Hogs are Finally Movin Out of the Bottoms

[Dee]

It started rainin here in about the middle of July last year and has rained almost non-stop since. It rains EVERY WEEK, and sometimes ALL WEEK. It has been a sloppy BLACK LAND MESS, all winter, and the roads both paved, and graveled in this country are showin it.
The pecan and oak trees because of all the moisture have had record crops, and the two or three times I have been able to work my way down into a bottom on foot, I have seen the ground covered in acorns and pecans.
Because of this the hogs have stayed in the bottoms, and haven't been seen much this winter. I had suspected that because of the heavy mast this year, that there would be a heavy mast of pigs also. Coyotes do the same thing. Plenty of food, equal bigger litters.
Today my wife and I went for a ride and just before dark in a plowed field, (not much wheat this year, too wet to plant) was two sows and two good size litters of pigs rootin away.
Because of the weather, they have had little pressure this year, and we sat and watched them at about 50 yards for some time. I wanted to shoot the two sows, and let the coyotes handle the pigs, but I wasn't sure about the land owner. The 3030 would have made bacon very easily. As it turned out, a good friend of mine has the land leased, and I should have shot the two sows. Oh well. Both went about 200 to 250 lbs each. Next time. I always have a rifle with me, and it's usually the 94 or the 92.

[streak]

Dee,
Let them little piggies grow a little til they get to be "shoats" and them shoot`em and smok`em with pecan wood!! Ymmmmmm!!

[chutesnreloads]

Havn't seen a hog since about this time last year. Last week saw fresh tracks of a medium size sow and her litter.Must have been brand new.Little piggy tracks could've been covered with a 1/4 teaspoon.If they're coming out of the bottoms maybe we'll be seeing some soon.

[Dee]

Dee,
Let them little piggies grow a little til they get to be "shoats" and them shoot`em and smok`em with pecan wood!! Ymmmmmm!!

streak, the problem with them being shoats, is in less than 6 months, those little piggies will be havin litters of their own. It is a problem here that is cost everyone. If you live on the edge of town your liable to have a yard plowed overnight. If you live in the country, you can easily have your yard plowed overnight. They have no natural enemies. Deer, quail, squirrel, everything suffers. They will vacuum up all the mast and the squirrels will starve and have small or no litters. The deer are scarce here, and are moving out because of lack of natural feed. This is prime deer country, but very few deer, and one the many reasons is wild hogs.

[streak]

Dee,
Sounds like a real problem, do you have neighbors that hunt hogs or are they anti hunters?
Do you live in a rural setting or near town? Sounds like if enviroment is right, able to shoot and neighbors in agreement, that you might could setup a number of hog hunts to reduce the population! Just a thought.

[Dee]

streak, I don't know of one farmer that hunts. They want you to kill their hogs for them, but their too busy. Most want some sort of gun control, some would vote Democrat REGARDLESS of whom ran, including Obama, and almost all want some form of limited gun control.
They complain about the hogs, and then they complain that the hog hunters aren't any good, and aren't very good hunters.
I don't know how many times I have heard two farmers say, that they see hogs all the time when their plowing, and the hunter can't ever find'em. I have suggested that if their so concerned about the hogs, and the hogs are costing them so much money, and if their always seeing them when plowing, that they put a rifle rack in their AIR CONDITIONED, STEREO EQUIPED TRACTORS. ANSWER: I don't want a gun on my tractor.
These are also the guys that leave the keys in their vehicles when they get out at a restaurant, and say the cops are a pain in the ass, and are too busy writing seat belt tickets, instead of finding real criminals.
I used to hunt the hogs hard, but the attitudes have caused me to back way off. I hunt their land, and kill the hogs when I see them, but they are the guys that complain to AG Agents about their problems, and want MORE Government funding, and their the ones that file for crop subsidies in their name, and then in their wife's name, AND GET THEM. It's getting harder and harder to be sympathetic toward the hog problem. Like I said. I shoot them when I see them. But until a few days ago, they have been laid up in the bottoms feeding on a huge mast crop this year.

[streak]

Dee,
Thanks for the detailed explanation. Sounds like not only a hog problem( 4 footed variety) but also a hog problem( 2 footed variety) feeding at the political trough!
The U.S. Gov`t. in it`s infinite wisdom at work again! These farmer`s that apply for crop subsidies and then turnaround and file under their wifes name should be "Drawn and quartered" for abusing the system. Although that scenario plays out in other facets of this nation.
Don`t get me started about the" Great Society"!!

All I can say is " Eat more pork"!!

[Sourdough]

Now you know why the farmers are all Yellow Dog Democrates.

[Dee]

Now you know why the farmers are all Yellow Dog Democrates.

Truer words never spoken. I know a few farmers that voted against Obama, and I know some that voted for Obama. But all of them I am talking about take the subsidies, and I know thru the database how much individually, and it's a bunch of money.

[NebrHunter]

Dee , that reminds me of when I lived in Colorado. I went into the local DNR office to talk to the
Biologist about bear hunting, and had to listen to a landowner complain about the deer eating his
 apples in his orchard, and wanted the DNR to do something about them. The Bio. told him to let hunters
on his property and shoot them. He said he tried that, and that nobody would pay him $100. to shoot does,
(1990) the Bio. just looked at him and shook his head. What he wanted was for the DNR to pay him for the
apples....   mc

[Dee]

Dee , that reminds me of when I lived in Colorado. I went into the local DNR office to talk to the
Biologist about bear hunting, and had to listen to a landowner complain about the deer eating his
 apples in his orchard, and wanted the DNR to do something about them. The Bio. told him to let hunters
on his property and shoot them. He said he tried that, and that nobody would pay him $100. to shoot does,
(1990) the Bio. just looked at him and shook his head. What he wanted was for the DNR to pay him for the
apples....   mc

The farmers here have been to the local ag agent want the same thing. The agent held a county wide meeting and said that the hog were there to stay, and basically help yourself. I drink coffee and go to church with most all of these guys, and like them, but what is going on is not right.

[Sourdough]

We are fighting a battle with farmers in Alaska.  The farmers raise a very low quality Barley near the Bison Range.  Bison knock down their flimsy little fences and eat the Barley.  Now the Farmers are screaming to the Game Board they want compensation for the damaged Barley.  They want the price set by the Global Market for Barley, which their Barley does not come close to meeting.

Then the farmers charge big bucks for drawing permit holders to hunt on their farms, to the point of making it cost prohibitive for many hunters.  These farmers don't want to get rid of the Bison, they want the Bison to damage their crops so they don't have to harvest it, and get low fair market value for an inferior product.  They want the government to pay them more than their product is worth.  Most of these farmers are new to the Delta area, and went into farming there knowing Bison were a problem. 

[streak]

Once again the U.S. Gov`t. has trained it`s "sheeples" to depend upon the government for subsidies or handouts instead of taking responsibility for their own decisions and actions!
And this will continue as long as this "government" is of the mindset that throwing money at a problem will solve it, that is why we are in such a frigging mess now!!