Wild Hogs Taking Over Texas? (Dallas, Fort Worth: real estate, live, restaurants)

[lonestar2007]

Are wild hogs taking over our state? I know there are areas in south Texas where they are running rampant, but they are becoming more common in the northern section of the state too. I live just south of Fort Worth and we are seeing more and more of them. A couple of years ago, my brother-in-law shot a couple of them who had decided to take up residency in their pasture. My daughter saw one last night lying dead in the ditch from where someone had hit it with their truck or car.

I've been noticing quite a few real estate agents are listing them in with the various wildlife that might be found roaming rural acreage. This might be alright for strictly recreational/hunting property but they are also including them in tracts of land deemed for homsites and cattle/horse operations like it is a good thing. I don't get it. These are the most destructive creatures, and dangerous to boot.

I could be wrong, but I don't believe our state has addressed this problem or even shown concern over it. I could also be wrong about this, but from what I've heard and seen, these hogs are multiplying at a pretty rapid rate and to me, it is a powder keg waiting to explode. Why are we not trying to nip it in the bud, so to speak, before the probem is out of proportion

[NOTAM]

good huntin' but bad eatin' i say!

[CMDallas]

Yes, they are all the way up into Denton county, my family owns a Ranch down in Stephenville, we have a little river running through there and we've noticed all the pig nest popping up. We've shot a couple but they are tricky because they know the wood back and forwards, they are lower to the ground (thus easier to move in the brush), they have a good sense of smell and can smell us coming, the floor is littered with leaves so we make such a racket... They're everywhere... the Texas government knows this.
It is legal to hunt pigs day or night, all year round... without a a hunting license....

[Spree]

Are you all talking about Javelina or domesticated pigs that have bred in the wild? There have been javelina in south Texas for years.

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by Spree

Are you all talking about Javelina or domesticated pigs that have bred in the wild? There have been javelina in south Texas for years.

Javelina have also been in West Texas as well for many years. They aren't really true pigs (peccary).....very compact, and not nearly as destructive as feral hogs are, which is what they're talking about.

I suppose the feral hogs did come from domesticated stock...I never even thought about that.

[love roses]

I was thinking javelina as well. I'm pretty sure they're here in the hill country, as my BIL is always hunting them.

[GayleTX]

They are multiplying like crazy in north Texas.....our place in Hardeman Co. and another in Childress Co. (both on Red River, edge of Panhandle)) have many of them. They are a combination of both domesticated pigs and Vietnamese pigs that people had for pets then turned loose and wild hogs. We also have them in Fannin Co. (also on Red River, northeast part of state). People hunt them, trap them, have them butchered and fill their freezers. They also sell them to high dollar restaurants in Dallas/Ft Worth that have them on their menu's as 'wild boar', etc. But at our place they are just pests....they come into our yard right to the patio door, root around the shrubs and look for pecans that fall in our yard. They can do a lot of damage.

[hamjeepr]

Wild hogs are the 200+ pounders that will destroy the front end of your car. Yes, they are becoming a greater hazard. I noticed up in the canyon lands (panhandle) they even have signs warning drivers to watch for them. Last year was the first time I've ever seen a sign. I think Spree is right; they are domesticated pigs gone native. They are aggressive and dangerous.

[CMDallas]

Originally Posted by hamjeepr

Wild hogs are the 200+ pounders that will destroy the front end of your car. Yes, they are becoming a greater hazard. I noticed up in the canyon lands (panhandle) they even have signs warning drivers to watch for them. Last year was the first time I've ever seen a sign. I think Spree is right; they are domesticated pigs gone native. They are aggressive and dangerous.

I watched a show on pigs in the UK, in a couple of year the UK will be ruled by these creatures.
It also said that some have come from Domesticated herds, of which they escaped. It was amazing, they said it took years to domesticate pigs, but it only takes a few weeks for them to go 'undomestic' meaning that ping thing grows tusks, grows longer hair and a whole bunch of other crap in just a couple of weeks.
either way, My family has shot and eaten them before, they taste like any other pork. I hear in the summer they grow this weird worm though so be careful. They breed like mad too, i swear i saw one as big a a freaking bear once. They aren't too aggressive, not to say you can ride one its back, but they run from you first.

[ozonehole]

Did a quick Google search and turned up a great PDF with photos, lots of info:

http://wildlife.tamu.edu/publications/B6149FeralHogs_low.pdf (broken link)

I also found a forum dedicated to the Texas hogs (great info on how to hunt or trap them):

TEXASBOARS.COM :: Index

regards,
Robert