The Forestry Forum

Outdoor topics => The Outdoor Board => Topic started by: WildDog on April 13, 2012, 07:30:05 PM

Title: Pig shoot
Post by: WildDog on April 13, 2012, 07:30:05 PM
At work last week we conducted a helicopter feral pig shoot, shot for a couple of hours in the morning and again in te afternoon. Tally, pigs= 210, goats= 20.
We had our accredited shooter and used local landholders to navigate. Had to locate as many shot pigs and take blood and nasal samsamples. I had the job of locating shot pigs for blood samples and nasal swabs. Only had 40mins to find the pigs after being shot, not an easy task in the long grass and gullys, relying on radioed coordinates and/or navigator directions, even on the rare occassions when the chopper was close and I could see the direction he was shooting it was hard to find them. A good pig dog would of been handy.

I was supposed to be taking photos for work but kept leaving the camera in the vehicle :(



 (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/13885/079.JPG)
Briefing



 (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/13885/090.JPG)



 (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/13885/086.JPG)
A couple the landholder wanted for dog meat as he could get a vehicle close enough in this cleared area.



 (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/13885/085.JPG)
The lady collecting samples in this pic was from another Govt agency from Sydney and hadn't spent much time in the bush, it was hot, dusty and she was covered in burrs but she always had a smile on her face, never complained, she enjoyed riding the quad bike.
Title: Re: Pig shoot
Post by: Woodwalker on April 13, 2012, 10:48:58 PM
Rifle or shotgun? One day shoot? Would the kill numbers be considered good for the area hunted? It looks like some of the area is open enough for the chopper to effective. Around here as thick as the woods are traps, dogs and shooting over bait are the only options.
Title: Re: Pig shoot
Post by: WildDog on April 14, 2012, 12:16:17 AM
Rifle or shotgun? One day shoot? Would the kill numbers be considered good for the area hunted? It looks like some of the area is open enough for the chopper to effective. Around here as thick as the woods are traps, dogs and shooting over bait are the only options.

For this area reasonable to good result, the dry conditions have seen them migrate to the  watercourses. We shot morning and evening when the pigs were out of the gully's and heavier scrub. Rifle is an SLR .308. This area has been heavily trapped/dogged with six pigs in 1 trap that morning near where the pics were taken. Problem is a lot of the old loan Boars that are responsible for killing older lambs (like the 2 in the pic) are hard to get onto feed to trap, it helps if there's a cycleing sow in the trap. The only poison registered in this state for pigs is 1080, the agency I work for is the one authorised to issue it but the amount required to kill a pig is enormous (if a pig eats 4kg of 1080 poisoned grain the equivelent in meat baits would have an LD50 to kill 60 Wilddogs/dingos) it can result in non target poisoning through vomitous and secondary posioning from carcasses or bait shy pigs. The aerial is another tool in our belt to fight these vertebrate pests.



 (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/13885/054.JPG)
Talking about non target species we got these 2 Fallow does and a spiker in a pig trap a couple of months back, we issued this property owner a new style lower trap with a mesh roof to stop deer. 
Title: Re: Pig shoot
Post by: WildDog on April 14, 2012, 12:18:54 AM
Can anyone tell me where I went wrong, I copy/pasted Woodwalkers reply and it came out black not highlighted in blue :(
Title: Re: Pig shoot
Post by: beenthere on April 14, 2012, 01:27:53 AM
Quote from: WildDog on April 14, 2012, 12:18:54 AM
Can anyone tell me where I went wrong, I copy/pasted Woodwalkers reply and it came out black not highlighted in blue :(

Yes, you need to have the quote bracketed with [q uote]   copy here  [/q uote]  without the space in the word quote.
Or you can click on quote in the box by the reply, and you will get it with the brackets.
Give it a try, and click on preview to see how well it is going, and if changes are needed in your post.

Click on the Quote box of this reply, and you will see just where those bracketed quotes are placed, and how they look.
Title: Re: Pig shoot
Post by: WildDog on April 14, 2012, 05:55:12 AM
Thanks Beenthere, much appreciated.
Title: Re: Pig shoot
Post by: Woodwalker on April 14, 2012, 10:13:05 AM
Do you feel that the efforts are sufficient to control the pig population?
Title: Re: Pig shoot
Post by: WildDog on April 14, 2012, 06:53:25 PM
Not sufficient enough, but we need to keep at it with what we have to work with. One of the most effective poisons is an anticoagulant like the Pindone we use on rabbits however its not registered for pigs. The pest itself is intelligent, hardy, adaptable and capable of traveling large distances. Pig harbor is increasing with legislation on native vegetation clearing, some absentee landholders not running livestock, and wanting a lifestyle type gettaway with little intention of pest control.
The benefit of coordinated programs like the aerial job is that we hold meetings with landholders getting together and not feeling like they're on their own, this helps reinvigorate control attitudes and can work on normally non participants moral responsibilites as opposed to the legislative requirements.

Any way I am out of here, just started 3 weeks annual leave and heading off to Sydney for a week long Urban Pest Control course, not work sponsored, doing this off my own bat. Going to be interesting working with cockroaches and rodents instead of the usual pigs, dingoes, foxs and rabbits.  :) Not looking forward to being in the big smoke :(
Title: Re: Pig shoot
Post by: Woodwalker on April 14, 2012, 10:04:25 PM
Interesting parallels on the common problem. We aren't allowed to use poison, don't foresee it ever happening here. As long as the hogs stay in the woods or farm land not a lot of notice is taken. When they do find their way into a manicured subdivision with a golf course, you should hear the out cry.
Enjoy the vacation, don't let the bright lights blind you.
Title: Re: Pig shoot
Post by: Magicman on April 16, 2012, 09:59:39 AM
Quote from: Woodwalker on April 14, 2012, 10:04:25 PMWhen they do find their way into a manicured subdivision with a golf course, you should hear the out cry.
Yup, an age old attitude.  As long is it does not bother me it is not my problem, it's yours.  Those "cute little pigs, deer, racoons", etc. can be very destructive when they have no predator.