Michigan feral hogs

Good news, but mixed. One of the guys who sued over the criteria and the order to kill his hogs won. But they gave up the case rather than go to trial and take the chance of getting their law ruled unconstitutional.

That scare me. There aren't any feral hogs here in this part of Kansas but it won't be long it looks like. I will be adding electric fence to the OUTSIDE of all of my hog pens. I have 5 foot fencing as the outside of the block of pens but that won't hold a determined wild boar. Sheesh.

Since I'm not familiar with this case, was he ordered to kill his feral hogs?

If so, I have to agree with the law. Feral hogs have become a huge problem in Texas. Overrunning areas, extremely destructive to crops and natural habitat and carrying numerous diseases which can be transmitted to domestic livestock. They cause billions of dollars in damage annually to crop and pasture lands.

It has gotten to the point, that they are getting on the highways and you see them on the side of the road where they have been hit. If you hit a large one, it could total your vehicle and cause injuries to those in the vehicle.

Gee,glad you find so much glee in hoping that we get over run with those dammed things. Every farm group in the state fought hard to get that law enacted. Give me your address so I can bring a truck load of them and dump them on your farm.

Our intention here was to prevent that Nancy. The state legislature passed a law preventing hunting ranches from importing those miserable things and turning them loose so they could charge people to hunt them. I haven't seen them yet,thank God,but we have them here in our county.
Pizzes me off more than you'll ever know that some people are so happy that we can't even take steps to prevent them from becoming an even bigger problem. If they lived here and knew how hard we all worked to pass this law,they might not be so happy.

I didn't realize there were feral hogs in northern Missery until a few weeks ago. Some farmer near here evidently shot 8-10 of them. He dug a hole and buried them.

Unless yo have an electric fence that gives them a real hard jolt, I don't think it vil do much good.
If a hog can get his nose through an opening its difficult to stop him from going on through.
A solid board fence that they can't see through is one of the deterrents to keep them at bay. But it is expensive to build.
If I had a problem of wild hogs, which i;m glad I don't. I vould form a hog killing party and furnish the ammo and let the people take their prize home.

They say the only way to stop them is to build a fence that will hold water. You might be able to stop the adults,but the little ones will get through and grow up outside the fence,then you're finished.
The dammed things were already illegal under the invasive species act,now there's some big celebration that the lawyers who belong to these "Hunt Clubs" are thumbing their noses at 2 laws. Sickening. Try doing that if you're just some average schmuck off the street.

Problem is that just about any hog that wasn't pink and had either a curly or straight tail could be ordered destroyed for being "feral". Never mind the breed or hybrid or behavior or if it's penned up or in a barn.

If it was meant to prevent the "hunting preserves/ranches" from turning them loose, it seems that they've completely missed their intent. It's about the equivalent of saying we need to kill all furry cats because all the feral cats have hair and only the hairless breeds aren't feral.

I didn't notice I was being "gleeful" pointing out that another government agency is taking someone's property without due process, because someone else is doing something they shouldn't be.

One of the worst animals you can hit with a car is a 200 pound hog. They're solid with no give to them like a deer, and a car usually goes over the top of one instead of throwing it aside.

What I keep wondering at is this. At one time there were passenger pigeons in uncountable numbers darkening the skies and taking hours to pass by. Yet a handful of immigrants managed to wipe them off the continent in a few decades. Today we have these fool hogs running amok on the continent, millions of people everywhere, and yet we still cannot get rid of them. Seems like an animal this large would be easy to get rid of. I know I am obviously wrong about that, because they are still here and spreading but it still puzzles me.

The suit I just read about involved someone raising hybrids for slaughter, not for hunt clubs.

Missery means Michigan? I always thought you were misspelling/mispronouncing Missouri.

Not from here are you? Move over,because there are too many people in this state who think that there shouldn't be any farms here. The whole state should just be a haven for hunters. Farmers here are going to have to go someplace else WHEN these people get their way.
We could have stopped this whole TB mess here back in 1975 if the state had just been allowed to enter a hunting preserve and wipe out the population of TB infected deer there. But,they had too many members who were lawyers so it didn't happen. Now we have a continuing mess trying to clean it up out of the cattle herd. Another situation that we'll never be able to rectify.
It's sure easy to get up on a soap box and make it all about "freedom" when it doesn't effect your livelihood isn't it?

