Canadian Feral Hogs

[GunnyGene]

As if we didn't have enough homegrown hogs, now they're moving south from Canada! Where you see 8 you can bet there are a whole lot more.

Excerpt:

https://www.dailyinterlake.com/local_news/20190908/feral_hogs_encroaching_on_montana-canada_border

Feral hogs encroaching on Montana-Canada border

September 08, 2019 at 5:00 am | By KIANNA GARDNER Daily Inter Lake

Looming among our neighbors to the north is an invasive species Montana experts say would cause extensive environmental degradation to the Big Sky state, should they ever successfully saunter across the border.

And they’re edging closer every year.

Large populations of feral hogs throughout Saskatchewan and Alberta have been slowly encroaching on the Montana-Canada border, placing wildlife experts, farmers and other stakeholders on edge.

Multiple reports have emerged of groups of feral hogs being spotted “very close” to the border. One of the most recent sightings occurred earlier this summer when eight mature pigs were discovered in Canada directly above Lincoln County. That’s according to John Steuber, the state director and a supervisory wildlife biologist for Wildlife Services, a program with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

And officials with Wildlife Services, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, the National Feral Swine Program, the Montana Invasive Species Council and others share the same concerns about the pigs: it would be an invasive species the likes of which the state has never seen.

“Multiple people say that if we were to design an invasive species that would do the most widespread damage, feral swine aren’t too far off from being the perfect specimen,” said Dale Nolte, program manager for the National Feral Swine Program, which is operated by the United States Department of Agriculture. “It would be a disaster.”

Feral pigs are widely known as “rototillers.” They root around for their food and spend much of their time wallowing in landscapes from farms and open fields to forests and riparian areas, leaving the terrains unrecognizable. Aside from the damages left behind, they are elusive in nature and often become nocturnal when “hunted or pressured by human activity,” said Ryan Brook, a researcher and assistant professor at the University of Saskatchewan.

The pigs are also highly prolific.

Steuber said females birth around three litters every two years or so, and litters have been known to contain more than a dozen piglets. When grown, mature adults weigh on average between 120 and 250 pounds, but larger ones have tipped the scales at 400 pounds.

“They can decimate the range land by tearing up everything,” said Tahnee Szymanski, an assistant veterinarian with the Montana Department of Livestock.

While extensive damage to lands is a major potential problem, Szymanski said the diseases the pigs have been known to carry are of equal concern. She points to two primary diseases that could have sizable impacts on domestic livestock and other animals in the wilderness: African swine fever and foot-and-mouth disease.

 

[JohnBoy]

Just read about this elsewhere. The only thing missing from the article is a directive to 'shoot on site'. It seems folks are all concerned but didn't outline any actionable steps to keep the hogs from advancing.

I understand it is open range but those hogs are not going to pay heed to our border.

 

[Pat-inCO]

Somehow . . . in Montana . . . I just can't see it being a problem.
Something about extended target practice . . . .

 

[GunnyGene]

Somehow . . . in Montana . . . I just can't see it being a problem.
Something about extended target practice . . . .

Trust me, you'll run out of ammo before you can kill them all. They breed faster than you can reload. Did you miss the part about how fast they spread? -- 20 million acres/year. :shock:

And they're smarter than a lot of people. :wink: :shock:

 

[sfhogman]

A friend of mine had feral hogs living on his property above Suisun City here in the Bay Area. We took a walk through one of his pastures one morning. Incredibly destructive; it was as if a herd of rototillers had passed through. The scat was still steaming...when I asked where they were, he replied, "in that brush over there. You can't see them, but they can see you."

They are delicious, though. The slow dumb ones, that is...

Jeff

 

[GunnyGene]

A friend of mine had feral hogs living on his property above Suisun City here in the Bay Area. We took a walk through one of his pastures one morning. Incredibly destructive; it was as if a herd of rototillers had passed through. The scat was still steaming...when I asked where they were, he replied, "in that brush over there. You can't see them, but they can see you."

They are delicious, though. The slow dumb ones, that is...

