View Full Version : Wild Boar problem in G.S.N.P.
Former Admin
10-19-2002, 15:29
Comments concerns, experiences, opinions, etc ........
I've never seen a boar in the park, but their presence is easily noted while walking along any of the trails in the south-western part of the park. Just look for trails which are dug up along the sides. I am told that rangers have a shoot-on-site policy. Does anyone know if this is the case?
That's a definate yes. I met a ranger with his 306 or whatever the rifle was at one of the shelters in May.
However, there is more damage from wild boars in Georgia. For those of you that haven't seen it, it looks like someone went through the woods with a roto-tiller.
yes, there is evidence all over GA and the smokies of wild boars.
funny story. one day in 2000, while hiking in the smokies, i felt a little sick. so i laid in the grass a few yards off the trail for a while. along comes 2 rangers, both packing rifles. i waved to them, thinking they would be at least curious about a sick hiker lying alongside the trail. as they passed, they just looked at me and then in unison said, "boar bait". i didn't think it was funny at the time, but now i can see the humor!
PushingDaisies
12-21-2002, 00:47
I had heard that boars were a problem in the Smokies, but didn't know they were hunted within the park.
While I was staying in Russell Field Shelter in the Smokies, it was very cold and everyone wanted a fire. I got the fire going, and was staying near the fire to feed it more fuel. After about a half hour, I heard a gasp from one of my shelter mates who was looking at the locked door in the fence across the front shelter. I looked behind me and saw a guy standing by the fence, with a semi-automatic rifle cradled in his arms.
LOL-I jumped back from the fence as fast as could. As I did, the guy said(with a very dead pan expression), "Can I come in and warm up?" Well, as one can imagine, no one was about to say no! He came in, relocked the gate and sat down by the fireplace. That's when he started laughing.
He told us that he was one of the guys hired by the GSMNP to hunt the boar. He told us about his gun, his job, how he got involved with the SNP. He said he liked to scare unsuspecting hikers. :)
There are two or three guys that are out there on a regular basis (mostly at night) to hunt the boar. When they shoot the boars, they leave them where they fall, so that the carcasses are eaten by the other animals (mostly the bears in the area). He said the the boars are very smart and avoid areas where they find carcasses, so the hunters use the registers during hiker season to track the boars, as well as other methods. From what he said, the boars are good at hiding their tracks.
He had a degree in Biology and wildlife management, and was into hunting. That's why he was approached by the GSMNP to hunt these pests full time.
It was really cool to ask him questions, because this was information that couldn't have gotten from a guide book. After about a hour of conversation, he went back out into the cold to hunt for a few more hours.
Jack Tarlin
12-21-2002, 15:38
I've seen several Rangers or park employees in the Smokies hunting boar, which are viewed (correctly!) as invasive, out-of-place, and an environmental threat to the park. These guys are doing a necessary job, and should be applauded---they're also fun to talk to, as they know the Park better than just about anyone else, and can answer any of your questions about side trails, points of interest, etc. Anyway, if you DO run into one of these fellahs, be aware that he's doing his job, and his sole intent is to help the environment in the Park.
Now, if only we can set a coupla these guys up in the White Mountains to thin out the pack of New Yorkers every season, we'd be all set!
So Jack, does that mean that other flat landers are OK, including Massholes?
Jumpstart
12-22-2002, 11:30
We spent our first night in the Smokies with a ranger. The guy was a complete goober. Lets just say he was less than responsible about the way he decided to go off and "hunt boar." A hiker had noticed them running through the woods off the trail, down near the water source for the shelter, and pointed them out to the ranger. Without exxageration, the ranger whipped out his pistol and went bounding off into the woods, shouting; "I'm gonna go get me some pigs!" As he ran with his gun out. All I could do was hope it wasn't someone down near the water source in for an unpleasant surprise. The ranger later explained to us that they get so much $$$ per head of boar that they kill for the Park Service. Fine, but a little more restraint and caution would have been appropriate.
Saluki Dave
09-08-2003, 20:30
That yay-hoo won't be around long. Huntin' pigs with a pistol is like huntin' bear with a switch. Hit one and it might get pissed off. And yes, boys, that includes the mighty .44. Ask me about THAT story.
OK, tell us the story about the boar that shrugged off a load of .44
BeaverTrapper
06-24-2004, 22:01
The boar that shrugged off a 44 is crap. I spent two years guiding boar hunters in South Carolina. I've personally killed over a hundred hogs, of all types, shapes and sizes - and let me assure you, when the 44 talks - EVERYTHING listens.
