Repairing hog damage to fields

[bcp]

I was thinking of using some 18 Wheeler tires fashioned in a drag.

Cut one tire in half both ways. Then rig a way to pull one or more as a drag.

Cut your tire like these scrapers:



Bruce

 

[rustyshakelford]

I prefer the caliber .223 solution @ 80 cents per hog, rather than the federal government solution at probably $4,000 per hog.

Shooting is just for fun. It’s not an effective plan against them. 3 per night is not even a drop in the bucket. Trapping makes a bigger difference especially with the types of traps available now. Some have remote trigger devices and can be watched in real time thanks to web cams. If you don’t or haven’t experience this problem than people don’t understand the damage they do and the cost they create

Brett

 

[EddieWalker]

One of the State Biologist had a seminar on getting rid of them and how to build the right type of trap. Bascially, you need to build pen with hog panels big enough to hold a bunch of them. Somewhere in the 30x30 range with bigger being better. Then install a door that you leave open for a while until they start to come in and eat the corn. They you close the door and they have to force their way in through it, and then it closes behind them and they are unable to open it from the inside, but more can force their way in. On a good night, you can catch dozens of them that way. Keep doing it for a few months and you will actually reduce their numbers. What do you do with hundreds of dead hogs is up to you.

 

[rustyshakelford]

One of the State Biologist had a seminar on getting rid of them and how to build the right type of trap. Bascially, you need to build pen with hog panels big enough to hold a bunch of them. Somewhere in the 30x30 range with bigger being better. Then install a door that you leave open for a while until they start to come in and eat the corn. They you close the door and they have to force their way in through it, and then it closes behind them and they are unable to open it from the inside, but more can force their way in. On a good night, you can catch dozens of them that way. Keep doing it for a few months and you will actually reduce their numbers. What do you do with hundreds of dead hogs is up to you.

There’s places down here that buy them live for .30 cents a lb or so. Lots get carried to these places. Less of a mess to dispose of. Running them with dogs is very popular and fun

Brett

 

[EddieWalker]

I looked into selling them, but found out it's illegal. I know a lot of people do it, but if the Game Wardens, or your local Health officials find out, it could get expensive. The basic issue is pork for human consumption needs to have proof that it's received all it's shots before butchering. We eat some of what we kill, but use most of it for dog food.

 

[rustyshakelford]

I looked into selling them, but found out it's illegal. I know a lot of people do it, but if the Game Wardens, or your local Health officials find out, it could get expensive. The basic issue is pork for human consumption needs to have proof that it's received all it's shots before butchering. We eat some of what we kill, but use most of it for dog food.

I’ll be honest I don’t know what happens to the meat. My buddy runs dogs and that’s what he does with them. I would hope it’s not for human consumption and could be for dog food for all I know. I didn’t know about the legalities of selling it other than you’re not supposed to sell it for humans

Brett

 

[4get gto]

I looked into selling them, but found out it's illegal. I know a lot of people do it, but if the Game Wardens, or your local Health officials find out, it could get expensive. The basic issue is pork for human consumption needs to have proof that it's received all it's shots before butchering. We eat some of what we kill, but use most of it for dog food.

Interesting read about your hog problem. So you can trap or kill as many as you like? What do "they" expect you to do with them if you can't sell them . I imagine one can only eat so much and not everyone has a team of Iditarod dogs in Texas.

 

[EarPlug]

Interesting read about your hog problem. So you can trap or kill as many as you like? What do "they" expect you to do with them if you can't sell them . I imagine one can only eat so much and not everyone has a team of Iditarod dogs in Texas.

You CANNOT sell hog meat. You can only sell LIVE hogs wo an approved facility.

Texas Animal Health Commission

Pork.org
American Association of Swine Veterinarians
Feral Swine
Approved Feral Swine Holding Facilities
An Approved Holding Facility for feral swine is a pen or pens approved by the TAHC to temporarily hold feral swine pending movement to a recognized slaughter facility or an authorized hunting preserve.

Feral swine can be legally moved only from the premises where trapped to either an approved holding facility (as listed below), a recognized slaughter facility, or an authorized hunting preserve.

Purchase of Feral Swine
Approved feral swine holding facilities may purchase trapped feral swine.
TAHC is not involved in any aspect of the purchase transaction
Purchase price is at the discretion of the individual facility owner.
Active Feral Swine Facilities
Feral Swine Facilities Map Find a feral swine facility near you.
View the list of approved feral swine holding facilities that have agreed to publish their contact information.


Attached is a list of the Approved Feral Swine Facilities. They are licensed to receive hogs.

 

[LouNY]

Every state is different, up here the over bearing state government has deemed them protected and only they can trap or shoot them, the rest of us are not qualified to.
If it wasn't for family I'd have been long gone from this state.

 

[EddieWalker]

Interesting read about your hog problem. So you can trap or kill as many as you like? What do "they" expect you to do with them if you can't sell them . I imagine one can only eat so much and not everyone has a team of Iditarod dogs in Texas.

The laws and what is enforced when it comes to hogs is kind of a grey area. You can shoot them 24/7 with just about any type of weapon, no limit. You do need a hunting license, unless you are a landowner and you have a depredation permit because of damage you are experiencing on your land. I don't know if anybody ever gets one, most people who shoot hogs, shoot deer, and that's highly regulated. I have a hunting license, my wife has a hunting license. Between the two of us, we probably shoot a dozen a year. They are pests. They are no longer fun to hunt, or enjoyable to eat. We take what we want off of the young ones, and with seasoning, make a few things that we like, but it's not something we go out trying to have. It's free, so we might as well make the best of it. It's good lean meat for dog food, and they enjoy it, so that's where most of it goes. The rest of the carcass makes great coyote bait. My record is killing three coyotes off of one carcass over several days. Another record was getting two off of a carcass that where feeding on it together. Shot the first one, the second ran away, then hooked back around and off to my left. For me, that's the best thing to do with wild hogs, use them to kill coyotes.

As for the traps, and dealing with a dozen or so at a time, I haven't done that yet. I'm wanting to fence off my land to keep them out. The biggest reason I haven't done it is that I don't want to deal with a dozen dead hogs. Several times we've gotten two, and once I got three all out of the same group as they ran past me, and that's just too much work.

I have a suspicion, but I cannot prove it, that a lot of the hogs that die in the traps get buried whole just to get rid of them. I also suspect that wasting them like that is probably illegal, but that nobody is going to do anything about it. Same thing with poison. I've heard stories about massive areas being poisoned, but nobody will investigate it. There are new poisons out that are supposed to target hogs, but I don't know how that works, or how other animals that feed on them do so without getting sick.

Imagine if you had a massive gopher problem with hundreds of them. Hogs are the same, just bigger!!!