Hogs come into the city..

[jumpinjoe]

I've got to agree with HayesGreener that shooting/hunting feral hogs will never be an effective population control.
And I'll also agree with Keystone that poison is not only unethical but also a poor population control mechanism.
So what is the answer ..... I truly don't know until it somehow becomes a commercial money making venture. Then a solution will be found.

And lastly, not directing this at anyone on a personal level, but if one needs that full auto-Ar15 for feral hog hunting, that one does not need to be feral hog hunting.

Yes, I know the post was done with a little sarcasm....... so was the 2nd paragraph of this one !!!

 

[Annihilator]

I’d like to use some 155mm howitzers or maybe a cruise missile

hogs at 20mph will take some time to lead them with that machine …

My preference would be the Westinghouse Phased Plasma Rifle in 40 Watt range…….

 

[Kodiak Cowboy]

Not enough hunters. Southern IL is starting to get pretty bad last I heard. Of course, DNR has to stick their nose in it and make it complicated to eradicate them.

That really is to bad!

 

[Kodiak Cowboy]

Breaking news: soft suburbanites who decided to buy houses next to River Legacy Park which is renowned for its diverse collection of wild animals, gets scared by the diverse collection of wild animals.

Nothing to see here. Move along.

True story - I live in Arlington, home of River Legacy Park, btw - my wife and I arrive back in the cul-de-sac one day and find my neighbor sitting on the curb dressed in his best African safari gear, including a pith helmet and pole with a noose on it. As soon as we get out of the car he starts yelling “Your iguana got out. I’ve chased it into the tree. You need to be more careful it could take out a dog or even a small child”. Only problem was we didn’t own an iguana. I look up in my oak tree and sure enough about 15 feet up is the most beautiful, bright orange iguana. Crazy neighbor tells us how he tried to spray it out of the tree and how dangerous this could be to children. So, through a series of phone calls we manage to make a connection with a 911 operator whose husband happened to be a reptile rescue and rehab guy and was on his way. Rehab guy eventually shows up along with his 12 year-old daughter. Said daughter proceeds to go up the tree, as 12 year old kids do, very delicately grabs this 4 foot long, orange iguana, which gives her no agg whatsoever, and down she climbs with the iguana. We then all - minus the crazy neighbor - take turns getting our picture taken holding orange Godzilla. Rehab guy and daughter take off with the iguana and my wife and I got our pics with the iguana framed. About a month later the neighbor moved out of the cul-de-sac. He claimed his wife got a job in Plano and it was too far to commute, but I always suspect the shame of being humiliated by the 12 year old girl who didn’t get eaten by a very chill iguana was just too much.

Iguanas are herbavores or vegetarians or whatever you call it . Funny story Simmon!!!

 

[Kodiak Cowboy]

I have trapped about 200 in the past 7 years and we have shot about 60 night hunting but they just keep coming

Those things breed so fast! Several litters a year from what I understand! I don't know that for sure. No feral hogs in my neck of the woods.

 

[jumpinjoe]

Sows 6-8 months old reach mating age and can birth their first litter, up to 3 litters a year after reaching full maturity. Each litter can be from 1-14 piglets with the average of 1/2 and 1/2 male and female. Gestation period can range from 112 to 120 days on average IIRC.

So it's pretty apparent it doesn't take long for them to totally inundate a locality, especially if the forage/habitat is plentiful. They have no natural predators on a regular basis. Occasionally an alligator will snatch one from the edge of a pond while they're getting drink, or a big cat might take one down in the Everglades area, and on rare occasions two big boars will fight to the point of the death of one of them.