When I used to hear that the wild pig population was out of control, but I had no idea it was this bad!
Believe it or not, the current estimated wild pig population is reaching numbers somewhere around 6 million. To make things worse, these animals are completely destroying the North American ecosystems they are inhabiting, and have ran up an annual tab of about $1.5 billion.
In a recent report from PLOS, Gail Kerin, a public affairs specialist at the USDA-APHIS-WS National Wildlife Research Center stated that, "Feral swine cause major damage to property, agriculture (crops and livestock), native species and ecosystems, and cultural and historic resources."
As most of us are aware of, much of the wild pig population originated all the way back in the 1,500's as European settlers brought them over as a source of food. Later on in the 1,900's wild boar were brought over once again from Russia and Europe for sport hunting. Most of the pig population is a mix between these wild boars and the domesticated pigs that had escaped over the years.
"This invasive species also threatens the health of people, wildlife, pets, and other domestic animals," Keirn said. "As feral swine populations continue to expand across the country, these damages, costs, and risks will only keep rising."
Unfortunately, experts don't see their numbers slowing down any time soon. Most agree that the population is going to continue to thrive in each of the 35 states they are found.
Well, hunters, it looks like it is time to step up and shut these pigs down. To many crops have been ruined and too many dollars have been spent on cleaning up after the mess they make.
We have already seen some crazy night vision videos of people dropping hog after hog, as well as, people jumping out of helicopters with knives in order to stab one in the hams. Now, I am not suggesting that we need to get that crazy, but we certainly need to do something.
I suggest learning the regulations in an area near you and start hunting hogs in between deer seasons. This is a great way to stay in the woods and keep your aim up with that bow, shotgun, rifle, handgun, spear...heck anything you want. Just make sure you stay in the guidelines for the area you decide to hunt.
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NEXT: 93 HOG KILLS WITH THE HELP OF SOME NIGHT VISION OPTICS
