Want to hunt feral hogs

[WV Mountaineer]

First and foremost, ranchers and farmers are business men.

Precisely.

I understand that. I own three businesses myself. And lesson number one in any business is if something is costing you money, you fix it.

Until hogs start costing farmers money, it’s as I said above. That’s Econ 102

 

[Btaylor]

True ‘dat. You’ll hear the farmers complain about the millions they loose. But, you tell one of them you’d be happy to come kill some and he’s going to tell you $500 for the first hog, $250 for those that follow. And$ 125 cleanup fee per hog to use his water hose in the barn while you butcher it.

It’s their land. I respect their right to say no to a person requesting permission to hunt. But, if they’d find themselves a couple dozen folk that would come every year and kill 5-10 apiece, their hog problem would all but go away. But, that ain’t going to happen at the prices they charge. So, the hogs thrive instead.


I’ve said it before, the farmers need to spare the BS about all the damage the pigs do until they help themselves by returning the favor. The best way to do that is having people willing to shoot ever hog they see right in the face. And, the best way to do that is openly invite and help those people accomplish it without limiting the amount of hogs they’ll be willing to kill. With limiting high fees.

Before anyone flames my backside for being so frank about the situation, look at what happens when you attach a hunting value to hunting species. No animal that creates problems of the proportion that hogs do, hasn’t already been killed to extinction. However, every animal on the planet that requires a few to hunt and kill, is thriving or protected to ensure hunting numbers of them exist. It’s the monetary value placed on the hog by the same farmers claiming to want them decimated, that is ensuring it never happens.

Life has its nuisances. Poor farmers. Yeah right.

The problem with hogs and the scenario you laid out is that farmers need hogs erradicated not hunted. Hunting them doesnt help the crop loss situation because you cant kill 70% of a population with normal hunting means. Call a farmer and tell him you have helicopter and would be happy to provide erradication service and he may be happy to pay you. You and your buddies going in an shooting a half dozen over a weekend doesnt fix his problem at all so why would he not monetize that scenario, he is still going to have the hog problem when you leave. On one of the WMAs I hunt, a few years ago they ran traps all summer after shooting them on spots of high ground during a flood period. The following year they shot over a thousand from a helicopter if what I was told was accurate and guess what we have, freaking hogs all over that WMA. If you dont have them now in your area, pray they never show up. If one does show, kill that sob 4 or 5 times to make sure it is good and dead.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

The problem with hogs and the scenario you laid out is that farmers need hogs erradicated not hunted. Hunting them doesnt help the crop loss situation because you cant kill 70% of a population with normal hunting means. Call a farmer and tell him you have helicopter and would be happy to provide erradication service and he may be happy to pay you. You and your buddies going in an shooting a half dozen over a weekend doesnt fix his problem at all so why would he not monetize that scenario, he is still going to have the hog problem when you leave. On one of the WMAs I hunt, a few years ago they ran traps all summer after shooting them on spots of high ground during a flood period. The following year they shot over a thousand from a helicopter if what I was told was accurate and guess what we have, freaking hogs all over that WMA. If you dont have them now in your area, pray they never show up. If one does show, kill that sob 4 or 5 times to make sure it is good and dead.

Any farmer serious about eradication wants somebody who will run traps cant do helicopters here yet...shooting a couple here or there won't make a dent in the population or the problem...Farmers know that...but most don't have an issue making few bucks and while you try. I knew a few spots in low country where they run traps and still offer 365 day hog hunting for $350 a day.

 

[wytx]

I really like the idea that killing a couple dozen hogs a few times a year will make the problem go away !!!
Have you told this to the hogs WV ?

Seriously though, that is just what many landowners do, they have locals and folks they know come hunt for free. Most don't need a place to stay, free lodging, they are local. Most also have hog hunting experience. They aren't looking for just big boars, they want sows and piglets for the smoker too.
We have access in Texas, family land and a friend's place and the friend asked us first year we hunted it if we were trophy hunting , when we said no we want every hog we can get, especially sows he was very happy. Now we can go back any time.
Someone calling from out of state they don't know, should consider themselves lucky to get access even for a fee. Strangers running around your property with firearms, sometimes at night. Cattle and crops in the fields.
Why not just let anyone that asks hunt?

Landowners with problems do not run feeders for them year round.
Simply there are plenty of hog hunting outfitters out there to make money. Find a place that doesn't run feeders for them, has no limit and charges a flat fee - that person has an issue they want help with. However they also know hunting will not come close to solving an issues with hogs so they charge some.

