Syracuse.com - DEC plans to ban hunting of wild boars in the wild 'in near future'

[HuntingNY-News]

Meanwhile, if you've seen a Eurasian wild boar or any other type of feral pig lately, the DEC wants to know about it. Call its Cortland office at 1-607-753-3095, Extension 247.

New York State took steps this week to stem the spread of wild, Eurasian boars by banning their import and use in so-called "canned hunts."

Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill this past week that outlaws hunting Eurasian boars and their hybrids, now done in fewer than 20 commercial hunting facilities statewide, according to the Associated Press.

The new law also bans the importation, breeding of these animals and the act of releasing of them into the wild. Under the law, beginning in 2015, possession of a live Eurasian boar will be a crime in this state.

Joe Watkins stands next to a wild boar that he shot in 2010 near his home in the Cortland County town of Scott. The boar had one-inch tusks and weighed about 475 pounds. It's being held up by a backhoe. 

Local hunters can currently hunt any Eurasian boars they encounter in the wild. However, a state Department of Environmental Conservation Department official said today that "DEC is planning to adopt regulations that would prohibit that in the near future."

The new law was enacted to try and prevent an explosion of animals on the state's landscape, similar to that experienced by a number of southern and western states and in others as close as Pennsylvania. The animals tend to escape from the preserves and spread rapidly in the wild.

Locally, Eurasian wild boars have become entrenched in the wild in parts of northern Cortland and southern Onondaga counties, along with parts of Tioga and Cayuga counties. State and federal wildlife biologists believe they likely started as escapees from a local private hunting preserve.

The past couple of years, U.S. Fish and Wildlife service staff have been working with the state Department of Environmental Conservation and local landowners to trap and kill them off. To date 150 have been captured and destroyed, DEC spokeswoman Lori Severino said.

Some say those efforts have been highly successful. Others are doubtful. How many are out there right now? Nobody seems to know.

In the past, the DEC put these animals under the classification of "feral swine," encouraging hunters to take them out whenever possible. The only requirement was possession of a small game license. There was no season set or daily take limit, and no restrictions on methods used, such as use of bait or even dogs.

These two were taken while hunting in the fall of 2008. Marcus Eriksson (right) of Onondaga Hill took his boar, weighing around 300 pounds, while hunting from his tree stand in the morning. Peter Gianferrara (left) of Camillus took his boar mid afternoon. It weighed around 260 on the hoof. Both animals were taken in the Town of Scott in Cortland County. 

These animals average 100 to 120 pounds. However, I've written stories and run pictures in recent years of local hunters who have killed some in the 300- to 475 pound range.

These animals are omnivores and will eat just about anything. They'll disturb and prey on ground nesting birds and their eggs, young deer fawns, snakes, lizards, rodents -- even road kill. In addition to native plants, they dine on just about any agricultural crop. They like to wallow in wet areas, where they destroy the vegetation, cause erosion and negatively affect water quality. They have razor sharp tusks and according to the DEC "can be aggressive toward humans, pets and livestock.

They also have a tendency to spread -- fast. They tend to have litters of six to eight piglets, two or three times a year.

So, can Central New York hunters continue to hunt and shoot (and if they want keep and eat their meat them under the new law?

Rick Ellis of LaFayette and the deer and wild boar he shot from the same stand in Spafford Thanksgiving week in 2008.  

"The new law does not prohibit hunters from taking a wild boar that they may encounter in the field," Severino said. "However, the DEC is planning to adopt regulations that would prohibit that in the near future."

Severino pointed out "shooting individual boars as opportunities arise is ineffective as an eradication method, and this causes the remaining animals to disperse and be more difficult for DEC or USDA to capture and remove."

Meanwhile, if you've seen a Russian wild boar or any other type of feral pig lately, the DEC wants to know about it. Call its Cortland office at 1-607-753-3095, Extension 247.

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog