The Hog Blog

Many thanks to NorCal Cazadora for passing this along. There are so many articles about the lead ban right now, this one slipped right by me…

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You know, I’m pretty tolerant of the press when they get things a little mixed up.  In many cases, it’s the result of being assigned to write a story about a subject you know nothing about… and with nothing more to build off of than a few paragraphs in a press release.  You read this stuff, go out and do a couple of interviews of “experts”, then write your story.  So it’s no surprise when the press makes a boo-boo.

On the other hand, when the “experts” blow it… or even worse, when they step outside of their realm of expertise and start spouting conjecture as “truth”, then I get a little angry.  Case in point, CA Fish and Game Commission Chariman, RIchard Rogers in his recent comments to the San Diego Union-Tribune. 

As have many CA news sources, the U-T was putting together an article to launch today, on the eve of the CA Lead Ban, the Ridley-Tree Condor Preservation Act.  It’s actually a pretty good write-up overall, spanning the history of the lead ammo ban legislation, and some good info from the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) about how initial enforcement efforts will focus on education.  For the most part it seems pretty balanced, considering I don’t think the writer personally knows very much about the topic. 

But then you get about two-thirds of the way down and get to read as Commissioner Rogers makes a damning case against lead ammo… not just in the condor zone, but across the board.

Fish and Game Commission President Richard Rogers said he was influenced by a University of California study demonstrating a connection between lead in condor blood and bullets.

The commission “had to act and act immediately,” Rogers said.

They had to act because they were named in a lawsuit and the State cannot afford to fight it. Why can’t bureaucrats just tell the truth? The hunters I know are more likely to accept a simple fiscal fact than some B.S. lip-service that obscures the facts and paints us all into a corner.

Instead, Rogers becomes the wide-eyed zealot of the Save the Condor club. The most specious evidence becomes proof-positive, and he has his epiphany. But wait, not only is the Fish and Game Commission saving the condors! They’re gonna save us all from ourselves too!

Moreover, lead fragments pose a threat to human health when the venison or wild pig is served at the family dinner table, he said.

“Most of the guys I know are real stewards. They would be appalled if they knew they were killing condors and if they were threatening the health of their families,” he said.

The health of our families? Really? And lead ammo is a proven health risk to humans?

Yeah, I’ve been following the “revelations” of Dr. Cornatzer and the Peregrine Fund. So far the only thing they’ve demonstrated is that lead bullets disperse more widely in animals than some of us may have anticipated. There’s been absolutely no link to human health issues arising from lead bullets in meat (unless, of course, it’s a bullet in human meat…which would certainly create some health issues).

Let me re-state that just to be clear… NO LINK BETWEEN LEAD-SHOT GAME MEAT AND HUMAN HEALTH!

Mr. Rogers is repeating misinformation to a largely-ignorant public. He’s spreading a panic that is totally unnecessary and utterly misplaced. That’s both irresponsible and, frankly, stupid.

I guess there’s nothing in Rogers’s job description that requires him to actually be an advocate for hunters, which is a good thing considering the disservice he does us through making foolish and unfounded statements on such a loaded topic (pun…take it or leave it). Now, according to his logic, not only are hunters the biggest threat to condors, but we’re a threat to human health too!   That should do wonders for our public relations!

Fish and Game Commissioners are not elected officials.  They’re appointed by the Governor, and as such really have very little direct accountability to their constituencies.  The actions of this current commission, particulary Mr. Rogers in his leadership role, have shown very clearly what they think of one large but quiet segment of that constituency…  the hunters.  We’re less than zero to them…  Job security and little else.  We can be trampled under because we won’t speak up for ourselves until it’s too late. 

I’d say it’s time for CA hunters to speak up now, and let the Governor know what we think of his appointees… and that it’s time for a change! 

 

I’d be remiss if I didn’t at least mention last week’s “momentous” Supreme Court ruling in the case of D.C. vs. Heller.  It’s hardly news at this point, and if you’re disappointed that I didn’t cover it sooner…well, sorry.  There are far too many politics and gun rights blogs, newspapers, sites, and organizations out there who are much better prepared to trumpet this news to the world… complete with their own spin and prognostication. 

Personally, while I think its a good deal that the decision came down on the side of reason, I don’t think it was quite the victory the gun rights crowd was hoping for.  What surprised me more than anything was the blatant retort from the dissenting Justices who, in essence, argued that there’s no such thing as an individual right to bear arms.  I expected some kind of wrangling about the “greater good” and public interest, but not for any of them to come right out and say that the American People have no right to arm themselves in self-defense. 

