The Hog Blog

I’ve mentioned before, many, many times, that I enjoy reading the Field and Stream Field Notes blog, co-written by Chad Love and Dave Hurteau.  Sometimes, I’ll find that the entries aren’t all that exciting, and sometimes they are, but I check in almost every week day just to see what’s new.

Well, checked in this morning to find that they’re talking about one of my pet topics… the spread of wild/feral hogs across the U.S., and what’s being done about it.  The post (read it here) is derived from a recent article in the Naples News, but the discussion it’s generating is worth checking out (they get a lot more blog responses than I ever will… not that I’m envious or anything). 

Anyway, go check it out if you’re of a mind.  It’s pretty much the same stuff I’ve been posting over here for a while, but it is interesting to see the variety of responses it’s generated so far.

Saw this the other day on fellow blogger, Moose’s site, Moose Droppings.  It’s not significant news or anything, I guess, but I did find it somewhat entertaining… particularly because it’s back home in NC, where feral hogs are making a serious comeback.   Figured I’d share it with you all when nothing else was going on.

Anyway, hope you enjoy.  I don’t expect any kind of follow-up on this one, but if something pops up, I’ll be sure to let ya’ll know.

I just finished reading a great, and very informative book by one of the foremost wild pig researchers in this country, John Mayer, along with Lehr Brisbin.  The book, entitled Wild Pigs in the United States, Their History, Comparative Morphology, and Current Status, was sent to me by the PR folks representing the University of Georgia Press.
 
I asked for the copy in part to serve my hunger for more scientific information about these great animals, and also to see if the authors were able to resolve one of the biggest arguments in hog hunting… how to tell a Eurasian boar hybrid from a plain, old, feral hog.  My objectives were, by and large, met within the pages of the book.

There are some scientists out there who truly write like gifted novelists.  Their prose is tight, reasonably colorful, and involving.  Their work flows like great fiction, and you come away both fulfilled and educated.

Mayer and Brisbin are not in that category.  These scientists write like… well… like scientists.  There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, except that the reading gets really dry.  I was definitely educated by the time I finished, but some of the book was really a chore to get through.  The morphology section, in particular, goes rapidly over the head of the non-taxonomists in the audience as well, and left me reeling for my old college textbooks. 

Literary criticism aside, though, this book was full of great stuff!  Read the rest of this entry »

I’m not going to dedicate a lot of space on the Hog Blog to the Swine Flu thing, unless it begins to directly involve wild hogs and hunters.  As I mentioned before, there’s no direct link between pigs and people so far.  This latest press release from the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) appears to support that position:

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:
 
Wild Hogs: No Indication of Flu Danger
 
You may catch the flu from your sick hunting buddy, but there’s no evidence that you will catch it from domestic or wild hogs, according to the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC).  There is no evidence that the new strain of H1N1 influenza is in domestic or wild hogs.  This disease is being spread from person to person.  
 
“We are prepared to test hogs, if a human/animal disease link is identified.  To date, there has been no indication that swine are involved,” said Dr. Bob Hillman, Texas state veterinarian and head of the TAHC, the state’s livestock and poultry health regulatory agency.  “We are participating on all calls with health and emergency officials, are monitoring the situation, and are consulting with local officials, but so far, there is no indication of animal-to-human disease spread.”
 
“Several hunters have asked about the safety of hunting wild hogs,” said Dr. Hillman.  “To repeat, there is no evidence that wild hogs are involved in this flu outbreak. Always, however, we advise wild hog hunters to protect themselves against potential exposure to swine brucellosis, a totally different disease that is not related in any way to the flu. We know from test results that about 10 percent of wild hogs carry swine brucellosis, a bacterial disease.”  
 
“When processing or butchering a wild hog, hunters should protect themselves against the blood and bodily fluids of wild hogs,” he said.  “When the wild hog meat is cooked, any swine brucellosis bacteria is destroyed by the heat.”
 
Trappers who catch wild hogs and owners of domestic swine also should practice good biosecurity to prevent spreading the flu to pigs.  “Don’t get around swine if you become ill, and avoid having visitors near your pigs,” said Dr. Hillman. “Have someone else feed the animals if you become ill with flu-like symptoms.  Notify your health department or the TAHC so your pigs can be monitored for disease.  Also, as a basic biosecurity measure, you should always wash your hands after handling animals.”
 
