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Pig Bomb

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Just noticed what looks like a pretty interesting program on wild hogs and how their numbers are exploding across the U.S. and how they are growing bigger and more aggressive. It's on the Discovery Channel at 8:00 tonight (friday). I'll be taping it and watching it tomorrow. Unfortunately most of you won't see this in time, but if you do, you might be interested in tuning in.

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Just finished watching the program, and it is one scary bunch of stuff. Their contention is that the wild pig population is spiraling out of control, and cannot be contained by any hunting or trapping methods. Apparently the problem has taken off since the 1990s when these critters changed from occupying 19 states to the current situation of wild hogs in 40 states. They were saying that a local hog population can double in 6 months. These things are sexually mature at 5 months old and can have 3 litters of 5 or 6 piglets in any 14 month period. What is spreading them? It appears that there are some people that trap them and then introduce them illegally elsewhere. They didn't say why, but I would guess that it is for hunting purposes.

The other part of the program dealt with the change in the nature of these wild hogs. Apparently they are getting bigger and more aggressive. They went on to describe quite a few cases of outright attacks on people. They also showed several of these monsters that were just plain huge. One weighing 1000 pounds and another that weighed 1100 pounds and a couple of others that were just plain monsters but they didn't give the weights. These were not typical, but simply freaks of nature that are becoming more frequent. The theory is that the breeds are being taken over by the more dominant Eurasian boars (russian boars) which have been imported over the years and either intentionally turned loose or are escapees from game farms. These critters are not your typical little pink piggies. They are completely different with significantly longer legs, a longer snout, bigger tusks and longer and thicker coats of bristles. In other words ...... they don't even look like the same animal. They don't have the same disposition either. And this is what's taking over the breed that's living in the wild.

If you ever get a chance to see this program if it's repeated, be sure not to miss it. It paints a pretty ugly picture of a pig population gone crazy.

As a side-note, one thing that ran through my mind is just what kinds of government programs are they going to soon begin to control these populations if hunting and trapping are so totally ineffective. These things are exceptionally destructive to their habitat and are causing millions of dollars worth of crop damage ($15 million per year in Texas alone). It sure wouldn't be great for the future of hunting if this "pig bomb" causes some technology to develop that contains animal populations without hunting and trapping. In a lot of minds, the one major redeeming factor of hunting is the fact that they need hunters to control animal populations. Hopefully resolution of this hog problem will not be offering up some other alternatives.

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wztirem Newbie

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I saw the show too!  Its an eye opener for sure. I hate to think what will happen should the pig bomb explode in suburban areas. I most certainly would insist that the wife retreive the newspaper from the front lawn.

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I saw the show too!  Its an eye opener for sure. I hate to think what will happen should the pig bomb explode in suburban areas. I most certainly would insist that the wife retreive the newspaper from the front lawn.

How did you like Hogzilla? now there was a pile of bacon.

Doc

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Mr VJP Newbie

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This is the result of lax enforcement of exotic animal importation and control.  Many game farms have not been diligent in insuring escape proof compounds.

There has also been lax enforcement of trap and relocate laws by individuals.

Another big problem along these lines is the Asian Carp.  That fish was brought into the country as an algae eater.  Claimed to be the solution to weed infested ponds, it is now the bane of many river systems because it escaped into the other ecosystems.  it will literally destroy a river by overpopulating it and eating everything in it that other fish need to survive.

Without better controls and more foresight, these types of alien species issues are only going to get worse.

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gutpile Newbie

gutpile

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There is a show on at 10PM Nat Geo on the Asian carp. These fish represent a grave threat to the great lakes multi billion dollar fisheries.

In Asia they are considered a delicacy. Take some of Obama's stimulus money and develop a fishery to catch, clean, and freeze them and supply them to Asia. As they say the waters they inhabit are cesspools compared to US waters. I'd be willing to relocate and net the rivers for them if there was a future in it. With all the money his Royal highness is throwing around you'd think funding to set up fishermen and processing plants to protect the fragile ecosystems these creatures threaten would be a no brainer. No brainer that's right up obama's alley!

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fasteddie Grand Master

fasteddie

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There is a show on at 10PM Nat Geo on the Asian carp. These fish represent a grave threat to the great lakes multi billion dollar fisheries.

In Asia they are considered a delicacy. Take some of Obama's stimulus money and develop a fishery to catch, clean, and freeze them and supply them to Asia. As they say the waters they inhabit are cesspools compared to US waters. I'd be willing to relocate and net the rivers for them if there was a future in it. With all the money his Royal highness is throwing around you'd think funding to set up fishermen and processing plants to protect the fragile ecosystems these creatures threaten would be a no brainer. No brainer that's right up obama's alley!

Ditto !!!!!!!!!!!!

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wztirem Newbie

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I saw the show too!  Its an eye opener for sure. I hate to think what will happen should the pig bomb explode in suburban areas. I most certainly would insist that the wife retreive the newspaper from the front lawn.

How did you like Hogzilla? now there was a pile of bacon.

Doc

Hogzilla was some pice of pork. And as the show mentioned the PIG Bomb is mutating. Pretty soon they will have to hunt them with  50cals!

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There is something real scary about a half ton of critter with teeth sticking out the side of its mouth, and that is getting more and more ornery with every generation. Someday you might have to be heavily armed when you walk out to your car in the morning ...... lol.

That thread that we have about walking around in the woods in the dark may take on a new significance.

Doc

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They are wild her in NY as well. There is a population in the Tully area. I know guys that have taken them. Those are game farm escapies. DEC actually has a section in the web site....nusiance animal...no season and any implement is legal ...small game license required

Now why in the heck would they require any kind of license? Wouldn't it be a shame if an opportunity to rid an area of these critters had to be passed up because a person didn't have a license. I can't understand that stipulation.

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Chances are that any homeowner will probably shoot first and then find out the legal impacts later. I know there was one Bristol farmer who did exactly that. I don't know whether he had a small game license or not, but I'm sure that wasn't the most important thing on his mind when he took out one of the boars that was harrassing his livestock a few years back.

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fasteddie Grand Master

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That sure looks like fun .

Kinda reminds me of how some guys hunted deer on Gibsonville Road between Leicester and Perry . Back in the 60's , some clowns would ride down that old road and shoot deer from a car or truck . Plate numbers were turned in but as far as I know , nothing ever came of it . All I could think of is , damn , that had to be a heck of a loud noise inside the vehicle !

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I can't imagine that many wild pigs. I would think that if you ever let people shoot them for profit, those guys would be putting domestic pork producers out of business. Imagine a helicopter slaughter crew and a ground crew to pick up, butcher and sell them. That would be one heck of a business opportunity and would go a long ways toward solving the feral hog problems of the south.

By the way, that guy doing the shooting was pretty darn good. I'm sure that's a lot harder than it looks. Do you suppose he was using buckshot?

Doc

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Culvercreek hunt club Enthusiast

Culvercreek hunt club

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Gotta be buck shot....I have seen videos with them using an AR but if you watch very closely I think I could actually see the red point from a laser on a few of them. Can you imagine the $$$ they would pull in from those kind of hunts. If you threw in a ground crew like you said with a few good hounds....better buy some freezers....or the food pantries would be FULL. would probably be great press for the Hunters For Hungry

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Fantail Newbie

Fantail

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I didn't figure they could run that fast being short and heavy. Sometimes I think well maybe their population won't get out of control in the NE but then again about 10 - 15 years ago we didn't seem to have half the geese that hang in NY either.

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