Saluki Dave
06-24-2004, 22:09
Yuh huh, chief. Whatever you say.
BeaverTrapper
06-24-2004, 23:05
How many have you killed? I've seen hogs killed with everything from a 22lr to a 50 BMG. Overall, the bigger, fatter the bullet, the better they work on hogs. Hollowpoints are BS. A 320 grain hard cast solid pushing 1600fps worked wonders.
Do tell Dave, tell me all about the big bad pig that laughed at a 44 slug. Tell me about all the hogs you've caught in cage traps, snared with 1/8" aircraft cable, raised from piglets and caught barehanded after being run to ground with bay dogs. Tell me how to bait hogs, tell me about their vision and sense of smell and show me a few dozen pics of you and dead hogs.
You do that, and maybe I won't think you are FOS. Till then, whatever yourself, chief. :bse
Streamweaver
06-24-2004, 23:37
Heres an interesting fact, Wild boars eat anything,including venemous snakes!! Though last Id heard they havnt figured out if the pigs have a natural immunity or that its just because their skin is so thick the snakes' fangs cant penetrate it. There are hunters in FLa (prolly other states too) that hunt wild boars with knives(single handedly),so dont try to convince me that a 44mag wont stop one!! If you cant kill a pig with a 44 it just means you cant shoot!! Streamweaver
P.S. They hunt them with bows also.
yes..this forum is an OLDIE...but a GOODIE!
wild boars (non-native to the Smokies region) eat/destroy everything they come in contact with. Park Rangers carry 30-30 or 30-06 rifles now & have night patrols to rid the park of some of the "varmints".
Bang! Bang!
Let's have a Bar-B-Q! :D
squirrel bait
06-25-2004, 08:42
Bang bang let's have Bar-B-Q. Don't. They taste like they look. Slow cooked doesn't help much, gotta be really really hungry.
MDSHiker
06-25-2004, 11:36
I saw a group of boars on the trail while hiking through the park. I also ran into a wildlife biologist named "Bill" and chatted with him for a while. He had a rifle with flashlight attached to spot them at night. I think the boars bother me more than the bears do.
TownDawg
09-16-2004, 08:47
Howdy MDSHiker.
Never seen a boar. Would be interesting I think. I hear they are mean, and don't back down much. I think I'd rather meet up with a bear any time over a boar, from what I have heard. I didn't know about the hunting thing. Interesting. I think if I ever heard a gun go off in the GSMNP I'd freak -- knowing they are illegal there. (Sure that some wild-eyed redneck had shot some guy for sleeping with his gf or something.)
Dances with Mice
09-16-2004, 09:30
Never seen a boar. Would be interesting I think. I hear they are mean, and don't back down much. I think I'd rather meet up with a bear any time over a boar, from what I have heard.
Sounds exactly like the bores that are all hanging out in the threads about politics and religion. Since it's the political season we should be able to shoot them, right?
Out on the Duncan Ridge Trail in Georgia (it's blue blazed and near the AT but it ain't no shortcut) I was actually wondering who had hauled a mechanical tiller, like a Troy-Bilt or something, to the top of some pretty remote mountains and tilled some clearings. Being the bright guy I am and all, I figured it out all by myself a day or two later.
They can do an incredible amount of damage. Boars, that is. The bores are mostly harmless.
TownDawg
09-16-2004, 09:49
* smiles *
On politics: Lots of "bores" around. There are plenty of self-proclaimed political experts. I'm not one of them.
On DRT: Never done it, but hope to include it someday. I liked hiking Georgia, the parts I've seen.
Out on the Duncan Ridge Trail in Georgia (it's blue blazed and near the AT but it ain't no shortcut) I was actually wondering who had hauled a mechanical tiller, like a Troy-Bilt or something, to the top of some pretty remote mountains and tilled some clearings. Being the bright guy I am and all, I figured it out all by myself a day or two later.
DWM, I hope I don't boar you with this story. On the hike that Youngblood & I ran into you on Licklog Mountain, 3 days later we ran into a Sow & 3 piglets on the Benton MacKaye Trail climbing Hemp Top in the Cohuttas. Boy, was she pissed! The piglets ran off into the brush, and the Sow just snorted, grunted and growled, and then ran into the woods. With the Sow still acting all PO'd I clanged my Leki Poles together - and with that - Youngblood said "what the heck are you doing Little Bear?". The noise of the poles only seemed to make her more agitated.
