Hunters Given Clearance To Kill Wild Pigs

[Springer4Ever]

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/10278165/detail.html


I didnt know there was a problem is this our dove alternative ?lol

[WALLEYEvision]

Hunters Given Clearance To Kill Wild Pigs


POSTED: 1:17 am EST November 9, 2006
UPDATED: 1:23 am EST November 9, 2006



DETROIT -- It's open season on wild pigs in Michigan.

The state has given hunters permission to fire at will at feral pigs. The voracious and wily swine have been spotted in 23 counties.

The pigs aren't a serious threat in Michigan, and state wildlife and agriculture officials want to keep it that way.


The pigs are known to carry disease and they have wreaked havoc on farms and forestlands in several states. They're suspected as the source of the recent E. coli outbreak in some spinach from California.

The hairy pigs can be shot by any licensed hunter.

"Old McDonald had a pig...until the day it wandered onto state land."

[Hi Ho Silver_Joe]

Here yo go guys... Everything you ever wanted to know about MIchigan's wild pigs.

Feral hogs, also called tuskers, are aggressive and wary, traveling in small herds that woof, snort and dash away with the whiff or sight of humans. They root through the top soil and eat roots, vegetation, insects, bird eggs, carrion, grain and mushrooms.



Adults can weigh 200 to 700 pounds and are generally black or brown.:hide:

http://www.huntingnet.com/news/news.aspx?news_id=616

[GMslave]

So, if you do shoot one, are you not supposed to eat it?? :confused:

[Hi Ho Silver_Joe]

So, if you do shoot one, are you not supposed to eat it?? :confused:

Not raw you animal! :lol: Like everything wild it must be thoroughly cooked.:corkysm55

[LandonSenk@ameritech.net]

We have seen them at our camp, and we arnt familiar with them at all. So I was wondering do any of you know how to cut the meat up after the kill?

[Ed Michrina]

I hear a tame pig will go wild in one or two generations. kinda like a feral cat but pigs can change there appearance just as quick. weird.

[GMslave]

Not raw you animal! :lol: Like everything wild it must be thoroughly cooked.:corkysm55

In my defense, the article made it seem like they were carrying the Plague or something. :bonk:

I hope we get a couple around here, I wouldn't mind adding bacon and ham to the list of things I don't need to buy. Then all I would have to do is get some chickens, grow some potatos, and I'd be all set. :lol:

[icecathound]

So, if you do shoot one, are you not supposed to eat it?? :confused:no do not eat them as soon as you gut it and haul it out of the woods contact me and i will dispose of the carcass for you :evilsmile

[GMslave]

no do not eat them as soon as you gut it and haul it out of the woods contact me and i will dispose of the carcass for you :evilsmile

OK, I'll tell ya what: I'll trade you even up for one of them 'feral cows'. I heard those can be even more destructive, and need to be shot on sight. http://smilies.storagebin.us/smilies/firedevil.gif

[Triumphdog]

This is fantastic! I always wanted to go on one of those wild boar hunts. Sweet man, anyone hear what counties? I live in Kent and I would be willing to travel a little more south if that is where they are. AWESOME...

[Tru-N-Sea]

Here's the article released yesterday on the DNR site. It includes the counties where at least one feral pig was reported.

Feral Pig Information via DNR website (http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10371_10402-155749--,00.html)


Captn---

[Hamilton Reef]

Deer hunter's pig adventure

http://www.mlive.com/news/bctimes/index.ssf?/base/news-8/1163693837217150.xml&coll=4

11/16/06 By JERRY NUNN SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

HOUGHTON LAKE - Jeff Kuch of Saginaw knows just how to follow up on an already successful deer hunt - by dropping a wild pig that weighs more than 300 pounds.

Kuch scored the exotic prize at around 8 a.m. on Wednesday - opening morning of the firearm season for deer - off highway M-18 in Roscommon County.

''I heard something and looked to my left. ... At first I thought it was a deer crouched down trying to get around behind me,'' Kuch said.

Then Kuch turned the other way and got a better look at the animal.

'''Holy smokes, it's a pig,' I said. Then I thought, 'Do I want to take this thing or not.' We were quite a long ways back in there,'' Kuch recalls.

Dressed out, the female critter weighed 240 pounds. The unusual trophy follows the six-point, 165-pound buck Kuch took last weekend during the archery hunt.

''She's a pretty thing, actually, for a pig. She's got real nice tusks on her,'' Kuch said. ''It's different. You don't get a chance to shoot one of these that often.''

On his earlier excursion, Kuch, who has hunted the area for years, said signs made it apparent a pig was at work nearby.

''It was tore up back in there pretty good. It looks like they just plow furrows in the dirt,'' Kuch said.