Jeff

And then there's the fast mean ones. Natures shock troops. :x :shock:

 

[SamV]

Here in Missouri, they have changed their position from shoot on sight, to report the location details. The department of conservation explains that if you come across feral hogs, that you are unlikely to kill very many of them. Since they are pretty smart, they learn to evade people quickly. Now they want location details so that they can set up pens that trap a bunch at a time. Supposedly it is more effective. They do report finding pen traps where the feral hogs have been freed, assuming that it is from people that want to have them to hunt. Seems like there should be a pretty severe penalty if someone is caught doing that.

 

[EVILDOCTOR235]

Time to start making bacon and I am not talking about porking piggy.

EvilDr235

 

[Gator89]

Hogs first came to America via the Spanish settling Florida, along with cattle.

Growing up in Central FL, I remember folks talking about trapping hogs and selling them to "the boar man". The boar man would haul the hogs to Tennessee to be used on the hunting preserves advertised in the back pages of Field & Stream, Outdoor Life, etc.

 

[GunnyGene]

Here in Missouri, they have changed their position from shoot on sight, to report the location details. The department of conservation explains that if you come across feral hogs, that you are unlikely to kill very many of them. Since they are pretty smart, they learn to evade people quickly. Now they want location details so that they can set up pens that trap a bunch at a time. Supposedly it is more effective. They do report finding pen traps where the feral hogs have been freed, assuming that it is from people that want to have them to hunt. Seems like there should be a pretty severe penalty if someone is caught doing that.

You don't want to get caught releasing or transporting live ones in MS.


Transportation of Wild Hogs

Importation of wild hogs into the state of Mississippi is prohibited.

No person may transport on public roads or off the property of record where captured or relocate within the state any live feral hog, wild swine, or Russian Boar within the State of Mississippi, without first obtaining a Live Wild Hog Transportation Permit for each wild hog being transported.

There is no restriction on the transportation of dead wild hogs.

Punishment for the Illegal Transport and Release of Wild Hogs

"A violation of this section, upon conviction, is punishable as a Class I violation. Any person who has been convicted of a Class I violation shall be fined not less than Two Thousand Dollars ($2,000.00) no more than Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) and shall be imprisoned in the county jail for five (5) days. The person shall also forfeit all hunting, trapping, and fishing privileges for a period of not less than twelve (12) consecutive months from the date of conviction"

 

[reuben_j_cogburn]

That would be one of the few reason's I'd go down south... to shoot hogs....
I just can't afford it tho....... :cry:

:mrgreen:

As a side note! Whitetail Deer and mule deer are invading Alaska, and F&G is letting anyone shoot as many as you see....
Bad news.... they must be turned over to F&G.......

 

[Dave P.]

il Deer and mule deer are invading Alaska, and F&G is letting anyone shoot as many as you see....
Bad news.... they must be turned over to F&G.......

Do you suppose if you were careful you could slice open the
hide and pull out the backstraps and stitch em back up?
Might not notice if it took em a few days to get the carcass.
Dave

 

[Paul B]

I wonder if wolves are gonna like pork?
Paul B.

 

[GunnyGene]

I wonder if wolves are gonna like pork?
Paul B.

I think wolves would go after easier game, although a small hog might be on the menu if it was alone.

 

[blackhawknj]

Another invasion by illegal immigrants, no ?

 

[RSIno1]

Hogs first came to America via the Spanish settling Florida, along with cattle.

Pigs were brought as the main meat source (by all the Spanish, Dutch & English) because they bred often and grew fast. They were much cheaper and easier to transport than cattle which were used mainly for milk and not meat until the mid 1700s.

 

[Bear Paw Jack]

From what I've read, Montana is going to put a kibash on shooting hogs. They also understand you cannot stop them by shooting them one by one, and they want to know where they are. Surprised me too.

 

[gundog5]

Great! More illegal immigrants.!!!!

 

[Danjet500]

Here's why you need a 30 round magazine.

 

[4896worker]

A friend of mine had feral hogs living on his property above Suisun City here in the Bay Area. We took a walk through one of his pastures one morning. Incredibly destructive; it was as if a herd of rototillers had passed through. The scat was still steaming...when I asked where they were, he replied, "in that brush over there. You can't see them, but they can see you."

