Wildlife Services experiment with safe way to poison feral hogs

Source: San Antonio KENS TV

So far, efforts to slow the population growth down, such as by hunting and trapping the hogs, have been unsuccessful.

“We are not able to take enough to affect the breeding population," explained Michael Bodenchuk with Texas Wildlife Services.

However, Bodenchuck said they may have found a solution – feed them “HogGone,” a poisonous bait that is fatal within minutes.

“The most important part for us is that it be humane and that it only be delivered to hogs," he said.

Read more: http://www.kens5.com/news/Wildlife-Services-experimenting-with-new-safe-way-to-poison-feral-hogs--113037454.html

I am surprised

I would rather they advertise "Open Season on Wild Hogs" then allow all that meat go to waste

It better be a rifle for most of them. When they've gotten big and been wild, they are pretty tough critters. Dangerous, too. We've had bad problems with them on ranches and even little ranchettes a few miles outside of small towns. They tear everything to shit. If poison or birth control works, good.

Something with velocity and a lot of mass to boot, perhaps?

Isolated to the 700 series.

At least, not yet - let's put it that way. :hi:

we have Wild Hog problems in N California too

Usually DF&G opens up the season, they make a few announcements and the problem gets solved pretty quickly

The short barrel Mauser with a 190 grain shell works better in the heavy brush where you find them

I make all sorts of sausage. I think it is a big waste of food esp with so many going hungry. If they must be culled then they should not be wasted. I hope the poisoned carcases will not poison birds that feed on them.

They should hunt the wild beasts while armed only with their own teeth and nails, just like their prey.

Now, that would be macho!

A gun might hurt someone or a dog. People and dogs get hurt all of the time with this method.

They are food and vermin. I just use a deer rifle.

Pigs are an invasive species. The population is exploding and they are very destructive to the land.

Wild boars and hogs are a problem in eastern Texas, but at least they make for good eatin' once they're put down by responsible hunters. Poison them, and they're good for nothing but the incinerator.

For the last few years we have had significant problems with them in south Texas, tearing up peoples' yards, gardens, etc. Dangerous bastards too.

and if people can come up w/ a safe but effective poison for wild hogs that is a good thing.

So far hunters have not been able to stop their population explosion and their breeding
w/ domesticated hogs. i have long been for the idea of using "pig in heat" pheromones
to attract wild hogs so they can be killed.

Bacon, sausage, hot links, and all that good stuff. Better than a lot of toxic carcasses occupying a fenced-off landfill somewhere.

.... have continued to swell. The value of the meat from the pigs is far outweighed
by the ecological damage they do to native ecosystems and other areas.

And much like deer herds many hunters go for the trophy wild bore (male) and let many
female pigs pass by waiting for the big bore.

http://www.blindpigandtheacorn.com/.a/6a00e54ffe2ad388330120a7ed250c970b-400wi

will go for a large boar / sow (for bragging rights) and a couple of succulent smaller ones (to fill the freezer).

What's with the "new world" reference?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peccary

Javelinas are different from "wild hogs" Which were introduced to N. America by europeans
for agricultural and the european wild boar that was introduced for sport hunting which
escaped and has spread through many states.

They're Tayassuidae, not Suidae, on that I agree.

in the 1500's. There has been speculation that some hunters brought some big Russian & German wild boars to breed bigger animals in the last 50 years or so. These pigs are not native to N America.

Are they killing off new world pigs, *and* old world pigs?

They're not like horses, European pigs have close relative species that *are* native to the new world. Peccary actually date back to 56-34 million years ago, and have fossils everywhere except for Antarctica and Australia.

no maybes we have them all over around here

Wild Boar was introduced into North Carolina in the early 1900s for sport but soon
escaped and thrived in the woods there. Wild Bore is now widely scattered in the
United States w/ feral hogs breeding w/ escaped farm animals adding to the growing
populations.

Although I have never seen the pigs myself I have seen "hog wallers" in S.E. Ohio.

Rats with tusks, essentially.


dg

still eat the same bait as hogs

they die within minutes after eating the poison. or do you eat wild hogs that you find dead?

Leave them out in the wilderness, where other critters will eat them and ingest the poison, possibly making its way to the human food supply? Or dump them in a fenced-off landfill? Or burn them in an incinerator?

Hunting seems like a more sensible way out of this mess.

Those crazy Kiwi Hog hunters don't consider it sporting to shoot one. They corner the hog with dogs and got to hand-to-hand combat.

Those hogs will clean up a deer carcass in a day or two, leaving nothing but a trampled spot and a few bits of hair and blood stains.

I talked with a hunter who spent 3 months in Hospital after being ripped from ankle to hip by one.

He just used a big hunting knife!

But they paid a bounty per boar, they also pay for possums hunters, which are a non native animal.

If I remember correctly, Possums and Rabbits were dealt with by professional hunters hired by the government. They use .22s with silencers. The silencers are available over the counter but you have to have a permit.

Personally, I think they're cute, but they can be a pest.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Possum

nt

Carrion eaters will get poisoned when they snack on the poisoned dead ones. Also people pets will get into it.

:(

the "coyote getter" so quickly? Anybody ever hear of Unintended Consequences?

How many unintended animals will have to die before this, too, is banned.

http://www.predatordefense.org/m44s.htm

Sounds like they need a fast rename to Texas Wildlife Death Panels?

Just checking. I know when I ask for service, I'm not asking for poison.

:spray: :rofl:

My family has been farming and ranching in Texas since the mid 1800's. At times the jackrabbit population would explode and communities organized massive rabbit drives to cull the population.

The State could very easily and cheaply organize County by County pig culls. Land owners could opt in and provide any information to the volunteers. Volunteers would have to register ahead of time. Commercial butcher services could be arranged for the day of the cull. All the free range organic pork you can shoot. The excess could be sold to cover costs or donated to food programs.

Something like this combined with a government run culling program is probably the only hope of controlling the population.

I might be wrong, but I don't think you can sale wild hog meat in Texas.