Escaped from private game farms, no one knows how many feral pigs are on the loose in Michigan. Their destructive behavior is only one of the reasons why the Michigan Department of Natural Resources wants to see the voracious omnivores gone.

The agency is working in partnership with officials from the state Department of Agriculture, who want feral swine destroyed to prevent farm field destruction and the spread of disease.

The agencies have identified 23 Michigan counties, many of them in central Michigan, in which the runaway swine can be legally shot by licensed hunters.

''This is a bit of a bonus,'' said Ann Wilson, DNR spokeswoman, noting folks who bag a feral pig don't need a kill tag and are free to continue pursuit of a white-tailed buck.

''They're an exotic species and our goal is to completely eliminate feral swine from our environment.''

Still, Wilson suggests hunters make sure of their target before taking aim. The squat creatures are easily mistaken for a bear or a large dog.

A pig's vital organs are situated farther forward than they are on a deer, making them harder to kill, according to Wilson.

Kuch said his first hit on the wild pig did not appear to faze the creature. He dropped it with a second shot to the head.

Officials suggest shooting wild pigs high up in the shoulder or between the shoulder and the head, Wilson said. Hunters unsure of their shot may be best off taking a pass.

''If I'd have been sitting on the ground with a bow I would definitely not have shot at it,'' Kuch said. ''I don't know, but I've heard they can be awful mean. The way it looked at me ... and boy the tusks on that thing, I wouldn't have wanted to play around with it in the woods.''

For folks around Houghton Lake, the pig provided most of a day's entertainment, according to Lyman Foster, owner of Lyman's on the Lake.

Kuch's porcine prize swung on the buck pole outside Foster's sporting goods shop, right alongside a dozen freshly bagged bucks. Foster said people paraded through his place just to get a look at the oddity.

''Oh man, has this been an exciting week around here,'' Foster said.

Hunters who bag a wild boar are encouraged to call the DNR at (517) 336-5030 or the MDA at 1-800-292-3939.

Hunters also can take the animal to a DNR deer check station. Information collected will assist officials in assessing the size of Michigan's feral pig problem and help track the damage wild pigs cause.

For more photos of Kuch's wild pig, as well those of a few nice bucks, visit www.houghtonlakefishing.com.

[ChasinSprints]

Now that is what I call a bonus. No need to go out and buy the pork to mix with you venison burger when ya may be able to get one in the bush too.

[Dom]

And I kept hoping Michigan DNR would get a real boar population going with the European and Russion versions, heck, we hunt them all year here, 24/7. That explains why I ain't got no time to go fishing!! BTW, when they start tearing up the cornfields you get lots of calls to go hunting, heck you could take a week off and hunt 24 hours a day -- most are shot at night over here as they've pretty much gone nocturnal. Then, on the other hand, we wouldn't want nobody shooting McDonalds 'feral' cows would we ;) . What more could a hunter want? Waidmannsheil, Dom.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid200/pf0243a07e55f1d11cb52a421ae0f41cc/f0655363.jpg

[notmuchtime]

Here's a pic of a Hillsdale county boar shot while deer hunting this past week.

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/500/Boar1.JPG

[beer and nuts]

The Hillsdale one looks to have a ear clip??? Ranch or outside fences??

The Houghton lake one was hanging at Lymans on the Lake buck pole, I think this is the furthest north so far, seems like they were just reported in Gladwin county. Not good....but I'll be more than happy to finish one off if needed.

[swampbuck]

The one killed at houghton lake is not from the gladwin population.

[notmuchtime]

The Hillsdale one looks to have a ear clip??? Ranch or outside fences??

The Houghton lake one was hanging at Lymans on the Lake buck pole, I think this is the furthest north so far, seems like they were just reported in Gladwin county. Not good....but I'll be more than happy to finish one off if needed.
Must of been an escapee as it was shot on private property.

[beer and nuts]

swampbuck, how do you know that???

Escapee or not, if thats a tag in the ear I'm sure the DNR would find that very interesting?!?

[notmuchtime]

swampbuck, how do you know that???

Escapee or not, if thats a tag in the ear I'm sure the DNR would find that very interesting?!?
Are you implying something here?

[homerdog]

swampbuck, how do you know that???

Escapee or not, if thats a tag in the ear I'm sure the DNR would find that very interesting?!?

maybe, maybe not. From the DNR website

County prosecutors are aware that shooting feral swine in these counties is permitted and any potential owners of the feral swine have been contacted and do not claim ownership.

[redwingsdude]

Nobody has claimed ownership of these hogs, so what is the problem?

[swampbuck]

swampbuck, how do you know that???

Escapee or not, if thats a tag in the ear I'm sure the DNR would find that very interesting?!?

