Wild boar / feral pigs?

[Fantail]

I hunt 7R, 7M, and now 6K. In all these years have never seen one. Last year bow hunting near Dryden I could have sworn I heard a pig grunt but saw nothing. Coyotes on the other hand -. Anyhow I have relatives that know farmers that say they have seen them. But it's all been 2nd hand info. So lets cut the BS, has anyone seen or hunted them in your zone?

Unless I'm mistaken Dec says they are here, they are unprotected and want them gone.

[Doc]

They're out there and most (maybe all) can be traced back to escapees from game farms. We had them in Bristol and they came from a defunct game farm over in Lima, I believe. A local farmer shot one that was harrassing his livestock. That from a newspaper article in the Canandaigua Messenger. I do believe that as quickly as they show up, people are shooting them. It also may be a case where there are not yet in breeding pairs and they haven't yet gotten a chance to multiply. As I understand it, once they do get a breeding population no matter how small the numbers begin, it does not take a very long time for the numbers to get to the size where you don't have to ask where they are.

Doc

[Muzzy]

Yes , I know 2 people that have shot and taken them, One of the boars head is hanging on my fathers wall next to his deer heads ,It was over 200 lbs in Delaware county ,,

[Clamp]

Ok, So I am hearing talk from people that wild boars are starting to show up in NY. I have heard from a buddy that he has a friend that shoots a pig every year in the Amboy area. Since it is third had info, i don't give it much credibility. So, I called the DECs Cortland office, and was told that the DEC cannot talk about wild boars in NY because the USDA is "handling the project"... So I called the USDA and they confirmed that there are small populations of wild boar in the Cortland area, but could not give me any more info than that.

Also, the USDA told me that they are not discouraging hunting of the pigs, but generally they believe that they are much better at controlling the population than the sportsman community. I took from that a conclusion of, due to the fact that they wont tell me anything, they are discouraging hunting of the pigs.

I would like to start a discussion on this topic on this board to try to figure out where these invasive animals are, and how some of us can help in the effort to slim the population, and fill our freezers at the same time.

Thoughts?

[Taz1300]

I've seen them on Cold Brook Rd. Heck almost hit a couple little ones last year. Don't know if they are still in the area. I know for $700 you can go up to the canned hunt place on Cold Brook Rd. and hunt 'em. Word is the ones in the area got loose from that place. Most stories I heard puts the hogs in Scott, Spafford, Summerhill. One story was seeing the bumper of a co-workers truck. Thats where you gotta look for them.

If the USDA was so good at population control why are pigs over running Florida, the Carolinas, Texas just to name a few places?

[Clamp]

Exactly.. the Govt. entities cannot compete with sportsmen.

[Clamp]

I started a duplicate topic                    I would love to talk more about this, perhaps a moderator can join these two threads.

 

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[burmjohn]

Merged them

[rutstrut]

i had a large one at my place in oxford .

[Bleitten04]

I heard the same thing that they escaped fromt the game farm in Homer.  Ive been up to some state land around there just to check it out and didn't see any or any evidence.  But the internet says that they are there.  I will probably go take a much closer look this summer after turkey season is done with.  I'm really interested in them and would love to hunt them without paying.    Is there anyway that one of the topics on the main board could be about Pigs?  I think that would be pretty cool!!!!

[sbuff]

Nothing seen in my part of 6k

[Culvercreek hunt club]

I personally know a guy who hunts for them down around Tully. They go out after deer season when there is snow on the ground. Much easier to track and find sign. I would be willing to bet that once you found the area the farmers would be willing to give permission because the damage these things do is crazy.

[fasteddie]

I personally know a guy who hunts for them down around Tully. They go out after deer season when there is snow on the ground. Much easier to track and find sign. I would be willing to bet that once you found the area the farmers would be willing to give permission because the damage these things do is crazy.

Sounds like a fun thing to do in the winter . http://www.downsouthhuntingforums.com/images/smiles/thumbup.gif[/img]

[Fantail]

Nothing seen in my part of 6k

None so far where I am in 6k either, and i hope they don't get up that far! Got enough coyotes.

