Wild Hogs In NY

[Whitetail Addict]

I've been following all the hoopla about hogs here in NY for the past several years, and after reading about all the problems they cause to the land, and the other animals, I've dreaded the thought of them getting established here.

I didn't think they'd be able to survive our winters, but I've read that most of them carry at least some Russian boar genes. It gets mighty cold in Russia, and they've been known to get some snow too, so I was probably wrong about that.

Have you folks that have them where you are seen a decline in other game animals, and birds?

I read all the hog hunting threads here, and you sure make it sound like a lot of fun, but I still don't like the idea of them taking over here. Not that there's anything I could do about it anyway.

It sounds like they're slowly establishing themselves here, and I don't know if I should be looking forward to hunting something other than the critters we've had here for years, or depressed over the thought of it. I'm sure if and when they do show up here in numbers, I'd enjoy hunting them, but I can't help thinking about the downside of it.

Our Conservation Department seems to think they can keep them out of NY, but from what I've read about them in other places, I've got my doubts.        

Bob

[Michael Arnette]

They are awful, and frankly not very fun to hunt for me. I've shot a few with traditional equipment. Our game department here in Oklahoma says that they do effect ground nesting birds severely and mostly serious crop damage is the issue. It's pretty bad what they can do to newly planted crop fields.

[pdk25]

I love hunting them, but if you can keep them from getting established, that is the way to go.  They cause too much damage.  You can always travel for a hunt.

[PistolPete]

VA is in the same boat of trying to keep them from getting too much of a foothold. The problem is not that they reproduce like crazy and spread on their own; the problem is that "hunters" pick them up and move them to new areas where the pigs then establish new populations. Oddly enough, the data seem to indicate that outlawing hunting feral hogs (with some exceptions) KEEPS them from spreading for that very reason.

Pete

[sticksnstones]

I love hunting hogs, and I pray they never take hold in Michigan where I live. I'd much rather drive a thousand miles and go hunt someone else's. I can't imagine anyplace being too cold for them to adapt too, certainly nowhere in the USA.

Hogs can kill off lots of ground nesters including birds and turtles, and they have many other negative impacts to crops, etc. That said I see tons of turkeys and deer on the same feeders that I see hogs on.
   

I've got dozens if not hundreds of pictures of hogs and raccoons sharing a feeder too. I usually see the deer take off about the time the hogs come into earshot, but it's not like they move out of the county provided there is enough cover for everybody to bed in.  

In short, they are a pest in many ways but I don't think they'll ruin your hunting spot. Coyotes on the other hand....

Tom Kidwell has a fantastic book about hogs, if you want to learn a lot about the animal and their history you really should read it.
Thom

[Phillip Fields]

Love me some hog hunting. We don't have them on our property in NC and I hope they never show up. I drive down to Texas to hunt them a couple of times a year.

[Rob DiStefano]

wild hogs are a horrible plight for farmers and land owners ... but they're a super delight to trad bowhunt!  

as of 4/14, eurasian boars can't be hunted or trapped in ny.  the ny dec claims that capturing the entire sounder is a more effective method of pig eradication.  oh really?  capture the entire sounder?  this i've gotta see.

dec ny position ...
   http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/70843.html  

quick synopsis ...  

"Questions and Answers

Q. Can I hunt Eurasian boars in NY?

A. No. It is illegal to hunt or trap free-ranging Eurasian boars in New York State.

Q. If I see a Eurasian boar while I am deer hunting, can I shoot it?

A. No. It is illegal to hunt or trap free-ranging Eurasian boars in New York State. If you observe a boar while afield, please report it to the nearest DEC regional wildlife office or e-mail us.

Q. Can I shoot Eurasian boars at an enclosed shooting preserve in New York?

A. Yes, you can continue to take Eurasian boars at enclosed shooting peserves until September 1, 2015. After that date it will be illegal for these facilities to possess live Eurasian boars.

Q. I own a farm and some wild pigs are destroying my crops. I think they might be Eurasian boars. Can I shoot them?

A. Maybe. If they are domestic pigs that likely escaped from a nearby farm you should not shoot them. You should try to find the owner of the pigs. If they are Eurasian boars, there are provisions in the regulation that would allow you to shoot these animals if they are damaging your property. Any landowner that suffers damage from free-ranging Eurasian boars should contact a DEC regional wildlife office to determine if a permit is needed to shoot nuisance or destructive Eurasian boars on your property.

Q. I own a pot belly pig. Can I still keep it?

A. Yes, you can keep your pet pot belly pig. The law only regulates Eurasian boars and their hybrids and does not regulate domestic pigs possessed for meat production or as pets.

Q. I rescued a Eurasian boar from a game farm. Can I keep it on my farm?

A. You cannot breed the Eurasian boar or release it to the wild, but you can legally keep it until September 1, 2015. After that date it will be illegal to possess any Eurasian boar or hybrid of a Eurasian boar.

Q. I saw a dark-colored pig that I think might be a Eurasian boar. What should I do?

A. Report any animal that you think might be a Eurasian boar to the nearest DEC regional wildlife office or e-mail us. Try to get a picture of the animal and include it with your report. Let us know how many you saw and the exact location (county, town, distance and direction from an intersection, nearest landmark, etc.). Include a description of the animal such as the color, whether it looked very "hairy" or had sparse hair, whether the snout looked short, turned up, long or straight, and about how big it was.

Q. What if I still own Eurasian boars after September 1, 2015?

A. That would be a violation of the law and for the first or second violation you can be fined up to $500 per animal in your possession or for any boars imported, sold, offered for sale, traded or transported. Subsequent violations of the law will result in a fine of $1,000 for each animal for each act or an amount equal to three times the value of the animal as meat production, breeding stock, or shooting stock."

from too many years ago, a coupla my bacon strip hogs on the tail gate of terry's range rover ...

