The Hog Blog

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.

Well, here’s a second look since my first look at the Olympic shooters in Beijing.

The US so far has six medals in the shooting events.  As you may remember, Corey Codgell was the big story, the newcomer who wasn’t even expected to be on the team worked her way through the obstacles and managed to wind up with a bronze medal in the women’s trap.  Kim Rhode took her fourth medal, a silver, in the Women’s Skeet, and Glen Eller took the gold and a new world record in Men’s Double Trap.

Since then, a few more stories have been told:

Jason Turner put in a tough fight in the 10 metre air pistol event, only to finish in fourth place.  However, a positive drug test disqualified the North Korean competitor, moving Turner into the third place spot for the Bronze.   Sure, I don’t think that’s how any Olympian wants to win a medal, but it’s no less an accomplishment for folks who compete at that level of skill.

Matt Emmons has been here before, but in the finals of the Men’s Prone Rifle managed to shoot a great score to lock in the silver medal, edged out by Ukrainian Artur Ayvazian. 

Most folks remember Emmons for his disastrous “cross-shot” in the Athens games, where, with the Gold Medal almost guaranteed, he fired his final shot into the target next to him. 

Emmons went on to his next event in this year’s Games, the Men’s Three Position Rifle, and lightning struck again… with the Gold Medal practically around his neck, Emmons’s final shot went wild, essentially off the paper and knocking him all the way back to fourth place. 

Medal #6 for the  US went to Men’s Skeet shooter, Vincent Hancock who took the gold after a fairly dramatic shoot-off with Norway’s Tore Brovold.

In the qualification round, Hancock set a new Olympic record, breaking 121 out of 125 targets.  That’s pretty danged good shooting.  He missed one target in the finals, while Brovold had a perfect round, tying their scores and leading to the shoot-off. 

How about archery?

Unfortunately, U.S. archers came away without any medals at all, but that’s not due to lack of skill and quality on the team.  They were out-shot in every event, but they made an impressive showing up until the end. 

I think there are still a couple of shooting events left, but the Games are almost over.  Congratulations to all the shooters and archers, from every country.  The impressive level of skill and marksmanship is impossible to overstate, as these folks really do represent the best of the best.

Here’s a short Porcine Press for this evening… saw it and absolutely had to share it with you folks, especially since it’s sort of in keeping with the last post.

Here’s the headline from the Columbia Tribune: Pig’s Feet Spark Apartment Fire. 

And a short quote from the article:

The building is owned by William Payne, according to county records, and the fire department said the apartment was rented to Trenda Walker, who was not at home at the time. The fire started while Brenda Warren, Walker’s mother, was cooking pig’s feet, the news release said. No injuries were reported to Warren or Walker’s children, who were in the apartment.

There ya go!  Not really hog hunting, but there’ the combination of a classic headline, a fire-safety note, and hogs (pigs’ feet).  It just doesn’t get any better. 

I saw an ad for Monday Night Football the other night.  While driving past a school football field on Friday, I saw younsters in football pads and helmets, a sure sign that Pop Warner is kicking things into gear.  The BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) trains are advertising to get folks to take the train to Cal (Berkeley) football games this year.

What does any of this have to do with hog hunting (besides that footballs are, or were, made of pig skin)? 

Well, nothing directly… but for most of my life, the early rumblings of football season were always one of the signs that hunting season was right around the corner.  The winds haven’t started bringing the early tinges of a fall chill, and the leaves haven’t even begun to think about changing, but as we round August and the shoulder pads and cleats come out, hunting season is just around the corner.

Anyway, now that I’m here in CA I’m hunting year-round, but there’s still the feeling I get as fall comes closer…  and I bet I share that feeling with a lot of folks all over the country.  The anticipation is building, and thoughts turn to sighting in the rifles, tuning up the bows, and getting stands placed.  Folks should have been warming up all year, but this is the time of year when it builds to a fever pitch. 

So what’s going on around the country? 

First, let’s have a quick look at Virginia, where it’s time to make sure you’ve got those special hunt applications turned in.  The Roanoke (VA) Times has a great, informative article describing the hunts, the odds of drawing, and the deadlines.   Of particular interest to HogBlog readers in the Old Dominion might be the Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge and False Cape State Park deer and hog hunt. 

According to the article, this is really the only place in VA where hunters can hunt feral hogs, and from the description of the place, it sounds like prime hog hunting!  There are only a couple of hunts, on Oct. 4, Oct. 6-8, and Oct. 23-25.  Deadline for applications is August 29, which isn’t all that far away.

