Why don't you see
10-20-2015, 06:38 PM
#1
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Maine & northern FloRida
Posts: 195
Why don't you see
Hogs on the road as road-kill, I just drove from Maine to Florida and I saw a gazillion dead deer but not a single pig. On top of that I have vacationed a total of 16 weeks over the past 4 years in Florida from port Charlotte to gainsville and have never seen pig road kill. If there are soo many, why te discrepancy?
10-21-2015, 07:48 AM
#2
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Germany/Calif.
Posts: 2,664
Good question, best guess is Hogs are a whole lot smarter than Deer. And Hogs are a whole tougher than Deer, harder to kill dead on the spot. The older Sows actually train the younger ones, I've watched them do it. I've seen a bunch of Hogs take off for the brush as soon as they see a light.
Something I noticed is there used to be a whole lot of Dead Hedge Hogs around here. Now there are more Hedge Hogs than ever (they've successfully integrated into suburban areas) and you see fewer Hedge Hog road kill. They now run away from cars and headlights. Even a spiny rodent can learn and/or evolve.
The Deer seem largely incapable of figuring out Cars are dangerous.
I've often thought it might have something to do with (most) Deers habit of reversing direction and heading back the way they came from, when they are moderately spooked. And/or the nasty habit of just standing there and looking into a light.
Funny story about that, some guy hit two 150 pound Sows with his hot rod Audi and killed them. He eventually drove off with his fan half inside his radiator, he unlikely made it far. Police show up, some midget, overly loud, shrill female, midget cop, jumps out of her car and gets all confrontational. Did you hit those Hogs, how fast were you driving? I said, no wasn't me, best guess it was some guy in an Audi. Her, how do you know that? I answer, just as I bend over and pick up the Audi Olympic logo out of the street, just a guess. Then she asks, did you get the license plate number of the Audi? I said no, but if we shave the Hog we can likely read it. Her partner busts out laughing, winks and says enjoy your Hogs. She gets into her Cop car and in a huff drives off. I load the two Hogs into the back of my truck and head home.
Another reason may be Hog makes good road kill stew, they don't often get torn up nearly as bad as a Deer does.
Something I noticed is there used to be a whole lot of Dead Hedge Hogs around here. Now there are more Hedge Hogs than ever (they've successfully integrated into suburban areas) and you see fewer Hedge Hog road kill. They now run away from cars and headlights. Even a spiny rodent can learn and/or evolve.
The Deer seem largely incapable of figuring out Cars are dangerous.
I've often thought it might have something to do with (most) Deers habit of reversing direction and heading back the way they came from, when they are moderately spooked. And/or the nasty habit of just standing there and looking into a light.
Funny story about that, some guy hit two 150 pound Sows with his hot rod Audi and killed them. He eventually drove off with his fan half inside his radiator, he unlikely made it far. Police show up, some midget, overly loud, shrill female, midget cop, jumps out of her car and gets all confrontational. Did you hit those Hogs, how fast were you driving? I said, no wasn't me, best guess it was some guy in an Audi. Her, how do you know that? I answer, just as I bend over and pick up the Audi Olympic logo out of the street, just a guess. Then she asks, did you get the license plate number of the Audi? I said no, but if we shave the Hog we can likely read it. Her partner busts out laughing, winks and says enjoy your Hogs. She gets into her Cop car and in a huff drives off. I load the two Hogs into the back of my truck and head home.
Another reason may be Hog makes good road kill stew, they don't often get torn up nearly as bad as a Deer does.
10-21-2015, 12:17 PM
#4
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Comance county, OK
Posts: 11,408
Hogs on the road as road-kill, I just drove from Maine to Florida and I saw a gazillion dead deer but not a single pig.
http://www.torquenews.com/1081/wild-...85-mph-highway
i often see road killed hogs on highway 62/83 north of Childress, TX. That area is overrun with wild hogs. A few months ago i saw a road killed hog on south 67th street in Lawton, OK.
Hitting a 150 pound hog with a car can be a traumatic event.
10-21-2015, 01:16 PM
#5
Fork Horn
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: North Texas
Posts: 242
I drive one hour away to hunt twice a week and I will see hogs about once a month that are DOR.
A buddy of mine sells tools (tool man, distributor) to auto shops and such. This is in the area where I hunt (north Texas, NW of Dallas). He says that he can't go into an autobody shop that doesn't have at least one vehicle in it with hog damage. Don't know if he is exaggerating a bit, but once in a while he shows me photos of the bad ones.
Did a study last year of online accounts of vehicle hog collisions in response to a claim that people often roll over their cars as a result of collisions with hogs. What I found out was that collisions with hogs do not cause rollovers any more so than collisions with deer. In both cases, the drivers hit the animals and lose control of their vehicles and then some place further down the road, the vehicle either hits a curb, ditch, or is off road when it finally catches a wheel and rolls over. So the roll over is actually a second accident that happens after loss of control by the driver and after the strike of the hog or deer.
Generally speaking, when it comes to collisions with hogs, the damage is from the grill and downward. When vehicles hit deer, the damage is from the grill and upward, including the windshield and passenger compartment. Found several cases of deer collisions resulting in deer coming into the passenger compartment, but none where this happened with hogs.
