Texas may let hunters shoot pigs from choppers
#11
RE: Texas may let hunters shoot pigs from choppers
WOW!! does that sound good.I have apple wood, and maple that I smoke with. I am sure on my Brinkman Smoker I could do a good job on some of that.. I really have to hunt one of them. My problem is, I live so far away from where you hunt them.. how would you drive home with all that pork and not have it spoil? Coolers and ice?
#12
RE: Texas may let hunters shoot pigs from choppers
We had a 150 qt cooler in the truck packed with ice. It was a 12 hour drive from St. Louis and we put ice in every stop we made to make sure. The guide did hard freeze the meat for a day so it was frozen solid when we left. Man that was funI really need to do it again.
#13
RE: Texas may let hunters shoot pigs from choppers
falcon I could not agree more. Granted the hogs might be a problem but they deserve as fast and clean death as possible.
Theseare hard economic times and there arefolkswho would appreciate somepork.My wife and i keep one or twomedium size wild hogs each year forour use. The rest are givento folks who will make good use of them.
#14
RE: Texas may let hunters shoot pigs from choppers
how would you drive home with all that pork and not have it spoil? Coolers and ice?
#15
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: River Ridge, LA (Suburb of New Orleans)
Posts: 10,917
RE: Texas may let hunters shoot pigs from choppers
Here's my guess on why that proposal is being considered in Texas.
There arehuge ranches isSW and centralTexas. Most of them run cattle and alsocater to deer and turkeyhunters.Hogs, especially in abundance, compete heavily with cattle and deer for food, make water holes almost unusable for livestock, destroy turkey nests,and kill and eat newborn calves and deer. Although hunters are encouraged to take as many hogs as they want, there's no way regular hunting activity will control the hog population. They have two litters of 5 to 15 a year. Believe me, a hog problem is A PROBLEM. Ranchers and farmers in the area around my hunting club shoot every hog they see. They usually have a list of people who want a hog that they can call, but it's not always that there's someone ready and willing to go pick up the hog and clean it - so they let it rot.
I suspect a number of ranch owners got together to get this proposal approved. In effect, they are eliminating a nuisance animal in the most practical and efficient way possible. To them it's probably not much different than a crow shoot on a mid-west farm or busting prairie dogs.
There arehuge ranches isSW and centralTexas. Most of them run cattle and alsocater to deer and turkeyhunters.Hogs, especially in abundance, compete heavily with cattle and deer for food, make water holes almost unusable for livestock, destroy turkey nests,and kill and eat newborn calves and deer. Although hunters are encouraged to take as many hogs as they want, there's no way regular hunting activity will control the hog population. They have two litters of 5 to 15 a year. Believe me, a hog problem is A PROBLEM. Ranchers and farmers in the area around my hunting club shoot every hog they see. They usually have a list of people who want a hog that they can call, but it's not always that there's someone ready and willing to go pick up the hog and clean it - so they let it rot.
I suspect a number of ranch owners got together to get this proposal approved. In effect, they are eliminating a nuisance animal in the most practical and efficient way possible. To them it's probably not much different than a crow shoot on a mid-west farm or busting prairie dogs.
#16
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Kerrville, Tx. USA
Posts: 2,722
RE: Texas may let hunters shoot pigs from choppers
I have a lot of feral hogs in my area, and I would doubt anyone would actually be selling hellicopter hog hunts. Ranchers will probably hire a company to come in and kill as many as they can as quickly as they can. I am sure I could not hit the broad side of a barn from a helicoptor, but there are guys that can with rifles.
I like the idea, because it is hard to get people to actually shoot enough. Whenever I see a group, the most I have been able to get before they disappear is 2. On my first shot, I always try and line two up in the hopes that I will get 2 with one shot, but haven't yet!
I like the idea, because it is hard to get people to actually shoot enough. Whenever I see a group, the most I have been able to get before they disappear is 2. On my first shot, I always try and line two up in the hopes that I will get 2 with one shot, but haven't yet!
#17
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Moravia NY USA
Posts: 2,164
RE: Texas may let hunters shoot pigs from choppers
What Semisane said.
This is not a hunt - it is about controlling a highly destructive and costly nuisence animal.
And like coyotes and someothers, traditional hunting methods will not get it done and can make it worse.
