What Can Be Done To Curb The Wild Hog Population?

[RangerRick]

Meant to say opening day of quail season

 

[beastep]

Its the department of ag that make the rules on pigs. They arent a game animal so the dep of wildlife washed their hands of them. They only enforce the general hunting rules. All the other laws are controlled by ag. So even if you read the hunting regs you still may be committing a felony.

 

[beastep]

Ha.

 

[dennishoddy]

Its the department of ag that make the rules on pigs. They arent a game animal so the dep of wildlife washed their hands of them. They only enforce the general hunting rules. All the other laws are controlled by ag. So even if you read the hunting regs you still may be committing a felony.

Can you post the Dept of Ag's rules and regulations where that may happen?

 

[Okie4570]

Here's the DOA, they appear to be very pro hog.
http://www.oda.state.ok.us/ais/feralswine.htm

 

[dennishoddy]

Here's the DOA, they appear to be very pro hog.
http://www.oda.state.ok.us/ais/feralswine.htm

Pro hog?
It's a long 4 pages, I just scanned it, but it seems to tie into the ODW title 800 on first review?
They do have a lot of regulations about the high fence areas if that's the issue. Thats is the first thing that should be eliminated.
The regs about a 4' fence is ridiculous. Pigs can dig under a fence in a heartbeat.

 

[Okie4570]

Pro hog?
It's a long 4 pages, I just scanned it, but it seems to tie into the ODW title 800 on first review?
They do have a lot of regulations about the high fence areas if that's the issue. Thats is the first thing that should be eliminated.
The regs about a 4' fence is ridiculous. Pigs can dig under a fence in a heartbeat.

I'd think they could legally/politically do more to shut down the hog hunting operations, or at least come up with some containment regs that are legit and worthy.

 

[dennishoddy]

I'm all about that. I hunted a place down by Fitts town on a creek with free range hogs years ago. He said he got his pigs from the high fence area that escaped by digging under. He drove me up there, and it was evident they had digs patched up along the fence.
The high fence operation in Pawnee county has a bad reputation for that as well.
We both know a person that has the same issues in the NW part of the state.
They need to eliminate high fence operations all together.

 

[Shadowrider]

Got this in an email just this week.

