[davidshane]

To start, I must admitt that I know very little about our curent hog situation. I heard that some got loose from a fenced ranch around the Houghton Lake area and that hunters have seen them. Sounds like know that this is only the tip of the ice berg. It appears that there are more than just one pocket of wild hogs in the L.P. I guess that there have been many more escapees over the past years and that there may be over a 100 wild pigs out there.

What is the state of this situation? How many hogs does the state think we have running around out there? Is it past the point of elimination and a sastanable (sp) wild herd is now established? Where are the pockets of pigs located? I'm real curious to what has happened.

 

[OSXer]

To add to the questions, how much "winter" can pigs tolerate? This year it was quite mild, but would a nice cold winter kill off many of the wild pigs roaming this state now?

 

[Wizard3686]

well i know there was also some up in baraga county that broke out. I would have to think that they would be used to the snow and cold. I dont doubt that there is more then what we know about and i would have to think that they would find something to eat in the winter eather it be cedar or some thing along them lines.

 

[walleyeguy22]

To add to the questions, how much "winter" can pigs tolerate? This year it was quite mild, but would a nice cold winter kill off many of the wild pigs roaming this state now?

Well Russian boars come from Russia, ever see a winter in russia? Yeah so dont worry about how much winter they czan tolerate.

 

[Critter]

Well I plan on not letting them get established anywhere if I can help it. I don't think they are established yet, not in enough numbers to worry about. The thing that worries me is the number of people I have talked to and read on here that think it would be "cool" to have hogs here. If you want to hunt hogs go south. They will destroy our ag and forest lands like they have in other states, we don't want that.

 

[ricknflint]

I'm with you Critter,get rid of them period! I worry about what they'll do to ground nesting birds. There's too few Pheasants and Grouse as it is, they don't need another predator to deal with ,not to mention destruction of Turkey nests. I've read were they'll kill Fawns and eat them to, given the chance.

 

[Cpt.Chaos]

I seen a large pack of hogs just the other day. There was 5 of them at what appeared to be an established feeding station for them, if you can believe that. I went home to get my rifle to take them out, but they were able to slip away before I got back. Apparently they paid their bill at Old Country Buffet and got into their Caddy and headed south on Van Dyke!

 

[trout]

I seen a large pack of hogs just the other day. There was 5 of them at what appeared to be an established feeding station for them, if you can believe that. I went home to get my rifle to take them out, but they were able to slip away before I got back. Apparently they paid their bill at Old Country Buffet and got into their Caddy and headed south on Van Dyke!

I find that hard to beleive!
Normally there's only 4 in the caddy's I see.

 

[Cpt.Chaos]

I find that hard to beleive!
Normally there's only 4 in the caddy's I see.

1 of them was just a suckling, I don't think she had even learned how to apply for general assistance yet!

 

[ChasinSprints]

An article that appeared in the Mining Gazette on wild hogs in Baraga and Houghton county.

http://www.mininggazette.com/stories/articles.asp?articleID=6308

 

[Rusher]

I would say they are here to stay, hogs breed like rabbits. Now the good part to come is when the D.N.R. demands a hunting license shortly to offset the budget:lol: .

 

[skidoomaster]

Hey guys, I've been hog hunting in Texas for the past 4 years. There is no dough that in 10 years every state will have the similar hog problem. Hogs are extremely smart. They will adapt to the environment, they will eat anything. (Even their own!). I have seen complete wheat fields totally up-rooted and destroyed! As long as we still have hog farms, there will be escapees.

A few tid-bits on hunting them... They have very poor eyesight, but excellent sense of smell and hearing. Most the time we still-hunt them. During the hot months we use bait. As long as you are downwind you can get surprisingly close.

Just last night we spotted 4 big boys, a sow, and littler of about 8 piglets in a wheat field. We were 1000+ yards out, and stalked up on them to a 75 yard shot on my range finder. I hit the biggest one with my .243 using Win ballistic rounds and knocked him on he back. He sat there kicking his legs for about 20 or 30 seconds then rolled over and ran into the brush. It was right at sunset so we let him bleed out for about 45 mins. We tracked him in the dark for a 1/4 mile or so. Never found him. Too bad, he was no dough the largest hog I’ve ever seen. Was mostly yellow with large black spots all over. I'm sure the coyotes had a pig-roast last night!

