On my first visit to Costa Rica we hired a ranger to guide us in Carara National Park. He took us off-trail and showed us plenty of cool stuff. Along the way he offered to carry my second camera body and lens...
Then he takes us back to a wallow where the peccaries usually hang out. Sure enough, we hear the loud *clack* of sharp piggy teeth smashing together. Soon, we're facing down a couple of ticked-off pigs that look like they're ready to charge. My then-girlfriend (now wife) and I start looking around for trees to climb, but what is the guide doing? Trying to use my camera to take photos!
LOL - it could be worse - the guide could have THROWN your camera at the pigs to try to scare them off!
Sandy
Posted by Richard Hahn on August 4, 2011 at 8:35 PM
Max,
Did he get any pictures?
Sandy,
From what I have been recently reading and watching on TV the wild pigs are taking over the south and causing extensive damage to property. They do have large sharp tusks and can be agressive. With that being said I would like to have the chance to get some pictures of them.
Thankfully he never figured it out. Otherwise I'm sure we would've had to mud wrestle over the copyright.
Max
Posted by Sharon Lane on August 5, 2011 at 7:32 AM
From Texas home of the largest population of wild/feral hogs.
They are extremely destruction and cost millions of dollars in damage.
They are dangerous. You don't ever want to get between a sow and her piglets or make one mad. Imagine a small one (250 pounds, with 2" teeth) charging you. Or being treed by 15 of them! It is not unusual for a hog to weigh 300-500 pounds.
They will eat anything, including fawns and other young or injured animals.
They are smart.
As the drought worsens here they will run other wildlife off from water resources. Deer will leave water or food sources when the hogs show up.
If you are in the area (south of DFW) and want to photograph one (or many) let me know.
There only redeeming quality, the smaller ones make good sausage!
Posted by Kent Staubus on August 5, 2011 at 10:59 PM
Sharon--
Can't you just shoot them? Crying out loud here. If I had the things on my farm I'd stick a 30 rd. clip in my Mini-14 and clean house.
Sharon, I'm very against killing things most of the time, but I think I'd be making lots and lots of sausage too, and donating pork chops to Homeless Shelters and pork stew to soup kitchens, if things are this bad in Texas and getting worse..sounds awful - they can't be on some "protected" list, can they???
Sandy
Posted by Jim Erhardt on August 6, 2011 at 9:48 AM
I believe I heard somewhere that part of the problem is that the population of wild boars has interbred with Russian Boars that were brought into this country. The Russian versions are as dangerous and deadly as any other carnivore in North America.
If I was venturing into the "wild" to photograph them, a camera wouldnm't be the only thing I'd be armed with.
I used to visit Grant Ranch county park in San Jose early in the am for photo shoots. I would regularly see many pigs. When you are all alone with a herd of over a dozen wild pigs, it is very intimidating. I too was armed with only a camera (and tripod). I kept my distance.
Posted by Sharon Lane on August 10, 2011 at 11:19 AM
Kent, we do shoot them! And will probably start trapping them and sell for meat.
The problem is that they can start breeding at 6 months(+/-) and can have 10+ in a litter.
Sandy, great idea about donating the meat. I will have to check and see if there are any organizations in the area that will take the meat. Problem may be in the processing.
I was out this morning to see what birds were at the shrinking small lake (45+ Great Egrets yesterday) and heard pigs in the woods to my left. I just stayed in the buggy until they wandered off, having only a camera (that won't happen again!).
And as the drought continues their numbers will increase where there is water.
Just a side note, 15 Wood Storks visited the lake this morning. I couldn't get any good photos but will post the "bad" ones shortly.
Jim is right on the interbreeding. For a long time we just saw the feral hogs, but in the last couple of years we have seen evidence of the Russian boars. The hogs are looking more like razorbacks that "just" pigs. And scarier!
All rain dances will be appreciated (I did see a cloud yesterday).
I grew up around them in the Southwest in the 50's- both the feral version and javelina. Had some scary moments with both, but most of the problems were self-induced. Not a reflection on the circumstances today, because back then there were a lot fewer and they weren't as wide-spread. I will say that they were pretty shy and retiring, mostly because they knew darned well that they were likely to become meat if they got too close to people. More efforts to provide food for the homeless and less well-intended protection might have the same results today.
