Pigs in PA?
08-26-2009, 05:06 PM
#1
Giant Nontypical
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Location: SW PA USA
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Pigs in PA?
Maybe us PA guys can take a break from the deer wars for a minute.
I've seen lots of articles about wild pigs estabishing themselves in PA and most of what I've readdhas been very much against their getting estabished. Each article has noted that there is a segment of the hunting population who would like to see them here.
Just wondering where everyone stands on this. I am pretty much on the fence on this one wondering how bad can it be to have another animal to hunt? The VERY FEW southern hunters I know don't seem to mind the pigs where they are and most seem to enjoy hunting them.
I've seen lots of articles about wild pigs estabishing themselves in PA and most of what I've readdhas been very much against their getting estabished. Each article has noted that there is a segment of the hunting population who would like to see them here.
Just wondering where everyone stands on this. I am pretty much on the fence on this one wondering how bad can it be to have another animal to hunt? The VERY FEW southern hunters I know don't seem to mind the pigs where they are and most seem to enjoy hunting them.
08-26-2009, 06:09 PM
#2
Nontypical Buck
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I think they may overpopulate and cause problems.
They have litters of piglets not twins like a doe.
Hate to think of what it would be like if they got established on a chunk of posted land.
They may have an impact on deer in years of low mast. Imagine a herd of pigs under an oak tree gobbling up all the acorns.
It would be cool to have something else to hunt but I think letting them populate would be a mistake.
Of coarse if there were liberal bag limits and no closed season, maybe it wouldn't get too far out of hand. Of coarse probably better off not having any.
They have litters of piglets not twins like a doe.
Hate to think of what it would be like if they got established on a chunk of posted land.
They may have an impact on deer in years of low mast. Imagine a herd of pigs under an oak tree gobbling up all the acorns.
It would be cool to have something else to hunt but I think letting them populate would be a mistake.
Of coarse if there were liberal bag limits and no closed season, maybe it wouldn't get too far out of hand. Of coarse probably better off not having any.
08-27-2009, 12:05 AM
#3
Typical Buck
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For sure, the PGC, DCNR and all the environmnetal orgs are completely against it. I don't have any real firsthand experience with feral hogs, but the experts seem to predict the end of life as we know it, should they get established in PA. They are considered habitat wreckers, that are next to impossible to control. Not trying to get off your topic, BTB...but imagine if deer weren't native to PA and a few were released and started to become established. I wonder if they might say the same things about the deer as they have pretty much painted that kind of a picture the last few years here in PA.
There is a faction of environmental extermists that goes as far as wanting to eliminate every species that wasn't present in a given region for the last thousand years or so. They would love to eliminate even species such as brown trout and ringnecked pheasants form places such as PA for their misguided agenda of turning earth back into a big green sphere, with no evidence of mankind's interference.
Yes, the pigs are very popular in the south. Bag limits are often liberal, but I don't believe that the state agencies are trying to annihilate them. You'd think that if they are so destructive that each state would be exhausting all of their energies to completely eliminate them. Of course, like I said earlier, deer can also be considered a very destructive animal, and given our recent track record in PA with deer mgt, I wouldn't expect that the tree huggers would want anything else in the woods that might compete with the tweety birds or the pretty flowers. Seems like if you ask alot of hunters, especially those fed up with the deer fiasco, that they wouldn't mind having another big game animal to hunt.
When this all hit the news a couple of years ago about the wild hogs, remember they temporarily issued an open season, and since then, they halted the season and haven't heard much about it since. best I can figure is they didn't want extra attention contributing to rising populaity and decided to deal with the small poulation themselves. Locals in bedford haven't seen them in a while.
There is a faction of environmental extermists that goes as far as wanting to eliminate every species that wasn't present in a given region for the last thousand years or so. They would love to eliminate even species such as brown trout and ringnecked pheasants form places such as PA for their misguided agenda of turning earth back into a big green sphere, with no evidence of mankind's interference.
Yes, the pigs are very popular in the south. Bag limits are often liberal, but I don't believe that the state agencies are trying to annihilate them. You'd think that if they are so destructive that each state would be exhausting all of their energies to completely eliminate them. Of course, like I said earlier, deer can also be considered a very destructive animal, and given our recent track record in PA with deer mgt, I wouldn't expect that the tree huggers would want anything else in the woods that might compete with the tweety birds or the pretty flowers. Seems like if you ask alot of hunters, especially those fed up with the deer fiasco, that they wouldn't mind having another big game animal to hunt.
When this all hit the news a couple of years ago about the wild hogs, remember they temporarily issued an open season, and since then, they halted the season and haven't heard much about it since. best I can figure is they didn't want extra attention contributing to rising populaity and decided to deal with the small poulation themselves. Locals in bedford haven't seen them in a while.
08-27-2009, 03:02 AM
#4
Giant Nontypical
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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.
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.
08-27-2009, 07:01 AM
#5
Typical Buck
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Westmoreland County PA.
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Only thing I know about the pigs is what I have seen on a few of the hunting shows. I do recall a couple shows the main game animal was deer. But the owner of the operation insisted,any and all opportunities at a pig,please take it.But again,these are game ranches with limited number of hunters per year. Don't know how well they can be controlled in the wild? I do know this,would be some fine eating.
