Hog Hunting Banned in Kentucky??????

[mdwest]

https://www.winchestersun.com/2024/...eral-swine-in-hopes-of-slowing-their-advance/

Im not so sure their logic is sound here....

I get that their INTENTION to to slow the advance of pigs...

but not so sure banning hunting, so that trapping is easier, is actually a viable approach...

my experience is if you want to control the population.. youre going to need to do both... and do both A LOT..

 

[375Fox]

That logic in article makes no sense to me, however I’ve read elsewhere hunting feral hogs was restricted to slow the spread. Hunters were moving feral hogs to provide a new hunting opportunities in areas they weren’t present apparently.

 

[RR 314]

https://www.winchestersun.com/2024/...eral-swine-in-hopes-of-slowing-their-advance/

Im not so sure their logic is sound here....

I get that their INTENTION to to slow the advance of pigs...

but not so sure banning hunting, so that trapping is easier, is actually a viable approach...

my experience is if you want to control the population.. youre going to need to do both... and do both A LOT..

We shoot AND trap a lot of pigs. Can trap a whole sounder even though we shoot them. I’m not sure this is sound either.

What I do know is a litter can contain 10 to 15 of the little bastards. And 20-30 survive. .

I think you could pop smoke and call in a napalm strike and they would still thrive.

 

[Ruraldoc]

I have not shot a pig outside a trap in a couple of years. It’s easier to catch and kill a whole sounder if they are undisturbed.

But not sure banning hunting is a smart move.
Although you for sure don’t need idiots introducing them into new areas for hunting.

I have caught and killed more than 350 in the last 3 years in my Boarbuster trap.

No way to kill them that effectively by hunting in my experience.

 

[BeeMaa]

Makes perfect sense…if you are a politician. They are looking to bring in companies to do the trapping, not to have landowners do it.

I’ve seen this in Northern VA with the overpopulation of whitetail. They outlawed hunting in specific areas so that “special designated marksman” can be brought in to do the same thing. Translation…no money goes from the hunters to the government in the way of hunting licenses but the government PAYS a company to exterminate them. F’n nuts.

Otherwise, the only way to keep feral hogs from spreading is to increase hunting and trapping of individuals and landowners.

 

[Hogpatrol]

Three words: Follow the money.

 

[Bert the Turtle]

We shoot AND trap a lot of pigs. Can trap a whole sounder even though we shoot them. I’m not sure this is sound either.

What I do know is a litter can contain 10 to 15 of the little bastards. And 20-30 survive. .

I think you could pop smoke and call in a napalm strike and they would still thrive.

Followed up by flamethrower full of BBQ sauce and I think you are onto something!

 

[LucasK]

Most research shows hunting breaks up sounders and encourages the spread of feral hogs, in addition when there is a financial incentive (think selling hog hunts) there is also incresed spread of feral hogs Several states are taking this approach. Missouri has cut its hog population substantially using this method.

Disclaimer: I don't have any problem with hog hunting where it's legal, but hogs can cause tons of damage to crops.

 

[thriller]

 

[John Wasmuth]

….

 

[YancyW]

State conservation departments are some of the most territorial organizations in all of government, and that is an insanely high bar.

 

[BourbonTrail]

As I understand the history of it…

Hogs never ventured North from Tennessee (past the Big South Fork area) until the mid 2000’s, and then when hog hunting became big they “migrated.”

It was shoot on sight, outside of that narrow corridor, until recently (like most states). Then, the story goes, that the population started to explode. I don’t know how true this is. I’ve never seen wild pigs in Kentucky (perhaps some tracks about 8 years ago). Then FW put a moratorium on hunting them because their data said trapping was better.

I think it has more to do with disincentivizing people transported wild boars here from Tennessee. Kentucky is extremely agricultural (more cows and sheep than people), and besides what’s more important…having pigs to shoot in Kentucky or corn for bourbon.

Conspiracy theory: Texans are bringing pigs here to try and take over the bourbon market with their shitty “bourbon” by destroying our corn and pricing us out.

 

[bakerb]

Missouri conservation did that on public lands around Truman lake a few years ago. It was effective. They didn’t get them all. But they were able to trap and very effectively cut the numbers down.