Anyway, it’s not over yet.  There’s still a lot of room open for firearm restrictions.  They’ll just have to be tailored against the letter of the law as it was just defined.  A roomful of lawyers can handle that well enough, and you can be sure they will… and the fight will go on and on. 

Anyway, unless something truly big comes down the pike on this issue, I’ll leave discussion of this topic to those more inclined, such as Tom Remington over at the Black Bear Blog.  Tom’s right on top of this, and just wrote a really nicely done post regarding the implications of the decision, as well as a great summary of the justification provided by Justice Scalia. 

In the meantime, I’m all for staying involved at all levels (and I do), but as far as the Hog Blog goes, we’re gonna focus on keeping an eye on the small stuff, like the lead ban and hog hunting legislation. 

See?  The good folks in Pennsylvania tried to warn us that hogs are fierce and a threat to life and limb!  It looks like maybe their warnings have proven true…

Or not, really.

According to this article on Arizona Star Net, a javeina bit a Dutch tourist at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, causing the staff to evacuate the museum and shut it down for the day while a search was made for the offending beast. 

From the report so far, the fierce creature slipped into the museum grounds somehow, and while the attack was allegedly unprovoked, it is possible that the animal felt cornered.  Or, so goes the article. 

Apparently thinking the animal was part of an exhibit, the man unknowingly approached too close to the javelina, said Aninna Thornburg, an Arizona Game and Fish spokeswoman.

It was a non-provoked attack, though the javelina could have felt cornered, Thornburg said.

OK, javelina really aren’t even related to wild boar or feral hogs, but I did think it was an interesting story.  Besides, it gives me an easy post to kick off the week! 

I haven’t seen any press releases or anything on this, but I was browsing around the Nosler website yesterday and saw that they are now selling the E-Tip bullets in .277 (for .270) and 7mm.  Previously, this lead-free bullet was only available in .30 caliber. 

For those of you reloaders out there, this is a good alternative to the Barnes bullets.  While I’ve personally been really happy with the Barnes TSX, some folks have found that they can’t get decent or consistent accuracy with them.  This can often be fixed through tinkering with your loads, but if you want to try something different, you might check out the E-Tips. 

As of now, I haven’t heard any word about when Winchester will start offering these two calibers in factory-loaded ammo.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see an announcement soon, and I will share that with you all as soon as I get it.  If all goes well, I’ll be able to try some of these out when they’re released. 

In the meantime, California hunters remember… whether you’re hog or boar hunting, deer hunting, or hunting coyotes and ground squirrels… the lead ban comes into effect on Tuesday.  The DFG has posted an updated list of “certified” lead-free ammunition on their website.  You can also find maps of the condor zone (the ban is only in effect in this zone, NOT statewide). 

I’ll do what I can to keep you updated, but folks, it’s critical for you to educate yourselves on this law and the issues surrounding it… both here in CA and across the country.

 

That’s how it seems! 

For the past two days, the typical summer morning fog has lifted from the San Francisco Bay to reveal skies that are still just as gray and hazy.  The stuff gathers at the hills in yellow-brown eddies, waiting for a breeze to lift it up and over to be deposited in the Livermore Valley. 

Every afternoon, my motorcycle seat is covered in fine, white ash… almost like snow.  You can’t really see it sifting down, but it sure does accumulate.  For a few days now, every breath brings the odor of cold ash and old smoke.  The news is warning folks with breathing problems like asthma to avoid outdoor activities althogether, and advising those of us with healthy respiratory systems to be careful.  It’s bad.

I heard this morning that there are about 1000 separate fires burning in the state right now, from the Oregon border to Monterey.  A fire map looks like a pincushion with all the little markers.  And it’s only June! 

What’s even stranger is to flip my news page over to the East Coast and have a look at North Carolina where at least two major fires are eating up wildlife habitat.  I’m used to CA burning in the summer time, but NC usually gets enough rain in the spring and summer to keep the big fires down.  Not this year, though.

I don’t know what all’s going on… but it’s looking like a rough year coming, and maybe more on the horizon.  Weather patterns have gone whacky, and whether we (humans) are adding to it or not doesn’t really matter right now… the fact is that something’s up and I think big changes are coming. 

