Why no Hogs in northern climates?

[sasquatchoslav]

Not sure where you live, but I'm from the midwest and have been in FL for almost 30 years we hunt the crap out of hogs with thermal relentlessly when it's not deer/turkey season. In just the past decade I have listened to reports and looked at hogs killed by friends from Tenn to Kentucky and now southern Indiana. Not sure where you are, but they are on their way. I feel for the deer addicts because the hogs drive out all deer even dominant bucks won't stick around. Truly thermal hog and coyote hunting is exponentially more fun for me than sitting in a stand motionless for hours. 3 deer sits for me last season. Going after hogs tonight!

[LeonCarr]

Shoot every feral hog you see. If you have a safe and legal shot on a feral hog, send it.

Last year they caused an estimated 400 Million Dollars worth of damage to Texas alone.

You. Do. Not. Want. Them.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

[Mjolnir]

Seen them as far north as Kentucky and there's a lot in the mountains of North Georgia / North Carolina. They do just fine in the cold.

Interesting thing they're doing a lot of research and basically domestic pigs revert to boar characteristics after two generations in the wild. Skull shape changes, cartilage plate thickens, etcetera.

There is always been a question or concern that Russian boars were being transplanted from N GA / NC to middle & south GA. So they started doing DNA testing and now have found that this change occurs.

They think the skull change is due to more rooting, and potentially diet.

Son and DIL work for the DNR. Few years back before they were married I got a message from my wife to be patient, as my son is bringing back 3 orphaned wild pigs and wants to keep them in the garage.

Said no to the garage, but they could get out one of the dog kennels and keep them in the barn.

These things were fascinating. Spotted like Russian boars piglets. They had immediately transferred from their dead mother to the humans. Sit down on the ground and the piglets would hang out around you for safety. If they spooked they'd scoot back to you.

Even very young you could tell the things were smart.

If they stayed that size you could make a mint selling them as pets.

My brother coined a name for them: "bacon-seeds".

These found a home with a farmer and I'm sure are living there happily ever after! (They became Ham's and bacon)

They are VERY precious when (very) young and SMALL.

Very intelligent!

And very playful as all baby mammals are.

They (Feral Hogs) are in Michigan (Lower Peninsula).




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[Mjolnir]

I would rather hunt feral hogs than just about anything. They are so, so friggen smart, it's a real challenge. Sure you can machine gun them from choppers etc.....but if you want a real challenge, try to outwit a 5-6 year old boar that's survived in an area where hunting pressure is high. They are amazing animals.

Run their rear ends with hounds and Bulldogs.

Hounds can be Plotts, Gascoynes, and mixes.

Bulldogs can be Pit Bulldog, Dogo Argentino, American Bulldog, Alano Español (Spanish Pit Bull ancestor), Cane Corso.

Gotta “grab and stab” said hog thru the ...


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[DLALLDER]

Maybe the search for food with the frozen ground limits their progress north. True enough the ground will freeze here in the south where I live but for only a couple of days or so. When it does thaw, we see a vast amount of fresh rooting signs. Bottom line for the farmers & ranchers in the northern climates count your blessings.

[Ready.Fire.Aim]

They rip my pastures in TX all to heck.
I hunt them at night on foot with thermal scope and silenced bolt action .308 rifle shooting subsonic hand-loads.
Stalk within 50 yards and go for a head shot.
It’s a rush!

One night I slowly circled behind a big group of wild hogs that split up in some woods.
After a while of waiting, I heard and realized half a dozen were stalking me, trying to get my scent.
Heck of a feeling realizing I was potentially prey.

[Dr. Bullseye]

In the foothills of Central California where it is very hot and dry in the summer and kinda cool in the winter, my daughter came in one day and said she had hit a boar with her pickup. I questioned her on this and she said it bounced off and kept going. She described it further as large and "what else do you call a pig with fur?". I looked the range for wild boar up on the internet and sure enough this little community is an island where bores are found. The points are you can have stealth boars out there and they do inhabit unexpected climates.

[Steve Shannon]

The state of Montana is concerned about an influx of wild pigs on our northern border.

http://fieldguide.mt.gov/speciesDeta...LA01010&sort=1


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[platoonDaddy]

There are feral hogs in ND

[Gunnar da Wolf]

A couple decades ago WV DNR stocked Russian Boar in our four southern counties where we have no open firearms deer season. (Mainly due to a historical culture of poaching) Their efforts were not a resounding success. Apparently there are still hogs in them hills but no one can find them to shoot them. Legal hunting is all spot and stalk, no dogs or baiting allowed and they still sell a separate “tag” if you want to hunt them.

A farmer in a county north of where I live lost a hundred or so domesticated hogs into a state run WMA and the locals apparently had a blast retasking bear dogs and four wheelers for some varmint hunting. I happened to go hunting there a couple years later and saw zero sign where before there were ample tracks. I asked a friend who had family participating in the hog hunts. His reply was that DNR had come in and destroyed all the pigs because of all the “unauthorized hunting”.

Red Necks and northern climate may be decent hog deterrent.

Edited to add:
I had to go look it up. Hunters here killed 137 hogs last season with archery and firearms.