Boars, pigs in Montana?

[WyoDoug]

This would be a mistake. I have people that offered to pay me to come and shoot feral pigs that are destroying their fields. They are not native to the system so they do damage the local ecologic balance. Problem is what I was offered in terms of pay would not cover what it cost me to actually hunt the animals down or I would have.

I also seen issues with antelope in area 107 where I used to hunt in Colorado. A herd of antelope can flatten an entire field of wheat in a hurry and cost a single farmer thousands of dollars in lost yields. So can feral pigs. Pigs uproot just about everything and I have seen huge swaths of land rendered useless to grazing or other agricultural uses because of single sounder of pigs. Note that names for groups of pigs technically changes based on sex and age, but in Texas they are referred to by most trappers and farmers I have met as a sounder. Feral pigs also defecate all over everything and the only way to clean that ground up is to grade it and bring clean dirt in which is not usually feasible at all. It takes a long time to cure pig manure to make it useful as fertilizer.

 

[wytex]

I wish Montana luck if they move in. Hopefully the lack of the kind of thick cover they thrive in down south will make them easier to find and take care of.
We've been dealing with them for 35 years or so in Texas. Hunting and trapping keeps them from taking over. Trapping is by far a better method for population control.

 

[WyoDoug]

I doubt if feral swine can survive the harsh winters. I think that's the main reason they have not spread from Texas north up to Colorado yet.

 

[Dave N]

I doubt if feral swine can survive the harsh winters. I think that's the main reason they have not spread from Texas north up to Colorado yet.

They're coming down from Canada, not moving north. Cold must not mean much.

 

[LCH]

They're native to Siberia, they can handle MT.

 

[WyoDoug]

They're coming down from Canada, not moving north. Cold must not mean much.

Puzzling. I didn’t think they would survive the bitter cold and snow. But like any animal eventually they adapt to survive. I need to read more into this.

 

[Gerald Martin]

All part of Trump’s plan to introduce Rooshian boars to help win 2020. Collisions and collaboration! I hope Anderson Cooper keeps a close eye on this one.

 

[WyoDoug]

Please

All part of Trump’s plan to introduce Rooshian boars to help win 2020. Collisions and collaboration! I hope Anderson Cooper keeps a close eye on this one.

I for one would appreciate the disappearance of political comments. This issue has nothing to do with politics.

 

[wytex]

Eurasian or Russian wild hogs will have no issues with the cold. Feral domestic hogs may be a bit different. They will loose ear tips and tails. The russians have denser hair . We see a marked difference in russian blood strains and feral domestic hogs on the family place. The Russian bloodlines have denser hair with grizzled tips , longer straight tails, smaller ears- not floppy, longer legs, and a longer snout. Feral domestic hogs do not have the dense hair for cold weather, at least not the ones we've dealt with.
In any case you don't want them in Montana.

 

[Deano2525]

its tru that those hogs caused tons of damage and wreak havoc on row crops and cattle land. I’m in a state that already has a ton of hogs. They trap with permission. But for a recreational hunter that does own not farm or ranch.

It’s pig season everyday here! I know our state is all messed up. And I would not introduce hogs to a area that doesn’t have them. That being said spot. And stalk hog hunting is a blast!

And I say again it’s pig season everyday.
I know it’s considered a pest but I make a fantastic chili verde out of those pests.

 

[RockinU]

You don't want them, no matter how good you think they taste. I don't have a clue how many hogs I've killed over the years, trapping, hunting with dogs, baiting, spot and stalk, aerial, while it's been many hundreds, I know guys who are in the thousands, and it hasn't mattered, we're still losing ground, figuratively and literally.

Some want to celebrate the year round nature of them without considering the damage they do, and the deleterious effects they have on our native wildlife, and the opportunities they are costing us with things that are supposed to be here. Give me the damn magic wand, I'll wave it.

 

[NEWHunter]

Eurasian or Russian wild hogs will have no issues with the cold. Feral domestic hogs may be a bit different. They will loose ear tips and tails. The russians have denser hair . We see a marked difference in russian blood strains and feral domestic hogs on the family place. The Russian bloodlines have denser hair with grizzled tips , longer straight tails, smaller ears- not floppy, longer legs, and a longer snout. Feral domestic hogs do not have the dense hair for cold weather, at least not the ones we've dealt with.
In any case you don't want them in Montana.

Notice any difference in taste between the two?

 

[LCH]

Notice any difference in taste between the two?

I've eaten the high % Eurasian boar we have around here, and the more feral type from AL and TX. The feral pig type are fattier, especially in the front end, but I've found flavor to be similar across the board and pretty close to store-bought pork, just way leaner.

 

[wytex]

I agree LCH, however some years the fat layer is amazing on the Eurasian ones too. I find the flavor a little more nutty where we hunt, lots of acorns and pecans.

 

[Mark1970]

In San Jose, CA, wild pigs started coming into the city limit, mostly damaging lawns of homes and a golf course. No hunting opportunities within city limits.
The city hired professional trappers to come in and trap. That was initially very successful, but now, a few years latter the pigs have gotten wise to traps and wont go in them any more.
The trappers were approved to start using archery equipment, effectively hunting the pigs one at a time. So here is one example of hunting being a necessary supplement to trapping.
Pigs are a difficult issue since they are not scared of humans and happy to live in close proximity to them. They are great survivors. They can eat about anything and are nomadic, happy to relocate when they smell some interesting food off in the distance with their sensitive noses.

Pesky wild pig problem in SJ leads city to allow trappers to hunt using bow and arrows

The City of San Jose is allowing people to hunt wild pigs with bows and arrows - The pigs are described as "huge and dangerous" with "large teeth and are not afraid of people." They are also highly intelligent and have figured out how to evade traps.

abc7news.com