wildhogs

[CrumbSnatcher]

watching a show on discovery called pigbomb. is abbeville GA. anywhere near the trail? i think its central georgia? the wild pigs are crossbreeding and getting bigger and meaner every year. the population is out of control all over the world. the biggest ones being in central russia. in 99' i saw a pitcure of a 500lb. one, caught just outside the smokies and wieghed with a forklight/scale. anyone ever run one across one on the trail?

[skinewmexico]

Feral hogs are out of control everywhere. Just a matter of time until they gang up on someone. And also just a matter of time until predators catch up to the food supply. Hogs will probably be the real reason every carries on the AT some day.

[aaronthebugbuffet]

Last spring I did a 75 mile loop in The Smokies. I saw so many I stopped counting. A lot of piglets too. They were really tearing up the place.

[Doughnut]

Abbeville is no where near the trail. it's in south central GA. There are a few hog hunting farms there, they raise the pigs for sportsman.

If you saw the "Hogzilla" episode on Discovery or the National Geographic special, that's near Abbeville.

DoughNut

[CrumbSnatcher]

they are trying to figure out if the american wild hogs are cross breeding with a species from europe. some of the wild boars in russia are as big as 700lbs. which would mean the hogzilla factor is true and will get alot worse. the show had a bunch of hunters with dogs trying to capture pigs so they could get hair samples for testing. if you get a chance try to catch the show on discovery PIGBOMB.

[Frick Frack]

We saw a pack of them on our sobo when we were in GA...they were around Poplar Stamp somewhere. I have seen boar in GSMNP but these were HUGE in comparison. They were tall, muscular and very dark colored. They paid no attention to us until I opened my camera case and the noise caused them to stair at us for almost a minute (seemed like forever) then one of them clicked his jaws and they all ran off. They were very intimidating. The trail was torn up immensely where we saw them.

[CrumbSnatcher]

yeah the boars are a totally different ballgame than the little piggies. they tryed to capture one on the show on a motion detector camera. but all they seen on the photos were the eyes of one slightly in the distance(in the dark,with the eyes glowing in the dark) and the eyes were 4 ft. off the ground. i've heard even the bears don't mess with the boars! in the show it shows a bunch of dogs being attacked and bitten by the boars.

[mikec]

Back in the 90's the AT Companion warned about them in the Smokies. I never saw one. I did see a History channel documentary where someone got gored by one. They defend themselves with their tusks. If they gore you on your leg and cut an artery in the backcountry, you're a goner.

[Newb]

fortunately, they can't climb. If one is coming after you get up a tree asap. Even shimmying up just a few feet can save you.

[MintakaCat]

I've seen them in the GSMNP as far back as 35 years ago in Cades Cove. Easy to see them in those fields around sunset.

[4eyedbuzzard]

.357 + BBQ grill = problem solved

[ASUGrad]

People in Giles County have been releasing farm hogs into the wild around Dismal Falls. There is no season on hogs in Va so they can hunt them anytime they wish.

[1azarus]

so how high do ya have to hang a hammock -- that would be to avoid the horns....

[Spogatz]

Just pull out a bottle of BBQ sauce and they will run away....

[chelko]

I spoke with a wildlife management ranger in the smokies last fall and he said they have an ongoing effort to hunt the hogs and try to eliminate them from the park because of the damage they do to the trails and surrounding forest floor. I asked why if the hunting was going on do we never hear gun shots while hiking. He explained that they use a 30 caliber rifle that shoots a large 180grain bullet at a velocity slower than the speed of sound so as not to disturb park visitors or other wildlife. Found it interesting for what its worth.

[bigmac_in]

I spoke with a wildlife management ranger in the smokies last fall and he said they have an ongoing effort to hunt the hogs and try to eliminate them from the park because of the damage they do to the trails and surrounding forest floor. I asked why if the hunting was going on do we never hear gun shots while hiking. He explained that they use a 30 caliber rifle that shoots a large 180grain bullet at a velocity slower than the speed of sound so as not to disturb park visitors or other wildlife. Found it interesting for what its worth.


I call BS on the bullet story. . .

[drastic_quench]

.357 + BBQ grill = problem solved

Better cook the hell out of it. Wild hogs have a very high rate of trichinosis.

[SloHiker]

I call BS on the bullet story. . .


Plausible story actually .... you'd be surprised how much "wildlife management" is conducted by various public officials right under your nose - especially in urban areas where it is politically incorrect to "cull" anything that might offend someone.