[sbuff]

I hear ya there,are are getting slammed with them in 6k.

[CNYlungbuster]

I would be willing to bet that once you found the area the farmers would be willing to give permission because the damage these things do is crazy.

Don't be so sure about that, I know a few of the guys who deer hunt on those properties that you speak of.  I got a email of a picture last winter of a boar that was shot down there.  I replied that it was very cool yada yada yada ... and offered my services if they were ever needed for dispatching hogs.  I recieved a rather short and to the point response that the landowners in the area were very particular and only allowed a select number of people hunt on thier land.  This was due to an influx of tresspassers once word got out that there were hogs in the area.  A few bad apples ruin it for the bunch, I hear the same story to many times every season seems like people lack of respect is making it harder for honest people to gain permission. 

CNY

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Were u talking to the hunters or landowners?...if they don't wipe them out they will be very surprised at the damage that will happen to their crops and land. Bide your time...lol...it can be an amazing mind changer when their pockets start to really get hit.

[Bleitten04]

I got some real mixed feelings on the feral pigs.  I know that they cause a lot of damage to crops and if they aren't taken care of they will be all over NY before people realize it.  On the other hand I would love to go out to my normal hunting area and have the chance of taking a hog!!!!  Don't know how to think on this.  But IMO it would be better for NY if they were removed. 

[WNYBuckHunter]

I want to see them gone as quick as possible. The damage they do far surpasses the fun of hunting them. If I want to hog hunt, I can go elsewhere.

[biggamefish]

  WNY I think you are right.  The people that do want them are wishing for a little to much in my opinion.  When they start getting into the food plots people just planted and farmers crops there will be an uproar.  If you think hunters hate the coyote wait till the pig arrives.

  Just be carefull what you wish for.

[nuynai]

Hi Guys.  I got a DVD from NYS DEC re feral swine.  Short story is, you don't want them.  You need to take out 70% of them each year just for control.  Great site for info is Texasboars.com.  Also, Google, "The Feral Hog in Texas".  It's put out by the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife.  It explains how bad of a problem they are.  Also, Youtube has videos of how bad the problem is in the rest of the country.  Each sow has 5 to 6 piglets twice a year, weather is not a matter.    Just think, a doe produces 1 to 3 fawns a year, and we supposedly have a overpopulation of deer.  Hope you find these sites informative. 

[CNYlungbuster]

Were u talking to the hunters or landowners?...if they don't wipe them out they will be very surprised at the damage that will happen to their crops and land. Bide your time...lol...it can be an amazing mind changer when their pockets start to really get hit.

I was talking to the hunter which in hindsite could be the reason... didn't want me invading his territory or something idk I have enough land to hunt.  I was serious about trying to help with the hogs but if they don't want it they don't get it lol. I've heard tell that there is some state land nearby that holds them so I'm gonna check there this winter. 

[nuynai]

There's a population in Central NY.  DEC is asking permission to trap them, but some guys like the idea of having something to hunt all year long. 

Be careful what you wish for, as it may come true.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

CNY...that was kind of how it read in your post. First thing I thought of was the hunters don't want you in there...the landowner may want them gone though. He may let you in especially if it the only target specie after the deer season. From what I understand the time after Christams is very good.....focused on food sources and the sign is very easy to see in the SHALLOW snow...lol

[Bleitten04]

I guess I should refrase the way I wrote my previous post.  I do think that the pigs need to go because of the problem they would create if they became over populated.  I'm just saying if they had no disadvantages and all they were was something to hunt and get some food from it would be pretty cool to just go out to a regular hunting spot and harvest one.  For the greater good of NY they do need to be removed.  Will it happen?  I really don't know because from what I have heard they are spreading and if you need to remove 70% just to keep the population controlled... well I just don't think that can be done just by telling hunters you can hunt them whenever you want with basically no restrictions other than common hunting rules.  Trapping sounds like a great idea though.