Steve
This is not a hunt - it is about controlling a highly destructive and costly nuisence animal.
And like coyotes and someothers, traditional hunting methods will not get it done and can make it worse.
Steve
#18
RE: Texas may let hunters shoot pigs from choppers
And like coyotes and someothers, traditional hunting methods will not get it done and can make it worse.
The problem is that states never take their hog problem seriously until it is much too late. Here in OK the Wildlife folks have not gotten serious about hogs. They will not allow hog hunting with center fire rifles, shotguns or even muzzleloadersin some WMAs. The state of OK will not allow hog trapping in their WMAs. Most ranchers will not allow hog trapping on their places. Then when the hog population gets way out of control they shoot them from helicopters.
i see hog damage on every hog hunting foray. i see hog damage to one of our places where there were 0 hogs a few years ago. The state of OKwill not allow the hunting of hogs at night. In theory a rancher can get a night time hunting permit to kill hogs but most requests are denied.
#19
RE: Texas may let hunters shoot pigs from choppers
Falcon... when has any Department of Natural Resources ever made sense. Wisconsin if very pro active on the hog problem. Some were released/spotted in a country near the Mississippi River in the hills and the DNR wanted them GONE. They even arrested some one over there for transporting them into the state for the purpose of letting them loose. His hopes were of course, they would populate and he could make money on hunts. But they failed so terrible in our deer herd management it is a crime. And yet they defend their actions with numbers, and charts. They need to take a walk in the woods.
What a lot of these so called wildlife experts need to do is sit down with the person that walks around out in the fields and does not sit behind a desk guessing what the animals will do. And actually listen to them, sure investigate their claims, but them take appropriate actions to combat a problem.
What a lot of these so called wildlife experts need to do is sit down with the person that walks around out in the fields and does not sit behind a desk guessing what the animals will do. And actually listen to them, sure investigate their claims, but them take appropriate actions to combat a problem.
#20
RE: Texas may let hunters shoot pigs from choppers
It looks like there have been some wild pigs seem in southern Iowa right along the Missouri border. Last year the Iowa DNR issued a "strong suggestion" that hunters, farmers and landowners shoot wild pigs on sight. Don't even need a hunting license. Only requirement is that if you kill one the DNR wants you to call your local Conservation Officer and report the date/time/location of the kill so they can get a better handle on where the invading pigs are. With all of our crop land growing corn and beans in Iowa, having a wild hog problem like TX and OK have would be a major disaster.
I think that if the DNR wants to get a better handle on the hog population in TX, maybe instead of paying $5000/hr for a helicoper and sharpshooter, why don't they just put a ransom on wild pigs. Say pay out $10/head for the hunter and $10/head for the landowner. No licenses, tags or permits required. Shoot them, take the carcasses to a check station, get paid. How many farmers/ranchers would let hunters come in and shoot the pigs if there was a paycheck for both parties? I'd bet a lot would. I bet you'd even see non-residents pouring in for the opportunity to hot only hunt hogs, but even the chance to have the hunt pay for itself.
$20/hog vs. $5000/hr for one helicopter and sharpshooter. Seems pretty obvious which is the more economical approach to me. $5000/20= 250 hogs. I seriously doubt that a helicoper with a sharpshooter could shoot that many an hour, and it'd take thousands of helicopter/hours to put a dent in the hog population.
Mike
I think that if the DNR wants to get a better handle on the hog population in TX, maybe instead of paying $5000/hr for a helicoper and sharpshooter, why don't they just put a ransom on wild pigs. Say pay out $10/head for the hunter and $10/head for the landowner. No licenses, tags or permits required. Shoot them, take the carcasses to a check station, get paid. How many farmers/ranchers would let hunters come in and shoot the pigs if there was a paycheck for both parties? I'd bet a lot would. I bet you'd even see non-residents pouring in for the opportunity to hot only hunt hogs, but even the chance to have the hunt pay for itself.
$20/hog vs. $5000/hr for one helicopter and sharpshooter. Seems pretty obvious which is the more economical approach to me. $5000/20= 250 hogs. I seriously doubt that a helicoper with a sharpshooter could shoot that many an hour, and it'd take thousands of helicopter/hours to put a dent in the hog population.
Mike