The sub-sonic ammo trick only does away with the "crack" of the bullet as it breaks the sound barrier -which is the part you hear from long distance. Some urban culling operations routinely use suppressed firearms, as well.

[Gray Blazer]

No, my ex-wife lives in Gainesville, FL.

[Pedaling Fool]

I spoke with a wildlife management ranger in the smokies last fall and he said they have an ongoing effort to hunt the hogs and try to eliminate them from the park because of the damage they do to the trails and surrounding forest floor....
Makes you wonder, if we can cause the extinction of so many animals, why can't we do the same with the hog?

[chelko]

The ranger described the weapon as a magazine fed carbine that looks like a standard M-16 with a heavy barrell like one woiuld find on a varmit rifle. A flash supressor/silencer is in place on the end of the barrel as well. The shell looks like a pistol round with a straight necked casing, not a graduated brass cartridge like that used by other high caliber rifles.

[Many Walks]

I don't recall what shelter we were at, but I believe it was still in GA. During the night we heard a huge commotion with Dogs chasing wild boars and shotgun blasts ringing through the forest. Must have been hunting with night vision. We heard later the NFS pays hunters to thin the wild pigs because of all the damage they do. It was quite an awakening as they all came pretty close to the shelter. We didn't stay at a lot of shelters, but I was glad we weren't in a tent in the middle of that.

Saw a picture of a hogzilla a few years back. I believe it was in Alabama, where a guy driving down the road saw a huge boar, went home for his 3030 and went back for him. He got out of his truck and the hog charged him. Took several shots to finally bring him down just before he was attacked. The article said his weight was pushing #800 and he looked like the size of a small bull. Nasty ugly looking thing.

[skinewmexico]

I bet the Rangers are using a supressed 300 Whisper. I want one. They estimate 2-3 BILLION in crop damage from feral hogs, last year, in Texas alone. Lesiglature here has introduced a bill to allow the hunting of feral hogs from a helicopter. Plus, hogs are omnivorous, so they destroy most of the wildlife where ever they're found.

[skinewmexico]

Makes you wonder, if we can cause the extinction of so many animals, why can't we do the same with the hog?

Hogs are smarter than the vast majority of the other wildlife out there.

[pyroman53]

Makes you wonder, if we can cause the extinction of so many animals, why can't we do the same with the hog?
Ask the shelter mouse!!

[Feral Bill]

they are trying to figure out if the american wild hogs are cross breeding with a species from europe. some of the wild boars in russia are as big as 700lbs. which would mean the hogzilla factor is true and will get alot worse. the show had a bunch of hunters with dogs trying to capture pigs so they could get hair samples for testing. if you get a chance try to catch the show on discovery PIGBOMB.

There are no native pigs in America. Feral pigs here have various European ancestry. I'm sure that some populations are nastier than others.

[CrumbSnatcher]

There are no native pigs in America. Feral pigs here have various European ancestry. I'm sure that some populations are nastier than others.
not native,but called american wild pigs. the show last night kept using the term eurasian boars and they traveled to russia where the big nasty ones roam. the people down south believe the american wild pig has definitely cross bread with the russian boars. with stripes and or red hair. in the last 30 years the boars are getting bigger and meaner, harder to find,harder to kill

[JumpInTheLake]

Hogs are smarter than the vast majority of the other wildlife out there.

Mine aren't. They are intensely curious, but they are dumb as dirt. I have two sows and a boar. I've called them by name while I pet them for two years. No recognition yet. But if I throw a foreign object in the pen they'll go crazy to see if it's edible.

Their children are delicious.

The problem with pigs is that they breed like rodents. It's not unusual for a momma to have twenty five babies a year. And then the babies breed, and their babies breed. And hogs don't have many natural enemies on the east coast.

[JumpInTheLake]

There are no native pigs in America. Feral pigs here have various European ancestry. I'm sure that some populations are nastier than others.


Does it bother you when we discuss your relatives? :):)

Great avatar by the way!

[Feral Bill]

Does it bother you when we discuss your relatives? :):)

Great avatar by the way!

Some relatives are better not discussed.:rolleyes:

[randyg45]

Makes you wonder, if we can cause the extinction of so many animals, why can't we do the same with the hog?
We haven't even opened the season on them, much less put a bounty on them, far less allowed trapping, poisoning, etc. Can you imagine the uproar if they just opened GSMNP and SNP to year-round pig hunting?
Besides, much of the extinction prob is at least exacerbated- perhaps caused- by habitat destruction. Doesn't apply (yet, at least) to pigs.

