These beasts are out of control and very scary. https://www.chronofhorse.com/article/wild-boars-behind-carolina-horse-attacks
Nobody around here believes a word of that. One of the horses surprised a feral pig (the incident was apparently on camera) while the pig was sleeping and it sliced the horse’s face. But no one near where the attacks happened believes that pigs were responsible for all of them.
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I remember seeing a headline that a woman was killed by a wild hog, close to the front door of her house recently, though I didn’t read the article.
These animals are really out of control.
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Do they think the horses are being attacked by people?
The police seem to think that one of the attacks was perpetrated by a person.
I live just miles from the areas of attack that fit boar aggression (deep lacerations and punctures). Some of us believe it’s very possible wild pigs did the damage, and some are completely unconvinced. There have also been gunshot horses, and horses doing what horses do… running through fences, damaging themselves in weird ways… that have muddled the issue. What is clear, from a bit of online research, is that these creatures are extremely aggressive and capable of inflicting great harm within seconds. It’s also becoming more clear that there are MANY of them in this area that most of us were previously unaware of, though their population has been growing for some time.
The SC boarding barn security camera mentioned above captured a horse reaching over his pasture fence to sniff/greet a foraging pig, who instantly sliced the horse’s cheek open.
The woman referenced above was killed in the front yard of a house in suburban Texas. She got out of her car and was walking the short distance to the front door when she was attacked.
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The best approach is a .308 solution. These are VERY dangerous animals.
G.
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The article mentioned that open season hunting has backfired because landowners are making money on hunting leases.
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Just curious, are they good to eat?
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I’m sure the females are. Unfortunately, boar meat (from intact male pigs) is nasty after they have reached a certain age and I can’t imagine that male hogs are any different.
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I’m sure you’d not want to eat them in the summer either.
Texas has open season I believe, and night hunting. They still have a heck of a problem.
I’ve seen them attack people, dogs, chickens and a horse here in FL. They are horrible and people pay to have them removed off of their property. You can kill them anytime here in Central FL
I have eaten them but they need cured in vinegar. They still give me a headache but do taste good buried in the ground slow cooked in banana leaves.
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Apparently Canada has a problem with them as well.
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Oh wow! I didn’t know that. Very interesting
Yes. I’ve seen articles about them in Eastern Ontario. No season on them, considered dangerous pests and you can shoot them if you see one on your land (or get a friend with a gun to do so). So far so good the worst we’ve seen are wild turkeys.
We have wild boar in our new neighborhood. I’ve been told they’re mean and can attack anything indiscriminately.
I’ve got the 3 gun-totin’ cowboys ready to dispatch them if they come near the property.
Four were killed last week in the wheat field behind our house.
I’ve never seen the damage boars can do, and frankly I don’t want to. Iv’e got no-climb fence around the sacrifice areas here. I was going to reinforce the rest of the fencing with electric. But I’m not sure that’s going to actually deter them.
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Nope, I don’t think no climb will keep them out, not when you see Bluey’s fence photo. Not sure about a hot fence.
It most certainly does not.
"The press release states that the population of wild hogs in the area has significantly increased in the last several years. Subsequently, the Department of Natural Resources has authorized wild hog hunting during the day and night with a special permit. For more information about wild hogs in South Carolina visit the DNR’s website.
G.
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Yes, feral hogs are an EXTREMELY damaging invasive species that are rampant across the SE. They decimate natural systems as well as pastures & are aggressive with little fear. Since we wiped out our apex predators, hogs don’t really have anything to be afraid of.
This is an animal that I fully support taking out. Shoot them, trap them - then eat them! Yes, they ARE very tasty - when I worked in TX, several times a year we’d have “feral hog roasts,” & cook some pigs all day then wash them down with some beer. They were excellent. Check your state natural resources regs for applicable rules.
Do NOT approach a feral hog & do not leave pets outside unsupervised (well, shouldn’t do that anyway), especially at night. I don’t expect roaming bands of hogs spontaneously attacking horses (otherwise all the horses in TX would already be dead), but they can certainly lash out if confronted.
If you see areas of ground all torn up like a drunk person aimlessly took a rototiller to the world, congratulations, you just found hog sign.
There is a feral hog task force in the SE, as well as traditional damage control (the euphemistic name for critter killing), but the problem is neither new nor small. Primary state actors will be departments of ag & NRCS, so you should contact them first with questions. Few state resource agencies have dedicated exotic species staff (we would love to & desperately need them but there is no funding support), but most of us biologists are well aware of them & we do have someone in NC keeping tabs on the task force. Your state natural resource agency should also be able to direct you (call their customer service line) to damage control agents if you have hogs on your property & you’re not a shooter yourself.
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Sorry, it was in the New York Times article and not about Carolina.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/16/science/feral-pigs-canada-texas.html
I would love to try some feral hog, cooked by someone with experience. Game cooks really need to know what they are doing. :yes:
Since the problem is so wide spread it would be great if the USDA could fast track some rules for inspection so wild hog could be sold in stores and restaurants. The rules are pretty tight now. ETA: After reading the NYT article again they apparently carry diseases so my USDA idea won’t fly.
Of course I know, “there’s no money for that”. Can the meat be given away, as deer meat can?