Anyway, we quickly got out of there, but not until after my blood pressure was elevated a few notches. It was a pretty cool experience.
tech30528
07-16-2006, 14:11
What is the penalty for carrying a gun in the Smokies? I'm talking a legally registered pistol and a permit to carry concealed. It may be worth the risk. I was near Clingman's Dome a week after that six year old was killed by a bear. Did they ever find the bear? I know they hadn't found it yet when we were there. Anyway, I wonder how many people out there are carrying and you just don't know it.:-?
Frolicking Dinosaurs
07-16-2006, 14:23
They found the bear that killed the six yo.
Many people do carry weapons illegally on the trail.
Boars are normally not aggressive toward humans. In Slickrock Wilderness in NC about 1981, I encoutered several wild boars during mating season. They were behaving aggressively and destroyed my tent. I climbed a tree to avoid them. They weren't after me - just rowdy young male boars looking for female companionship. Kind of reminded me of Trail Days :D.
I've seen boars several dozen times and that was the only time I ever had any trouble with them.
You'll get attacked by hypothermia, lightning, Poison Ivy and bees first; Man, Dog, Elk and Snakes 2nd; Cars, Bikes, Horses, Boars, and Bears last. Guns and treble hooks not allowed in GSMNP.
SGT Rock
07-16-2006, 14:47
You forgot dehydration which should be right up there by hypothermia.
More people die from heart attacks on the trail than from bears and boars put together. Get an Emergency Defibrillator and have a better chance of using it.
http://www.uscav.com/Productinfo.aspx?productID=9585&TabID=1&CatID=5230
hammock engineer
07-16-2006, 14:53
If you are really concerned with bears look into bear spray. Probibly not needed. But legal, where a gun will get you into trouble.
Do some online searches. There is compelling evidence that bear spray is a safer defense than a gun. Better odds of detering. I think if you shot a bear and do not land a lucky shot, you will just piss the bear off.
SGT Rock
07-16-2006, 15:02
That reminds me of a joke.
Guy walks into a gun store, asks the shop owner for the three most powerful handguns he has. So the guy lays out a .454 Casull, a Smith and Wesson .44 Magnum Revolver, and a .50 Desert Eagle.
The guy picks them up, plays with them a little. Then asks the shopkeeper which gun he thinks is most reliable. So the shop keeper tells him that the .454 and the .44 are revolvers, which are less likely to have a jam or malfunction.
So he then asks which of those two are the most powerful. The shop keeper tells him the .454 Casull is more powerful although slightly heavier.
So the guy decides on the .44 since it is a little lighter.
The shopkeeper asks him why he picked the lighter gun when he was looking at these monster handguns. So the guy tells him he is going backpacking and needs bear protection. Then he asks the shopkeeper to wrap up the .44.
The shopkeeper tells him he will wrap it up right after he files the front sight post off.
The backpacker is perplexed. He asks him why he would want to file the sight off a perfectly good weapon.
The shopkeeper responds that after you shoot the bear, it will hurt less when he shoves it up your ass before he eats you.
Yea, I left out Hyperthermia, Heart Attacks(other health issues), and accidents (hiker falling and/or things falling on the hiker). Falling or "things falling" is especially a danger. The wild boars wouldn't be as bad if somebody hadn't imported(yrs ago) European Boars and tried making a hunting preserve down near Teleco with them. Of course they fled the scene, bred with local pigs and there you have it, systematic destruction of the landscape and some wildlife. GSMNP needs to have a trapping scheme set up or an organized hunt. These animals are very elusive, more so than white-tail.
generoll
07-16-2006, 15:37
saw one of the pigs in a cage/trap when i finished up my section hike with a jog on the BMT to Bryson City last March. He wasn't real happy to be in the cage or to see me, but they are actively trapping them. Dunno if they relocate them or take them home for dinner.
StarLyte
07-16-2006, 21:08
This is an interesting thread.
I'm sure most of you know the Three Forks area on the AT (north of Hawk Mtn GA). There is a cozy little pine bed area a tad bit south of the forest road that sits to the left, next to a stream. It was about midnight, FULL MOON, and I'm laying there in my tent batting an occasional mouse off of my tent. The mice stopped, and it was dead silent. It was REAL WEIRD. All of sudden I heard snort-snort-snort sniff sniff right at the entrance of my tent. I was TREMBLING. I couldn't imagine what in the name of GOD was outside of my tent. Then I heard something tearing up and hitting the ground. I yelled for my friend but she was snoring loudly so I know she didn't hear what was happening. I turned on my headlamp and unzipped my tent very slowly, and there it was.....the ugliest boar you could ever imagine. He was staring right at me and I tell you I about had a friggin heart attack. It threw it's head up and then took off.