[randyg45]

I call BS on the bullet story. . .
Hard to credit a little 180 grain bullet at subsonic speeds with enough penetration to kill boars. Piggies, maybe.... Piglets, surely.

[Tipi Walter]

I bet the Rangers are using a supressed 300 Whisper. I want one. They estimate 2-3 BILLION in crop damage from feral hogs, last year, in Texas alone. Lesiglature here has introduced a bill to allow the hunting of feral hogs from a helicopter. Plus, hogs are omnivorous, so they destroy most of the wildlife where ever they're found.

I sure wouldn't be worried over the feral hog population while the US human population approaches 330,000,000 now and projected to be 450,000,000 by 2050. I'd say the loss of open land and forest by chainsaw and bulldozer is a million times worse that whatever the hogs try to do. I just wish they could root up highway pavement and buildings, then we'd be talking! Biological devices for sprawl-removal: the feral pig? Naw, but I wish.

[sheepdog]

Just think, no more food drops. Just hike with a pistol and a bottle of "Sweet Baby Rays"

[Tipi Walter]

Just think, no more food drops. Just hike with a pistol and a bottle of "Sweet Baby Rays"

But what happens to a backpacker's 15 pound skin-out weight when they have to hump 400 pounds of pig meat? Is there a pun in that sentence?

[sheepdog]

But what happens to a backpacker's 15 pound skin-out weight when they have to hump 400 pounds of pig meat? Is there a pun in that sentence?
for you and me that is not a problem. The gram weenies might want to shoot the small ones.

[chelko]

Hard to credit a little 180 grain bullet at subsonic speeds with enough penetration to kill boars. Piggies, maybe.... Piglets, surely.

Ranger said the lethal range is about 75 yards max. Most often go for gut or side shot to insure penetration then let the hog just wonder off and bleed out.

[SloHiker]

The ranger described the weapon as a magazine fed carbine that looks like a standard M-16 with a heavy barrell like one woiuld find on a varmit rifle. A flash supressor/silencer is in place on the end of the barrel as well. The shell looks like a pistol round with a straight necked casing, not a graduated brass cartridge like that used by other high caliber rifles.

As noted by SKINEWMEXICO, it's likely a custom AR conversion mfg by SSK Industries ..... the Whisper series of cartridges has proven to be very effective and readily suppressed.


http://www.sskindustries.com/ar15%20page/ar1503.gif





.300 Whisperhttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9c/300-221.jpg/300px-300-221.jpg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:300-221.jpg)
The .300 Whisper, displayed center.

[randyg45]

I cannot imagine deliberately gutshooting anything and leaving it to suffer. That violates the very core of the concept of ethical hunting.

[randyg45]

I'm familiar with the certridge and its intended use.
humans are much easier to kill than hogs.

[chelko]

Ranger said the weapon was designed for urban law enforcement. Slow velocity and limited range would keep it from going through walls and injuring innocents in the next room or apartment. Very popular for drug raids in the projects he said.

[skinewmexico]

As noted by SKINEWMEXICO, it's likely a custom AR conversion mfg by SSK Industries ..... the Whisper series of cartridges has proven to be very effective and readily suppressed.

I prefer the 30-221, don't have to pay SSK a licensing fee that way.

And 400# hogs are terrible to eat. Need to shoot the little ones.

[Engine]

I spoke with a wildlife management ranger in the smokies last fall and he said they have an ongoing effort to hunt the hogs and try to eliminate them from the park because of the damage they do to the trails and surrounding forest floor. I asked why if the hunting was going on do we never hear gun shots while hiking. He explained that they use a 30 caliber rifle that shoots a large 180grain bullet at a velocity slower than the speed of sound so as not to disturb park visitors or other wildlife. Found it interesting for what its worth.

I just did the math and a 180 grain projectile at even 1 fps under the the speed of sound would only have a couple hundred foot pounds of energy. That might be alright if you were 3 feet away and shot him in the head, but hardly a humane method of extermination under hunting conditions. The animal would likely suffer a long lingering death and pigs are notoriously tough to bring down. So I would have something isn't right about that story.

[SloHiker]

I just did the math and a 180 grain projectile at even 1 fps under the the speed of sound would only have a couple hundred foot pounds of energy. That might be alright if you were 3 feet away and shot him in the head, but hardly a humane method of extermination under hunting conditions. The animal would likely suffer a long lingering death and pigs are notoriously tough to bring down. So I would have something isn't right about that story.