(quoted from post at 08:35:35 03/09/14) What I keep wondering at is this. At one time there were passenger pigeons in uncountable numbers darkening the skies and taking hours to pass by. Yet a handful of immigrants managed to wipe them off the continent in a few decades. Today we have these fool hogs running amok on the continent, millions of people everywhere, and yet we still cannot get rid of them. Seems like an animal this large would be easy to get rid of. I know I am obviously wrong about that, because they are still here and spreading but it still puzzles me.

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Dave I know a few people who live in areas and farm where feral pigs are a problem. I ask one of them why they just didn't let a few folks in town know that they would allowed people in at certain times to shoot them at no charge. He said "well I'd loose the money I can get from renting hunting rights". I told him to never cry to me about how much crop damage the pigs are doing.

Rick

Thats the problem. They raise them for market and something goes wrong and then they get loose. There was a ranch that is east of me that had them get loose and I heard several stories on how many got loose but it was over a hundred they say. I have not seen one in the wild but I saw one that was shot in that area and it was something I would not want to run into in the woods without a gun. In my area of the state NW lower they are not a problem yet. With all the game cams out there are very few pictures of them that have been posted. If I would see them I would shoot every one of them if I could.

I live in a county about 120 miles south of Nancy. I hope they haven't reached where she lives. But she is correct they have become a very huge problem. We have a man that traps them for sale. He is working almost 24 hours a day. See him all the time with a load of hogs.

In my county and the four around us. It is open season on them. Shoot on site anywhere anytime. One guy killed thirty in one day on his place.They are now starting to come into town.There is even talk of having the Army send Cobras over for target practice.

Don't think that little push guard on the front of your truck is going to do any good. Guy in town lost his 3500 Dodge to one the other day. Rolled up under the truck. Totaled the truck.If you don't want them in your county. Fight hard to keep them out.

Amen. The only good feral hog is a dead feral hog.

Didn"t say I liked hunting preserves either, did I?
Unless there"s some sort of exotic near-extinct species that"s not going to hurt the native stuff (like some of the African stuff they"ve got in Texas) I"d prefer to just stay away from them. Don"t like the idea of hunting a tame animal

You should also offer some to PETA. Since they defend them so much.

Maybe the US Armed services should be allowed to go into the areas where the feral hogs are a problem, and use them for target practice. After all, the gov't has those umpteen billion rounds of ammo now, and I can't see how a soldier trained to shoot properly can be a detriment to his country. Plus the gyrenes will be eating free pork, instead of MRE's lol.

Pigs cannot fly!

What it sounds like happened, is they were out to stop the hunt clubs/etc stop raising them and turning them loose, but those people had enough money that they have DNR going after everyone else.

Billy, they have been at the farm for as long as I can remember and have caused damage numerous times. I'll get James to post a link to the video we took of the last damage they did and what we had to do to fix it.

They have moved into the parks in Dallas and have become a danger to people visiting the parks. Dallas county hired a trapper for a three year contract for a total of $250,000. Maybe I'm in the wrong business.

In most counties in Tx, it is open season. Kill as many anytime as you can.

the farmers that are yelling the loudest are the one's that are charging 400.00 to hunt them,..i think if they were that much of a problem they would allow someone to hunt without pay...they probably make more off the hunting fees then the crops

Our ag agent has said there is supposed to be a bait that kills only hogs available in 2015. If that happens, there will be a very long waiting list to get it. My name will be on it.

I would suggest using electrobraid or something similar since it gives and won't break quickly like wire. That way you have a better chance of giving it a good jolt. I would also buy the most powerful charger you can get regardless of the length of the fence.

As a former Michigander raised on a hog farm that escaped 26 years ago via the US Air Force, but still has family there. It is my understanding they passed the law to reduce the probability of lower Michigan being over run with exotic feral hogs. Problem is that the state over stepped it's bounds and now wants some hogs in captivity destroyed because they don't like the looks of them. The farmer's business plan was to raise less domesticated hogs and market the meat to upscale restaurants and markets because of perceived differences in the pork from these kinds of animals.