I think it's great some folks can make money off of a nuisance animal. Not all areas have hog problems yet, but they probably will if they have any. Selling a few hunts to help try to keep them in check is not a bad idea.

I have ask, if you were hunting a spot you had access for and several hogs came out in a field, a big boar and 2-3 sows with say 23 little piglets, what would you shoot first? That question might get asked by a landowner and the wrong answer will not get you access from many that I know.

Again , the offer posted is a great one for someone to take them up on. Spring is a great time to hunt hogs, before chiggers and hopefully before tornado season.
Best of luck Dan, finding a group and on your hunts.

 

[Azone]

Hogs are a money maker now. Gonna be hard to find a freebie. The guides in my area are getting around 1K to shoot one. Then meat processing can run another several hundred dollars. It’s become a very profitable business. If people wanted them eradicated they would be gone already, farmers and ranchers will bitch about the sun coming up if you give them enough time to talk. Hogs just give them an excuse to get all riled up and complain, but most are making money off hogs if they are present on their land from my experience.

 

[RS_Non-Res]

[...] openly invite and help those people accomplish it without limiting the amount of hogs they’ll be willing to kill.

In the recent past, I've seen a web page of a ranch in TX that will provide food and an a bed to hunters that take feral pigs off the ranch.

 

[Doc Holliday]

, if you were hunting a spot you had access for and several hogs came out in a field, a big boar and 2-3 sows with say 23 little piglets, what would you shoot first? That question might get asked by a landowner and the wrong answer will not get you access from many that I know.

I had an old boar hog that gave me the slip for 3+ years.....would only come out at night...always hung back and let the others come out first, just like a big buck would. Kill a big sow here or there and the sounder would leave for a week or so tops......but then the big boar shows up one night, then the rest follow like clockwork. He was their leader, and he also could reach up and hit the bottom of my funnels on my boss buck feeders and knock protein out for the rest. His luck finally ran out one day last July when I caught him out during a late afternoon rain storm. After I killed him they all left and I haven't seen them on any regular basis since....maybe 2 or 3 times passing through. I agree that generally the biggest sows should always be killed first, but in my case it was the big boar that was the lynch pin.

The offer posted earlier in the thread is as good of a response as any poster on any forum could ask for who has ever asked this question. I hope they can connect and make it happen.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

I have ask, if you were hunting a spot you had access for and several hogs came out in a field, a big boar and 2-3 sows with say 23 little piglets, what would you shoot first? That question might get asked by a landowner and the wrong answer will not get you access from many that I know.

My pig hunting gun is an AR chambered in 6.8 supressed...1st thing I would do is get my extra mag where it's easy to reach for a reload...1st shot is going into the head of the of the pig farthest from my position then I work my way in until I am out of bullets or targets...with the can a lot of times the rest of the sounder will run right towards me after the 1st shot if they run at all.

My favorite time of the year to hunt them is right after they turn the peanuts while they are drying on the ground.

 

[WV Mountaineer]

In the recent past, I've seen a web page of a ranch in TX that will provide food and an a bed to hunters that take feral pigs off the ranch.

Care to pm the contact info?

 

[JFK]

In California the ranches make more off one pig being taken than raising a head of cattle. They definitely don’t want the pigs gone. No feed cost, no doctoring, still get govt’ subsidy to plant barley to keep the pigs coming in every evening. Some of the prices being charged for pig hunts now days are insane, but guys are paying it. They can take a couple hunters out for the weekend, often times have them tagged out first day, and make a couple grand.

 

[cuerro viejo]

Precisely.

I understand that. I own three businesses myself. And lesson number one in any business is if something is costing you money, you fix it.

Until hogs start costing farmers money, it’s as I said above. That’s Econ 102

I can post 5 years worth of hunting data, then 10 years worth of hunting, in conjunction with helo and trapping. It took three years of year around trapping and intense helo to finally take less then 300pigs a year off 3500 acres. With that said by 4th year neighbors bought in also

Only way to keep them down is year round trapping(rotating trap types and methods) and hard winter helo shooting. Hunting number amount to less then 10 percentage of the efficiency of trapping and helo, With 90% less pressure on other wildlife.

You have to step back and look for a liability perspective of some of these land owners. We hunters can be our own worst enemy.

Basically for you to be a happy hunter you are wanting to see and shoot hogs, land owner prefers you not to be a happy hunter and see no hogs or sign because that means his numbers are lower.

Most ranches that truly want them knocked back know hunting is a joke and have invested in more effected management has I mentioned above. Atleast that’s way it is down here.


Only thing the helo and trapping work better on is Coyotes!!! The pup recruit is so much lower and slower you can really set yotes back on large properties.