What a night. My friend claims she couldn't sleep all night and never heard a thing and that I HAD to imagine this. That was the last time I hiked with her.
I've never seen a bear on the AT.
Marsha
sliderule
07-16-2006, 22:40
saw one of the pigs in a cage/trap when i finished up my section hike with a jog on the BMT to Bryson City last March. He wasn't real happy to be in the cage or to see me, but they are actively trapping them. Dunno if they relocate them or take them home for dinner.
Neither. They shoot them in the cage.
generoll
07-16-2006, 22:42
ok, then after they shoot them presumably they take them home for dinner.
sliderule
07-16-2006, 22:48
Comments concerns, experiences, opinions, etc ........
The first time I hiked the AT through the GSMNP, the area from Mollies Ridge to Spence Field was swarming with herds of boar. They pretty much ignored hikers. That was before the eradiction program was instituted. I think they are a bit more wary of humans now.
sliderule
07-16-2006, 23:02
ok, then after they shoot them presumably they take them home for dinner.
"They" are typically college kids working for the Student Conversation Association. You think they are going to hump a dead boar out of the backcountry?
Actually, the boar carcasses are left to be "naturally" consumed. The logic is to compensate for the loss of food sources to native animals caused by the boar.
Frolicking Dinosaurs
07-16-2006, 23:06
I believe Sliderule is correct. I stumbled across the bones from two hogs while doing some cross-country hiking in the Twentymile / Fontana area of GSMNP.
generoll
07-17-2006, 09:12
i don't want to start a flame war over this one, but there are a couple of thoughts that immediately come to the fore. one is the idea that in the GSMNP, one of the most heavily watched and regulated parks in the country, that students are allowed to carry firearms into the backcountry. seems contrary to what i know of the normal procedures of the park.
two is that the cage/traps that are used to trap the boars are not exactly light in weight themselves and the ones i saw were on trails that would support 4wd vehicles. in fact there is considerable evidence of vehicular traffic around the Calhoun House by Hazel Creek. not to mention the stables and hay making equipment and rolls of hay which i assume are for the horses that inhabit the stables.
granted that some of those vehicles are brought in by the LCVPs from Fontana, no one would have had to 'hump' the boar i saw had he been shot. nor would they have had to do so from any of the cages that i saw. there's a lot more activity along the shore of Lake Fontana then i had ever imagined.
sliderule
07-17-2006, 09:38
i don't want to start a flame war over this one, but there are a couple of thoughts that immediately come to the fore. one is the idea that in the GSMNP, one of the most heavily watched and regulated parks in the country, that students are allowed to carry firearms into the backcountry. seems contrary to what i know of the normal procedures of the park.
Generoll, one thought comes to my mind. You are speculating. I wasn't.
I second Jack's opinion. The guys who hunt feral hogs are doing us and the environment a big favor. The hogs aill completely alter the ecology of an area if they are left to their own devices. They are an invasive, non-native pest. Bears like them, but there aren't enough bears to take care of the problem.
You will rarely see the hogs, themselves. They are mostly nocturnal when humans are around. What will be obvious is the torn up forest floor where they have rooted. They really stir things up.
If you see small hogs (pigs), use the same caution as you would exercise upon encountering a bear cub. Sows are extremely dangerous and protective. And bear spray won't work. A sow will pound you into jelly before she pauses to notice the spray. Then she will eat the can.
The Solemates
07-17-2006, 10:03
Just got back from the Smokies over the weekend. I saw a bear and a boar; a great trip!
sliderule
07-17-2006, 11:18
Bears like them, but there aren't enough bears to take care of the problem.
There is increasing evidence that coyotes are preying on the smaller pigs.
SGT Rock
07-17-2006, 11:42
Good thing too, because they suck at catching road runners.
Alligator
07-17-2006, 12:02
Good thing too, because they suck at catching road runners.This was funny.
generoll
07-17-2006, 14:03
Generoll, one thought comes to my mind. You are speculating. I wasn't.
O.K., if you're not speculating then provide your references.
RockyTrail
07-17-2006, 14:10
i think sliderule used to work in the GSMNP as a ridgerunner or something?, at least thats what I remember about his earlier posts...
sliderule
07-17-2006, 14:38
O.K., if you're not speculating then provide your references.