And this story out of Missouri, from KRCG, isn’t that different than we’re seeing in many other states that have been seeing an outbreak of feral hogs.  In this case, the Governor has ordered State officials to implement the recommendations of the Feral Hog Task Force (I didn’t make that up), and start making a dent in the population, in hopes of turning the tide before it becomes a flood.  The public (yes, that’s you, hunters) is asked to assist as much as possible. 

Well, what hunter with Internet connectivity hasn’t heard about Eliza Dushku (Faith, from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and the recent revelation that she’s a huntress?  Oh, yes, PETA is up in arms about the whole thing… shocking as that may be.  If you haven’t checked your email or the hunting forums lately, you can read a great take on the whole thing on NorCal Cazadora’s blog. 

In other non-news (this one should already be in the archive, but I’m a slacker), I wanted to follow up on my recent post about Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s supposed conflict with a community hog hunt that just happened to run across the French villa they’d rented.  Well, as I suggested when I first mentioned this one, the press was making a bigger deal of this than the “Brangelina”.  And sure enough, the “rest of the story” is that Brad really has no problem with the hunt, although he appropriately asked that his family’s privacy be protected. 

What the original article didn’t mention was that the hunt isn’t just a traditional event, but a method of controlling the wild boar population and reducing their impact on the local vineyards.  From OK! Magazine online:

“Brad is committed to protecting the vineyards,” says the mayor of nearby Correns, Michael Latz, who is very optimistic” that everything will work out.

“As long as his family’s privacy is secure, there should be no problem.”

What else is going on out there?  Any other celebrities sited hog hunting? 

There’s a ton of stuff going on right now, and it’s all I can do to keep up.  Sometimes, having a real job is a pain… it sure gets in the way of the fun stuff, like blogging and hunting.

Anyway, here are a couple of quick releases I’ve just picked up.  One is from the CA Department of Fish and Game, and the other is from the Arizona Game and Fish Department.  Funny how they all use the same words, but change the order a bit.  Or maybe that’s just me…

First, the CA DFG is asking A-zone deer hunters in Monterey County, San Benito County, and San Luis Obispo County to bring in sections of the colon from the deer they harvest this season as part of an E.Coli research program.  Here’s the details:

Department of Fish and Game

NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Aug. 7, 2008

Contacts: Dr. Andrew G. Gordus, Senior Environmental Scientist, (559)
243-4014 ext 239; Terry Palmisano, Senior Wildlife Biologist, (831) 649-2890; Harry Morse, Office of Communications, (916) 322-8962

DFG Hoping Hunters Can Help Start New Study on E. Coli and Wildlife

The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) is conducting a new study on how native wildlife affect E. coli presence in three coastal counties. The new study focuses on the bacteria, Escherichia coli 0157:H7 which can cause illness and death in humans. The study will help establish if the bacteria is found in wildlife in Monterey, San Benito and San Luis Obispo counties.

DFG is requesting A-zone deer hunters in those counties if they harvest a deer to take a six-inch segment of the deer’s colon to the special drop off locations listed below. Samples need to be kept cool and delivered to a drop off location within three days. There are no known health hazards to hunters collecting a small segment of deer colon when cleaning their deer.

“Hunter cooperation in this study is extremely important to the long term management of the deer herds moving between foothills and croplands,” said DFG Senior Environmental Scientist Dr. Andrew G. Gordus, who is heading up the study.

A special collection kit consisting of two latex gloves, two zip ties, two gallon-size ziplock bags, label and instructions are available to hunters upon request. For a description of how to collect the sample while cleaning a deer, go to www.dfg.ca.gov/news/docs/FieldSamplingProtocolForDeerHunters.pdf

Hunters normally clean their deer in the field. By taking the extra step of securing a small section of colon, the study will help biologists understand how native wildlife affect E. coli presence, enabling them to better manage deer herds in the vicinity of vegetable croplands.

The new study is designed to collect information over a three-year testing period. Plans are to collect a total of 2,400 colon or fecal samples over a three-year period for analysis from deer, wild pigs, elk, small mammals and birds across a variety of watersheds in the three coastal counties.

Specimen drop off locations and collection kits are available from:

● Bob Martin, Rio Farms, (831) 595-1554, King City;
● Kek Flores, Jackpot Harvesting, (831) 970-7073, Gonzales;
● Traci Roberts, Monterey County Farm Bureau,  (831) 750-5875,Salinas;
● Mike Silva, (831) 595-0102, Salinas;
● Monterey Fish and Game Office, (831) 649-2870, Monterey;
● On opening weekend Aug. 9-10, Camp Roberts and Fort Hunter Liggett Hunter Check Stations.