The plants and critters seem to have known it for a couple of seasons now, as I have seen a couple of big upsurges in youngsters and seeds/fruit.  Acorns were as dense as I’ve ever seen last year, and the year before.  Lots of deer were showing twins, and the hogs seemed to have a ton of little ones running around too.  It’s like they know things are gonna get tough, and a lot of them won’t survive, so they’re seeding future generations as hard as they can go before it happens. 

Anyway, I’m not in a panic, as I know the planet has seen changes before and will see them again.  But I’m amazed at what I’m seeing in the relatively short span of my own lifetime… and wonder what our children and their kids will see in the future.  Kinda cool, but a little scary too. 

Meanwhile, the fires are licking at some of my hunting spots already.  That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as this habitat was born of fire, but it sure makes for a tough year waiting for things to settle back down. 

Some of you may remember a couple weeks back when I posted up about a new program from the CA DFG (Department of Fish and Game).  The campaign provides resident sportsmen an opportunity to ask questions of the DFG, and get answers back in a weekly Q&A format. 

I posted the first one, I think, but haven’t done one since.  The questions seemed a little lightweight to me, what with the issues that sportsmen in this state have to face.  But I thought I’d put up one more, just to see what folks thing about it.  I’m not sure it’s offering as much value to Hog Blog readers as i’d hoped it would.  I’d like to see some meatier questions, but maybe folks don’t know they can ask them here.

Anyway, I’ll see what kind of feedback this one generates.  If I decide not to continue posting these, you can always find them online at the CA DFG website. 

Read the rest of this entry »

I received this press release a little while back, and it disappeared.  My apologies for turning it loose so late, because some of this stuff will have a real impact on Texas hog hunters and hunting ranches. 

Give it a read, and if you live in Texas and want to make comments, get ‘em in there fast!  The deadline is July 6!

News Release
Texas Animal Health Commission
Box l2966 * Austin, Texas 78711 * (800) 550-8242 * FAX (512) 719-0719
Bob Hillman, DVM * Executive Director
For info, contact Carla Everett, information officer, at 1-800-550-8242,
ext. 710, or ceverett@tahc.state.tx.us

For immediate release—

Proposed Wild Hog Rules Aim to Aid Producers, Trappers & Hunters

Described as being as prolific as cockroaches, destructive as rats, and as surly as badgers, wild (feral) hogs are the bane of ranchers and farmers, but they’re a boon for hunters.  Nearly three million of these dirt slingin’ critters roam free in Texas, rooting up pastures, wallowing in creek beds, and gorging themselves on crops and gardens.  Trappers and hunters often are called in to help reduce hog numbers when feral swine run amuck.

For nearly a year, a team of commercial swine and show pig producers,slaughter plant operators, veterinarians, hunters, hog trappers and wildlife biologists have wrestled with rule ideas that would prevent captured wild hogs from creating more chaos, while still giving hunters an opportunity to bag a boar trophy worth bragging rites.  In mid-May, draft regulations were presented to commissioners for the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC), the state’s livestock and poultry health regulatory agency.  Public comment on the proposed rules, to be published in the Texas Register June 6, will be accepted by the TAHC through July 6.   TAHC commissioners will consider the rules for adoption at their next meeting on July 29 in Austin.

“The 80th legislature, in the TAHC’s Sunset Bill, provided for the TAHC toregulate feral swine, which are regarded as free-ranging livestock.  The TAHC regulations are to be limited to disease control purposes, including holding facilities, sale, exhibition, hunting or movement,” said Dr. Dee Ellis, Texas’ assistant state veterinarian and TAHC advisor to the feral swine working group.  “If these proposed rules are adopted, they will supersede TAHC’s current feral swine regulations that aren’t comprehensive.  We know we can’t get rid of feral swine, but we can find ways to deal with the animals so that it benefits all sectors of the industry.”

Dr. Ellis said the proposed regulations give trappers greater latitude for holding and moving trapped swine.  Approved holding facilities and authorized hunting preserves would be sanctioned and inspected by the TAHC, and operators or owners would be required to keep records on the animals for at least five years.  Applications for operating the holding facilities or hunting preserves will be available from the TAHC, if the regulations are adopted.

Because there is some limited interest in changing captured feral swine to “domestic” swine by testing the animals, the proposed regulations would allow for wild hogs to be reclassified as “domesticated” pigs after a series of at least three negative blood tests for swine Brucellosis and pseudorabies during a minimum 150-day quarantine period.  (This practice is not recommended, however.) Additionally, sows and other sexually intact female swine would be required to undergo a fourth negative test for the diseases, at least 30 days after their initial farrowing in quarantine.