Mr. Kim Delozier, (865) 436-1248
Mr. Bill Stiver, (865) 436-1251
Be sure to ask for an invitation to the next Wild Boar BBQ at Park Headquarters!!
Uncle Silly
07-17-2006, 18:41
You'll get attacked by hypothermia, lightning, Poison Ivy and bees first; Man, Dog, Elk and Snakes 2nd; Cars, Bikes, Horses, Boars, and Bears last. Guns and treble hooks not allowed in GSMNP.
ok, maybe just proving my ignorance here, but what in white blazes is a treble hook?
(and as a musician, i gotta wonder.... do i need to get a bass hook?)
Skidsteer
07-17-2006, 18:48
but what in white blazes is a treble hook?
A hook used for fishing that has three separate hooks spaced 120 degrees apart and sharing a single eye.
http://www.usangler.com/product.cfm?model=Bleeding%20Bait%20Treble%20D99Q&manufacturer=Daiichi&type=Hooks
ok, maybe just proving my ignorance here, but what in white blazes is a treble hook?...................
http://www.gamakatsu.com/catalog/treble.htm
GSMNP along with other authorities across the land forbid the use of a treble hook when fishing. During "catch and release" periods, biologist have determined the fish survival rate is significantly higher with a single hook rather than a treble(3 singles) hook.
sliderule
07-17-2006, 22:23
(and as a musician, i gotta wonder.... do i need to get a bass hook?)
No, a treble hook will work just fine on a bass.
generoll
07-18-2006, 09:03
Generoll, one thought comes to my mind. You are speculating. I wasn't.
I haven't been able to contact the references that you provided yet. Perhaps too early for them to be in the office, but I was able to pull up a couple of pdf files which make reference to the hog control issue. According to the file which is specifically about hogs, the Park Service is contracting with individuals for removal. No mention of the method.
As an interesting footnote, apparently Rainbow Trout are considered an exotic in the Smokies and they are trying to have them removed from at least some streams. Any volunteers?
http://www.nps.gov/applications/parks/grsm/ppdocuments/Wildhog.pdf
http://www.nps.gov/applications/parks/grsm/ppdocuments/strategicplan.pdf
As far as the barbecue goes, I have no intention of going to Park HQ. That's much too close to G'burg for me. However, if they decide to hold one there at the Calhoun house I'll volunteer to stay up all night cooking the rascal if someone will gather the wood for me. ;)
SGT Rock
07-18-2006, 09:09
From listening to One Leg, they hire local hunters to shoot them at night.
generoll
07-18-2006, 09:22
sounds more reasonable to me then the idea of turning loose student volunteers with firearms in the Smokies to kill and dump the hog carcasses where they trap them.
sliderule
07-18-2006, 10:44
sounds more reasonable to me then the idea of turning loose student volunteers with firearms in the Smokies to kill and dump the hog carcasses where they trap them.
Perhaps I could ask SGT Rock if he has ever encountered a situation where the United States government has issued a firearm to a teenager!!!
Generoll, to clarify, the SCA participants in the hog eradication efforts were interns, not volunteeers. As you might have noticed in the gov't documents, "relocation" was mentioned in the case of "accessible" hogs. To the best of my knowledge, few of the traps along the AT in the park would qualify as being "accessible." During the time of my involvement in the park, some of those traps were, in fact, attended to by SCA interns, who hiked to the traps several times a week. Said SCA interns, did, in fact, carry a pistol for the purpose of shooting trapped hogs. (Please note that there is a difference between a hog hunter and a trap monitor.) As you can imagine, there is not much of an option for remotely located traps, other than shooting the hog in the trap.
You can also, perhaps, imagine that the NPS is somewhat sensitive about this practice. They use a number of "buzz words" in an effort to avoid revealing the realities of some of their wildlife management programs. Deer, for example, are not "shot," they are "collected." Boar are not "hunted," they are subject to a "direct reduction program." And some of the boar that have been "relocated" have been moved to hunting preserves to be "harvested."
SGT Rock
07-18-2006, 10:53
Perhaps I could ask SGT Rock if he has ever encountered a situation where the United States government has issued a firearm to a teenager!!!
