Feral hogs the scourge of the prairie, unless you take into consideration state lawmakers, do a lot of ag and ecological damage. I try to keep up to date on newest methods for trapping, hunting, ect.. I have been reading on the tests being conducted since last year in Texas and Alabama regarding the use of sodium nitrite and any effects it will have on scavengers. They have released no "new" findings so far. I say new because this has already been proven to be effective in Australia with a product called Hog Gone. So why is it taking so long to be approved here in the States?
Because our "superiors" here in the states have to complicate the hell out of everything before they grant us permission to solve problems. If I had a hog problem on my personal property, I'd use whatever means necessary to solve it and they could kiss my rosey red.
If they are on your land why not let others come and hunt them. People pay good money to shoot hogs. I have friends that travel from out of state regularly to visit my place and hunt them. (I don’t charge them lol) Just a thought.
Did that a couple of times. Had a church group of hunters, so they said. Went out with them a couple of nights and let them hunt under my night hunting exemption. Got a call from the neighbor that watches my gate a few months later who told me their were a group of guys parked and hopping the gate. A couple of them just decided they could go anytime they wanted, tickets were issued. Unfortunately, a few have ruined it for many. Plus, hunting a trapping alone DOES NOT WORK, FACT. I have spent a lot of money equipping a 308 with a suppressor and a night vision scope and two coral traps. They are more then a nuisance. I am a conservationist first and a hunter second, even I say poison is the answer.
I would imagine someone is getting a fat government grant to conduct "studies" and someone else is getting a fat kickback for approving it.
dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane was thought to be a good idea at one time also. You can look a back and find numerous examples of things we thought were safe that turned out to be anything but safe. Sometimes the potential long term unknown effects just might not be worth the short term benefits. It’s easy to point finger at government red tape because there is so much of it. However in some instances a measured approach is prudent.
If we are going to start poisoning animals because of damage shouldn't we just start with deer first. www.deerbusters.com/blog/agricultural-damage-by-wildlife/
Loss to deer is bad enough but nothing close to the damage hogs do. I've seen crop fields that not only was the crop decimated but the entire field looked like it had been cultivated. It was a no-till only crop field as well and the only way to straighten it out was to work it. They are also vigorous predators that'll eat eggs, birds, rabbits or anything else they can find. For as much damage as deer can do, hogs are far worse. That link only puts a number on crop losses, not the overall amount of damage done including environmental.
Deer graze my wheat fields just like the cattle do and it's beneficial to production. Hogs on the other hand root it up and destroy it leaving it looking like the cratered surface of the moon. I will say that overall nationally deer may do more damage but few of those areas have the concentration of feral pigs like what we are dealing with in the southern half of nation.
Sure I get that, ddt was a horrible idea and I see fewer horny toads bc of it. But the point I am getting at is this has been proven to be an effective approach in Australia with little to no effect on the buzzards, dingos and other scavengers. So what's the hold up? Idk, maybe I am just at my wits end and losing patience at the same rate I am losing cropland, income and my woodlot.
Bob if you can find it do it. I had an issue at my place a few years back I had a severe raccoon problem, I tried to go thru the states trappers association I tried to find somebody to come and trap nobody would trap in my area because of surrounding houses. I went with a chemical solution and tended to it each morning removing the bodies and removing any left over poison. No other animals were harmed other than raccoons and I removed over 40 from my property.
I am a lot of things but a law breaker is not one of them. Plus, you can't find it in the states yet. Somehow or another I guess the gimmick to Hog Gone is that they encapsulate the sodium nitrite and have a special feeder for it. I have reached out to the company and let them know I have an interest in selling the products and/or running a service that provides the product. Being a farmer/roofer in Oklahoma.. this year us like having two strikes already so I might as well see if I can just full on strike out.. lol.
Hunters can keep a deer herd in check. With adjusted doe limits, they can even tip the scale. I personally don't think that's possible with wild hogs in many instances, who can have several farrows a year. Many areas in Okie and Texas are beyond simple hunting and trapping from what's been reported. There are farmers in SC, though, who have found that a dedicated night hunter with the right equipment can do wonders. Every situation is different.
This is what you call illegal poaching. The land is yours, but the wildlife belongs to all of us. Please, in the future follow all conservation and game laws.
LOL, if that's the case then please come by and pick up your ****mned hogs so they quit tearing up my farms! I'm giving you 30 days notice, after that I'm going to start billing you $30 per head per week plus 6% interest.