The disposition of feral swine that are not “domesticated” through the quarantine and testing process is limited to slaughter only, except for boars and barrows, which may be moved to TAHC-authorized hunting preserves.

The proposed rules also would allow for the wild pigs to be held after trapping in an escape-proof pen or enclosure on a trailer for up to seven days before moving the animals directly to a federally or state-inspected slaughter plant, to a TAHC-authorized hunting preserve, or to an approved holding facility, awaiting final disposition.

The proposed rules would allow only boars and barrows to be moved to TAHC-authorized hunting facilities, which would have to be equipped with swine-proof fencing at least five feet high.  Boars and barrows also would have to be individually identified prior to being placed into the preserve.

Hunting preserve operators would need a “Hunting Lease License” and hog hunters would need a hunting license, both from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, but there is no season on these animals so often regarded as a pest and a threat to livestock health.

“It is extremely important that proposed holding facilities and hunting preserves be ‘escape proof.’  Identification on the boars and barrows in hunting preserves would help us identify pigs that ‘get loose,’ ” said Dr. Ellis.  Required record-keeping would include the number of swine placed in or removed from the facilities, the animals’ weight, size, color, sex and any identification applied to the animal, and the locations from which they were trapped and to which they were moved.

“Strict requirements are necessary to prevent moving an animal that has a potential livestock disease from one site to another,” said Dr. Ellis. “From tests on feral swine over a four-year period, we know that around 20 percent of wild hogs in Texas carry pseudorabies, a regulatory flu-like swine disease not related to rabies.  About 10 percent of the feral pigs have swine Brucellosis, the swine form of “Bangs,” or cattle Brucellosis.”

Since January 2006, the swine form of Brucellosis has been detected in 26 cattle in 19 herds.  Although the swine infection in cattle does not affect Texas’ hard-won ‘free’ status for cattle Brucellosis, it does cause positive test results when cattle are tested prior to sale.  The bacteria must be “grown out” in the laboratory to differentiate between swine Brucellosis and cattle Brucellosis infection. In the meantime, cattle in the consignment or herd must be held up, and additional tests may be needed to ensure there is no cattle Brucellosis infection in the herd.

Feral swine also can have a health impact on noncommercial swine, which may be housed in facilities that are more likely to have feral swine contact than commercial swine facilities. Of the 41 noncommercial swine herds quarantined for swine Brucellosis infection since January 2003, 29 either had definite or possible contact with wild hogs.

” ‘Contact with feral swine’ can be as simple as a wild sow or boar either being allowed in, breaking into swine pens, or making contact through a fence,” noted Dr. Ellis. “Related contacts” can include an activity such as purchasing piglets from a producer who allows feral swine into his or her pens.  In this case, a buyer could be purchasing piglets that have been exposed to disease carried by feral swine.

Dr. Ellis advised domestic swine owners to keep feral swine out of their pens. When purchasing replacement swine by private treaty, ask if the pigs have been exposed to feral swine. If possible, keep the animals isolated until tested for swine Brucellosis and pseudorabies. At livestock markets selling sexually intact swine six months of age or older, these tests are required, and blood samples are collected from the animals by TAHC personnel.

“Commercial swine herds are operated with great attention to biosecurity, and in Texas, these herds currently are swine Brucellosis and pseudorabies-free,” said Dr. Ellis.  But each time we detect infection in a noncommercial herd, it puts a hardship on producers, because we must trace animal movement, test herds in a widespread area, and handle infected herds appropriately.  Swine brucellosis also poses a significant public health threat to those handling or inadvertently producing infected animals. By adopting regulations that make it easier for trappers to remove feral swine from an area, and place boars and barrows only in a hunting facility, we encourage legal regulated movements of the animals and have less chance of disease transmission from these wild hogs. These proposed regulations can benefit swine producers, cattlemen, trappers and hunters, too.”

On June 6, a link to the text of the proposed regulations will appear on the TAHC website at: http://www.tahc.state.tx.us/http://www.tahc.state.tx.us. 

The proposed regulations also are available by calling the TAHC at 800-550-8242, ext 710. 

Comments on the proposed rules may be emailed to: comments@tahc.state.tx.us, faxed to 512-719-0719, or mailed to  TAHC Comments, Box 12966, Austin, TX 78711-2966. 

