Wild pigs / DNR

[Forestclimber]

Wild hogs pose environmental threat; following the law will help control them[/font][/size][/size][/font][/font][/size] In order to help control and reduce environmentally destructive wild hog populations in Indiana, regulations were passed by the Indiana Natural Resource Commission in November 2010. The regulations include the following:   • It is illegal for a person to import or possess a live wild hog in Indiana, except under stringent exemptions. • Resident landowners or other individuals with written permission can take (capture or shoot) wild hogs on the landowner’s property at any time without a permit. • The regulation removes the ability for giving economic or any other type of compensation for providing recreational opportunities to hunt wild hogs and requires captured wild hogs to be killed immediately or transported, in a container of sufficient strength preventing escape, to where they will be killed immediately. “Wild hogs” are called many different names such as wild pigs, wild boar or feral pigs. The names all refer to non-native swine and various hybrids that have either been illegally released or were formerly domestic pigs that were allowed to become feral. They pose problems in many states, including Indiana. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources, in cooperation with the USDA-APHIS Wildlife Services and the Indiana State Board of Animal Health (BOAH), is working with landowners impacted by wild hogs by providing technical information to control wild hog populations. The DNR, BOAH, and USDA-APHIS Wildlife Services; however, as policy, do not provide information on where to hunt wild hogs in Indiana. This practice is part of the DNR’s cooperative work with landowners. To help control this environmental threat, if you see feral or wild hogs, report the approximate location and number of hogs observed by contacting one of the following: • USDA-APHIS Wildlife Services, (765) 404-0382; joe.n.caudell@aphis.usda.gov • DNR Division of Fish and Wildlife, dfw@dnr.IN.gov  • BOAH at (877) 747-3038; animalhealth@boah.IN.gov • Individuals observing the illegal possession, importation, or release of wild hogs should contact DNR Law Enforcement at 1-800-TIP-IDNR. Wild hogs cause extensive damage to agricultural crops, are a source of disease for domestic livestock, and will prey on young livestock and small animals. Wild hogs may carry a number of diseases that can also infect people, and contaminate human food sources and water supplies. Wild hogs have also been known to destroyed residential lawns, landscaping, golf courses, and rural cemeteries. Wild hogs also threaten native wildlife and their habitats. • They eat the eggs and young of ground nesting animals, including many songbirds, quail, wild turkey, and rabbits. • They destroy wetlands and water resources, including amphibian and reptile habitat. • Their habit of rooting causes serious damage to habitat management practices to develop nesting cover and annual food plots. • Their rooting and wallowing destroys native plants, flowers, and mushrooms. A coordinated effort will help control this environmental threat. More information: Steve Backs, DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife, (812) 849-4586, sbacks@dnr.in.gov.

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[ironglow]

Here in NY State..ANY hogs out in the woods or outside a fence is "fair game", doesn't matter if it looks like a Yorkshire that won the blue ribbon at the county fair..kill it !   No closed season...

[Dinny]

So I guess this means we need to start contacting the COs and be really nice to them in hopes they will share some hog hunting grounds.




Thanks, Dinny

[schoolmaster]

I'm ready! Have gun will travel.

[ironglow]

Domestic hogs gone wild can be completely feral, even assuming some physical manifestations of wild hogs within a couple generations.  Actually, domestic hogs crossed with wild hogs can be the worst ones out there..

[parson48]

Fox 59 news in Indy said that wild pigs are becoming a problem around Muncie. I'm not very familiar with that area, but I'm close enough to go shoot some porkers if opportunity arises.

[contenderfan]

 I live near Muncie and work there...I have not heard of any reports of wild hogs in our area. Word travels fast around here, so if people were seeing them it would get out fast.

[Hank in Indiana]

Last year I heard a lot of stories about hogs in the White river bottoms of Lawrence Co. It was probable the same store told ten different ways. In the spring the White river flooded really bad. I figured the hogs would be hanging in the trees or setting on peoples porches. I didn't hear of one story. Until I see a snout and curley tail I'm not giving any stories any credibility.

[ironglow]

We do not yet have a large amount of feral hogs in NY state, but where they have come into, they are already doing a great deal of damage, so the DEC wants to start cleaning them out before they get to be more of a problem.

[Rock Home Isle]

I was watching one of those hunting programs on the Outdoor Channel...and a group was hunting hogs in south Texas. The program really emphasized the fact that the hogs down there are so desctructive that the land owners want people to come out and shoot them, the landowners were desparate to be rid of these hogs that they were even providing guns & ammo, guides, and tree stands to hunters that will come out and shoot the hogs.
 