                                          ###
Seems like a reasonable request.  Help ‘em out, hunters! 

Now, from the AZFGD…  In addition to the annual selection of leftover tags in AZ, they’ve got a bunch of javelina tags for youth hunters, all available on a first-come-first-served basis.  This is for a new fall hunting program that didn’t get a ton of promotion this summer, but it sure sounds like a great deal for the youngsters.  (I know, there are the anal retentives amongst you who are just dying to tell me that javelina aren’t really hogs, so this doesn’t really have anything to do with hog hunting, but just go with it, OK?) 

Anyway, here’s the press release:

Contact
Doug Burt, (623) 236-7215
Public Information Officer, AGFD

Arizona Game and Fish Department
NEWS RELEASE
For immediate release July 31, 2008
5,000 Arizona hunting tags available by first-come, first-serve

PHOENIX – Sportsmen and sportswomen wishing to hunt big game in Arizona this fall can start applying for leftover hunt permit-tags beginning at 8 a.m. (MST) Monday, Aug. 11. For those who either missed the fall drawing or were unsuccessful in the draw, the Arizona Game and Fish Department has tags for deer, turkey and juniors-only javelina hunts, to be allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Parents, grandparents, relatives, and friends of the family can take advantage of the many available juniors-only permits. There are more than 2,000 fall juniors-only javelina tags and 106 juniors-only deer tags leftover from the draw. This is a great opportunity to take a youngster outdoors and introduce him or her to the American tradition of wildlife conservation through hunting. These juniors’ hunts are structured to assure a fun, safe and satisfying family hunting experience.

Also remaining are more than 2,500 tags for general deer, 27 tags for muzzleloader deer, and more than 700 tags for archery-only deer. The majority of these tags are for Coues whitetail deer in beautiful southern Arizona.

Turkey hunters also have a chance at 354 remaining permits for a fall hunt on the Kaibab. These tags will go very quickly.

To apply for a tag, a paper hunt permit-tag application must be submitted by U.S. mail only, for delivery no earlier than August 11 at 8 a.m. (MST), to the Arizona Game and Fish Department, Drawing Section, P.O. Box 52002, Phoenix, Ariz., 85072-2002.

Hunters with bonus points who are awarded a tag through the first-come, first-serve process will not lose their bonus points for the genus for which the tag is allocated per R12-4-107(G). Conversely, an unsuccessful applicant for a leftover tag is not awarded a bonus point.

Applicants must include their 2008 license number on the application request. However, a 2008 license may be purchased through the application request if needed. Additionally, junior hunters ages 10, 11, 12 and 13 are required to complete a certified hunter education class to participate in a big game hunt.

For a detailed listing of leftover permits, visit www.azgfd.gov/draw  or call (623) 236-7702. For those who qualify, there are military hunts available for Fort Huachuca. Call (520) 533-2549 for additional information.

For more information about the department’s hunter education course, visit www.azgfd.gov/education and click on “hunter education.”

-30-

The Arizona Game and Fish Department prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, disability in its programs and activities. If anyone believes they have been discriminated against in any Game and Fish program or activity, including its employment practices, the individual may file a complaint alleging discrimination directly with the Game and Fish Deputy Director, 5000 W. Carefree Highway, Phx., AZ 85086, (602) 942-3000 or U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4040 N. Fairfax Dr., Ste. 130, Arlington, VA 22203. If you require this document in an alternative format, please contact the Game and Fish Deputy Director as listed above or by calling TTY at 1-800-367-8939.
 

More stuff coming down the pike… with the rifle deer hunting season kicking off this weekend, I can just about guarantee there’ll be a lot more news and information coming up soon!

Coming soon, to a theater near you… or, maybe not so soon.  Maybe not ever.  But hey, it’s a movie called, “Pig Hunt”, so it can’t be all bad, can it?  I know the HogBlog movie reviewer (me) is waiting eagerly to screen this flick!

Here’s a short synopsis from the Internet Movie Database (IMDB):

When John takes his San Francisco friends to his deceased uncle’s remote ranch to hunt wild pigs, it seems like a typical guys weekend with guns - despite the presence of John’s sexy girlfriend Brooks. But as John and his crew trek deeper into the forest, they begin tracking the awful truth about his uncle’s demise and the legend of The Ripper — a murderous three-thousand-pound black boar! Their pursuit leads them through fields of marijuana and into the muddy landscape of Big Wallow, involving high-powered weaponry, the violent and unpredictable Tibbs Brothers, massacred emus, a machete-toting Hippie Stranger, vengeful rednecks, and throat-slitting Cult Girls who grow dope by day and worship a Giant Killer Pig by night. By the time the pig hunt is done, no one is innocent - or unscathed. Not for the faint of heart, PIG HUNT is a darkly comic horror film that combines the best of DELIVERANCE, JAWS, and DINER, but remains uniquely Nor-Cal in its tone and scope. It is cinematic punkabilly - fresh, shocking, unforgettable!