PM SENT.

[homerdog]

Nobody has claimed ownership of these hogs, so what is the problem?

Sounds to me like none whatsoever. If I see one I'll shoot it. A big slab of bacon sounds pretty good to me.

[slowpoke]

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/10278165/detail.html


I didnt know there was a problem is this our dove alternative ?lol

So why don't the DNR do the same for the Cougar. Seems though they would do a lot of harm to livestock and such. Most reports say if they are in Michigan someone turn them loose or got loose and they are not coming from wild stock.

[theeyes]

DNR has a couger info page now.
http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10370_12145_43573---,00.html

[beer and nuts]

What am implying is, if these hogs have tags than can not the DNR go after the ranches/owners with some heavy fines???

[kdogger]

Here's the story as I understand it:

Some genius decided to release some "wild" pigs on state land E. of M-18, W of F-97, South of M-55.

This guy was an outfitter who was relasing them for paid hunts, similar to what people do with birds. I'm not sure how long ago this was.

Well some got away.

There are reports of piglets, indicating a breeding population.

Now we have wild pigs running around ripping up the landscape.

[Hamilton Reef]

HE SHOOTS, HE BOARS!

Tony Avery figured there were some wild pigs running around the area where he and his brother hunt deer in Hillsdale County, located about 80 miles southwest of Detroit. They had seen what looked like swine tracks, although they can be hard to distinguish from a big deer.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061126/SPORTS10/611260615/1058

[victor mi pro bowhunter]

Ya I read about this in wood N water dec.

[Hamilton Reef]

Area hunter impressed with his taking of wild pig

http://www.mlive.com/news/bctimes/index.ssf?/base/news-8/116533554721170.xml&coll=4

12/05/06 By JERRY NUNN SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

With feral pigs setting sights on making Michigan's wilderness their new-found home, deer hunters this year were encouraged to sights of their own on the wild pigs.

On opening day, Jeff Kuch of Saginaw did just that and shot a 300-pound-plus female in the wilds of Roscommon County.

''This was the best deer season that I've ever had,'' Kuch said. ''That was the most fun ever. This year was something I'll never forget.''

Michigan Department of Natural Resources officials hope more licensed hunters join in on Kuch's fun. At the urging of the state's Department of Agriculture and with the blessing of local prosecutors, the DNR opened a no-limits season on the pests for the first time this year.

Fears over the pigs becoming established are well justified, according to Ann Wilson, a DNR spokeswoman. She said the critters can carry disease contagious to domestic pigs and the animal's destructive habits are legendary.

Rooting for grubs and burrowing for plant roots, feral pigs can turn over acres of sod and forest floors in a short period of time. They also eat anything and everything - from plants, insects and carrion, to white tailed deer fawns.

But according to Wilson, the best things about taking one of the wild pigs is that the animals make for some pretty good eating.

''I'll tell you, the thing's excellent eating,'' said Kuch. ''I'd rather take a pig than a deer any day.''

Kuch described the meat as ''redder'' and ''juicier'' than regular pork and tender enough to eat with a fork when correctly prepared. The bacon he described as especially noteworthy: It fries up tasty and crisp, but not too hard and with less grease.

While the pigs are offered free for the taking by any licensed hunter, they still come at a cost.

Kuch paid $145 to have his pig cut, wrapped and processed, including smoking the hams and bacon and making sausage. An ''exceptional bargain'' will have the wild pig's head mounted for $300, he added.

That seems cheap enough to Kuch, who left Bernthal's Packing in Frankenmuth, where the pig was processed, with two big boxes, heaped with delectable cuts of meat.

While the family has eaten samples and given away some of the meat as gifts, the premier feast of wild pig is set for Christmas day, when a fresh-smoked, wild ham takes the place of the traditional turkey on the family's holiday dinner table.

''We're really looking forward to trying that ham,'' Kuch said. ''I've got to use one up. The things are taking up a lot of space in the freezer.''

[Hamilton Reef]

Time to get out and hunt free-roaming pigs

Don't put that hunting rifle, shotgun, muzzleloader or bow away just yet. Free-roaming pigs have been declared fair game in seven more Michigan counties, bringing to 30 the counties where escaped porkers can be hunted through March 31.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061231/SPORTS10/612310587/1058

[ishot3bucks]

Time to get out and hunt free-roaming pigs

Don't put that hunting rifle, shotgun, muzzleloader or bow away just yet. Free-roaming pigs have been declared fair game in seven more Michigan counties, bringing to 30 the counties where escaped porkers can be hunted through March 31.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061231/SPORTS10/612310587/1058

The one I got was in West branch! See attached photos! Still witing for blood results from department of agriculture. NO TAG ON MY PIG!! Free ranging!!