If a new herd comes in, yeah, you'll catch a few, but be prepared to move the trap frequently.
how come a domestic bore pig that still has his jewels is nasty strong but a wild bore pig is not that bad ??? never had a wild one but that's what I was told any truth to that
Quote from: coxy on April 08, 2017, 06:31:35 PM
how come a domestic bore pig that still has his jewels is nasty strong but a wild bore pig is not that bad ??? never had a wild one but that's what I was told any truth to that
In my experience 99% are not fit to eat. Personally, I will not kill one for myself. I have killed a few on request for someone else. My only stipulation was to not be invited for dinner! When we used to catch boars, the biggest were sent up to Pete's "neck of the woods", the smaller ones were removed from the reproductive population and allowed to fatten and flavor up.
I don't consider them good eating either, especially the boars. They are nasty, and the meat is so tough that you can hardly chew it. Some people catch them and pen them and feed them for a few months to clean them out. Not worth the trouble to me.
My friend his brother and nephew are SW of Fort Smith in Texas hunting them right now .They will eat what they shoot . I think the taste has a lot to do with how they are handled . They need to be killed gutted and hung in a cooler within a hour .
Boar hog meat smells and tastes bad, no matter how you treat it. Young hogs not bad, but needed to be treated immediately in that they spoil in a hurry. You can sometimes get a strong chunk of bacon with that taste, it is not pleasant.
Dealing with wild hogs is one time when it is acceptable to not eat what you kill. Taking out as many as you can is the name of the game. They reproduce and multiply like rats.
B-I-L had a lease in Texas where we hunted and trapped them. Keep nothing over 80 pounds and no boars over 40. Immediately after killing one skin it, than field dress. Bone it out as much as possible and get the meat on ice. Best pork I've ever had.
Nephew with his first hog and this is about the perfect size. Think we trapped 3 and shot two from the same bunch but time blurs my memory.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10125/hog.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1192058275)
Lee, a friend in Eureka first noticed hog damage a little over a year ago and found out he is overrun with them. He had a trap built and continues to trap hogs. Its a nasty dirty job. The hogs have to be disposed of in some manner. They kill all of them but the piglets and sometimes somebody will take them to raise. He doesn't think they can keep the hogs under control as they reproduce so fast.
I thought it interesting that he was using corn for bait but the deer were eating it. To keep the deer from eating the corn they soak it in diesel...don't bother the hogs at all.
If you are not near by and can check traps go with one with the saloon doors. It will keep catching hogs instead of a single trip. Round shape is best trap but not always easiest. Put a top on it they can climb out. Over build it they will test every square inch. I trapped, hunted and caught them with dogs and shot everyone I saw and took be over 5 years to get them under control. Well now they have thermal scopes on the market and that is fun. They can't hide
Thanks
Buck
the authorities here used mostly live traps.
One of my friends built a large trap patterned after the havahart models.
Caught the same hen turkey several times, I guess she considered it a safe place for a free meal.
I dont remember him ever catching a hog.Another friend set a large snare (illegal here in NY) and something got in it i think a hog but got away and left some hair and skin in it.
The guy that built the live trap also built a 16 foot wire enclosure open at one spot with corn and deer carcasses for bait and leg traps.
I was deer hunting there and saw some action which turned out to be a Red Tail Hawk which flew away with the trap dangling from a leg. Not a good thing.
I've shot and eaten a few and Larry gave good advice although I'd go a bit bigger if making sausage. It may also be that what they are eating makes a difference.
around here they make pens of bull panels and t-posts, they can get broken down, but you can move them easily enough. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsFXhGoDnW0
The conservation dept here has stopped hog hunting on public land. They found that hunting makes them spread more. The best way is to use a trap. Then you get them all.
The state will set traps here for you. They do hunt them from helicopters also.
I have built and used several hog traps over the years. Most were constructed using junk that we had on hand. The last one I built, a holding pen was added adjacent to the trap. The trap was reset and more hogs were caught until the herd was eliminated. They don't seem to mind going into the trap if other hogs are right beside it. We can shoot them year round on private land here and if we let FWC know, we can get the green light to hunt them at night using lights.
I do not eat any of the boar hogs over about 80 pounds and usually we would sell or give away the ones we shot/caught. Several of the folks who hunt them with dogs around here cut them and let them go. Some of those can provide some pretty good meat. I posted a picture or two of my neighbor smoking sausage from a castrated pineywood rooter a month or so ago.
Hot off the wire.
Arkansas Feral Hog Task Force Established (http://kuaf.com/post/arkansas-feral-hog-task-force-established#stream/0)
Those Arky hogs have always been kinda feral.
Quote from: caveman on April 10, 2017, 08:32:10 AM
I have built and used several hog traps over the years. Most were constructed using junk that we had on hand. The last one I built, a holding pen was added adjacent to the trap. The trap was reset and more hogs were caught until the herd was eliminated. They don't seem to mind going into the trap if other hogs are right beside it. We can shoot them year round on private land here and if we let FWC know, we can get the green light to hunt them at night using lights.
I do not eat any of the boar hogs over about 80 pounds and usually we would sell or give away the ones we shot/caught. Several of the folks who hunt them with dogs around here cut them and let them go. Some of those can provide some pretty good meat. I posted a picture or two of my neighbor smoking sausage from a castrated pineywood rooter a month or so ago.
I watched a show on the OutDoor Channel a year or so back and they were doing that. I still say anyone that will jump into a pit and grab hold of a healthy hog is at least a little on the crazy side of the fence!
Just sayin'!