I'll add that we almost never hunted the feral versions, but instead live-trapped them in our silage pits. Once in a while we'd keep the mid-sized ones for the table, but mostly we released the adults and kept the youngsters. Those we raised and slaughtered ourselves, assuring excellent table fare. The only thing cogent about all that is the insight that if the goal is really to thin the population and provide quality food, live trapping might be the most efficient and effective approach. They're pretty stupid when corn or silage are within reach.
Posted by Sharon Lane on August 10, 2011 at 6:33 PM
Hey Hank,
So you are to blame, releasing the adults back into the wild!
I much prefer javelina (except for the smell). They are not as destructive as the hogs. I have stood within 15 feet of a hog and I can guarantee you that I was more afraid of it than it was of me!
If we begin trapping, it will be for the entire sounder. We build large round pens to capture many at one time. And yes, they easily come to corn. But typically after having the pen in one place for some time, you have to move it as the ones that aren't trapped learn that it is a "bad" place.
Hmmmm. We built permanent traps in our silage pits, but propped the spring loaded gates open between uses. Of course the silage was the "bait" and they continued to come to that. We led corn into the open trap for a couple of days running, then set the door for the third night. Pretty specialized setting, obviously.
Discussion
13 repliesArticle today in the San Franciso news about a wild pig attack:
http://www.ktvu.com/news/28760230/detail.html
The caption should be: "Revenge of the Wild Pig"
Just don't mess with these grumpy, nasty things!
Then he takes us back to a wallow where the peccaries usually hang out. Sure enough, we hear the loud *clack* of sharp piggy teeth smashing together. Soon, we're facing down a couple of ticked-off pigs that look like they're ready to charge. My then-girlfriend (now wife) and I start looking around for trees to climb, but what is the guide doing? Trying to use my camera to take photos!
Max
Sandy
Did he get any pictures?
Sandy,
From what I have been recently reading and watching on TV the wild pigs are taking over the south and causing extensive damage to property. They do have large sharp tusks and can be agressive. With that being said I would like to have the chance to get some pictures of them.
Max
They are extremely destruction and cost millions of dollars in damage.
They are dangerous. You don't ever want to get between a sow and her piglets or make one mad. Imagine a small one (250 pounds, with 2" teeth) charging you. Or being treed by 15 of them! It is not unusual for a hog to weigh 300-500 pounds.
They will eat anything, including fawns and other young or injured animals.
They are smart.
As the drought worsens here they will run other wildlife off from water resources. Deer will leave water or food sources when the hogs show up.
If you are in the area (south of DFW) and want to photograph one (or many) let me know.
There only redeeming quality, the smaller ones make good sausage!
Can't you just shoot them? Crying out loud here. If I had the things on my farm I'd stick a 30 rd. clip in my Mini-14 and clean house.
Kent in SD
Sandy
If I was venturing into the "wild" to photograph them, a camera wouldnm't be the only thing I'd be armed with.
The problem is that they can start breeding at 6 months(+/-) and can have 10+ in a litter.
Sandy, great idea about donating the meat. I will have to check and see if there are any organizations in the area that will take the meat. Problem may be in the processing.
I was out this morning to see what birds were at the shrinking small lake (45+ Great Egrets yesterday) and heard pigs in the woods to my left. I just stayed in the buggy until they wandered off, having only a camera (that won't happen again!).
And as the drought continues their numbers will increase where there is water.
Just a side note, 15 Wood Storks visited the lake this morning. I couldn't get any good photos but will post the "bad" ones shortly.
Jim is right on the interbreeding. For a long time we just saw the feral hogs, but in the last couple of years we have seen evidence of the Russian boars. The hogs are looking more like razorbacks that "just" pigs. And scarier!
All rain dances will be appreciated (I did see a cloud yesterday).
I'll add that we almost never hunted the feral versions, but instead live-trapped them in our silage pits. Once in a while we'd keep the mid-sized ones for the table, but mostly we released the adults and kept the youngsters. Those we raised and slaughtered ourselves, assuring excellent table fare. The only thing cogent about all that is the insight that if the goal is really to thin the population and provide quality food, live trapping might be the most efficient and effective approach. They're pretty stupid when corn or silage are within reach.
So you are to blame, releasing the adults back into the wild!
I much prefer javelina (except for the smell). They are not as destructive as the hogs. I have stood within 15 feet of a hog and I can guarantee you that I was more afraid of it than it was of me!
If we begin trapping, it will be for the entire sounder. We build large round pens to capture many at one time. And yes, they easily come to corn. But typically after having the pen in one place for some time, you have to move it as the ones that aren't trapped learn that it is a "bad" place.