Not to get in any sorta pissin' contest, but I assure you a long, slender bullet weighing 180 grains (with a relatively high BC) and traveling at @ 1100 fps so will humanely and reliably kill anything under 500 lbs at close range - which I can reasonably assume are the conditions most hogs are taken in a culling operation. I suspect penetration could be on the order of a couple of feet - which is more than adequate. Many Whisper loadings will penetrate soft body armor. I relate all of that to say that FPE is relative - and has nothing to do with lethality and effectiveness in many practical circumstances.

[skinewmexico]

Pigs aren't that tough to bring down. It's all about shot placement.

[Incahiker]

Someone is doubting that a 180 grain bullet going 1050 feet per second will take out a hog? It will take out a hog no problem, of course don't be sniping the thing from the other side of the world. 100 yards or closer it will kill em.

Go to GON.com. Here in Georgia it is legal to hunt hogs all year long. It depends on the season for what caliber you can hunt them with. If its deer season you can hunt then with any powerful deer caliber 30-06 or anything.

But...... a lot of people here in Georgia hunt hogs a lot with the .22 mag caliber and kill them with no problem, as long as the shot placement is good. You can only hunt the hogs with rimfire during small game season, and people take advantage of it.

In fact, people have been using the newer .17 hmr caliber bullet to kill hogs with, which is no bigger in diameter then a pellet, though will travel 2500 feet per second. Here is a link below where some guy killed about 6 hogs with the .17 caliber. They are not monstor pigs, but it did the job.

http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=277822&page=2

[Kanati]

I spoke with a wildlife management ranger in the smokies last fall and he said they have an ongoing effort to hunt the hogs and try to eliminate them from the park because of the damage they do to the trails and surrounding forest floor. I asked why if the hunting was going on do we never hear gun shots while hiking. He explained that they use a 30 caliber rifle that shoots a large 180grain bullet at a velocity slower than the speed of sound so as not to disturb park visitors or other wildlife. Found it interesting for what its worth.

Do they remove the carcass or leave it where it falls?

[MOWGLI]

They defend themselves with their tusks. If they gore you on your leg and cut an artery in the backcountry, you're a goner.

And if a UFO drops from the sky, snatches you, and takes you to another galaxy, you're a goner. The odds are only slightly greater that you'll be gored by a wild hog on a trail.

[Engine]

Someone is doubting that a 180 grain bullet going 1050 feet per second will take out a hog? It will take out a hog no problem, of course don't be sniping the thing from the other side of the world. 100 yards or closer it will kill em.

Go to GON.com. Here in Georgia it is legal to hunt hogs all year long. It depends on the season for what caliber you can hunt them with. If its deer season you can hunt then with any powerful deer caliber 30-06 or anything.

But...... a lot of people here in Georgia hunt hogs a lot with the .22 mag caliber and kill them with no problem, as long as the shot placement is good. You can only hunt the hogs with rimfire during small game season, and people take advantage of it.

In fact, people have been using the newer .17 hmr caliber bullet to kill hogs with, which is no bigger in diameter then a pellet, though will travel 2500 feet per second. Here is a link below where some guy killed about 6 hogs with the .17 caliber. They are not monstor pigs, but it did the job.

http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=277822&page=2

I never said it wouldn't kill a hog, only that it might not be the most humane choice. It always comes down to shot placement, but as any honest hunter must admit, that can be problematic. People have killed elephants with some pretty anemic rounds too, but given the choice a sportsman who respects his or her game animal will use a round better suited for the task.

I understand the desire to keep shot noise down in a national park and thus the reasoning behind using this round.But hit a big hog in the anterior chest with this thing and you have a ticked off injured animal. :cool:

[puddingboy]

We need to get the wolves and mountain lions back here, theyd sure clear them out.

[michael rowlands]

I hunt hogs in Florida and normally if they see you {they have bad eyesight} they take off immediatly. They will always run even if you don't see them if they smell you. They in my opinon are not a threat unless chased by dogs or as the bear you get between them and the young. They are good eating if under 100 pounds and the sows are good even better. As far as the damage they cause they aireate the ground and move on. If you are in the woods as much as I am you will notice some benificial results in their rooting. The turkey and deer love the new growth caused by the plowing. Don't get me wrong but hunting in ares around the problems will cure most of the problems. The laws around the NPS don't allow hunting in the parks and this adds tro the controll problem. I would love to hunt hogs for the meat but our season on public lands does not allow it. You can hunt on private property year round. The hog is the smartest animal in the woods. He will avoid you if you let him. Mike Rowlands.aka Rowmin' Goat.......