Comments are due no later than July 6.

Everyone else is talking about it, why can’t I?  Besides, I’m short of topics anyway  (well, not really, but this is an easy one).

So the a common question these days seems to be, “how is the price of fuel going to impact your hunting this upcoming season?”

It’s a good conversation starter, that’s for sure.  I don’t know anyone who isn’t hit in one way or another by these crazy prices, especially out here in the west, where a two or three hour drive to hunt isn’t unusual.  At four dollars or more a gallon for gasoline, and with diesel costing half a sawbuck, most of us are feeling the pinch. 

I know I am.  My Dodge Ram diesel gets somewhere in the range of 12 to 14 mpg with the camper shell on it.  That adds up fast.  My last hunt at Tejon Ranch cost me in the neighborhood of $300 just to get there and back… and that’s not including the fuel I used running around the ranch in Petunia (which wasn’t really very much, since she gets somewhere around 40mpg when she’s tuned up). 

So what’s it doing to my hunting plans? 

Well, to begin with, I’ve turned down several hog hunting invitations over the past couple of months.  I can’t afford to drop a couple hundred dollars every weekend, especially since I just came off a four month hiatus from full-time work.  I also bagged any plans to make an out-of-state hunt for 2008, saving up the cash for ‘09, which will probably also be pretty limited. 

I love a road trip.  I had every intention of driving to Texas for the exotics hunt a couple months ago, but the cost of fuel alone would have been more than the plane ticket.  Likewise, I’m seriously considering flying to Colorado for my 2009 elk hunt… although at the rate the airlines are going, with extra baggage fees and such, I may end up driving anyway. 

Of course I know I’m not the only one feeling the pinch.  Most of the guides I know burn a good bit of fuel, both driving to and from the field, and driving around to scout their properties.  When the fuel cost for a day’s hunt adds $50 or $75 to your operating costs, that makes it tough to come out ahead.  You either raise your fee, or you take a beating and lose your butt.  Nobody is in business to do that.  I’ve heard a lot of folks complain about the cost of guided hunts, but just wait until guides start adding in their own fuel surcharge. 

What to do about it? 

For me, the Dodge stays parked most of the time.  I use it to get to the hunting grounds, and to haul the horses (which I haven’t done in a while), but that’s about it.  I commute on my motorcycle, and use Petunia for running around town if I don’t feel like riding the bike.  That helps, of course, as long as I’m not doing a lot of hunting.  But deer season is around the corner, and I need to spend some time this summer up at Coon Camp Springs. 

Maybe I should get a second job?

So what are ya’ll doing about it?  How’s it impacting your hunting or other travel plans? 

Just added this image, following Tom and Arthur’s comments: 

A few years ago, I finally decided to try bowhunting.  I’d blame my little brother and a few other bad influences, since their incessant rhapsodizing about the rewards of “getting close”, and how it took hunting to a whole new level.  My brother, in particular, has been pretty successful every year with NC whitetails.  Other hunters I know have completely abandoned their firearms for stick and string.

Why did I resist?  Partially because I remember my early years running the woods with my little Blue Bear longbow, and how hard it was to actually hit anything with that thing.  I didn’t feel like I had the time or patience to learn to shoot well enough to hunt ethically. 

I finally decided to give it a try, and started shooting my dad’s old Ben Pearson recurve.  Its 45lb draw weight made it a little light for big game, but I figured it would be fine for the smallish blacktails I hunt here in CA… if I decided to hunt with it.  I had a large backyard that abutted a nursery (plants, not kids), and a cinderblock wall ran the length of my fence, making for a very secure backstop.  The arrangement allowed me to shoot every day, and I did so… slinging hundreds of arrows a week until I got to the point where I was fairly consistent at 15-20 yards. 

My confidence raised, I began bowhunting.  After a season with the Pearson, I was given a new, custom recurve.  I chose to stick with traditional archery because I wanted the increased challenge.  I’d seen how “easy” it was to get extreme accuracy out of a compound, and the extended range made it seem little more than a short-range rifle.  I wanted the real challenge, and to reap the reward of a bowkill using nothing more than the bare bow and my well-honed skills. 

In my first season, I missed two deer and more turkeys than I care to count.  The next year I missed another deer, and slung errant arrows at several hogs… all without so much as cutting a hair.  I also passed on too many shots to count, due to the range or shot angle.  I missed some more turkeys as well.  Well, I’d asked for a challenge, right?

