a cure for the TX hog problem!!

[Felix40]

Hogs are not a problem. They offer year round recreation. They are free for new hunters to get experience on. Landowners are making money by selling hunts for them.

The two things that people complain about are really non-issues at this point.

#1 Hogs damage property. This might be true but at this point in time nobody is losing money because of hogs. By charging hunters to use their property landowners are actually making more money than they would have without the hogs. Here in E. Texas hay is the biggest thing that they mess up. Even if a group of hogs causes a hay farmer to lose 5 bales from each cutting he is only out about $300. It would only take max of 3 hunters between cuttings to make up for the loss. So Im saying that no matter how much pressure your field is getting from hogs you can always use them to support hunting and more than make up for your loss.

#2 Hogs compete with deer for food. Simply not true. If you believe this then I would advise you to read some journals on the subject. The only time this happens is at your feeder. The diet of hogs and deer overlaps less than 20%.

If there is another downside to having these animals as free recreation in the state I am all ears. But I really think we should stop calling them a problem and start calling them a resource. JMO

[five-08808]

Heck no. Government is involved in enough already. They would surely mess something up.

[HainesNYT]

Excellent!

There are a ton of points being missed here. I will type SLOW so you guys might get a chance to understand.

Basically, the hypothetical is to create a pot that would be optional for the hunter. He would be able to take his kills in and get paid for them. No bag limit, no tag. When the money is gone, it's gone.

That is the way I read it anyway but I do have exceptional reasoning skills.

You go brother!

1. Anyone complaining about the cost of a license in Texas really hasn't hunted anywhere else. It is actually very cheap.

2. It is a fantastic idea that could stand an actual brainstorming session. there are probably a few counties that wouldn't even be involved. Each county could name the price they would pay for each bounty (surely not $20). Anyone who drops a WHOLE $10 (a good bit of you drink that in beer every night) could turn in enough ears/ carcasses to get that back.

3. Some way to tie that into a smart system for food for the hungry would be a serious win win. Maybe a little less of my taxes would go to welfare if they were getting supplemented with pork instead of stamps!

4. I think there maybe a few of you guys that don't fully comprehend the hog "promblem". All you guys that shoot them and leave them, that is fine, but you should recognize that you aren't putting a dent in the population. A neighbor of mine, trapped and killed, 33 on his property last year....on his 25 acres. You can't even tell he took that many. I helped him butcher 5 more two weeks ago.

Smart folks need to look from every angle, full spectrum.

Happy hunting

[RiverRat1]

Hogs are not a problem. They offer year round recreation. They are free for new hunters to get experience on. Landowners are making money by selling hunts for them.

The two things that people complain about are really non-issues at this point.

#1 Hogs damage property. This might be true but at this point in time nobody is losing money because of hogs. By charging hunters to use their property landowners are actually making more money than they would have without the hogs. Here in E. Texas hay is the biggest thing that they mess up. Even if a group of hogs causes a hay farmer to lose 5 bales from each cutting he is only out about $300. It would only take max of 3 hunters between cuttings to make up for the loss. So Im saying that no matter how much pressure your field is getting from hogs you can always use them to support hunting and more than make up for your loss.

#2 Hogs compete with deer for food. Simply not true. If you believe this then I would advise you to read some journals on the subject. The only time this happens is at your feeder. The diet of hogs and deer overlaps less than 20%.

If there is another downside to having these animals as free recreation in the state I am all ears. But I really think we should stop calling them a problem and start calling them a resource. JMO

I tend to agree but am open to see the numbers on both sides. I've always though the pig destruction numbers were always exageratted.

But how many ranchers make money selling hog hunts and how much $$ from that over the entire State? I bet it's a ton. And how many leases in east Texas would be empty if they had no hogs out there? I know lots of people who look for just a hog lease so I know they push lease prices higher. And have to add in all the extra supplies hog hunters buy. No way that number is not greater than the ho damage number.

[Tex]

Hogs are not a problem. They offer year round recreation. They are free for new hunters to get experience on. Landowners are making money by selling hunts for them.

The two things that people complain about are really non-issues at this point.

#1 Hogs damage property. This might be true but at this point in time nobody is losing money because of hogs. By charging hunters to use their property landowners are actually making more money than they would have without the hogs. Here in E. Texas hay is the biggest thing that they mess up. Even if a group of hogs causes a hay farmer to lose 5 bales from each cutting he is only out about $300. It would only take max of 3 hunters between cuttings to make up for the loss. So Im saying that no matter how much pressure your field is getting from hogs you can always use them to support hunting and more than make up for your loss.

#2 Hogs compete with deer for food. Simply not true. If you believe this then I would advise you to read some journals on the subject. The only time this happens is at your feeder. The diet of hogs and deer overlaps less than 20%.

If there is another downside to having these animals as free recreation in the state I am all ears. But I really think we should stop calling them a problem and start calling them a resource. JMO

Not trying to start an argument, but how many acres of land do you own?

[EastTx]

#2 Hogs compete with deer for food. Simply not true. If you believe this then I would advise you to read some journals on the subject. The only time this happens is at your feeder. The diet of hogs and deer overlaps less than 20%.


If there is another downside to having these animals as free recreation in the state I am all ears. But I really think we should stop calling them a problem and start calling them a resource. JMO

Hogs compete for many of the same foods as deer including grasses, forbs, roots and tubers, browse, mast (acorns), fruits, bulbs and mushrooms. Feral hogs are especially fond of acorns and domestic agricultural crops such as corn, milo, rice, wheat, soybeans, peanuts, potatoes, watermelons and cantaloupe.

A few more downsides are that they also destabilize wetland areas, springs, creeks and tanks by excessive rooting and wallowing. In addition to habitat destruction and alteration, hogs can destroy forestry plantings and damage trees. While not active predators, wild hogs may prey on fawns, young lambs, and kid goats. If the opportunity arises, they may also destroy and consume eggs of ground nesting birds, such as Turkey and Quail.