Pig/hog damage to crops

[buck wild]

This is what some folks don’t see. The crop losses as a result of hogs. First 15-20 rows of the grain have been completely knocked down. They are other areas in the interior with holes knocked down the size of my house.

Picture of full rows

Pics of the field edges

Holes inside the field

There are highways running all across the field. This particular field is approx 1,000 acres with an estimated 20% loss.

We kill 400-500 hogs per year but they keep coming !

 

[mdwest]

Need some help? I love shooting hogs


Im betting if you killed 600-800 a year, you'd still have a problem.. Its amazing how much damage even a single big boar can do in one night.. they are truly a menace..

Im thankful we only have a few come and go from our leased property in NE TX.. its enough to give us an occasional pig to hunt, but not so many that they are dramatically hurting our deer or turkey populations.. but, Im sure the day is coming..

 

[WyoBull]

I firmly believe we will never control the feral hog population and problem in this country.
When we lived in Texas the ranchers complained about them but wanted at that time $350 per day and a 2 hog limit.
You can’t do damage to the population with that model, not the way they breed.

 

[analog_peninsula]

I don’t think anything less than a helicopter is going to have much of an impact. Even trapping seems pointless unless you use corral traps and capture entire sounders.

 

[deewayne2003]

I firmly believe we will never control the feral hog population and problem in this country.
When we lived in Texas the ranchers complained about them but wanted at that time $350 per day and a 2 hog limit.
You can’t do damage to the population with that model, not the way they breed.

You are correct sir, no way to control the population and run a hunt for profit area.

It's estimated that every feral hog will commit $2,000USD in farm land damage in it's lifetime; and when you consider the gestation period is 3 months, 3 weeks & 3 days - The problem is indeed astronomical reproduction.

It takes a combined effort of sounder trapping and helicopter shooting to make noticeable progress.

 

[buck wild]

We do fly helicopter 4x per year. Shoot as many as we can and do several thermal hunts as soon as the fields are harvested. We aren’t committed enough to run traps enough to do anything.

As far as charging for hunts, that has been discussed in another thread on AH before.

 

[Hunter4752001]

Much as I enjoy pig shooting, the damage to crops and fences, rapid breeding rate and the potential for disease spread mean that I strongly support hitting them with every control measure available. Corral traps, Sodium Nitrite baits, shooting - everything. Don't be tempted to let even a small population remain for sport, they'll only breed up to be an uncontrollable pest.

 

[buck wild]

The newly approved "pig poison" hasn't taken off just yet. Time will tell. It takes specialized feeders and some care about secondary exposure that needs to be completely fleshed out.

 

[steve white]

Much as I enjoy pig shooting, the damage to crops and fences, rapid breeding rate and the potential for disease spread mean that I strongly support hitting them with every control measure available. Corral traps, Sodium Nitrite baits, shooting - everything. Don't be tempted to let even a small population remain for sport, they'll only breed up to be an uncontrollable pest.

And does the nitrite cure the bacon, lol?

 

[375Fox]

The newly approved "pig poison" hasn't taken off just yet. Time will tell. It takes specialized feeders and some care about secondary exposure that needs to be completely fleshed out.

This is first I’ve heard of poison. How is it supposed to affect them? Slowly over time or immediately? Are there specific secondary exposure concerns like birds of prey?

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

This is what some folks don’t see. The crop losses as a result of hogs. First 15-20 rows of the grain have been completely knocked down. They are other areas in the interior with holes knocked down the size of my house.

Picture of full rows
View attachment 615185

Pics of the field edges

View attachment 615182View attachment 615183

Holes inside the field

View attachment 615184

There are highways running all across the field. This particular field is approx 1,000 acres with an estimated 20% loss.

We kill 400-500 hogs per year but they keep coming !

Depending where you are in TX, I’ve got thermals, NVG’s and plenty of ammo I can lend to the fight.

 

[Jason Miller]

I firmly believe we will never control the feral hog population and problem in this country.
When we lived in Texas the ranchers complained about them but wanted at that time $350 per day and a 2 hog limit.
You can’t do damage to the population with that model, not the way they breed.

Agreed, I have a home in Central Texas, all I hear is complaining about Hog Damage, I have a super flexible schedule and mentioned to some ranchers that I would come kill as many as I can, yet they all want to charge for right to hunt on their land. oh well..

 

[Lance Hopper]

I guide thermal hog hunts in Southwest Georgia. Have been doing so for the last 15 years. Kill about the same number of pigs every year on the same fields every year. Until people decide that enough is enough and suck up a loss to the other wildlife that will be affected Poisoning the pigs is the only thing that will ever have any real meaningful impact on their population. There are way too many of the other animals that will be affected and they will recover within 3 to 5 years after the elimination of the pig. If you have an enclosure with 1000 pigs, the only way to reduce the number in a calendar year is to kill over 70% of those pigs. It’s just the numbers. Plain and simple. The simple answer is, there is a short term pain, for a long-term gain. It’s the only way to cure the problem. You just have to convince enough of the right people to let there be collateral damage. Kind of like winning World War II.

 

[Siennacoyote]

I firmly believe we will never control the feral hog population and problem in this country.
When we lived in Texas the ranchers complained about them but wanted at that time $350 per day and a 2 hog limit.
You can’t do damage to the population with that model, not the way they breed.

I always hear about the damage too but the hunts aren’t cheap. I don’t think it’s right to try and have it both ways .