I'm personally against the state on this one, but as a former Michigander and that our family farm has been sold I have no skin in the game. I liken the state's actions to them coming on to your farm and telling you that you'll have to destroy all your Jersey cows because we only want you to raise Holsteins OR them telling you your Oliver Tractors will have to go because we only approve John Deere tractors. The state dropping the prosecution of the case tells you how weak their case was. If I were still a Michigan resident I would suggest that Michigan residents initiate a ballot proposal that would require prosecution of any law after the charge has been filed OR property seized. The law should be structured that if the state drops prosecution the defendant could petition the court for a verdict, at that time the state would be by law required to do one of two things, 1- prosecute the case with the understanding that if they loose the law gets pitched AND they make restitution to the defendants for all property, lost wages revenue and legal fees. 2- settle with out a verdict, this alternative would require the state to rescind the law and make restitution to any and all parties effected by the law or any prosecution of said law. In any outcome any restitution AND costs the state incurred in investigation and prosecution of the case would have to be made from state funds already appropriated and the state will have to make genuine budget decision to pay for their screw up. Meaning if the DNR pulls a move like this they'll be driving old trucks and not get any pay raises or new personnel until they pay for their mistake.

This seems harsh but the intent is to raise the bar on frivolous prosecution, if they come after you and don't have a case or the law is later found to be unconstitutional they'll have to give up things they want to do or limit services to taxpayers (which hopefully will upset said taxpayer enough to cause change in government at election time) and if they pass a law that is unconstitutional they would have to make good to you on it or face prosecution themselves under a conspiracy to deny constitutional rights causing them to give up all their stuff and go live somewhere like Jacktown for a while. It would also take away the tool they have away to harass you, ruin your business, bankrupt you then quit only after they've ruined you without getting a verdict so the law can be reused to wreck the next person they don't like.

As for the danger of wild type hogs over populating lower Michigan two alternatives, 1 hire the Wisconsin DNR to manage the wild hog population, with in a decade it'll be decimated and sick. 2- pass a non indigenous species hunting act removing control of non-indigenous species from state control and giving control of these species and the hunting or population control of them to the landowner.

I think some of you had better know which side you're on here. The great American sportsmen and radio freedom fighters who want to make this some issue about "big government" taking your rights away have no clue about this one. They're just grasping at something to turn in to an issue.
Like I said,we farmers have been fighting for this for years. The Michigan Pork Producers were leading the charge. The DNR refused to enforce the Invasive Species Act,so all of the farm groups and commodity organizations in the state banded together to push this through. This law is specific as to what hogs are to be eradicated. For those who want to make it political,we couldn't get anywhere with a nnalert governor and a nnalert controlled legislature. We FINALLY got this passed by a nnalert legislature and signed in to law by a nnalert governor. Now it appears that the entrenched bureaucracy within the DNR is refusing to enforce this law too. So those of you who think it's great that the law isn't being enforced are spitting in the face of farmers and nnalert lawmakers and siding with "big government". How does that make you feel?

Invasive non native species like feral hogs should be called out for what they are - pests. Should be a hunting season year round if they are moving into the area. I don't see how they would have survived that far north in the wild due to the harsh Michigan winter just completed.

Hopefully we lost a few. It appears that some people will celebrate if they didn't die though. It is technically open season on them. Shoot them on sight,but to be legal you're supposed to have a license to hunt something else,I guess anything else in Michigan. That doesn't apply as far as I'm concerned. If you're armed and see one and don't shoot it,I'm not going to be a nice guy if you tell me about it.

Billy, here is a link to the <a href="http://youtu.be/e6yNg_Q-G3o">wild hog damage</a> last summer on our farm.

If you are referring to the Michigan case that was reported last week - the guy agreed go get rid of the hogs in question so the case was dropped. Nothing was won that I can perceive, but the pigs were lost. I've got no problem with the law allowing licensed hunters to shoot any loose pig on public land. But the idea of seizing historic and rare breeds of domesticated pigs on private property because they possess certain physical characteristics that wild pigs have - is a little absurd.

Many of the feral hogs can be traced back to the Russian hogs. They can and still do survive in Siberia. Even Canada has reported herds of wild hogs.

Feral hogs have no natural enemies, are extremely smart, evasive, and raise two to three litters a year. They are rarely seen in the daytime which makes hunting them harder.

I don't think the comparison is relevant.

Like all laws the Gov't enacts it eventually carries things to the extreme and gets crazy.Any animal thats fenced in isn't a 'feral' animal by definition.And all hogs go back to a common beginning and all hogs are capable of returning to their wild roots.

Nancy, James, I was told in Texas that if hunting on your land, you did not need a hunting license, If you are hunting on others property you better have hunting license...It is illegal to turn them loose once they are caught..

There are no hogs native to North America,no cattle either,no horses either so I guess all these have to go too.All sheep except the native Big Horns will have to be slaughtered too.And of course all the White and Black people as none are native either.

I will see if anyone at the feed store has heard of it. We sure could use some.

There is a place down here. That had a very nice golf course looking lawn. Hogs tore it up in one night.