Good point comparing them to deer SS! I dont think you got off the topic at all. I cant help but wonder how they'd have been recieved before the movement toward HR began. I tend to think with the hunter numbers we have and liberal seasons, they'd never manage to get out of hand but thats just an opinion.

If they truly are a direct competitor with deer, I wouldn't want then around either. whatver side we are on with HR, I think that most of us wouldn't want any critter that would cost us more deer in the long run. Maybe someone with more knowledge of their feeding habits can weigh in. Besides mast like acorns, what other deer food do the pigs eat? I'm not well versed on this subject and am guessing that many of us arent either. As you said, what I've read has been "end of the world" type sentiment without much in the way of supporting documenation. I havent bought into it or dismissed it just yet.

I'm also with ya on the super green ball nuts that would waste a ton of time, money and resources and have us get rid of perfectly benign or beneficial species like the ringneck, brown AND rainbow trout etc etc although I'm not sure I'd shed a tear if we got rid of the carp, lol.