Texas may let hunters shoot pigs from choppers
02-21-2009, 10:18 AM
#21
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
The following quote is from CONTROL TECHNIQUES FOR FERAL HOGS by GARY A. LITTAUER, District Supervisor, Texas Animal Damage Control Service.
The technique requires an experienced pilot and a capable gunner. The preferred firearm is generally a 12 gauge autoloading shotgun. Preferred loads are 3" magnum copper plated, buffered #4 buckshot. This load provides good penetration and knock-down capability, which is desirable for humane kills. A ground crew of several individuals walking or riding horseback or on ATV's or hunting with dogs through the area can enhance success. Advantages of aerial hunting are (1) it is very selective since only target animals are taken, (2) a depredation or damage problem can be stopped in a short period of time, and (3) large numbers of hogs can be removed in a short period of time. Disadvantages are (1) high cost (e.g. helicopter costs can exceed $300 per hour), (2) in areas of heavy cover, effectiveness is limited since hogs can elude observation from the air, (3) it can be hazardous, particularly in areas of rugged topography, and (4) weather is a limiting factor.
02-21-2009, 10:27 AM
#23
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 21,193
RE: Texas may let hunters shoot pigs from choppers
ORIGINAL: falcon
driftrider,a bounty on wild hogs is the best idea yet. Just take the ears to a county agent and collect the bounty. Makes a lot of sense.
driftrider,a bounty on wild hogs is the best idea yet. Just take the ears to a county agent and collect the bounty. Makes a lot of sense.
Speaking of bounty... my Dad always tells of being a kid in Minnesota during the depression. He said there was a bounty on pocket gophers, skunks, and other little critters. He said his brothers and him would spend all day out hunting these things because they got a dime bounty. And he also tells about coming home after a skunk hunt (they dug a bunch out of a den) and being told they would live in the barn for a few days.
But as my Dad said, they made money, had something to do, and helped keep the population done. I see no reason why that would not work on hogs..
02-21-2009, 10:37 AM
#24
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Coralville, IA. USA
Posts: 3,802
RE: Texas may let hunters shoot pigs from choppers
What I think would make it work well too is that if you split the bounty, where the hunter gets $10 and the landowner gets $10 ($20 if you're hunting your own land). That would encourage ranchers and farmers to open their land up to hog hunters. They're businessmen, after all, and if they would gain in the long term by having the destructive critters thinned out, and gain the short term by getting an immediate paycheck, even the ones who are hesitant to allow hunters on their land might reconsider. And $10/hog for the hunters makes taking a few days off to hunt a much more desirable deal because on a good day a single hunter or small group might shoot several piggies, which would easily cover the cost of gas, food and ammo for the day for residents, and at least offset the costs of the hunt for non-residents. Heck, if I were a resident, I'd shoot a few, keep a couple myself and skin and quarter the rest and drop them off at a food bank or church soup kitchen for charity. I'm sure the piggies are good eating, and a 150 lb hog would feed a poor family for a month or better. Everybody wins. But, I fear it'd never happen because it makes too much sense.
Oh, and I'm not a rancher or farmer, but if I were I think I'd be more hesitant to have a couple yahoo's in a chopper buzzing 50ft over my livestock that I would to have 5 guys on the ground. My experience is that cattle don't react much to the sound of gunfire if it's not real close, but I'm guessing that a chopper at low altitude would spook the heck out of them. I know that in some places they use helicopters to herd cattle, so it's bound to stress them out.
Mike
Oh, and I'm not a rancher or farmer, but if I were I think I'd be more hesitant to have a couple yahoo's in a chopper buzzing 50ft over my livestock that I would to have 5 guys on the ground. My experience is that cattle don't react much to the sound of gunfire if it's not real close, but I'm guessing that a chopper at low altitude would spook the heck out of them. I know that in some places they use helicopters to herd cattle, so it's bound to stress them out.
Mike
02-21-2009, 11:04 AM
#26
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: indiana
Posts: 1,621
RE: Texas may let hunters shoot pigs from choppers
Bounty or not you would think they,the ranchers would let people shoot them for free.Show a saftey card,
sign a contract,whatever.They seen them as money at first,now they are out of control.I know when i
go to south dakota every year if you even cross over on the grass with a truckyou are gonna hear about it.The outfitter says that is what the buffalo eat and that is his money you are running over.IMO if you want them
controlled better, you have to push greed out of the way.Thats what got them their to start with.
sign a contract,whatever.They seen them as money at first,now they are out of control.I know when i
go to south dakota every year if you even cross over on the grass with a truckyou are gonna hear about it.The outfitter says that is what the buffalo eat and that is his money you are running over.IMO if you want them
controlled better, you have to push greed out of the way.Thats what got them their to start with.