 

[Hunter4752001]

The sodium nitrite poison (brand name Hoggone) is used is purpose designed bait stations. It kills within two hours. Even the RSPCA recognises it as more humane than the alternatives. Secondary poising has not been reported as a significant occurrence. And yes, sodium nitrite is the stuff used for curing bacon and other preserved meat products for human consumption. Pigs however lack the enzyme for processing the chemical.

Poisoning of feral pigs with sodium nitrite | HOGGONE®

pestsmart.org.au

 

[buck wild]

Ok, I wasn't going to respond to the hunting issue that always gets brought up during these discussions BUT alas I just couldn;t help it

I took this part and parcel from previous discussions.
-There are competing interests between being a landowner and a hunter but until you are a landowner, there is really no sense in hashing it over. I will say this, NO WAY IS NORMAL HUNTING going to stop the hog infestation in Texas and other areas. Say 5 guys go out for a weekend hunt. If we hunt all weekend, all night, with the proper gear etc, we might kill 10-30 hogs during normal times. Big dent you might think? Not really. So now as the ranch manager, I have spent a LONG, labor-intense weekend pissing in the wind so that 3-5 rightminded guys can come help us. If you want to stand hunt and drive the roads, same 5 guys might kill 5-10.
* The one time this will vary is right after harvesting when we can kill up to 100 the first night out. That time is right now and quite honestly it's miserable hunting in Texas in June-July, even at night. Every night thereafter, our success is cut in half.
Now I've personally spent 3 days, two nights with a couple of guys bc we can't just let the group, no matter how good of hunters they are, just freely roam around on a 6K acre working cattle ranch, with 14 miles of river bottom, at night with weapons. The liability is crazy even with a ranch guide leading the group. Although I have never had an issue with the few times I have done just that, another guide had a group kill a cow one night. A $1,800 mistake they had to reimburse the rancher, not to mention a big credibility issue for that guide. If we were to charge $300 per day to hunt, as a guide I'd probably earn $15 PER HOUR and the ranch might clear $800-$1,200 for the weekend. The risks don't outweigh the liability honestly. And even one good weekend isn't going to curb the hog population.

As a side note, most average hunters are going to want to pack it in about 2 am in the morning as they have killed 20ish pigs and feel they had a good hunt and want to get some sleep. No time for that, the hogs are just getting active with best times 2am-6 am. It's WORK!! We aren't on a pleasure hunt. After doing one of these weekends, it takes me 3-5 days to get right again.

We have the helicopter come out at $600 per hour and they usually kill 100 each trip on 6k acres. The ranch has been flying 4+x per year for the past 7 years. Every time, they kill about the same numbers depending on the season. The landowner and share crop farmer split the costs. After 7 years of flying, the hogs have learned to run into the river bottom at the first noise of the copter flying.

Although we do have a very large trap, no one wants to be responsible for setting, checking, killing, or disposing of the hogs on a daily basis so it just sits where it is.

We might be interested in the poison that has come out but we are waiting for more people to try and hear their experiences.

 

[Rem280]

I always hear about the damage too but the hunts aren’t cheap. I don’t think it’s right to try and have it both ways .

Lots of farmers and hunt clubs in Florida complain about hogs, yet won't let people hunt them. It's odd.

 

[Siennacoyote]

The sodium nitrite poison (brand name Hoggone) is used is purpose designed bait stations. It kills within two hours. Even the RSPCA recognises it as more humane than the alternatives. Secondary poising has not been reported as a significant occurrence. And yes, sodium nitrite is the stuff used for curing bacon and other preserved meat products for human consumption. Pigs however lack the enzyme for processing the chemical.

Poisoning of feral pigs with sodium nitrite | HOGGONE®

pestsmart.org.au

Hunter I’m going to correct something here . If humans ate sodium nitrate like this we would die as well. It’s not necessarily about being able to process it. It’s about the amount of the toxin take in. Eleven blue men discusses the effects of nitrite poisoning in humans . Amazon is trying to ban its sale because idiots are self deleting with it . Much of it is colored when sold to consumers so they don’t mistake it for salt .

 

[HankBuck]

This is what some folks don’t see. The crop losses as a result of hogs. First 15-20 rows of the grain have been completely knocked down. They are other areas in the interior with holes knocked down the size of my house.

Picture of full rows
View attachment 615185

Pics of the field edges

View attachment 615182View attachment 615183

Holes inside the field

View attachment 615184

There are highways running all across the field. This particular field is approx 1,000 acres with an estimated 20% loss.

We kill 400-500 hogs per year but they keep coming !

@buck wild - what type of milo seed did you plant? I’m looking for a seed variety that would give me those nice Big seed heads you seem to have - for my food plots.
I’ve been planting a “Wild Game“ brand sorghum and it’s adequate - 3’ to 4’ height and decent size seed head, but wanted to know if there is a variety of “short” milo/sorghum with an even bigger seed head? As you can tell - I’m NOT a farmer, so my knowledge and experience is lacking. I “broadcast” seed after I disk my fields then either drag harrow or cultipack it, fertilizer is 300lbs 19-19-19 per acre. Grows well and deer don’t destroy it as it’s growing, bear also have no interest in it, Draws deer well Sept. to early Nov…plus way cheaper then corn to plant…No pigs where I am (thankfully).

 

[Papa72]

I recently read somewhere that Texas is considering Warfarin (anticoagulant) for feral hog control. Sounds effective but I haven’t read any follow up reports since the original article.