Oh yeah, this one definitely seems ready for Sunday afternoon runs on the SciFi Channel!  And no, while it definitely sounds like something cooked up by my friend, Rex over at the Deer Camp blog, it’s a for-real movie!  Hopefully, it’s as bad as it sounds… sure to be a classic on the lines of Halloween and Friday the 13th! 

If anybody’s beat me to it and already seen this one, I’d love to hear what you thought. 

Seems like feral pigs and wild boar are wearing out their welcome from one end of the continent to the other lately.

To begin with, folks in Alberta, Canada have decided they don’t want wild boar rooting up their landscape, and have now declared a total free-for-all on the invasive animals. 

According to this article from the United Press International (UPI), the porcine invaders are making a menace of themselves. 

The non-native animals have decimated crops and burrowed dangerous large holes in the ground from central Alberta to near the U.S. border, CTV News reported.

The article declares the animals pests, and have issued a “shoot-on-sight” policy.  What’s more, landowners who fail to participate in the cull will have to foot the bill for having someone else do it.

Under a new law, landowners must now report and eradicate non-captive boars, otherwise provincial officials can kill the boars and send a bill to the landowner, the report said.

Not sure I agree with an eradication program if the population is already well-established, but I guess hey’re going about it in a pretty direct way.  The new law should keep folks from harboring a population, either for sentimental or sporting purposes. 

From the sounds of things, Texas may be heading in much the same direction.  The State Department of Agriculture recently awarded a $1million grant to the Agri-Life Extension office to drive an eradication and control program.  As a July 8 article in the Lone Star Outdoor News site reported:

“The feral hog population has exploded in Texas over the past 20 years,” Agriculture Commisioner Todd Staples said. “This invasive species will destroy anything in its path from sorghum fields in the rolling plains to pastures in East Texas to plants in a suburban San Antonio landscape.

“Eliminating these animals also means safer driving conditions for Texans and for our many visitors. This grant will test the critical strategies we have developed to control this pest.”

I posted recently regarding the new feral hog and wild boar hunting regulations in Texas, and this grant came hot on the heels of those new rules. 

Not to be outdone, New York state is encouraging hunters to shoot any wild boar they happen to see running arund too.  I just read this article in the Press & Sun Bulletin online, wherein the reports of wild boar running loose in New York are generating a quick an lethal response from the wildlife management authorities. 

… The DEC is asking licensed hunters to shoot any and all wild hogs on sight at any time of year. Although there is no season, a small game hunting license is required. Permission must be obtained to shoot hogs on private lands and local and state shooting regulations are in effect.

It’s a rough time to be a wild boar, but it’s a great time to be a wild boar hunter! 

It’s funny sometimes (and sometimes not so funny) how things we’d never pay attention to can suddenly grab our focus.  Take, for example, the recent news that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have taken a home in the French countryside to await the birth of their next child. 

No, the Hog Blog isn’t turning into a Hollywood rumor rag…  the only part of this that is of the slightest interest to me is the recent report that summertime is boar hunting season in that neck of the woods, and the estate on which our movie star couple is living happens to be a prime hunting ground.  The “controversy”, if there really is one, is that the locals have an agreement with the estate’s owner (and Brangelina’s landlord) to hold the hunt on the property.  There is much speculation that the couple may object to the activity due to their “environmental consciousness”. 

As this really fine piece of journalism (take your blood pressure meds before clicking this link) from the UK newspaper, The Independent  wonders:

Could Hollywood’s golden couple do something? Should they risk irritating their new neighbours by trying to ban a traditional French pastime? As they didn’t own the land, the moment passed. The president of the boar hunt told France Dimanche that the chateau estate was fair game: “We have a written agreement to hunt on the estate, which doesn’t expire until at least 30 August,” he said. So the Jolie-Pitts will have to put up with spilt boar-guts in their backyard, along with the other signs of Provence en fête.

 Oh my!  Spilt boar guts in the backyard? 

I dunno.  I’ve seen both of these characters toting some pretty wicked armaments over the years.  I’d say they’re pretty well prepared to go spill some boar guts of their own!  Heck, based on the amount of gunfire and bloodshed in some of their movies, a little hog hunting ought to seem pretty mild to these two… although of course, Angelina’s currently delicate condition may preclude more traditional hunting with spears or knives, but she can swing a Glock or an MP5 like nobody’s business! 

Anyway, from what I’ve read in three or four articles about this same topic, no one has actually spoken to the actors themselves to see what they really think about this.  Are they really against it, or do they even give a damn?  This enquiring mind wants to know! 

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!