Pigs

[redwoood]

Just watched a news story about the pig invasion in the US. The reporter stated it was due to the result of global warming allowing more acorns to be available. Acorns being their favorite food. Enough is enough. mtmuley

The news is comical these days...would like to see this report for laughs.

 

[Ben Sellers]

All this about needing more access to hog hunting is well and good from a recreational perspective but it does almost nothing for population control. The only way around here to keep the population in control is trapping done right.

 

[Mudder]

All this about needing more access to hog hunting is well and good from a recreational perspective but it does almost nothing for population control. The only way around here to keep the population in control is trapping done right.

Trapping is likely to be the more efficient option but educating the Hogs to avoid humans by hunting them is also an objective. Kind of like Rats only smarter, the ones that survive are going to be smart and the lead Sows are going to train the young ones after a fashion. The ones that stay in the deep woods and avoid humans are going to be survivors in the long term.

The dynamics of a typical sounder are the lead Sow, a few Sergeants (older daughters) a mix of adolescents male and female and then a plethora of youngsters. The stupid ones, in a broader sort of way, are the first to die along with the youngsters that are easier for predators to catch.

It doesn't take an older Hog long to get trap shy. And in my opinion, a sufficient number of them are going to bolt at the smell of metal after a dozen generations, like Fox. I've watched a lead sow lead her troop through an agricultural area keeping the maximum distance possible from shooting towers and high seats. She remembers where she has lost troop members before and avoids those spots. The old Sows teach/train the younger ones. The older daughters (sergeants) are already survivors, the smart ones listen to the older Sow. I've watched a sounder come up through the deep forest to an open agricultural area, the old Sow and older daughter kept the sounder from breaking cover and going into the open. They use bad weather and moonless nights to their advantage. I'd say they are in general at least as smart as a Coyote or Fox, neither of which are in any way endangered. I watched a sounder wait for days for bad weather (a very stormy night) and raid acres of Strawberries.
The Germans have been dealing with Wild Boar as long as there were humans in Germany (before the end of the ice age). They control them by fairly extensive hunting, trapping them isn't common, IMO because it eventually fails to work. The recent problems (last twenty years) with Wild Boar overpopulation here are mostly due to policies which in a broad sort fo way discourage hunting.

 

[Gr8bawana]

Kind of like Rats only smarter,

....and much tastier I'm sure.

 

[noharleyyet]

Mudder gets it....

 

[ImBillT]

The obvious answer is to cut down all the oak trees.