They didn’t do any ban on private lands, it was mostly on Corps of Engineers land surrounding the lake and state owned conservation areas.

 

[Inline6]

I have not shot a pig outside a trap in a couple of years. It’s easier to catch and kill a whole sounder if they are undisturbed.

But not sure banning hunting is a smart move.
Although you for sure don’t need idiots introducing them into new areas for hunting.

I have caught and killed more than 350 in the last 3 years in my Boarbuster trap.

No way to kill them that effectively by hunting in my experience.

I killed 25 in about 15 minutes hunting. It would be cost prohibitive for most (including myself). You can get alot accomplished in a helicopter.

 

[John the Electrician]

I don’t know anything specific about wild hogs. I assume they are much like the other herd animals that we have many varieties of.

Logic tells me that when a herd gets shot at, some will die, reducing the population. I do understand that the heard may split and may not reunite. How far they travel away from the shooting is unknown to me.

Logic also tells me that if they are not shot at, none will die from being hunted. Logic says when the herd is larger than the habitat will support, they will move to different habitat. That is what herd animals do, probably all animals would if possible.

If they move away, and grow in numbers without predation how does that slow the spread? It makes sense that not all the herd moves, some members stay and repopulate as the habitat recovers.

I think, dead pigs are dead and at least the dead ones don’t spread. Maybe my logic is flawed. I agree with the statements of others here, have to trap them and shoot them. A lot.

 

[Hunter4752001]

Never underestimate the degree to which the animal rights/anti-hunter brigade have infiltrated the wildlife management departments. Once upon a time those departments were driven by science, now its largely ideology and propaganda. Its a fact of life that feral pig sounders can travel tens of kilometres at night. They move because of population densities, availability of food sources and just because they are biologically programmed to move. As population levels expand (for pigs its generally exponential growth) so the rate of population migration accelerates. All too often poor quality wildlife managers (of the type who have never left their desk) ascribe this as the result of nefarious activity by hunters. To properly manage feral pigs you need all available means including hunting.

 

[Lance Hopper]

I haven’t read the article or any of your responses. But if it is anything like what Tennessee instituted, it is to make the purposeful hunting of pigs illegal. That means no running pigs with dogs. Dog hunters are where most of the problem has come from in the states that have an excessive pig population, if it’s illegal to hunt pigs with dogs, then why would you release pigs into the area where you can hunt them with dogs. If it is like Tennessee, then it is legal to kill the pig you’re just not purposefully hunting the pig. It makes perfect sense, and is the most effective way to ban the people that are contributing to the problem the most.

 

[Sideshow]

State conservation departments are some of the most territorial organizations in all of government, and that is an insanely high bar.

Lol not just in the USA…….talk to any NZ Hunter about DOC there’s some crazy crackers in that department
That boar buster trap sounds interesting! @Ruraldoc

 

[Hunt anything]

On my property in coastal Alabama we don’t have any hogs, on occasion we do get a wandering boar coming through every now and again but they don’t last long. I bait them up and shoot them before they can get out of hand. I believe I would ignore this regulation if implemented down here.
Close by we do have a problem with hogs so they will be here sooner or later but until then I will just shoot them.

 

[Cheesehead]

I noticed this line in the article:

”Robinson said other wildlife management agencies in the South had recommended the Kentucky agency take measures to prevent a problematic “pig hunting culture” from being established."

Let's face it, right now, pig hunting is big business. There are tons of outfitters throughout the south making money hand over fist selling pig hunts. Much like how the African conservation model works, this is attaching monetary value to the feral hogs. As long as the hogs are valuable, the population will grow. In other words, if people are paying me to take them hog hunting, I am incentivized to make sure the there will always be hogs to hunt to keep my income stream alive. This seems to be counterproductive to the goal of eliminating an invasive species that is destructive to the ecosystem and agriculture.

So, I'm willing to bet, this move isn't to stop the hogs from being "educated" as the author claims. It is probably to prevent the booming hog hunting industry from moving into Kentucky. That's just my completely uneducated opinion on the subject.