Mowing wild hogs

[TripleR]

I put wild hogs being as dangerous as a rabbit out in the wild. They will run away at the first hint of humans, and they are very good at getting away. Snakes are a lot more dangerous, and whitetail deer hurt more people in one year then wild hogs have in all their history combined. Just do a search online and try to find a case of a wild hog attacking anybody that wasn't being chased,cornered or wounded by hunters.

For a variety of reasons, the Rambo and John Wayne types like to talk about how dangerous hogs are, and how brave they must be to hunt them. It's so bad that they even go out of their way to make it that way with some hidden hope that something will go wrong and somebody will get hurty. Look at all the injuries that you can find when it comes to hog hunting and ask yourself if in any case it was necessary?

Take hunting, trapping and trying to get hurt out of it, and you're not going to find any attacks of hogs on people. They tear up the ground, they breed like crazy, and they are a lot tougher to take down then a deer. That's about it.

They are not like bears or lions. They don't have claws and fangs for attacking and killing other animals. Some have tusks, others dont. If you corner them, and if you are close enough, they will try to defend themselves in trying to get away. If you are in front of one, get out of it's way so it can get past you. It really is that simple. I've even watched this on hunting videos when bubba Rambo is supposedly charged, and it's embarrassing how obvious it was that the pig just wanted to get past him and he was in the way.

Carry if you feel safer, but it's not going to protect you from a wild hog. If you see them, they will either be calmly eating and doing their own thing, or running away from you. I've shot several with my .44 mag Super Blackhawk. It's fun to hunt with a pistol, but easier to kill them with a rifle.

Eddie

You may very well be right. hogs are not much of a presence here.

My only "problem" with Google searches" etc. is that I have killed numerous feral dogs and never reported a single attack nor do I know anyone who has. It is just something you do and go on about your business.

Sheriff's Offices and Court Clerks are supposed to supply criminal arrest and conviction data to a central record keeping authority operated by the MSHP, but having done records checks in urban and rural areas I know these reports are often put in "file 13".

You would not believe the number of physical and sexual assaults that go unreported.

****, I've been attacked by domestic animals such as cattle, pigs, horses; worse I ever got was some bites and a few bruises though. If/when hogs become a problem in my area, I will begin shooting them whether in self defense or not; just don't want them around any more than the gazillion Coyotes we have.

 

[crazyal]

I would love to have a wild hog problem. There's a private game preserve that has some. One winter they wanted to cull the herd so they had some people come up and for $25 plus $.25 per pound you could go kill one. I thought the meat was good but the sausage was great. Of course there isn't the ground cover around here to hide them so shooting them would be much easier.

 

[mlauk]

I agree with Eddie, every time I've come up on some hogs they run away as fast as they can. There have been about 3 times where I've come within 10 feet of hogs hiding in some brush and they ran away so fast, I don't think I could have even pulled a gun out in time to shoot one anyway. I'm more worried about stepping on a snake than running into a hog. I don't carry unless I'm out hunting.

 

[bullbreaker]

I agree with Eddie, every time I've come up on some hogs they run away as fast as they can. There have been about 3 times where I've come within 10 feet of hogs hiding in some brush and they ran away so fast, I don't think I could have even pulled a gun out in time to shoot one anyway. I'm more worried about stepping on a snake than running into a hog. I don't carry unless I'm out hunting.

Agree also !
Done lots of "free-range" hog hunting,only been actually attacked once,and that was when a Russian/Euro type hog(large) came out of a swamp area as I was driving down real slow down a dirt road. He came out saw me and charged full boar like head on towards a Rubicon I had with winch on front.I said to myself you really want to crash head on the hog veered off and ran in swamp.
A firefighter I know was knocked to ground while trying to put a male boar from a fixed trap to a portable cage.Received 154 stiches.
Only others times weve had hogs run by us or very near us have been when weve unintentionally cornered one off in palmetto head where to escape they had no choice but run at near us/me.
Now chasing hogs with dogs,capturing for live transport(tieing) or killing with knives is another type of encounter,but as far as one flat out attacking you(once again free-range) very rare and overplayed as others have stated.Just MHO.

Boone

this one was 427 lb.s (free-range) no fish tail either.They average around here 300 lb.s down(2/3 hundred pounders very rare)

 

[EddieWalker]

They are about even with bears for eating (basically the same diet.) Biggest difference is that feral hogs are usually not real fatty; which means a lot drier and less flavor than domestic pig. I've heard that making sure they are bled out and hung as soon as possible, as well as long soaking in brine is the best way to prep them.

We don't have any in south east NH, but there is a population of escapees from a large private hunting reservation in the southwest corner of the state. No license required, no season. All you legally need is an ordinary hunting license and permission to hunt the escapees from the preserve owners; which is readily gotten with a letter or a phone call.

I don't know about the diet of a bear or what they taste like. I can tell you that a small wild hog, less then 100 pounds, is about the VERY BEST wild game that you will ever eat. They are lean, the meat is a white color, and it is full of flavor. You do not have to hide a gamey flavor, or season the meat to make it tast good. It's good just the way it is.