It happened to me once.:eek:
But that said, not all college students I know are Birkenstock wearing, long haired, hippy type vegans; nor all they all pink izod wearing preppy cheerleader types afraid to mess up a manicure. There are plenty of college students that were hunters before they went to college and some would have some skills. Just look at the Tennessee Vols football team. I don't imagine the Park Service hands a guy a .44 and says "Go shoot some pig friend". Hell, to even use a cross cut saw you need training so they can avoid liability.
I wouldn't doubt "college kids" using guns on gov property, with gov's blessing and approval. Look how many "Kids" they have shipped off with rifles, all with the gov's blessing and permission, the big difference: the hunted shoot back.
RockyTrail
07-18-2006, 11:19
In the book "The Right Stuff," I think it was Gen Chuck Yeager that described how utterly amazed he was that the United States Government would issue a 400mph P-51 Mustang fighter plane loaded with 50cal machine guns to a young 19-year old like himself!:)
Lone Wolf
07-18-2006, 11:21
I wouldn't doubt "college kids" using guns on gov property, with gov's blessing and approval. Look how many "Kids" they have shipped off with rifles, all with the gov's blessing and permission, the big difference: the hunted shoot back.
Those "kids" volunteered and are highly trained.
i met one of those pig killers once. he said they hunt at night and bait the pigs. he said that by the end of the summer, bears are following him around because they have figured out that he's shooting pigs and leaving them where they lay.
SGT Rock
07-18-2006, 11:40
For the most part these "kids" have more together than some of the "adults" that never leave home and moan about how bad everything is.
And they get plenty of training before they go out. They are supervised by people with multiple years experience in the job, and they are held accountable if they screw up.
Anyway, this is about boars, not about the military.
The Solemates
07-18-2006, 11:42
Those "kids" volunteered and are highly trained.
I think highly trained is putting it lightly. The discipline and life-changing situations that military personnel go through merits them to fly and shoot whatever the heck the govt wants them to. I do not think one can truly understand this unless they have gone through it.
generoll
07-18-2006, 11:46
yeah, well i don't want to get this too politicized. I do understand the difference between hunting a pig and shooting one that's already enclosed in a trap. The one time I was a part of a pig roast, the trussed pig was brought to the site, shot once behind the ear with a .22 and then bled. So I do understand that it's not too difficult to kill a caged pig and wasn't expecting that a bunch of armed bandidos were out there running loose. I just found it somewhat suprising that they would offer this to the SCA volunteers.
They may well leave the carcasses where they shoot them, but the cages I saw and the one trapped pig were within easy reach by a small 4wd or one of those John Deere garden trucks and they have both in the back country. As I recall, they even had a school bus near the Calhoun house at the garage. I believe they use that to take the ancestors of the folks buried in the park to visit on the regularly scheduled trips.
anyway, before this degenerates into another thread on Iraq, I yield the floor.
sliderule
07-18-2006, 12:00
As I recall, they even had a school bus near the Calhoun house at the garage. I believe they use that to take the ancestors of the folks buried in the park to visit on the regularly scheduled trips.
There might be a few ancestors on those trips, but the vast majority are descendents visiting the graves of their ancestors.
sliderule
07-18-2006, 12:10
I think highly trained is putting it lightly. The discipline and life-changing situations that military personnel go through merits them to fly and shoot whatever the heck the govt wants them to. I do not think one can truly understand this unless they have gone through it.
For those who are on the outside looking in, I'm sure that it seems that way. Having spent enough time on the inside to collect a retirement check, I can assure you that it is not always so.
The Solemates
07-18-2006, 12:15
For those who are on the outside looking in, I'm sure that it seems that way. Having spent enough time on the inside to collect a retirement check, I can assure you that it is not always so.
I cannot speak as though I am on the "inside", but I did go to ROTC Officer's School in Fort Knox, which at least got my feet wet, as I had the opportunity to train with other officers; and while I was not flying anything, they did let us shoot just about every type of handheld weapon in the army's arsenal, and I would say that the training for those instances was adequate; but, under no circumstances do I have the eagle's-eye view that someone who has made a career at it, such as yourself, has. Thank you for your service.
Ramble~On
07-19-2006, 05:24
I don't know if they still do not allow it but locals used to be able to hunt the boar in the park. They stopped this a while ago. The boar trapped in the park were sometimes transported to other areas...like Slickrock or Citico where they could still be hunted... From what I've seen in all of those areas I agree with the policy of shoot on site and let them compost on site.
The boar are a problem that may never be solved but can be controlled through practices such as what they have been doing....Night Vision and High Power....it is my opinion that they need more people shooting the pigs...or more funding for "other" methods....