Exemption Process Allows Night-Shooting on Registered Properties Feb. 10, 2017 As part of a concerted effort to deal with a growing problem with feral swine in Oklahoma, the Wildlife Department has made night-shooting exemptions available for registered properties. Upon registration, a permit is issued that grants landowners and their designees the ability to legally shoot feral pigs at night when they are most active. Go to www.wildlifedepartment.com for details. (NASA PHOTO) ODWC Part of United Effort to Deal With Feral Swine Along with the Wildlife Services Division of the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation is taking positive steps to address the feral swine situation in Oklahoma. Feral swine have become a concern across Oklahoma because of their increasing numbers and the damage they inflict to the landscape. Feral swine have been detected in 70 of the state's 77 counties, but they are most prevalent across the southern parts of Oklahoma. They are also most active at night. Feral hogs congregate in groups called "sounders." Each sounder can tear up several acres every night looking for food, which can include cropland, pastures, golf courses and even residential lawns. A feral swine will eat about 4 percent of its body weight daily. Besides property destruction, other concerns about feral swine are: Population growth. Feral swine have high reproductive potential, and piglets become sexually active at about 6 months old. Estimates place the feral swine population in Oklahoma from 600,000 to 1.5 million. Disease transmission. Feral swine can be infected with brucellosis and leptospirosis, which can be passed to people. Pseudorabies is found in about one-third of the feral swine population. This disease can spread to dogs, cattle, goats and sheep. Feral hogs also can carry and transmit many other diseases. Threat to wildlife: Feral swine activity puts stress on native species. The swine consume food resources that also support deer, raccoons, black bears and opossums. Wildlife can contract many diseases from feral swine. Feral swine have few natural predators, and in some cases, the feral swine have begun pursuing wild animals as prey. State agencies and landowner groups are highly interested in what can be done to control the feral swine problem. Experts have determined that the best methods are trapping -- especially whole sounder trapping -- and aerial gunning. Other forms of control are largely ineffective and can actually reduce the effectiveness of trapping. Landowners who have experienced depredation due to feral swine can contact the state Agriculture Department's Wildlife Services Division at (405) 521-4039. Jeff Pennington, a biologist with the Oklahoma Wildlife Department, said eradication is not realistic on a landscape level. A realistic landscape goal is to slow the spread and reduce the density of feral hogs with trapping and aerial gunning. The Wildlife Department views feral swine as vermin and maintains they should not be glamorized in any way, even though feral hogs are desired by some people as target animals on hunting lands. Last year, the Wildlife Department declared it illegal to take feral hogs alive from wildlife management areas. The Wildlife Department supports the Agriculture Department's creation of a "swine free zone" where feral swine cannot be transported, along with measures to require accountability from anyone who transports feral swine in other parts of Oklahoma. People who are having problems with feral swine without a depredation issue are encouraged to use the most effective methods including trapping. A secondary, less effective option is night shooting of feral swine, which the Wildlife Department believes should be a method of last resort because of safety issues that are created. In response to Gov. Mary Fallin's executive order in May 2016, the Wildlife Department has instituted an exemption procedure that allows people to become exempt from existing hunting regulations that prohibit shooting at night. The new procedure became operational Nov. 1, 2016,, and its goal is to provide landowners relief from feral swine while also protecting wildlife.
Exemptions are issued for land areas, and only a deed-holding landowner (or a designee with written landowner permission) can register a property for a night-shooting exemption. The exemption procedure provides immediate approval for a landowner (or a designee with landowner's written permission) to shoot feral swine on the registered property at night. A landowner shooting feral swine on his property at night must carry his or her exemption number. Anyone else shooting feral swine at night is required to carry the property's exemption number and written permission from the landowner or the landowner's single designee. Night-shooting exemption rules are more stringent during the 16-day deer gun hunting season, limiting eligible shooters to the landowner, members of the landowner's family, or the landowner's single designee. Feral hog night-shooting exemptions are available in several ways: Filling out information on the Wildlife Department's website, www.wildlifedepartment.com. Downloading the "OK Hog Shooting Exemption" mobile app for Apple or Android. Calling, e-mailing or texting the game warden based in the county where the property is situated, or the game warden in an adjacent county. Read the complete feral swine night-shooting exemption rules at www.wildlifedepartment.com/sites/default/files/Feral%20Swine%20Emergency%20Rule%20%2716_0.pdf. The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry has created a "Feral Swine Free Zone" where the transportation of feral swine is prohibited. # # # The mission of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation is the management of Oklahoma's wildlife resources and habitat to provide scientific, educational, aesthetic, economic and recreational benefits for present and future generations of hunters, anglers and others who appreciate wildlife. News Contacts: Don P. Brown, [email protected] Micah Holmes, [email protected] Website: wildlifedepartment.com Telephone: (405) 521-4632 CLICK HERE to Visit Our Website This program receives federal assistance from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and thus prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, disability, age and sex (gender) pursuant to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (as amended), Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and Title II of the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990. To request an accommodation or informational material in an alternative format, contact Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, (405) 521-3851. If you believe you have been discriminated against in any program, activity or service, contact U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office for Diversity and Workforce Management, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041. Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation | PO BOX 53465, Oklahoma City, OK 73152

 

[makeithappen]

I hunt an archery only area and was planning on using my deer stand setups for hogs, after deer season. There's no limit or season on them, so if I use my bow, there's no issue, right? Nope. I was informed by a game warden friend that it's illegal to be on the WMA with ANY means of take, other than a CCL handgun, outside of deer season. So, by next deer season, at least 2, if not 3, litters will be had, causing the 14 hogs I know of to potentially blow up into a population of 96 hogs (14 hogs, - 3 known boars, assuming 6 of the remaining are sows, having only 2 litters at 8 hogs a piece and not accounting for those in new litters reaching maturity, having litters of their own) by deer season. The warden agrees it's stupid, but it's the WMA regulation...