08-27-2009, 07:05 AM
#6
Typical Buck
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I'm with you, too. I love brown trout, rainbow trout, ringnecks...if I'm not mistaken most of our bunnies are from introduced missouri cottontails (Atleast that's what the old folks always tell me.) Multiflora rose? Good game cover, but that stuff really spread. You are right. I haven't read a single positive word about hogs in PA. They seem to be especially hard on mast crops...gorging themselves on acorns, but I think the worst thing they do is all the rooting and digging. They did some real damage to crops in the Somerset, Cambria, Bedford area. I really wonder what happened that we haven't heard any kind of an update. For a while quite a few folks in my area were talking about going out there looking for 'em when they had the season open....Seemed they were getting excited about the prospect of hunting them, which I think is the reason why they ended the seasons. Didn't want anyone having fun and taking a liking to them. They probably started trapping or baiting them in the problem areas, but who really knows besides the PGC? And they aren't saying much about it.
08-27-2009, 07:11 AM
#7
Typical Buck
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Oh...I did read that a female feral hog will birth a litter of up to 20...averages about 16 piglets....and she can do this up to 3 TIMES A YEAR! Now that's what I call recruitment! Also the reason they can get out of hand, as well the fact that they are supposed to be very intelligent and they wise up quick to hunting pressure. That nose is supposed to be as good or better than a deer. Maybe we could compare them to opportunistic black bears capable of recruiting sixty cubs per female each year. Could you imagine! As tough as bears are to hunt with that nose and a knack for avoiding hunters, if they reproduced like that we'd have a REAL problem on our hands! LOL
08-27-2009, 07:14 AM
#8
Giant Nontypical
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The very little bits I saw support what you just said. They decided to try and trap them out as quietly as possible. I'll admit that when i first read that we had pigs here, my first thought was where do i go to hunt them?
It would provide some good eatin though.........
It would provide some good eatin though.........
08-27-2009, 09:14 AM
#9
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Ive on several occassions hunted states with hogs and havent seen the problems claimed.
Any crop damage issues aside, The "damage" is a bit exaggerated if you ask me. Wouldnt see any problem in "forest" areas. The rooting isnt all that bad other than in fields etc. with soft soil. Otherwise in the woods, the rooting leaves no long term damage, and is quickly covered over with leaves and or vegetation, just like turkey scratchings.
Numbers would be the key as is the case with the deer herd. Reasonable numbers would give little problem. Too many could be problematic. Not likely to become "overpopulated" in Pa. For one, the habitat isnt the vast unpenetratable swamps that hold good numbers in the south where they can breed like rabbits. There isnt one northern state that is overpopulated with hogs, or has many at all for that matter. There are reasons why. Easier access for hunters, higher hunter densities, lower hog productivity etc. Even in most areas of the south that have hogs and are hunted, they arent "overpopulated", but kept pretty much in check. Just as with deer in other states, most claims of "too many" come from those experiencing some form of damage.
I have seen little competition between hogs and deer. Reason I say this is because some of the highest hog populated states also have very high deer populations and have for some time.
They are also the best eating critter in the nation imho.
Any crop damage issues aside, The "damage" is a bit exaggerated if you ask me. Wouldnt see any problem in "forest" areas. The rooting isnt all that bad other than in fields etc. with soft soil. Otherwise in the woods, the rooting leaves no long term damage, and is quickly covered over with leaves and or vegetation, just like turkey scratchings.
Numbers would be the key as is the case with the deer herd. Reasonable numbers would give little problem. Too many could be problematic. Not likely to become "overpopulated" in Pa. For one, the habitat isnt the vast unpenetratable swamps that hold good numbers in the south where they can breed like rabbits. There isnt one northern state that is overpopulated with hogs, or has many at all for that matter. There are reasons why. Easier access for hunters, higher hunter densities, lower hog productivity etc. Even in most areas of the south that have hogs and are hunted, they arent "overpopulated", but kept pretty much in check. Just as with deer in other states, most claims of "too many" come from those experiencing some form of damage.
I have seen little competition between hogs and deer. Reason I say this is because some of the highest hog populated states also have very high deer populations and have for some time.
They are also the best eating critter in the nation imho.
Last edited by Cornelius08; 08-27-2009 at 09:20 AM.
08-27-2009, 09:31 AM
#10
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West virginia dnr says hogs there (which is more northern part of hog range) have 3 to 5 total piglets per year. Not the muliple litters and higher numbers of the south.
Wv treats their hogs in southern counties as a valued resource, and has been trying to allow its hog numbers to increase for some time now, but it isnt happening, even with limited hunting opportunities.
Black bear, coyote and bobcat all REALLY work on the piglets.
Wv treats their hogs in southern counties as a valued resource, and has been trying to allow its hog numbers to increase for some time now, but it isnt happening, even with limited hunting opportunities.
Black bear, coyote and bobcat all REALLY work on the piglets.
Last edited by Cornelius08; 08-27-2009 at 09:34 AM.