In the program the group was hunting on several farms for a week. They hunted from tree stands over feeders in the morning and evening; then they were using night equipment on rifles (provided by the landowner) to hunt the hogs at night. The night segments of the program weren't shown, because the video production crews didn't have the proper support equipment to capture the night video. So they told stories about the hunts and showed the results. By the end of the week the group looked like they were wiped after hunting hard all week and getting only a few hours of sleep each night; but they had harvested a lot of hogs.
 
During the program. the production crews interviewed several landowners...the landowner interviews were all very similar in their content; the hogs are destroying huge sections of their croplands; the hogs have had a huge negative impact on local game populations; be a hero and come to south Texas and kill as many hogs as you can...we will help you to be successful. It was an amazing program on hunting hogs and how destructive these animals have become in the last 20 years or so.
 
As these wild hog populations spread and become more invasive, I see this desperation becoming more and more widespread.  National Geographic did a segment on wild hogs in America and had a very interesting statistic...the program indicated that there is not enough ammo produced in the US at any one time to control the growing populations of wild hogs....interesting.

[GeneRector]

   Howdy! In Texas hogs are found where there is a water and food source. That covers a good bit of the state. Hogs have 2 or more litters a year. It has gotten to the point that you can't kill enough hogs to make a big difference. Always, Gene
 
 

[Rock Home Isle]

  Howdy! In Texas hogs are found where there is a water and food source. That covers a good bit of the state. Hogs have 2 or more litters a year. It has gotten to the point that you can't kill enough hogs to make a big difference. Always, Gene

That is the impression that I got from the program...

[Dixiejack]

Down in S E Georgia where it is mostly swamp, hog hunters catch them with dogs and pen them up to purge them with corn to fatten them up and get rid of the bitter taste of the meat.  Staple food in that area for wild and feral hogs is acorns.  Acorns give the meat a bitter taste that can't be cooked out.  About a month in a pen with a diet of corn fattens them and the meat is more tender and sweeter.  They even have hog auctions, like regular livestock auctions. 


A good catch dog will easily bring $1,000. to $1,500. Usually the catch dogs don't run with the chase dogs.  When a hog is surrounded by the chase dogs, the catch dogs are turned loose to catch the hog by the snout an a hind leg. When you have 200 to 250 pounds of dogs hanging in a hog, a couple of hunters wade in and literally "hog tie" the porker and put them in a trailer to carry to the pens. It can get bloody when a dog gets its guts ripped open by a hog with long tusks. This type of hunting follows an ancient tradition brought over from Europe.  I believe they do the same type hunting in Tenn. and Kentucky and in the Appalachians.


Guns are hardly ever carried during the chase. Somebody might have a .22 RF  revolver or a single shot rifle.

[ChrisK]

I have hunted them in Texas. We corn the roads and stalk them.

[Dinny]

My mother sent me this link. Seems like a good read into what's in store for S. IN hunters.

http://www.inwoodlands.org/hog-wild-on-mushroom-hill/

Thanks, Dinny

[korkskru]

That was an interesting story, Dinny.  Thanks for sharing.  A buddy and myself are going down to Switzerland Co. for some turkey hunting opening wkend.  I may have to do some sniffing around down that way and see if any locals are seeing or hearing of any.

[dave29]

Cool story!

I have land in Ohio County, neighboring county of Switzerland, and I have not seen any signs of pigs.

[broom_jm]

I grew up out in California and went on a couple of successful hog hunts out there.  More wild hogs are killed in CA each year than deer.  They can be hunted 365 days/yr with no limit to speak of and the tags came 5 at a time, when I lived there. 

The problem with wild hogs is that they are FUN to hunt!  The exciting story Dinny linked to is not uncommon.  A lot of guys ignore the environmental nightmare that pigs bring to the table and illegally introduce them, specifically because they are so much fun to hunt and replenish their numbers so quickly.

The enthusiasm of many guys in this thread illustrates just how bad the problem is.  Folks are more than willing to go hunt and "eradicate those hogs!"  Well, you're not going to eradicate them and being so excited to go hunt them substantiates, indirectly, the actions of those who are introducing them. 

In closing, all I can tell you is that you DO NOT WANT hogs in your area.  The turkey and quail will suffer, native flora will suffer and with all the domestic swine operations in southern Indiana, millions of dollars are at stake.  The reason the DNR does not hand out information on where to go knocking on doors is that this interest in hog hunting will serve to perpetuate the problem, not eliminate it. 

The farmers and ranchers and "buddies" in areas where hogs get established need to keep a loaded rifle in their trucks and shoot every **** pig they see, just to keep the population from exploding.  Guys like us who don't live where the hogs are should travel to TX, FL, AL or CA (perish the thought) to hunt the hogs.  You don't want them screwing up the hunting in our state...trust me!