Dr. Hillman said wild hog trappers and domestic swine owners should call their veterinarian if their swine develop a sudden onset of respiratory illness.  The nearest TAHC area office or TAHC headquarters also should be notified so testing can be conducted according to the flu response protocol.  The TAHC headquarters may be reached at 800-550-8242.   

This came in yesterday, but it got bumped by the Peregrine Fund’s lead ammo report.  Oh well…

A few days back, I posted up a news story from Michigan about a couple who’d killed a whole herd of feral hogs in their backyard, including a real monster of a sow.  Well… as Paul Harvey (RIP) put it, here’s the rest of the story…

Turns out, the hogs were actually regular escapees from a neighboring farm that had been “terrorizing” the neighborhood for quite a while. 

From the story:

Neighbors of a Muskegon County couple who shot and killed four large feral pigs say the animals are the same ones that have been terrorizing their home. The neighbors believe the pigs escaped from a local farm.

“Those pigs have gotten out several times and they tried to attack me and my mother’s dog”, says Kelly Knife. She couldn’t believe it when she saw the WZZM story about a local couple who shot four pigs. She says they are the same pigs that have been escaping from the farm next door, for years. “It’s so hard to go outside during the summer because you don’t feel safe if they get out.”

Sounds like no one except the farmer is going to be sorry to see the animals go.  Even so, this may dash the hopes of prospective hog hunters in that part of Michigan.  Sorry, Arthur.

Just read this in my feeds today. A Texas man has been charged with intentionally releasing feral hogs in Wisconsin. The charges stem from a 2002 incident, in which the accused, Robert Scott Johnson, allegedly brought a trailer load of feral hogs from Texas to Wisconsin, and released them into the wild.

Here’s the article from the Houston Chronicle.

Much of the blame for the massive expansion of feral hogs throughout the U.S. has been placed on the doorstep of people importing and releasing the animals in order to create a huntable population in their area.  Hogs are prolific breeders and can survive a wide variety of environmental conditions, so once established, they’re hard to control and almost impossible to eradicate.

While I’ve expressed my own doubts about the actual negative impact of feral hogs on habitat and native wildlife, there’s no question that wild swine can do a lot of damage to agricultural interests.  Texas, the state with the largest population of feral hogs, estimates annual crop loss and damage at around $52 million, and spends millions of dollars per year on control and eradication efforts… not counting the amount spent by ranchers and farmers out of their own pockets.  (There is a flip side in Texas, however, as hog hunters from around the country flock to TX for a taste of wild pork.  While hog hunts in TX are relatively inexpensive, the volume of hunters is likely to continue to increase, creating a pretty lucrative industry for the ranchers, outfitters, and property-owners interested in capitalizing on the boom.)

The point is, importing these animals and releasing them uncontrolled into the wild is both environmentally irresponsible and detrimental to our sport.  I’ve heard an awful lot of people argue that hunters aren’t to blame for the spread of feral hogs, but cases like this one make it awful hard to defend the ethical majority in our community.  The fact is, the practice is a lot more prevalent than many people would like to admit or believe. 

Look, I love hog hunting.  It’s something of a minor obsession for me, and I think every hunter should have the opportunity to go after these wonderful game animals.  But honestly, spreading them across the country, releasing them into wild places where they simply don’t belong… that’s a bad practice.  Not only is there potential to damage habitat and native species, there’s also the likelihood that continuing the practice will bring down more draconian laws that make it hard on legal, ethical hunters.  You’re going to see more states taking the approach of Kansas and prohibiting the recreational take of feral hogs.  You’re also going to see more and more tax money diverted from necessary wildlife management and habitat programs in order to address this newly created problem. 

It’s not that expensive to take a long weekend trip to Texas or Florida and hunt the large population of feral hogs (I do not include CA in this list, although we have the second-largest herd of feral hogs in the country, because it’s become ridiculously expensive for a non-resident to hunt hogs here).  Head on down and see what it’s all about in a state that already has a “problem” and welcomes the assistance in controlling it.  Don’t be part of creating a new problem, both for the State and for hunters.

