A plague of viscious pigs

berettaman

This might be of interest:

Oklahoma’s environment is under attack.

Crops, pastures, trees and wildlife habitats are being threatened. Even cemetery headstones are in the line of fire, Reuters reports.
The Pig Army has declared war on Oklahoma, and farmers and ranchers are doing their best to fight back. But the ranks of this battalion of wild boars aren’t filled with pot-bellies, the news services’ Kevin Murphy reports:

They are vicious critters that typically grow to 200 pounds, can run 30 miles per hour, jump three feet high and climb out of traps with walls up to six feet high, experts say.

Another terrifying detail: This pig army attacks at night.

They seldom appear in the daytime making them hard to count, but [John Mayer, manager of the environmental science group at the Savannah River National Laboratory in Aiken, South Carolina] estimates there are 5.5 million feral pigs nationwide. There could be up to 8 million, up from a maximum 2 million in 1990, he said.

The pigs have evolved from wild boars or domestic farm pigs that have escaped, Reuters reports, and are prevalent in 36 states. “Texas is the most pig-plagued state, with an estimated 2.9 million in 2011,” Reuters reports.
People have tried shooting and trapping the pigs, but authorities are also considering “poisons and birth control to control the population,” the news service reports:
“They are here to stay and its going to take a huge concerted effort to get the numbers under control,” said Russell Stevens, a wildlife and fisheries consultant for the Oklahoma-based Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation.


Be careful what you wish for!Here is the Link:


http://stateimpact.npr.org/oklahoma/2013/08/26/a-plague-of-vicious-pigs-has-invaded-oklahoma/

The Aussie

berettaman wrote: »

The news services’ Kevin Murphy reports:

They are vicious critters that typically grow to 200 pounds, can run 30 miles per hour, jump three feet high and climb out of traps with walls uto six feet high, experts say.

Another terrifying detail: This pig army attacks at night.

A wee bit sensationalist I think.....

I'm still yet to see any pig climb out of trap made out of steel reinforcing mesh

berettaman

Possibly sensationalist but this is "'Merica" we're talking about...

The Aussie

berettaman wrote: »

Possibly sensationalist but this is "'Merika" we're talking about...

I know, most of the Australian media is unwatchable due to the same poor standard of journalism.

Birdnuts

If things are that bad then maybe birth control might work. But poisons should not be used as non-target protected species, livestock, pets etc. would be at risk. TBH I find it hard to believe that the fabled American hunting scene can't get a grip on this. Maybe they should look at these animals as an asset that can be harvested for the benefit of the many millions of Americans that struggle to put food on the table. You could also use incentives like requiring hunters to harvest a certain number of pigs in order to get more deer permits or the like

dodderangler

Hunters dream.
They are currently doing the same with nutria.
eRATicate them( sorry had to do it) and get bounty for them.
I imagine pigs do alot more damage than the nutria so why not put a bounty on pig. Even to pay for the lads ammo

rowa

The Aussie wrote: »

I know, most of the Australian media is unwatchable due to the same poor standard of journalism.

you should see the dreck that passes for journalism in ireland, especially on anything to do with firearms.

EWQuinn

They are a growing problem over here, not just in OK but in Missouri and elsewhere. They are encouraging hunting in many places but pigs multiply fast, are smart and can be difficult to hunt. The idea of forming posse's with bounty and paying for ammo is a good one.

FISMA

EWQuinn wrote: »

They are a growing problem over here, not just in OK but in Missouri and elsewhere. They are encouraging hunting in many places but pigs multiply fast, are smart and can be difficult to hunt. The idea of forming posse's with bounty and paying for ammo is a good one.

I heard farmers are requesting people to cull on their land. I'll have to do a bit of searching to see what I can do. I wonder if it is legal to lamp them?

They are incredibly destructive. They literally eat dirt and roots. What they do not eat, they destroy.

If you think you have it bad because of deer on your land, pray you never see feral pigs/boars.

I have also heard that nutria are getting out of hand as well.

The Aussie

You can't lamp them, they have no interest in standing around looking at lights.

In Oz game dealers buy them for decent money, best way of controlling after a baiting programme is waving money infront of people, I heavily supplemented my wages as an apprentice by doing it, great fun was had in the process...