Texas feral hogs apocalypse fears

[Fazan]

http://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/world/fea ... spartandhp

We, The North, can help you fix the problem. Waiting for the call...

[Big John]

I think instead of charging so much to hunt one or two hogs. Why not have unlimited numbers to hunters who want to go? And Cheap! Like pay a price to go to the Ranch and stay. And for a small fee get to shoot unlimited hogs! Resident or non-resident. During the whole year. Open season 365. Anything better than poison!!!

Big John

[Fazan]

Companies producing poison invest more money in lobbying than hunters.
Simple solutions don't fill anybody's pockets.

[IronNoggin]

Why not have unlimited numbers to hunters who want to go? And Cheap! Like pay a price to go to the Ranch and stay. And for a small fee get to shoot unlimited hogs! Resident or non-resident. During the whole year. Open season 365. Anything better than poison!!!

Wheres the LIKE button here!!

Totally disagree with the use of any poison. It is not species specific, and WILL result in many non-target deaths. And, just what to do with all those rotting carcasses??

Poorly thought out. But then the there is this, from a politician no less:

Miller told the state, in light of the product’s approval, his department would no longer need $900,000 earmarked for feral hog control research.

Follow the money. What does he have in mind instead??

Whole idea is sheer Lunacy IMO!
Nog

[frisky]

There is another way...

https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/sear ... ction=view

[Carnivorous]

Did someone say hog hunting road trip?

I'm in...

[Hunt it]

I think instead of charging so much to hunt one or two hogs. Why not have unlimited numbers to hunters who want to go? And Cheap! Like pay a price to go to the Ranch and stay. And for a small fee get to shoot unlimited hogs! Resident or non-resident. During the whole year. Open season 365. Anything better than poison!!!

Big John

John,

With all due respect, if it was your ranch you'd not likely see it this way. For years slob hunters have shot up farm equipment, left gates open, garbage all over and even sued land owners. All of these reasons along with the fact that it is added income has caused the ranching industry to capitalize on the hunting opportunities. You cannot blame them for that. Unlimited access would hardly create a good hunting opportunity.

[Fazan]

I don't want to speak for John, but I believe he was referring to government (licencing) fees at first place.
Of course ranchers are trying to capitalize and they should. But it will be hard for them to do so with hundreds od the poisoned pigs on their property. It's gong to STINK. And if anybody decides to put a gas mask and go hunting how do you know hog you shot it's not already poisoned? Unless you just want to shoot it and leave it there...
Poison used will end up in the food chain or in ground water. I can't see how that can be good for anybody, including ranch owner.

[quote=

Whole idea is sheer Lunacy IMO!
Nog

Totally agree with this.

[Carnivorous]

Let's send them a message that we have crossbows and will travel..lol

[Fazan]

And we'll pay travel expenses...

[Big John]

Hunt it
Thats not what I said at all. What I said was go to the ranchs and pay to stay but instead of payi g to shoot two hogs at another premium, get to take as many as you want. There is way to many to not do anything. And if they , the ranch owners, dont help out more something will be imposed on them.

Or Poison!! Which do you think is better. Ranchs still make money. More people go, more hogs taken 365 a year.

[Hunt it]

John,
That is what majority of ranchers currently do. I was just in Texas last week hunting for 5 nights. What you described is what we have been doing for years. We pay flat fee for lodging and access to ranch, kill em all from there. Easier said than done. Once pressured like any critter it gets much harder to hunt them. Places that limit numbers to one or two hogs are generally put and take ranches with hogs fenced in. The helicopter boys can slay hundreds a day but hunting will never keep numbers in check. The large scale guys trapping them can put good dent in numbers fast. They are just getting the processors buying hogs small scale as it is new thing. Given time and more processors/buyers opening up it will create its own economy with guys trapping for a living. They will charge to catch them for landowners and also sell to processors. This combined with a bounty might keep numbers in check better.

As for someone else's comments on how would you know if hogs poisoned. Very simple, the sodium nitrate turns fat bright fluorescent blue. No mistaking it by any chance. Google it and you will see what it looks like.

Lot of hearsay flying at moment but I think the opposition is very strong and powerful and my hope is they will stop it.

If you want a good read, log onto Texas Hog Hunters Association's Face Book page.

[dabluz]

The government should consider subsidizing hog hunting, lengthening the hunting season, increasing limits, etc. Subsidizing hog hunting will create more employment and increase tourism. I wouldn't mind going feral hog hunting if I knew that it would not cost a fortune. It's going to cost me some money and I'm ok with that but I'm not willing to pay an inordinate amount of money.

We had a similar problem here in Quebec with an over population of caribou. The government wanted to help the native population to harvest the caribou for meat instead of subsidizing tourism (air transportation, outfitters etc.). It did not work out. The overpopulation turned into a sharp decrease in the average size of caribou populations due to overgrazing and now there is a huge decrease in the caribou population.

[Hunt it]

sorry but some folks have no idea what they are talking about! There is no limit on hogs in Texas, there is no season - kill them 365 days a year - 24 hrs a day - no license required for depredication - use helicopters, tanks, bombs, full auto machine guns, lasers, infrared, dogs, you name it it's legal. Don't blame the government or the ranchers. Prices are more than fair for good quality hunting if you do your homework- No they are not going to send a bus up here to get you.

[hankenhunter]

sorry but some folks have no idea what they are talking about! There is no limit on hogs in Texas, there is no season - kill them 365 days a year - 24 hrs a day - no license required for depredication - use helicopters, tanks, bombs, full auto machine guns, lasers, infrared, dogs, you name it it's legal. Don't blame the government or the ranchers. Prices are more than fair for good quality hunting if you do your homework- No they are not going to send a bus up here to get you.

Damn, and I had my bags packed and was waitin for the bus.
Hank