[Egads]

I had two separate hog encounters in GSMNP last weekend.

I walked upon a sow with piglet. They dashed away after startling me with a grunt and shaking the bushes.

The other encounter was expected after seeing the furrowed ground on several acres

[yaduck9]

I sure wouldn't be worried over the feral hog population while the US human population approaches 330,000,000 now and projected to be 450,000,000 by 2050. I'd say the loss of open land and forest by chainsaw and bulldozer is a million times worse that whatever the hogs try to do. I just wish they could root up highway pavement and buildings, then we'd be talking! Biological devices for sprawl-removal: the feral pig? Naw, but I wish.



I'm with you.

[beakerman]

see if the tree huggers would just let a bunch of us "rednecks" out in the woods for a few weeks a year--no limits just culling the herd--this problem would be solved. They could even charge us and and turn a profit. Sure the woods would stink of rotting hog for a few months but there would definitely be less hogs in the woods.

[toothpick]

Maybe swine flu will wipe them out. LOL

[MOWGLI]

see if the tree huggers would just let a bunch of us "rednecks" out in the woods for a few weeks a year--no limits just culling the herd--this problem would be solved. They could even charge us and and turn a profit. Sure the woods would stink of rotting hog for a few months but there would definitely be less hogs in the woods.
Problem solved? You don't know very much about hog reproduction, do you? You'll sooner wipe out kudzuu.

PS: I bought a 30-30 recently to kill hogs.

[Dances with Mice]

Hogs have been working on a section of trail that I maintain. They don't have much skill but they make up for it in enthusiasm. This August we'll be re-habbing about 1.25 miles of hog works.

So how does one go about hunting them? Do you construct a hog blind? Make hog calls to lure them in? Can you spread hog bait and if so what would you use?

[LockJaww]

Ive encountered feral pigs in the Smokies a couple of times...That was nearly ten years ago. I suspect the population problem has escalated considerably since then.
And c'mon folks....sub sonic ammo has been around for ages. Kill you , me , feral hog or Bigfoot deader than hell.....its all about shot placement.
The bigguns are tougher than shoe leather....Thats why God created the crock pot. The way its done is to use dogs to catch the small ones...pen them up and grain feed them for a month or so to change the flavor of the meat....Then BBQ....

[beakerman]

Problem solved? You don't know very much about hog reproduction, do you? You'll sooner wipe out kudzuu.

PS: I bought a 30-30 recently to kill hogs.

I think it's you that doesn't know that much about redneck reproduction.;)

I use my 8mm mauser (fairly close to 30-06) to kill hogs. It gets the job done. I don't hunt hogs. I kill them. I prefer to shoot them while they feed on corn from a feeder. Sure it's not hunting but the goal is not to make it a sport it's to kill the hogs. The little ones are pretty good eating if they are roasted right, the big ones have a rather "unique" flavor.

I didn't say a hand full of rednecks I said a bunch. Now I don't know what a bunch means where you are from but where I am from it means a small army. I know hogs reproduce at a phenomenal rate that's why you need a bunch of folks killing them.

Look at it this way: if a hand full of guys running boats can deplete a fishery without actually trying to do so then I think a bunch of guys and gals that like to shoot things can thin down a herd (or what ever you call a mess of hogs) if that is what they have set their mind to and if they can fill a freezer in the process then all the better.

It's not the lack of ability to thin the herd it's lack of legality for the affected areas. I've seen it many times with deer in so called managed areas (granted deer don't reproduce like hogs but over population is still bad): Gettysburg, PA they didn't let hunters thin the herd for years. All of the trees were trimmed neatly about 6 feet from the ground. They let this go on until the deer actually started changing the forest make up because they didn't like eating hickory and black cherry as much as oak.

Here in TX of all places there are several federally managed areas where they have learned their lesson in much the same way--they now have lottery hunts in these parks but the deer are still very thin from what I have seen.

In the end we humans caused the problem by eliminating almost all the large predators in the eastern states and by the release of exotic species into an ecosystem neither adapted nor equipped to handle it. So if we try real hard we can certainly improve the situation and we might even have fun doing it. Open up these areas to hog hunters and at least try to thin the herd. A hand full of park rangers flying around in helicopters or on ATV's just isn't going to cut it they need more man power.