+1

Wow, a lot of us hunt. Seems like maybe a fly fishing/hog hunt trip would be in order!

My 30-06 and my fly rod have both been collecting dust here lately.

A 180gr. bullet from a 300 win mag takes care of that problem.

Yes Sir, that's about what it's comming to around here in the Abilene area. I don't think a lot of people understand what kind of damage pigs can do to some farmers wheat field, not to mention you can't so much as put a deer feeder out around here without having pigs comming to it as well.

I shot a 350 pound boar out in Spur last thanksgiving, and a pregnant sow that was 475 outside of Anson in January, imagin the damage they have done.

I would challenge that it isn't the damage those two animals have done, instead think about the numbers pigs they have produced and the damage THEY have done.

Hay meadows, row crops, yards, nothing is safe from these rooting marauders. Lord help you if you hit one going 70 mph. Their center of gravity is so low, that you're probably going to roll the vehicle.

The worst part is that we will probably never have control of them, because pigs are just too smart. I once watched a sow with 8 or sow small pigs look both ways before she crossed a Farm to Market road. I takes forever to teach a kid to do that.

Also remember that pigs only need 3 months, 3 weeks, and 3 days to gestate. We will be rid of cockroaches before we're rid of the pigs.

I'll echo AthensWes and others above who classify shooting pigs as more of a public service than hunting.

ALL PIGS MUST DIE!

On topic: I used to shoot quite a bit, but I've never really been a hunter. I reload my own ammo and enjoy my firearms, but the solitude and quiet of fly flinging has been more to my taste of late. SWTHRHWMBO enjoys shooting and tells me we need to do it more often, but the cost of components or finished ammo is just staggering at the moment.

yeah, that as well.

But I'm speaking in terms of damages to fences, pasture roads, ect.

The sow I mentioned above had six piglets in her, and like you said it takes only three months for them to reproduce. Now imagine if all six of those pigs spawned six piglets each, and so on.

Very out of control.

The pig reproduction issue is a lot like the old "I told two friends, and she told two friends" shampoo commercials. It's staggering how the population of them has exploded in the last few years. I've even heard stories of people catching them and releasing them somewhere else. That is almost death penalty worthy in my opinion. Pigs are the zebra mollusk of the land.

Now if we could just teach the fireants to eat the pigs, or vice versa, we'd really have something.

What we really need is for the Corps of Engineers or some other government body to import something to eat the pigs. That sort of thing always turns out well...

That's an easy one my friend........

Clone about a dozen Rosie O'donnels and turn them loose.

And they won't reproduce!

I think they have like 2-3 litters a year, each having like 5-10 little guys. So do the math and that's....10-30 piglets a year. Now if every female has that many...we are dead.

That is just ridiculous. If anyone has the ability to hunt them, you need to, and shoot as many as you can.

Pretty soon they will be in neighborhood parks...

I saw a great show recently that addressed the various ways to keep hogs in check. Trapping and hunting have limited results.

The most interesting idea was what they called the "Judas Pig" project that they are trying in Alabama or Georgia. They would catch a sow and put a radio collar on her. Since pigs are social animals she will find other hogs in a short period of time. Using the radio collar you will always know where the hogs are - Just make sure not to shoot the "Judas" pig when you kill the others.

JR

I really like this idea

Yes, but not near as much as in my youth. We have a deer cabin in the UP of Michigan which is now about the only place I hunt. The economics of hunting in Texas don't add up for me anymore... I just fish more...

i tried getting on the "if it flies, it dies" bandwagon last year. missed a few opportunities for different species but i hope to leave no feather unfurled this year. i don't really want to be elbow deep in deer guts but if i happen across a pig this year while i have a shotgun in my hand there'll be a backstrap and two hams in the back of my bird vest on the walk home.

OK this may a HiJack, but that makes a lot of sense. What a great idea to rid the land of the 4 legged cancer!

Oh sure, it looks like a good idea in the brochure, but it's only a matter of time until a pig figures out a way to tie that to your ankle...

Seriously, the sheer number of pigs we're dealing with here is staggering. It will take a concerted effort with several different methods to actually start to control them. With our current economic situation, I don't see that happening anytime soon. However, on the bright side, those of us with rural connections probably won't starve.

Ferral free range wild pork is a specialty in Europe. If you can trap them live you can sell them to be shipped for slaugter.