I’ve mentioned before that Missouri is taking an aggressive stance against the spread of wild and feral hogs.  Considered to be more than simply a pest, but a threat to agriculture and the environment, these hogs have definitely made the most-wanted list in several states, including Missouri.

As part of their efforts to eradicate, or at least control, the porcine invaders, the Missouri DNC has issued a “shoot on sight” order to hunters throughout the state. 

The Conservation Department asks that all hunters who encounter a feral hog shoot it on sight. Doing so will reduce the feral hog population and keep the spread of this destructive pest in check.

They’ve even created a section on the MO DNC website specifically about hogs, with information about their spread, tips for hunting them, and other news and updates.  If you live or hunt in Missouri, it’s definitely worth taking a look.

Elsewhere on the same site, I saw this interesting article:  Do Pigs Have Wings?

The article is loaded with information about why the State doesn’t want the pigs to spread.  And this leads me, once again, to the question that is blossoming in my mind…  are feral pigs really that big of a threat to the environment? 

I don’t know the answer, but I’m really finding myself questioning the standard arguments.  I’ll have to keep exploring this, but short of being a scientist who is paid to do this kind of research, most of my findings will remain anecdotal and based solely on my experience and information collected from other folks who, like me, are fascinated with the wild pig… both as quarry in the field, and as a strong, and adaptable creature. 

There’s a lot of great stuff out there that I’m dying to write about, but I’ve been a little too occupied of late.  Two big, and related topics, are the National Conference on Feral Swine (I may have the conference name screwed up… correction later) and a recent article about the phenomenal spread of feral hogs in the past few years.  It’s great stuff, and I think you folks will find it pretty interesting. 

What it all means though, is that the government has started paying closer attention to the growing pig population acoss the country, and they’re researching solutions to what is perceived as a major problem, both for agriculture and for the environment.  On of the newest tools is the National Feral Swine Mapping System (Firefox browser is recommended, but I saw it OK with IE).  This is a map showing the areas where feral pigs and wild hogs have been found across the continent.  With experts saying we’ll see feral hogs in all 50 states within a decade, this should be an interesting map to watch.

Stay tuned for more!

Well, you guys are probably getting tired of hunting videos where I don’t kill anything except time… but here’s another one anyway.  Sorry, the money shot is coming, but if I killed something every time I went out, I’d start looking like some of those pro hunters on TV and stuff.  Next thing you know, I’ll have to start hawking products and wearing logo hats instead of my old Stetson. 

Enough foolishness… on with the show!

Well, it’s been a while since the last edition of the Porcine Press, but that doesn’t mean our little piggy friends haven’t been making the news. 

First of all, we’ll visit our neighbors to the north, in the Canadian province of Alberta.  According to this article in the Edmonton Journal, it appears that the bristly beggars have settled right into the Great White North and are making a nuisance of themselves… so much so that the folks at the Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development agency have officially classified wild boar as pests, opening the door for unregulated killing to protect crops and property.  Of course, if you’ll read the whole article, you’ll find that the pest status may be a bit over-stated.  I won’t be packing my hog rifle for a drive to Alberta just yet. 

Speaking of travel…

This is the time of year when my heart and eyes start to wander in search of new places and experience.  OK, actually, my thoughts are usually of warm, tropical beaches, clear water, and big, pelagic fish… but I’m open to other things.   Now it’s been a long time since my honeymoon, but I’d be willing to pretend to be a newlywed if it meant I could sign up for this honeymoon package I just read about on PressReleases.com! 

The 14-day package highlights the adventurous side of Fiji, and takes guests to five different islands throughout the 300+ island archipelago. “I’d categorize some of the activities as ‘extreme’,” explains Marketing Director Susan de Geus, who lives on Fiji’s main island full time to facilitate the tours. “Skydiving and hunting for wild boars in the Fiji bush are definitely not what most honeymooners come to Fiji to experience,” she says. “But while the entire itinerary is adventure oriented, we give couples a break with soft activities like kayaking and snorkeling over the world’s fourth largest reef,” she explains.

Yeah, I could do that!

And moving right along, I’ll close with this great little piece from columnist Bob Terrell at the Asheville, NC Citizen-Times.  This one reminds me of the tales I’d get from my dad and uncles.  It also brings to mind the great stories I read over at the Animal Stories blog.