I've hunted in different places all over the Western US, Canada, Alaska, Namibia and New Zealand. I have deer and hogs on my land. I haven't shot a deer since I bought my land because deer meat is a challenge to make it taste good. I buy USDA Choice ribeye steaks. I like those a lot!!! I don't like deer meat unless it's ground into salami or something is done to it so it has some flavor. I like hog meat. I shoot half a dozen hogs a year, give or take.

I realize some will disagree with me, but I feel that for everyone who tells me how great deer meat is, they also have a special recipe for it to make it taste great. I'll take a backstrap off a hog, grill it and eat it without any seasoning. You can't say that about deer meat and mean it.

Eddie

 

[creekbend]

I would love to have a wild hog problem. There's a private game preserve that has some. One winter they wanted to cull the herd so they had some people come up and for $25 plus $.25 per pound you could go kill one. I thought the meat was good but the sausage was great. Of course there isn't the ground cover around here to hide them so shooting them would be much easier.

If you had ever experienced the results of a feral hog problem, it is truly doubtful that you would have not made that statement. Feral hogs do not distinguish the difference between private game preserves or private property. They destroy lawns, crops and everything else they come in contact with if something edible is present there. They will eat most anything organic. Females give birth at the age of 10 months, have 3-4 litters yearly, and each litter normally numbers 10-13 piglets. Do the math. I have seen the property destruction that is a result of their infestation, personally while living and working in Florida. I guarantee that people living in Texas will tell you the same. These are conservative estimates: Texas-2million, Florida-1/2 million. I have actually seen them knock down fences while rooting, and continue feeding. They are becoming more prolific here in NC also. In your previous statement, you outlined the possible monetary gain in charging the populace for the rights to hunt wild hogs and that the by products were good to eat. But those positive attributes will never, ever surpass or even come close to the monetary amount of destruction that these feral hogs are capable of doing.When you stated that you wished that you had a wild hog problem, I could not believe it. That is similar to a person when spotting a tiny little mouse in the corner of their kitchen cabinet, and saying "what a cute little thing". Their mindset will change after that mouse has a chance to breed, and their entire home is overrun by the "cute little critters". The same thing goes for feral hogs. Food for thought? It was not my intention to be condescending in my approach to your remark, but pipe dreams are pipe dreams and facts are facts.

 

[crazyal]

If you had ever experienced the results of a feral hog problem, it is truly doubtful that you would have not made that statement. Feral hogs do not distinguish the difference between private game preserves or private property. They destroy lawns, crops and everything else they come in contact with if something edible is present there. They will eat most anything organic. Females give birth at the age of 10 months, have 3-4 litters yearly, and each litter normally numbers 10-13 piglets. Do the math. I have seen the property destruction that is a result of their infestation, personally while living and working in Florida. I guarantee that people living in Texas will tell you the same. These are conservative estimates: Texas-2million, Florida-1/2 million. I have actually seen them knock down fences while rooting, and continue feeding. They are becoming more prolific here in NC also. In your previous statement, you outlined the possible monetary gain in charging the populace for the rights to hunt wild hogs and that the by products were good to eat. But those positive attributes will never, ever surpass or even come close to the monetary amount of destruction that these feral hogs are capable of doing.When you stated that you wished that you had a wild hog problem, I could not believe it. That is similar to a person when spotting a tiny little mouse in the corner of their kitchen cabinet, and saying "what a cute little thing". Their mindset will change after that mouse has a chance to breed, and their entire home is overrun by the "cute little critters". The same thing goes for feral hogs. Food for thought? It was not my intention to be condescending in my approach to your remark, but pipe dreams are pipe dreams and facts are facts.

Never said they weren't destructive, I just said I would love to have game around that could be shot at any time. When I was down in Arkansas they thought snow geese were a real problem and very few wanted to hunt them. However up here there are thousands of hunters who would jump for joy if they had the opportunity you guys down south have. There's a reason why a lot of us in new england travel long distances to hunt.

 

[Chilly807]

I was chatting with a friend at work today, and the topic of feral hogs came up (probably due to my seeing this thread). I said I'd like to have the opportunity to shoot a couple every year for the meat, but the problem is the population explosion that comes with them.

Sean

 

[creekbend]

Never said they weren't destructive, I just said I would love to have game around that could be shot at any time. When I was down in Arkansas they thought snow geese were a real problem and very few wanted to hunt them. However up here there are thousands of hunters who would jump for joy if they had the opportunity you guys down south have. There's a reason why a lot of us in new england travel long distances to hunt.

I understand now. Thanks for explaining.Your statement "I would love to have a wild hog problem here" indicated to me that you were not concerned with the problems originating from wild hog infestation, but only the benefit of hunting. My wife was born in Hartford Connecticut, and she has a brother and cousin living in Old Saybrook. In my younger days, I would have love to have hunted Moose up in Maine. A friend of mine lives there only a short distance from Canada. He bagged his first Moose about 7-8 years ago. I have never seen one in the wild, but my friend says they are huge.

 

[Dan Hunter]

Last year two weeks before hunting season, a truck hauling hogs failed to make the turn and rolled over - 100 got out. I saw prints on the ranch briefly but I think my neighbor baited them as they were gone by hunting season. I would have been happy to pop 'em.