Deer Hunters Urged to Help Eliminate Feral Pigs

[Skunk]

Deer Hunters Urged to Help Eliminate Feral Pigs

by Wisconsin Ag Connection - 11/11/2009

State wildlife officials are encouraging hunters who have small game licenses heading out for Wisconsin's traditional nine-day gun deer hunting season to keep an eye out for feral pigs. Since 1997 feral pigs have been found in at least 39 Wisconsin counties.

"Each year we receive reports of feral pig sightings and harvests from around the state," says Brad Koele, wildlife damage specialist for Department of Natural Resources. "Most of these reports are of 1 or 2 pigs. However, any report of feral pigs is of interest and concern given the negative impacts they can have on the environment, Wisconsin's agriculture production and our domestic swine industry."

Feral pigs have been defined as existing in an untamed or wild, unconfined state, having returned to such a state from domestication. They can be found across a wide variety of habitats and are highly destructive because of the rooting they do in search of food.

The DNR says feral pigs are known to carry a number of diseases of danger to humans and the domestic swine industry, including swine brucellosis, pseudorabies and leptospirosis. In 2008 a feral pig shot during the gun deer hunting season in Crawford County initially tested positive for pseudorabies however because of the poor sample quality test results could not be labeled definitive.

For removal purposes, feral pigs are currently considered unprotected wild animals and may be hunted year-round. The only day they cannot be hunted with a gun is the Friday before the nine-day gun deer hunting season. Also, feral pig hunting hours are the same as for deer during the nine-day season. During the rest of the year, there are no hunting hour restrictions for feral pigs.

There is no bag limit on feral pigs. Landowners may shoot feral pigs on their own property without a hunting license. Anyone else can shoot a feral pig as long as they possess a valid small game license, sport license, or patron license and have landowner permission if they are on private land.

http://www.wisconsinagconnection.com/story-state.php?Id=1358&yr=2009

[TribReady]

If I see one, I'll do my part..   

Su-ey!

[Skunk]

Yeah, me too TribReady, but seeing one is the thing. I haven't seen one yet up in Northeast Wisconsin.

[379 Peterbilt]

Wisconsin feral hogs are DAMNED good eating. Would be a waste to leave one in the field, were one to get shot.

[bubbadoyle]

Yeah, but if they want them gone why do they require a small game license?  I would think that if they want them killed they would allow you to shoot them with any valid hunting license.

[379 Peterbilt]

I'm not sure why exactly, but to guess I think it's may have something to do with liability, as they can't have children, who've not had a hunters safely course, out shooting critters.

Trust me, the DNR want the hogs shot. If they could make it any easier, they likey would.

[jcn59]

Peterbilt has done his homework & knows where they are.

I spend a small part of 100 days a year in the woods hunting or just hiking, always with a gun, usually with my lab, in 4 northwestern counties, and have NEVER seen any indication of a feral hog.  This is usually at the end of the day.

Come to think of it, I don't see many deer or grouse, either.  Hhhmmmmm.....

[crash87]

Come to think of it, I don't see many deer or grouse, either.  Hhhmmmmm.....

And I thought I was the only one. Then again If, according to my DNR,  I wasn't sitting in the tavern watching Packer games maybe my kill would go up.
Seriuosly, How big of a problem is it? Now I know they can spread faster than the DNR mismanaging, aka ruining, the deer herd for the almighty dollar, but those of us who would love to help out simply can't. The DNR has no authority on making landowner's let you hunt on there property, as well as it should be. About 5 years ago a Father of one of my sons baseball teammates went looking for hogs to hunt. He and a Friend called the DNR and found out where to go, or where they thought they should go. Knocking on doors produced NO PERMISSION what so ever. So much for that. It will be problematic until someone in the DNR figures out how to procure $$ out of every orvice of the sportsmans body. Then they will have the fuzzy warm feeling reincanated themselves, as they did being on being on the agressive forefront with chronic waste of time disease, taking the sportsman whom entrusted their liberal ideals, OR NOT, down the road to.... well where we are now. But look at the bright side, for them it's win/win, instead of blaming us for watching the Packers on Sunday, or for it being to cold on opening day for us to go out hunting, or_____________(insert your own version of a DNR excuse for being, here), as excuses as to why their antiquated mismanagement has depleted our deer herd to ziltch, they can blame the piggies. Oh OH, I can already see it, it's the hunters fault for not shooting them to begin with, as always lose/lose for the hunter, what we need is more excuses to solve the problems incurred by our beloved DNR. Have fun with it boys. CRASH87