 

[Michael Salter]

As a New Yorker, I think the DEC's position is naive at best. Their story is that if you shoot one hog, the remainder will scatter and be difficult or impossible to contain/capture. The DEC is so under-staffed right now that the idea of them capturing hogs is laughable. If I was writing the rules, I would say "see one, kill it; see a group, report it". But that's just my simple opinion and I am in no way recommending that someone break the law as written.

I do remember about 5 or 6 years ago, some guy near Syracuse shot a huge buck on a Saturday, then shot a massive adult boar  hog on Sunday. There were photographs of both in the paper. That would make for quite the tale, and quite the work in the meat-cutting department.

[Izzy]

I took this pic at an undisclosed New York location, just a couple years ago. You may not see the hoof prints in this pic but it was a very large hog that did this. This was on a mountain road where no one was known to own or be missing a hog for miles.

       Hunted it a good bit but neither my friend or I ever saw another sign of it. I did see a farm boar that escaped a while ago. I did not shoot him but my friend did later that night. When I told the owner he asked me why I didn't shoot it when I saw it. Sometimes you just can't win.  

  Im all for following the law but I don't know a single land owner who would give a hog a pass on his land and most would be mad at me if I did on their land.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Interesting Topic.  

I doubt the average hunter unfamiliar with pigs would know the difference. I was unfamiliar with the law regarding Hogs until Rob Posted it.  I would imagine most people would just shoot them and act stupid if confronted whether it would do any good.

I'm not saying they are not a problem here but I dont forsee seeing a hog in my limited time left in this state. If they become a large enough problem, the rules will probably change and the exposure to the rules would increase.

I agree that having hogs would be a  severe detriment to land owners and farmers not to mention snakes and ground nesting birds or animals.

[killinstuff]

Take everything you read or see on TV about hogs anywhere north of FL, GA, TX and parts of SC, MS, LA, OK and CA and divide it by ten and you'll get the truth about hogs.  The northern states  DNR's fear mongering about hogs is crazy.  Hogs have been running wild a long time. If you don't have by now, you're not going to have them anytime soon.

[Izzy]

Originally posted by killinstuff:
Take everything you read or see on TV about hogs anywhere north of FL, GA, TX and parts of SC, MS, LA, OK and CA and divide it by ten and you'll get the truth about hogs.  The northern states  DNR's fear mongering about hogs is crazy.  Hogs have been running wild a long time. If you don't have by now, you're not going to have them anytime soon.

Im no wildlife biologist but I agree wholeheartedly with this statement. With all of our poachers its a wonder anything still live in our forests.

[pdk25]

I actually agree, that with limited numbers of hogs, it would be more effective to catch the whole sounder for population control.  The problem is the DNR will have to know where they are at and have the resources to do it.  The Noble foundation has done research and developed traps to do this.  Another type of trap to do this can be seen if you google hogdini, for a YouTube video.

[maxwell]

I had pigs on my property for several years in central NY, got pics and saw some real nice boars, no shots.  Last couple of years zero sightings.
Oh well.

[Matty]

Interesting topic.. I've always wondered if hogs were or are an actual BAD issue. I've been to Texas on several occasions now. Where I've heard Texans say. "Land owners are proud of their hogs" or have even first hand witnessed people paying to hunt on neighboring land for the size of pigs and quality of the hunt, just a few miles over. Or have been on hunts where they've said do us a favor and if you see a wet sow, don't shoot it, so we can have more pigs for future hunts. Etc.as we know there are places that fetch $300 per day to hunt hogs. That doesn't sound like as much of a problem than it does a profit center. I guess if it were a REAL problem and I were a farmer/ land owner id be shooting those suckers daily. And PAYING HUNTERS to help with the issue.
I think if the NY game and fish were smart and it was a real issue they should let the hunters take the animal. Before it becomes a real problem...or maybe they are being smart and waiting for the population to expand so they can get $$$ through licensing.
Great Q&A Rob thanks for posting it.

[DennyK]

sticksnstones, Is that a picture from here in Michigan? Grand Haven is only about a 1/2 hour ride from me.               Denny

[pdk25]

Matt, I can tell you from experience how frustrating it is to finally get a foodplot going and have it destroyed overnight by hogs, and to have your hayfields rooted up so bad around the pecan trees that it is too rough to Bale those parts of the field.  They really are destructive, and if they get a foothold, nearly impossible to get rid of.

[sticksnstones]

Originally posted by DennyK:
sticksnstones, Is that a picture from here in Michigan? Grand Haven is only about a 1/2 hour ride from me.                Denny

Nope, South Carolina for that picture. I've never cut hog sign in Michigan.
Thom

[Birdbow]

Rob,
  In keeping with some "You've got to be kidding me!" regs by some Wildlife Depts., here in NH you can kill a hog in the wild but only with "the owners permission"!?
                 Todd

[eidsvolling]

A little amplification on the NH situation. There's a very large game preserve with a resident boar population. Occasionally they escape the fence. Occasionally they get help escaping the fence.

New Hampshire Fish & Game disclaims all responsibility for them because the state had to pay damage claims years ago, before a 1949 amendment to the state's statutes. So the policy now is: "They're not our hogs, so there's no open, regulated season on them. If you want to shoot one, you need the owner's permission. We have no idea who owns a hog you might find in the woods (wink, wink). You'll have to determine that yourself."

From what I've seen, the supposed owner is all too happy to grant permission if the animal is outside the fence. Now, the "help escaping the fence", that's a different matter ...