Nosathro
Posts: 3319
Joined: 9/25/2005
From: Orange County, California
Status: offline
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ORIGINAL: jlf1961
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ORIGINAL: thishereboi
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ORIGINAL: BamaD
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ORIGINAL: BamaD
Except that since we are discussing an American problem those way out of line with American thinking are for this conversation extremists
This conversation is occurring on an international forum - so, those out of line with the average point of view here are the extremists.
Not when we are discussing a purly American problem and the non Americans insist on discussing it without taking our Constitition into account talk if you want to but don't ignore the reallity of the situation, and don't call us extremists because we do.
It's not only the constitution they are ignoring. They are ignoring the realities of where we live and how big it is. One poster said if wild animals are a problem, we should just call the police to come and take care of the problem for us  The fact that we would have to quadruple the police force and they would have to all work 24/7 just to keep up doesn't seem to register.
note: quadruple is just a guess and in rural areas they would have to be stationed all over the county in order to be effective at all.
I must have missed that post.
But you are right, quadrupling the Sheriff's forces in rural areas would be impractical at best, and impossible to maintain. Besides, it is not Law enforcement that has the responsibility for wild animals that are it is the state fish and wildlife department.
Which is why hunting is legal in the US.
Lets look at the primary nuisance animal in the Texas, wild pigs.
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Feral hogs are capable of breeding at six months of age but eight to ten months is normal, provided there is good nutrition. Under poor habitat conditions, sows have been known to eat their young. Gestation is around 115 days with an average litter size of four to six, but under good conditions may have ten to twelve young. While capable of producing two litters per year, research has shown the majority of sows have only one per year. Young may be born throughout the year with peak production in the early spring. The young are born with a 1:1 male to female sex ratio.
Feral hogs are omnivorous, meaning they eat both plant and animal matter. They are very opportunistic feeders and much of their diet is based on seasonal availability. Foods include grasses, forbs, roots and tubers, browse, mast (acorns), fruits, bulbs and mushrooms. Animal matter includes invertebrates (insects, snails, earthworms, etc.), reptiles, amphibians, and carrion (dead animals), as well as live mammals and birds if given the opportunity. Feral hogs are especially fond of acorns and domestic agricultural crops such as corn, milo, rice, wheat, soybeans, peanuts, potatoes, watermelons and cantaloupe. Feral hogs feed primarily at night and during twilight hours, but will also feed during daylight in cold or wet weather.
The feral hog has managed to survive, adapt, and increase their numbers despite attempts at population control. While it is possible to keep the population in check with continuous control, it is highly unlikely to eradicate a hog population within an established range.
The Feral Hog in Texas
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Wild hogs are among the most destructive invasive species in the United States today. Two million to six million of the animals are wreaking havoc in at least 39 states and four Canadian provinces; half are in Texas, where they do some $400 million in damages annually. They tear up recreational areas, occasionally even terrorizing tourists in state and national parks, and squeeze out other wildlife.
Texas allows hunters to kill wild hogs year-round without limits or capture them alive to take to slaughterhouses to be processed and sold to restaurants as exotic meat. Thousands more are shot from helicopters. The goal is not eradication, which few believe possible, but control.
A Plague of Pigs in Texas
But there is this little tidbit
Nuisance Wildlife in Texas
Alligators
Bears
Cowbirds
Urban Coyotes
Feral Hogs
Mountain Lions
Overabundant Deer
Ticks
Woodpecker Damage
Of course this is dependent on where you live.
For my area, I have highlighted the animals we have to deal with.
Now many may ask who is to blame for the Feral hog problem since hogs were not native to the US. The answer is simple, the Spanish, English, French, Dutch and every other European colonist that came to this country after Columbus, and those brilliant individuals who imported Russian Boar to Texas for exotic game hunting.
As for mountain lions, they are considered endangered, so they are off limits to hunt unless they begin to kill livestock.
Overabundant deer, that is strictly a human caused problem. On one hand, farmers and ranchers have made food plentiful for deer simply by doing what the do, ranchers grow large hay fields and farmers grow crops. On the other hand, every time the state starts talking about increasing the hunting limits and allow a limited number to be taken out of season, some animal rights group or environmental groups go to court to stop it.
Urban and rural coyotes are a nationwide problem, they began in the American west and migrated east, to fill the void left when the colonists exterminated them.
With that information people from other countries may begin to realize just what kind of wildlife problems we face here. Professional Pest Eradication hunters are a booming business in the state, and they charge a considerable sum, which is why five friends and I do the job just for the meat when dealing with the hogs, and the bounty on coyotes.
Accepted methods of dealing with hogs and coyotes are traps, and hunting.
There was a TV show about a family that hunted boars in Texas, they used dogs mostly to capture the boars. I emailed them and sugguest boar spears. Also there a specific dog that is used in controling bears, some agencies are using them.
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