Let's go hunting!
 

March 11, New York Times – (New York) Wily, elusive foragers invade upstate New York. Feral pigs have been ransacking farms in upstate New York eating apples and other crops, the New York Times reported March 11. They roam by night, picking cornstalks clean, making off with apple crops. They have almost no natural predators, but they have razor-sharp tusks and a voracious appetite for plants and animals. Their population can triple in a year. Feral pigs have long plagued parts of the southern and western United States, now they have become a problem in the Champlain Valley of New York, an agricultural heartland on the edge of the Adirondacks. They hunt at night and steer clear of humans. The pigs devour ground-nesting birds and reptiles, fawns and domestic livestock, native vegetation, and crops. Wildlife managers and researchers nationally are exploring control measures, from contraceptives and poisons to snares and aerial shooting. Some are even employing night-vision equipment and thermal imaging. In New York, the state’s ordinarily strict hunting rules have been relaxed for feral swine. The department of environmental conservation’s Web site advises those with small game licenses to “shoot and keep feral swine at any time and in any number.” Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/12/nyregion/feral-pigs-plaguing-upstate-new-york.html?smid=tw-nytmetro&seid=auto

I knew there was a wild boar/feral pig problem in Georgia (southern part, I believe), but I didn't know there was a problem in New York state.

We have several problem areas of them here. The offical story is they "escaped" and have been doing very well in the wild. The unoffical story is when the market bottomed out for them several years ago the owners turned them loose instead of feeding them anymore. All you need to hunt them is land owner permission and a licence from the previous year for any other game.

What the hell is that gun?


And flying that low, that much, them boys won't live to see old age..... ;)

Why were they wearing camo while in a helicopter?

Rednecks, for them Camo counts as casual, and formal attire....

Because they're douche bags.

It's a garden variety M4, probably in .223. I kind of wonder if they ever worry about shell casings flying forward and hitting the rotor blades.

I'd guess an AR15 in .308. I doubt .223 would work that well, but maybe someone with more time can read up on these guys.

It is a shame to think about all the meat going to waste, but I can see how you can't organize picking that all up and doing something with it over many square miles of farmland.

I would imagine that the pigs go nocturnal after a few rounds of getting fired at from the helicopter. The most effective method still is trapping IMHO with large corrals. OTOH, someone must pay these guys and the must make a living, so it must be pretty effective to use the chopper.

G

I don't know about that. It wasn't very loud and the part where they showed the buttstock on his shoulder while shooting showed very little recoil for a .308. I doubt many of those pigs died quickly. A .308 would have done some more damage.

The noise may just be tuned out by the overall noise level of the helicopter and the wind. Maybe .223 with surplus military ammo? That would be cheapest for sure. I wouldn't shot at a pig with .223, but I am not in a helicopter either when I go hunting. :)

G

I understand all about that.....I have a camo chef hat and apron along with camo seatcovers on my pickup truck. :)

I was refering more to the absurdity of wearing attire that is designed to make you stealthy while being in a eggbeater that can be heard from a mile away while a police siren blasts away from underneath it......

Sounds like a .223 to me. A hard 'pop'. A .308 is more of a 'boom' like a .30-06. Very hard to tell with the noise and questionable audio.

Bugs me a bit. What kind of shot placement is there from a helicopter on a running animal? How do you know your not leaving wounded animals in the field?

Not sure if this is the same company, but they say they are using .223. You can be the gunner for $475 per hour.

Helicopter Hog Hunting and Helicopter Hunting Safety. Best Prices, Guaranteed.

I am not sure if they'll land for a couple of nice meat sows to take home though. ;)

G

I thought that they followed up pretty well on pigs that did not go down hard. A pig usually doesn't go down hard and lay flat motionless unless it is lethally wounded. Of course, if this is done for profit, you have to wonder if they aren't trying to cut time and cost and minimize follow up shooting.

While this video isn't for everyone, you have to realize that it isn't hunting, rather than depredation. It's like the exterminator coming by your house putting out poison for the rats in your garage. There you wouldn't bring up hunting ethics either. I am always careful condemning activities that aren't my cup of tea but legal, especially if it comes to hunting or closely related activities. The last thing the hunting community needs is to be split up in camps and become an easy target to the so called "animal rights" activists.

