What Can Be Done To Curb The Wild Hog Population?

[Buzzgun]

You guys are reading/posting furbearer and NWCO regulations......do those apply to hogs which, by definition, are neither furbearer or wildlife??

I don't know if it is legal to use snares for hogs in Oklahoma, but I would not assume anything based on regulations that do not pertain to hogs.

 

[Okie4570]

You guys are reading/posting furbearer and NWCO regulations......do those apply to hogs which, by definition, are neither furbearer or wildlife??

I don't know if it is legal to use snares for hogs in Oklahoma, but I would not assume anything based on regulations that do not pertain to hogs.

Good point Buzzgun.

Private Lands Hogs may be taken year-round on private land during daylight hours or at night with permission from the private property owner, lessee or occupant of the land. The pursuit of feral hogs with a shotgun on private property is not restricted by shot size. There is no restriction on method of take of feral hogs on private property.

 

[bigcounty]

Has anyone given serious thought to this? Even though I love hunting these animals with a passion, we all know they are a menace to farmers trying to make a living, compete with our native wild game and crowd them out and kill alot of native species like snakes and turtles. Also, since they breed so rapidly, having up to 3 litters in as little as 14 months and breeding at 5-6 months old, theres going to be some serious problems arising more than likely in the next decade. I think its only a matter of time when we hear of someone being killed by one of these animals.

I've been looking over the regulations and it just seems there's more that could be done by the state and federal government to help control these beasts. The pros of the regulations include...

*Year round hunting.

*No bag limit.

*Landowner permission for night hunting.

Some other things I think could be taken into consideration are....

*The hunting of hogs at night with dogs on public lands. However there are several things to take into consideration like the deer seasons. Make it legal to hunt them at night after the end of bow season and legal through summer and close at the end of August. The state could sell a night hunting permit say for $5. I'd only be for that IF the money was going back into the Wildlife Department for educational purposes or land restoration. Maybe the money could be used to offer free hunter education courses to our youth.

*Better access to Corps lands. I hunt alot of Corp land here around Lake Texoma. Some areas here are very hard to get to and require lengthy walks. I can tell you that there are hundreds and hundreds of hogs inhabiting the land here. Most will never see any hunting pressure because the areas aren't very accesible to most people. Maybe the Corps could issue a special uses permit for ATV's for hunting and hunting only. Many ATV trails already exist on Corps land around Texoma. I can't speak for other areas of Corp land though. I wouldn't be opposed to paying a $15 special uses permit if it allowed me to get back into areas that the hogs are thriving if that money will be used for land restoration or for helping businesses out around Corp lakes that have had bad flooding.

*Legal means of taking on Corp lands. Around Texoma the legal means of taking is restricted to shotgun with pellets and archery equipment. Seems like a shotgun with slug would be an alright means of taking as long as it wasn't used with 500-1000 feet of the shoreline. I'm still a little on the fence with this one though, but it seems like something could be worked out.

I'm not dead set on any of this really, just some opinions is all. I think those of us that hunt see the potential dangers wild hogs present and the millions of dollars that farmers lose every year. At the rate they are going it won't be long before they start popping up in areas they aren't found yet. Seems like on the show Pig Bomb it was stated that to control the population 7 out of every 10 pigs need to be taken. I'm sure we're no where near this now.

What's everyone's take?

I would love to have the chance to harvest some hogs for my empty freezer,if someone could go with me,i would like to use my new30-6

 

[makeithappen]

Doing what we can on the lease. Buddy built some toys for the hogs 2 weeks ago. 50 gallon barrels with holes drilled in them and filled with corn or a sour corn mix. The barrels are then chained to a tree.

A week ago he went out to freshen up the bait and check cameras. Based off the cameras, he decided to sit for 30 minutes and tagged this beast.

We went out Sunday to hog hunt. After checking cameras, we had a consistent visitor but no stand or blind there, so we sat on the ground.

He was 5 minutes late, but he showed up and got to 13 yards from me, but behind a cedar when he spotted my buddy and froze. He took one to the ear hole and dropped.

This was my first hog to attempt to skin a hog and I couldn't believe how tough/thick the hide was. This is a straight on shot of the hide at the top of the shoulders.

 

[Oklahomabassin]

That is one ugly sob Makeithappen!

 

[beastep]

Nice pig. Did you notice how thick and hard his shield was?

 

[makeithappen]

That is one ugly sob Makeithappen!

That's why I covered my face Bassin. You're welcome. Lmao

I didn't check his front shoulders much as I was only taking back strap and rear leg meat, but trying to cut through the hide past mid-rib was a real PITA without a serated blade.

 

[Oklahomabassin]

That's why I covered my face Bassin. You're welcome. Lmao

I didn't check his front shoulders much as I was only taking back strap and rear leg meat, but trying to cut through the hide past mid-rib was a real PITA without a serated blade.

Lmao! Thanks for the covering! I was talking about the muddy sucker!

 

[makeithappen]

Sure ya were...Lol all good. He was pretty nasty. Smelled like oil and bacon (there's a ton of current and old oil rigs on the property and surrounding areas).

 

[beastep]

They are amazing creatures. Try to cut through that shield next time.