A couple more seasons came and went the same way, until finally, one drizzly afternoon, I finally had a little boar turn broadside at 18 yards… an optimal opportunity.  My draw went unnoticed, my focus locked, and I let fly.  It looked real good for a second, then the boar stepped forward.  Instead of plunging into the heart/lung area, the 160grain Magnus broadhead zipped right through that pig’s paunch. 

I tracked that hog up the mountain side, crawling and circling to find the tiniest specks of blood for several hundred yards.  The drizzle was becoming rain, making the trail harder to see.  Finally, the boar apparently caught up with the rest of the herd as they rooted and fed through the leaves and grass.  The trail was erased by the snouts and hooves of thirty feeding hogs, and I was unable to pick it up again.  After spending a couple more hours inspecting every draw and clump of bushes for hundreds of yards around, I realized my pig was lost.   Even worse, I knew it would die from the wound I’d inflicted.

Another couple of frustrating seasons went by, with more missed and passed shots.  But it all culminated last fall, when my brother and I decided to do an archery elk hunt in Colorado.  The hunt started well enough, despite bad weather… and after a couple of days I suddenly found myself face-to-face with a bugling bull.  As he came in, he looked right at me several times, and I was unable to draw the bow until at last I was within 15 yards of him.  He was standing head-on, so I never had a good shot angle until he started to walk away.  At 40 yards (a chip shot with a compound bow) he stopped and turned broadside, looking over his shoulder for the source of the hot cow calls.  40 yards is twice my comfortable range, but he looked so big I felt like I had to try.  I did, and of course it was a miserable flop… the tip of my bow catching on a branch and throwing my arrow harmlessly off into the bushes.

Throughout these years of failed attempts, many well-meaning hunting buddies have tried to convince me to move up to a compound bow.  It would ease the frustration, allowing me more shot opportunities and better accuracy control.  A compound shoots faster and flatter, eliminating that infuriating tendency of game to just walk away before my slow-moving traditional arrows even arrive.  It delivers more kinetic energy, translating into better penetration and cleaner kills.

But I held out.  I’m stubborn like that. 

Until February, another archery hunt at Tejon Ranch… and one more hog steps right into my prime killing range.  I draw, take careful aim, and let it fly.  The arrow sails a little high, above and behind the shoulder.  It penetrates about eight inches and I see it flapping from the hog’s side as she bolts down the mountain.  I sit down and take a breath, giving her a chance to expire.  That was a good hit, I’m sure of it.

Except it wasn’t.  Turns out there’s an area of the hog’s anatomy that really doesn’t have any critical organs or blood vessels.  It’s a small spot, probably tough to hit on purpose, but I’d apparently put my arrow right in the middle of it.  After several hours on a really trying trail, the blood finally disappeared.  With three other experienced hunters assisting, we still couldn’t find any further sign of that pig.   I’d lost another one. 

I haven’t picked up my bow since then. 

But now, as July rolls around the corner bringing the first CA archery deer season, I’m itching to hunt again.  I’m a little conflicted, though, as my confidence in using the recurve is pretty low…especially since I haven’t been practicing.  I can’t shoot in the backyard anymore, so I have to go to an archery shop and pay by the hour.  This seriously curtailed my practice sessions, and for traditional archers, daily or at least very regular practice is absolutely mandatory. 

So I’m thinking…  maybe it’s time to swallow my pride and go over to the dark side… putting some “training wheels” on my bow, so to speak.  A compound bow isn’t cheap, though, especially if it’s to be set up for hunting.  There are a lot of gadgets and gizmos to put on: sights, rests, bow quivers, silencers, releases, etc. 

Which brings me to an idea… anybody know of a good archery manufacturer who would like to sponsor the HogBlog to some new gear? 

 

 

Oh my lord!  Gather the women, hide the babies!  Wild boar are on the rampage in Pennsylvania!  Thankfully, the government is here to help! 

Or at least that’s what I got reading this gem of an “informative” article from the York (PA) Daily Record.  Here’s the lead:

You have enough to worry about, what with escalating gas prices, global warming, the meltdown of the housing market and Willie Randolph being fired as manager of the New York Mets.

Now, add to that list the prospect of being attacked by roving packs of feral hogs.

I’d like to quote the whole article, but since I don’t have the rights and don’t really feel like contacting the Daily Record to get them, I’ll leave it to you folks to go have a read.  I really hope you will. 