A 150 lb hog can do a lot of damage. According to my buddy, few folks get out for less than $1500 damage and depending on the vehicle make, model, and speed, may be totaled. Similar results happen with deer as well.
A buddy of mine sells tools (tool man, distributor) to auto shops and such. This is in the area where I hunt (north Texas, NW of Dallas). He says that he can't go into an autobody shop that doesn't have at least one vehicle in it with hog damage. Don't know if he is exaggerating a bit, but once in a while he shows me photos of the bad ones.
Did a study last year of online accounts of vehicle hog collisions in response to a claim that people often roll over their cars as a result of collisions with hogs. What I found out was that collisions with hogs do not cause rollovers any more so than collisions with deer. In both cases, the drivers hit the animals and lose control of their vehicles and then some place further down the road, the vehicle either hits a curb, ditch, or is off road when it finally catches a wheel and rolls over. So the roll over is actually a second accident that happens after loss of control by the driver and after the strike of the hog or deer.
Generally speaking, when it comes to collisions with hogs, the damage is from the grill and downward. When vehicles hit deer, the damage is from the grill and upward, including the windshield and passenger compartment. Found several cases of deer collisions resulting in deer coming into the passenger compartment, but none where this happened with hogs.
A 150 lb hog can do a lot of damage. According to my buddy, few folks get out for less than $1500 damage and depending on the vehicle make, model, and speed, may be totaled. Similar results happen with deer as well.
10-21-2015, 10:14 PM
#6
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Maine & northern FloRida
Posts: 195
It seems that Texas is hog heaven for vehicle encounters / road kills. Pigs are sturdy animals, I am not sure how much fat is on a wild hog (i have experience with domestic) but i would expect the animal to be lean and dense.
I have never seen a wild pig cross the road or anything else, in fact I have never seen a wild hog. Saturday I will be going on a hunt which made me question the hog population since I never see or hear about Florida road kills.
The info is interesting, unless the population is extremely out of control there are not many driving sightings. Could the lower number of road incidents with hogs have anything to do with them being less of an individual and more of a pack/group animal?
I have never seen a wild pig cross the road or anything else, in fact I have never seen a wild hog. Saturday I will be going on a hunt which made me question the hog population since I never see or hear about Florida road kills.
The info is interesting, unless the population is extremely out of control there are not many driving sightings. Could the lower number of road incidents with hogs have anything to do with them being less of an individual and more of a pack/group animal?
10-21-2015, 10:46 PM
#7
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Germany/Calif.
Posts: 2,664
I drove over a little one,maybe 30-40 pounds, in S.C. with a vintage Corvette. Kind of reminded me of a bowling ball, it kind of went flop flop flop under the Vet and out the back. All four tires were off the street for maybe 10 yards, it kind of launched me. After I got it back under control, I looked in my rear view mirror in time to see it get up and run away.
They get nailed here on occasion, but not nearly so much as Deer or Fox. I'm surprised there isn't more Wild Hog road accidents myself. Often they are nearly invisible until you are close. Most are almost the same color as asphalt.
What is fairly common here is for them to get a little lost and end up on the interstate between fences or double high guard rails. Maybe twenty of them running up the interstate looking for a way out. You hear the traffic warnings a couple of times a week, mostly in the Fall, about them being on some interstate.
They get nailed here on occasion, but not nearly so much as Deer or Fox. I'm surprised there isn't more Wild Hog road accidents myself. Often they are nearly invisible until you are close. Most are almost the same color as asphalt.
What is fairly common here is for them to get a little lost and end up on the interstate between fences or double high guard rails. Maybe twenty of them running up the interstate looking for a way out. You hear the traffic warnings a couple of times a week, mostly in the Fall, about them being on some interstate.
10-22-2015, 04:08 AM
#8
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Onslow County, NC
Posts: 1,856
Deer in the headlights is a term that should be highlighted. Deer tend to freeze in spot or get hit crossing/running through a roadway. Pigs tend to run away and are a little smarter and learn faster then most other animals. Have seen plenty of hogs down in FL, GA, and SC but not many on the primary roads of I-95, I-20, or I-10. Might be they have learned to avoid those areas. Armadillos though still have not figured that one out.
10-22-2015, 05:53 AM
#9
Fork Horn
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: e tenn
Posts: 127
I have seen dead hogs road kills. I was riding my motorcycle in the Cherokee forest of se TN on morning at daylight. I came around the curve and there in the road laid a pretty good sized sow that had just been hit. I stopped and the blood was still running out of it's nose onto the double yellow line. It appeared to have taken a direct hit to the head.
I drug her off into the ditch and went back to the cabin and got my truck. Went back up, loaded it up and skinned and quartered it up at the cabin. It was some fine eating.
I think hogs are smarter and tougher than deer for the most part.
I drug her off into the ditch and went back to the cabin and got my truck. Went back up, loaded it up and skinned and quartered it up at the cabin. It was some fine eating.
I think hogs are smarter and tougher than deer for the most part.
10-22-2015, 11:44 AM
#10
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 9,230
I see road kill hogs pretty often here in TX. About a week ago just north of where I live there were 4 or 5 young ones, maybe 50 lbs each, laying in the same place. My guess is the sow was taking the little ones across the road and a truck got them. When I lived in FL I also saw road kill hogs and I've seen them outside New Orleans too.