G

It's a huge problem, thus the Texas legislature allowed hunting of non indigenous species of swine via helicopters. Javelina are protected. Most land owners here want them gone because of the destruction they cause to a farmer's crop, the foliage for, and fencing of a rancher's live stock. Ground hunting and trapping isn't enough to even make a dent. These guys are hired by the land owner to do it, or make an agreement to sell helicopter hunts. The land owner has to have a permit, so does the company selling hunts.

Those kind of pigs really aren't very tasty if they weigh over 80lbs. However, there are folks who would give a week of wages to pick them up after a slaughter such as this. But it's usually a proposition where clearing the field, have all you want, exists.

It should be noted that bacon is the candy of meats.

ooo....moment of silence please.



in my limited experience..a hog infestation is not that big of a problem. everyone complains and whines..but not one single time have i or anyone i know of been granted free access to help with the problem.

I have once been invited on a depredation permit. But all I was able to use was a bow. With a rifle int he moonlight (you are allowed to shoot at night on depredation) I would have really made a difference. With the bow I only got one pig and that just scared everyone off.

G

well, i might not be correct. i do have one friend. the landowner is an animal lover. he hired a ranch foreman that is not. foreman gave my friend permission to shoot the hogs destroying the place. my buddy built up a special black rifle chambered in 6.8 and literally killed hundreds of pigs. but he still has to dive into the bushes and hide if the landowner shows up.

still trespassing if you ask me. i wont participate.

I question that too. I saw more than a few that looked like spine shots. Meaning the animal was paralyzed, and just left there to bleed out. Not very sportsman like....

I know people that trap and hunt them here, the meat is not that clean, and not good. These hogs eat just about anything, and some of it is not so nice stuff.

yes, they are spreading all over

partly b/c unscrupulous people are releasing them

I heard feral pigs were encroaching on our area, although nobody around here has seen any yet. I used it as an excuse to buy an M1A Scout rifle.

Again, these aren't sportsmen - they are exterminators. You worry if your rat dies quickly after your exterminator poisons it?

And I call complete BS on the "feral hogs aren't clean / don't taste good". I have eaten or eaten from more than 20 wild hogs and they all were fantastic, even 300+ pound gnarly old boars. The feral swine are the same everywhere. Pigs are omnivores and I actual believe that's what makes them great. (Just like a crab or a lobster eats crap ...) Is the meat darker and more flavorful? Sure! And imagine the lack of antibiotics, hormones etc. in their upbringing.

If I'd live closer, I'd ask when they are out the next time and if I could go pick up after them. ;)

G

Hey I just know what my grandpa that hunts them has told me, and that the local slaughterhouse won't touch the nasty things.....

Of course you can't sell these to the butcher after you gut shot them. There may be even restrictions on wild hogs that are delivered alive. There are "wild boar" dishes at US restaurants however and I bet these come from TX a lot.

No problem on your pops opinion. There are a lot of hunters out there that claim strange things:

- Mule deer taste like sage
- Spooneys (Northern Shoveler ducks) taste like mud
- Black bears are greasy and their meat stinks and is not edible
- Pronghorn antelope tastes like goat
...

I think this is all from people getting used to store bought meat (mainly chicken, pork and beef) that go out and expect a wild animal to taste like the chicken breast they buy at Costco.

:)

G

I hear the young ones taste better.

BTW - sage grouse doesn't taste all that great -- one guy at OSU spent years developing a lingnonberry sauce and they were better that way.

Pheasant or Quail for upland birds.

With all animals what they taste like depends on what they have been eating. A grain fed deer from the plains tastes a lot better than one from the shield area where all they have pine trees and swamp grass to eat.

Most commercial processors won't touch any wild game for fear of cross contamination with the beef they cut. They either have to have seperate facilities or have the whole plant inspected and cleaned when they switch from commercially raised to wild game.

that is my next rifle.

Bullet design has a lot to do with the performance of any round. The 5.56 NATO can be an efficient killer and with the advent of the heavier 5.56 bullets like the 75 gr Swift Scirroco, folks are finding it works well on white tail. You need a 1 in 7 twist barrel but that's not a big deal.

Just a data point.
Troy