Texas has open hog hunting season all year, day and night. They are fun to hunt, but would NEVER want them at home. They are nasty creatures!

 

[Backwoods-Savage]

During deer season, a neighbor saw 28 all in one pack. Others were sighted the same evening. Happy to report that several have been taken already and I've not seen any new sign. Perhaps the owner finally decided to pen them up and keep them in.

 

[Bwana]

To start, I must admitt that I know very little about our curent hog situation. I heard that some got loose from a fenced ranch around the Houghton Lake area and that hunters have seen them. Sounds like know that this is only the tip of the ice berg. It appears that there are more than just one pocket of wild hogs in the L.P. I guess that there have been many more escapees over the past years and that there may be over a 100 wild pigs out there.

What is the state of this situation? How many hogs does the state think we have running around out there? Is it past the point of elimination and a sastanable (sp) wild herd is now established? Where are the pockets of pigs located? I'm real curious to what has happened.

Unfortunately, I believe they are here to stay. They are prolific breeders. I think this is a negative situation for the States Deer Hunters too as they will destroy agricutural areas and food plots.

 

[Old Wildlife Biologist]

A couple of retired State Troopers and I are paid to shoot hogs by the local sod farms near our winter homes in Florida. We use generation III night vision scopes, infared sensors and DPMS in .223 to shoot as many as 100 hogs in just one night. They keep coming back to the empty habitat that the dead hogs have left behind. The sod farmers and nearby golf course owner have no choice but to keep paying to have them shot. In just one night they can do more than $100,000 in damages by rooting up greens or ready to harvest sod. We conduct our operations once or twice a week depending on the populations levels.

We are paid a buck a piece on the sod farms and 2 dollars on the golf course. There is one benefit to having hogs around and that is that you can crawl around in the dark without much fear of running in to rattle and coral snakes. Hogs do not even hesitate to eat a rattlesnake and even fight over them. We use the .223 so that as many hogs die in the bush rather out on the farms. The .223 also pose less of a threat to structures by errant shots as well. A clean up crew picks up as many dead hogs as it can easily find. However, leaving dead hogs in the palmetos only acts to attract more hogs. I have told the farm and golf course owners that it would me much better if the would just bury them. Everything is done at night to keep animal rights and the politically correct from getting involved. Out of sight means out of mind.

In addition the sod farm owners have a full time hog trapper that has close to 70 hog traps. Once hogs are trapped the traps which are normally 10X10 feet in size become hog pens. The trapper feeds the trapped hogs antibiotics and dead hogs until they are ready to sell. Wild hogs that are kept in a pen grow very fast to weights over 500 lbs. Many of these hogs end up at hog roasts.

My setter no longer finds the number of quail we used to and along with the fire ants we suspect feral hogs one of the many causes. Hogs are a real curse to native species. Like bears their sense of smell allows them to find and consume new born fawns.

Wild hogs have lived in much more spartan habitats and conditions than those found in Michigan. It is doubtful that hunters alone will be able to stop the invasion however it is possible they can slow their spread. Trapping hogs appears to be a much more effective meithod of control. It is the most common method used on both private and public lands.

 

[swampbuck]

If the dnr wants them gone, the need to relax the rules.

 

[22 Chuck]

Just like rabbits they will never be exterminated.

 

[john warren]

as long as they aren't protected... and i believe thats the case now. we can shoot them. but my bet is they are here and will take more hunters after them then there are now to keep then in check at all.

 

[Buddwiser]

If the dnr wants them gone, the need to relax the rules.

From what I read in the regulation book, you do not need a license to shoot them and there is no closed season on them. If someone knows differently, please correct me because if the opportunity comes up while coyote hunting, I'll take the shot.

 

[Skinner 2]

From what I read in the regulation book, you do not need a license to shoot them and there is no closed season on them. If someone knows differently, please correct me because if the opportunity comes up while coyote hunting, I'll take the shot.

ANY legal hunting license is used for hogs. You have to have one of any kind.

Skinner