They are delicious, though. The slow dumb ones, that is...

Jeff

I do not want to attack your friend but I know numerous people who complain about wild hogs in the coast range of California . But when asked if they would let anyone hunt I get a resounding no. So to those I hope they enjoy their pigs

 

[sfhogman]

Um, yeah...
Perhaps I should have made myself more clear. It’s his property and whenever he gets a safe and clear shot, it's hello to Mr. Weatherby and off to the butcher....

Edited to add: this is an old thread!
My friend has since passed, and his 160 acres sold. I hope that whoever bought it is still shooting those damn hogs...

 

[bookemdano]

Where I live in East TN we try to kill the Sow, any chance we get.
1 female can have 3 litters of 8 to 12 piglets a year. Every sow you
kill actually kills off around a 100 of the beasts. They ruin hay fields,
destroy gardens, will kill and eat your dog, chickens, rabbits or other
farm animals. One group of hogs will destroy acres of corn, sorghum,
green beans, strawberries, even tobacco crops. They'll destroy game
bird nests, kill fawns, or calves for that matter. In sum, they are a
real menace to anyone who makes a living off the land or hunts
for game to eat.
Yes, I love pork in it's many cuts but the only good feral hog is
one that's cooking in the kitchen.
These were taken with a game camera about 50 feet from my
front porch. A Boar and a Sow. Both fat from destroying farms.

Dano

 

[KIR]

Another title for this thread could have been...CANADIAN BACON! :ROFLMAO:

 

[blume357]

Another title for this thread could have been...CANADIAN BACON! :ROFLMAO:

You beat me to it.....

 

[Dave P.]

Dano,
In the lower picture as posted would that be a 250-300 pound pig? Nothing to scale it to in the photo but it's look pretty big>

 

[eveled]

Seems to me places that have them should trap them constantly. Their range keeps getting bigger and the cold doesn’t bother them. They will be everywhere soon.

 

[Wyandot Jim]

Seems to me places that have them should trap them constantly. Their range keeps getting bigger and the cold doesn’t bother them. They will be everywhere soon.

I think they are pretty close to being everywhere. The destruction they can do is terrific. Around my area they destroy pastures and rice fields and the dikes among other things. We all have to pay for the damage by higher prices at the stores.
We had a herd go through our SASS Range and it looked like it had been tilled.

I don't like to brag, but I'm the Worlds best Wild Pig Hunter!!! Just not the World's best Wild Pig Finder, in fact I might be the World's worst.
A couple of years ago we had a porker tearing up quite a few yards in our neighborhood. Luckily it didn't get on the runway. Since I'm retired and can get up at different times in the night. I decided to go after Mr. Porker with the mighty Marlin 45-70. You can never be over gunned when it comes to a pissed off pig because you just interrupted him while eating his dinner. He just might decide you are now on the menu.
Anyway this went on for about a week I would get up at different times. Grab the Marlin with a light taped to it and off I would go sneaking around the neighborhood. Results NO Mr. Porker. But I could see the next morning he had been out for a nighttime snack. Yes the neighbors knew I was out and about so they didn't shoot me.
Long story short. A neighbor who was a better Pig Finder than me shot the 300-350# SOB in his yard. He got tired of waiting for Mr. Wild Pig Finder to do his job.:-)

 

[bookemdano]

Dano,
In the lower picture as posted would that be a 250-300 pound pig? Nothing to scale it to in the photo but it's look pretty big>

250 to 300 would be my guess too. Fat off of some farmer's corn crop
would be mt guess. Only pic I have with any kind of reference point is
this one. Different hog though. Standing closer to a 3pt disc set that
weighs around 500. Still not the best for reference to size. I' guessing
this one would go 200-225 or so. Again, fat off of someone's hard work
and money.
Dano

 

[powder smoke]

Heck I'm not too far from the boarder when are we gonna get some hogs!! I cant wait! ps

 

[arfmel]

Careful…you may get what you think you want. ;)