Those hogs have to remember that as a bad night :D
I went out with some of my students several years ago one night with their dogs. They used hounds to locate the hogs and then turned the catch dogs out-black nosed curs. It is an adrenalin rush for certain chasing them through the swamp. When the dogs grabbed the hogs by the ears, the boys would hold them down and they had some handcuffs with three rings that they clicked around the feet. If it was to be a catch, castrate and release, the hog was put into the dog box in the bed of the truck and cut loose at the new location after a very sanitary and diligent surgery.
Some of these hogs have a bad attitude and can wreck a good dog. The wild hogs are much more athletic and resilient than the domesticated hogs. I have seen them go over fences and through others.
When I would trap them, occasionally I would invite one or two for supper. They would viciously bang into the trap fence boards while snarling angrily. I would draw and imaginary X between the ears and eyes and put a 22 caliber bullet on that spot, drops them like a ton of bricks (old saying). Rather than getting in the trap/pen with the remaining ones that still had a pulse and providing them a source to relieve their pent up aggression, I would grab a leg with a rope and lift them out. I have a hog snare now and that would have worked better. In those days we still had a basketball goal in the driveway. I would hoist them from the hoop and pressure wash the smelly beasts prior to skinning them.
I wish all of our invasive species tasted as good as young pineywood rooters. We could have Brazilian pepper sauce, tropical soda apple pie, Kudzu greens, python and rice, Bufo toad legs, fried parrot, and many more.
Regarding invasive species.
Off the subject but in 2014 while at our house in Florida my wife had a Cuban tree frog land on her neck in the middle of the night
Needless to say the scream woke me out of a sound sleep and the three stooges couldn't have better done job of what transpired until I cornered it in the bathroom wrapped it in a towel and liberated it outside.
Taking Sadie (my beagle) on a ride through the property late this evening. There was a large drove of wild hogs in one of my food plots. I counted 27 hogs. Sadie got to bark at them.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/14370/IMG_0114~0.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1492042804)
Pete,
Your tale reminded me of the morning my wife opened the screen door, hit the cat who was holding a fresh caught chipmunk in her jaws. Cat dropped the munk which ran up my wife's pant legs with much yelling and screaming going on until she accidentally stepped on it and it expired.
Okay, back on subject a young wild hog was scrounging scraps meant for the dog at my grandfather's house in Dixie County Fla Christmas morning 1960 when I was 7. The dog defended his meal chasing the dog under the house which was by chance the high water mark of the Suannee River. I went out to watch and when I squatted down to look under the house the hog charged and thanks to a faster younger brother pushing off me in his successful escape attempt leaving me in the path of the angry swine who cut me twice across the knee before I rolled away when the dog came to my rescue. Grandpa rounded the corner and the hog remembered he had left something on the other side of the county and hurried to get it but he did not outrun Grandpa's shot. I ended up bent over the hood of a car at the doctor's home interrupting his Christmas dinner and got a tetanus shot. The dog, for saving me, had a front leg cut to the bone but he got less treatment than me. As far as I know there is still a hog skeleton buried there in what used to be an old garden. Bottom line - be careful messing with wild hogs. Even the young ones can hurt you.
Quote from: WDH on April 12, 2017, 08:20:53 PMThere was a large drove of wild hogs in one of my food plots.
You better stick to trees. Actually is was a
sounder of wild hogs. :D
One man's drove is another man's sounder :D.
You drove by the sounder.
I herd that about him.
A whack, a drove, a gaggle, a sounder.
a mazing
When talking to younger nieces, nephews, etc. I always try to use the wrong wording just for the reaction. Herd of Geese, flock of deer, school of chickens, etc.
I do the same thing with my kids and nieces an nephews. The look on their faces is priceless when it dawns on them what I just said.
The AR Game & Fish Comm.wants rid of them bad. So do I, they are an all around plague. Official word is trapping is the only hope to control the numbers now days they even sell traps at the farm store. Anyway the AGFC is a great source of info on all this.
As for eating that is the only good part. I've smoked even large boars with great success. A smoked ham or shoulder [skinned first] is excellent.
There is a lot of concern with disease, wearing blue or green[nitrile] surgical gloves while cleaning is a good idea and I would certainly keep the dogs away from any uncooked meat or offal.
what diseases do they have
Quote from: coxy on April 26, 2017, 09:16:43 PM
what diseases do they have
I remember hearing Trichinosis which is killed if cooked thoroughly or kept frozen for an unremembered period of time. I always just made sure it was well done.
What diseases they have?
PRV, pseudorabies, brucellosis, FADs, swine fever, hog cholera, foot and mouth and no doubt more I can't recall.
There are threats for humans, other live stock and dogs to name some.
Anyway this is a big topic and I'm in no way qualified to answer it halfway properly.
Came across this article yesterday. Looks like a good solution to the problem.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/m/fe025dc4-732f-35e5-b132-c430b50770f7/ss_bad-beasts%2C-good-treats%3A.html
They can be OK if you pen them and feed them for a couple of months to clean them out. Otherwise, the meat is tough, gamey, and nasty unless you get a pig. A big sow or a boar are tough as leather and the boars can taste rank.
They eat good and there are lines of people who will pay for the privilege of hunting them. As far as trapping that works but nature hates a void. Get most of them off your land and the others will come from around you to fill the void. A regular drop door trap works just fine. You won't catch them all in one trap but the traps are quick and cheap to build. We caught 27 in 3 traps in one night several years back. We loaded them up, took them home, put them in hog pens and fattened them up on $10.00 a pickup load of day old bread then sold them. Only made about $300.00 but that paid for a lot of corn for our turkey feeders.