Boars, pigs in Montana?

[Gerald Martin]

I would never hunt a feral hog in MT. However, If I did happen to encounter a member or members of free ranging swine I would actively engage my skills as the mobile slaughter agent for the local butcher shop that serves the ag community.

 

[Firedude]

Feral swine are a double edged sword. Easy to spot, good meat (depending on several things), and a fun alternative to traditional big game. However they are destructive, hard to keep numbers in check, and can carry diseases(one of those things affecting meat). I can't imagine a fish and game agency wanting it to be illegal to kill an invasive species. With all the species that hasn't been brought to the brink of or become extinct due to overhunting I would think it possible with hogs. I believe a large reason for their proliferation is large ranches trying to make money off of them. So they allow them to breed and charge for hunts. Disallowing that like Oregon does is the way to go. I've followed any update in Idaho about hogs and pretty much the answer I get when I ask is, "If they ever get to Idaho it's open season." Montana should make a management decision before it becomes a problem or you may never get on top of it.

 

[flyingvmt]

Feral swine are a double edged sword. Easy to spot, good meat (depending on several things), and a fun alternative to traditional big game. However they are destructive, hard to keep numbers in check, and can carry diseases(one of those things affecting meat). I can't imagine a fish and game agency wanting it to be illegal to kill an invasive species. With all the species that hasn't been brought to the brink of or become extinct due to overhunting I would think it possible with hogs. I believe a large reason for their proliferation is large ranches trying to make money off of them. So they allow them to breed and charge for hunts. Disallowing that like Oregon does is the way to go. I've followed any update in Idaho about hogs and pretty much the answer I get when I ask is, "If they ever get to Idaho it's open season." Montana should make a management decision before it becomes a problem or you may never get on top of it.

Being from Texas and having a best friend that makes his living off hog hunting in Texas, I can safely say that the approach MT FWP is taking will lead to proliferation of feral swine. If we want to keep the bastards out of this state, we need to step tf up and make plans now. Sitting on our hands and waiting for the problem to explode will surely end negatively. Side note, we don't want the sonsabitches here.

 

[Hunting Wife]

I don’t know why people automatically assume disallowing hunting means the state has no plan for dealing with hogs. They have a plan. Make hunting illegal to reduce incentive for people to transplant or harbor hogs, and use trapping/shooting by Wildlife Services and others to eradicate hogs that do enter the state. North Dakota has so far successfully employed this same strategy, and has quickly been able to eradicate the hogs that have been found.

 

[Sytes]

Feral swine should be the same as 'yotes... Is it? Or must a farmer hold off shooting feral swine because FWP and "licensed" trappers / eradicators must do the job? I do not know the answer though to me... it's a no brainer... shoot the hog(s) on sight, report the incident to FWP and let them do what they do. Damage to private property and livelihood should be permissible to protect.

If it is as mentioned, great. If not... well, hats off to good ole government crappy red tape ribbon chopping.

 

[Dan O]

Have there been any documented reports of feral swine in Montana?

 

[Sytes]

Close... Seems a matter of time

Feral swine amass at Montana's northern border

It sounds like a bad horror movie. Canadian wild pigs are amassing at Montana’s northern border. It’s only a matter of time before they wander south and begin their destructive

billingsgazette.com

Edit added: Seems House Bill 100 addresses the concern over private property - Hope it is successful. I'd be interested to know those who oppose such... It does beg the question... why only private land? Knock 'em down... same as 'yotes.

Odd as there was a prior intro bill... maybe Ben or some Helena bound HT member could assist. What happened to the original bill that this new one seems to replicate? Why did this not pass in 2015?

Bill would fight invasion of feral swine

Senators tried to avoid hamming it up during a legislative hearing on controlling feral pigs, but it was hard for some not to go whole-hog on the puns.

www.bozemandailychronicle.com

 

[Gerald Martin]

Senator Fielder needs to introduce a bill that builds a hog panel barrier on our northern border. #buildthewall

 

[RobG]

Hogs are becoming illegal to hunt in more and more states. The wildlife departments are under the opinion that hunters do more harm than good when hunting hogs. State controlled trapping and eradication programs seem to be more effective. It seems crazy but when you think about it, it makes more sense. Hunters see a herd of hogs and they shoot one or two and the herd scatters and becomes educated. They get split up and form different herds. An experienced trapper can go into an area and get the whole heard at once without letting them scatter. Meateater had a pretty good podcast about it a while back.

Thanks for explaining the rationale for not hunting them. I’m on board now.

 

[Sytes]

Senator Fielder needs to introduce a bill that builds a hog panel barrier on our northern border. #buildthewall

Feral Swine have a legitimate request for Asylum from persecution by Canada... Ninth Circuit would approve and disarm farmers from protecting property and livelihood as well.

 

[Gerald Martin]

Should have passed that sanctuary cities law. #swinearewelcomeatmyhouse

 

[Sytes]

Darn that Bullock! He and his vetoes...
Always enjoyable Gerald.

 

[sharpshooter97]

Illegal to hunt them in ND, never heard of or seen sign of any where I’m at though.

 

[Ruttin79]

Hogs are terrible! I remember back in the early 90s when one would come through my setup and I'd shoot it and think how "cool" it was to have another animal for the freezer. Fast forward 25 years and I wish I'd never seen one in my life. They destroy everything, eat everything, and run the deer out of your property. Absolutely hate them! I live in TX btw.

 

[mtmuley]

I'd be torn if I saw a hog. Never killed any wolves when I wasn't supposed to. Hog? Just don't know. Hope Montana gets on top of this before I have to make up my mind. mtmuley

 

[blb078]

A few years back we started getting them in MO. They moved up from Arkansas once they cross over you wont be able to stop them, unless you call in the military to drop bombs all over the place. Here in MO you can hunt them but they prefer you not to. Conservation Dept prefers trapping/removing. Apparently when you hunt them and only get one or two it scares off the group to an entirely different area so the biologist and whoever have to figure out where they are at again. If they've been spotted anywhere close to the border then it's just a matter of time before they make their way down.

 

[Sytes]

A couple have mentioned the same regarding the value of proper trapping vs open to hunting. This is one thread that has adjusted my original opinion somewhat.

 

[Straight Arrow]

A couple have mentioned the same regarding the value of proper trapping vs open to hunting. This is one thread that has adjusted my original opinion somewhat.

Mine too, as I originally intuitively thought that hunting would serve to mitigate the swine scourge.

 

[wyoelkfan15]

We had some pigs go feral off a farm in north western Wyoming a decade ago. Game and Fish were telling hunters to shoot any pig they saw in the field. No feral pigs remain...

 

[Brian in Montana]

They have pretty well taken over parts of Texas, including the area I grew up in. There used to be a thriving population of Rio Grande turkies, but locals now say they never see them anymore. Hogs are especially hard on turkies and quail because they nest on the ground and the feral pigs root up nests and eat the eggs. They are a destructive, invasive species and nothing more. We sincerely do not want them in Montana.