any of the feral pigs populating the East Coast are believed to have their origins in Tennessee. But New Hampshire has its own swine tradition that dates back to the 1890s, when Austin Corbin II of Newport founded a private hunting park.
Fish and Game Lt. Bob Bryant said Corbin Park is the last of the major game preserves in the state, and is some 24,000 acres, regulated by Fish and Game.
To this day, Corbin Park members hunt descendants of the Russian and German boar the man known as 'the father of banking' brought to the state, along with deer and elk and other large game animals.
In 1949, the legislature passed the boar damage law, requiring 'persons responsible for their introduction with their ownership' to be responsible for all damage of escaped boars. Since then, the state considers New Hampshire boars as the property of the park. The park itself does not claim ownership. But because of the law related to ownership, there can be no regulated hunt, Bryant said.
The animals are considered escaped property of Blue Mountain Forest Association, also known as Corbin Park. Gerald Merrill, manager of the park, did not return calls for comment.
Bryant said hunters must ask for permission to shoot a boar. While park officials do not claim animals outside the fence are theirs, they readily give permission to those who want to shoot the animals. 'You still have to call them for permission,' he said.
He added that boars can be taken by hunters with a valid hunting license; the hours for hunting during daylight hours also apply.
Scott Gilroy, president of the Blue Mountain Forest Association, said the organization is willing to fix damage caused by the boars, but it takes no ownership of them. 'Over the years, yes, some have escaped,' the more than 20 miles of 13-foot fence, which he said a crew maintains. 'We take our responsibility to be a good neighbor very seriously,' he said. 'If there is damage to someone's lawn, we will fix it.'
Similarly, when someone calls to shoot a boar, we say, 'Please shoot it. We take no position on ownership, but we recognize the state RSA,'' making the park responsible for damage. Gilroy said he had no estimates on the number of European wild boar in the association's forest. Their numbers fluctuate with the severity of winters, he said.
What concerns the association, Gilroy said, is the southern wild pig migration, which is marching northward. - See more at:
Boarish behavior: NH's invasion of the wild pigs | New Hampshire