Those of you who know a little about wild hogs should get a laugh.  But temper your hilarity with the fact that this information is being passed to people who DON’T know better… and it’s being sold as the word of “wildlife experts”.  That’s not so funny.

As feral hogs (or are they escaped wild boar?  These “experts” probably know the difference…. right?) begin to establish a population in the state, the “experts” are rushing out to instill a sense of caution (or is that blind, ravaging fear?) in the general public. 

According to Harris Glass, a member of the USDA’s Feral Hog Task Force, while the documented spread of feral hogs in PA has been mostly restricted to five counties (not including York County, where this article is published), “That doesn’t mean we won’t have any in the future.”

And why the concern?

“They are a very invasive species,” said Wendy Looker, naturalist with the Codorus State Park. “They can be very dangerous.”

Dangerous?  Oh yes… scary, dangerous, mean, ugly critters!  The experts say so, it must be true!

The hogs also pose a threat to humans in that they are very aggressive, can weigh up to 400 pounds and have 9-inch-long tusks.

“They are absolutely fierce,” Looker said.

Excuse me a minute.  I just snorted coffee all over my keyboard. 

OK, I’m better now.

400 pound hogs with nine-inch tusks!?!  Did someone release warthogs in Pennsylvania? And “fierce”…? 

OK, I guess if you get your information from Wikipedia or some biology textbook, you’ll find information like that.  Actually, reports of 600lb boar in places like India, Iran, and Turkey are not unheard of.  In the US though, a 400 pound feral is pretty unusual, unless it’s fairly recently escaped/released from the farm.  And nine-inch tusks…  again, possible but hardly normal, even for the pure-strain wild boar.  And sure, someone is gonna reference “Hogzilla” with his 800-1000 pound body weight and 17″ tusks… but sorry, you can’t use an anomaly to define a norm.   

So where does reality intersect with inciting panic?

Truth be told, both wild boar and feral pigs (which are NOT the same critters, by the way) can be dangerous and even aggressive.  Heck, domestic pigs can downright mess up your day if you’re careless.  Regardless of lineage, these animals have the capability with their sheer strength and sharp tusks to be bad news.  I have several friends sporting scars and stories from encounters gone bad, but; in every case the injuries resulted from an animal that was either cornered or wounded… often both.  “Roving bands” of feral pigs just don’t go out of their way to attack people. 

There are cases, particularly near me, where the feral hogs have acclimated to human presence in much the same way as bears have done.  They have learned to associate humans with food.  In one of our local parks near San Jose, CA, the hogs have actually started crowding people out of picnic spots…  apparently drawn by the food, and encouraged by the fact that people will abandon their picnic quite readily at the appearance of these mean-looking creatures.  I have no doubt that people are intentionally feeding them too.  This is a recipe for trouble, just as it is when any wild animal becomes overly-accustomed to humans and hand-feeding. 

It’s also a fact that the real ”wild boar” (eurasian or european boar) can be a little more belligerent and aggressive.  It’s likely that many of the hogs in PA (and some other states) are true “Euros”, escaped from game ranches, so reports of “wild boar” in the countryside are factually accurate. 

You will hear reports of wild boar attacks on people and pets in places like Russia, Germany, and even (recently) Great Britain.  Under investigation, however, most reports of “unprovoked” attacks can be attributed to something out of the ordinary… the victim stumbled onto the pigs and got between them and their escape route, the victim was walking the dog and it got after the pigs, or the fact that the attacker was a sow protecting young.  These animals are bad-ass when they do get fired up, so it’s a good thing it seldom happens. 

So yeah, in reality folks should be aware that wild boar and feral hogs are in an area, and they should exercise the same caution and situational awareness they would exercise any time they’re in the outdoors.  There are much bigger threats to your personal safety than wild pigs, but it never hurts to know a little about them and treat them with the same respect you’d have for any other wild animal.  Give them some leeway, don’t treat them like pets or zoo-animals, keep your own pets out of their habitat or under control, and by all means DO NOT FEED THE WILDLIFE. 

But let’s not panic over visions of teeming hordes of big-toothed monster boars coming to eat the kids and disfigure the ladies.  That’s simply not realistic by any stretch of the imagination.  Articles and fear-mongering like we just read from the USDA and State Park naturalists are little more than attention grabs and sensationalism.  It may be well-intentioned, but misinformation is a disservice to the public, and to the hogs too.