***** KNOWLEDGENUTS: The Difference Between Pigs, Hogs , And Wild Boars ... (read)
Part 24 of the "Taste of Texas" series will be to look at the wild swine issue in Texas, as well as the hunt, kill and harvest, which is partly inspired by my daughter Bear and grandson Jerome that I was going over this with on some hunting related stuff. There are some differences between these creature's too is why I added the above link ... but make no mistake when coming across one or more ... they can be aggressive and very destructive too ... this can make New York's rat issue look mild, believe me. Wild swine can be found in many state's and around the globe, and from what I gathered as far as info ... some big one's in Asia too. But in Texas it has become a big problemo for rancher's and farmer's or just rural home owner's for that matter, they can run in herd's, their fast, strong, and can get aggressive and destuctive.
My first experience and meeting with one of these fella's, I didnt know what in Hell it was or what to think, the experience was not only scary to me, but more confusing as to what I was confronted by, I didnt hear or see it coming, as if it appeared out of nowhere ... I mean, at first glance, I didnt know whether to laugh, cry, take a shit or shoot first ... I was trying to figure out what this was? It was large, hairy, with steam coming from it's mouth and what looked like large fang's, about 3 car length's from me down in the southeast Texas wood's of the Big Thicket, a tad northeast of the Houston Area ... and stood staring me down eye to eye on a cold damp early morning while doing a lil hunting down there, this time I was alone and stoned having just smoked a big joint (marijuana). My girlfriend was still at home in bed, I was spending a weekend with her at her familia home nearby, not far from Woodville Texas.
I wasnt even sure if the rifle's I had could take it down, being I only had a .410 guage shotgun on one shoulder and a .22 long rifle on the other ... I mean, this was a big animal too ... I am 5'- 11" and roughly 185/ 190 lb's (I am the same height and weight basically now as I was back then at 19 year's old or so **** correction, I was 170lb's then after looking at my old license), my guess is that this boar had to be at least 400+ lb's and stood about three to four feet high in height, and a rugged lookin SOB too! I was familiar with basic "pig's" having worked labour detail (squad duty) previously on a reformatory work farm year's prior to that on an upstate New York agricultural unit's pig farm ... and this kind of looked like an oversized cross breed of a pig and even a rodent it seemed. Probably stood staring me down for a minute or more (which seemed a Hell of alot longer at the time), and I had my .410 ready staring him back in silence, focusing on a face/ head shot at point blank range, due to it's size ... after that ... he actually took off quickly ... I have no idea why(?), I mean, this guy clearly had me by the ball's if you seen it's size! I actually hesitated to shoot because I didnt want to provoke this animal.
Of course at the time I wasnt even thinking of hunting this kind of animal for game or eat and it wasnt the big issue that it is today 4 decade's later, they are all over the state now, not just southeast Texas like mostly back then, they have went from the wood's to prairies, and damn near everywhere else. Today in Texas they have become popular game actually, and supposedly some good eat. But this is how you have to deal with this issue in Texas ... some video's I chose below ... and Thanx to Ya'll for sharing!
Wild Hogs Impacting Texas Agriculture- America's Heartland ... Thanx to AMERICASHEARTLAND
Texas Wild Boar Hunting ... Thanx to MILESPERGALLONFILMS ... this one is up here in the Dallas- Fort Worth Metroplex area
Hogs w/ Dogs Dylan's 1st Knife Kill (Rio Grande City, Texas) ... Thanx to John Allen
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***** PD/ RCJ: "TASTE OF TEXAS" PART'S 23 THRU 1
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Comment's left inspired this addition to a solution suggested from a couple feller's up in the Pacific Northwest (Oregon & Washington states) as far as our feral hog/ boar problemo here in Texas. Demeur mentioned how some feller's from North Carolina brought some possum once to Washington, a possum is not native to that part of America ... well ... they didnt last too long, probably because they immediately went on the local coyote's menu. Then Infidel in Oregon suggested a solution to our feral hog/ boar problem here in Texas, by breeding some big ole coyote's, which we do have plenty of as well here in the Lone Star State ... which make's sense ya'll. So there ya'll have it, plain and simple ... let's get them coyote's to reproducing!
.... A couple happy camper's
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***** RANCH CHIMP JOURNAL "WELCOME" POST
***** RANCH CHIMP JOURNAL/ YOUTUBE (posting's preview)
***** RCJ MUSIC/ ART'S HONOUR ROLL SOCIETY (my hand- selected music/ arts picks)
***** THE RESISTANCE/ PERIL'S OF THE POWER POSSE (inspiration for hope & change)
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Oink! Tough problem. It's hard to see how shooting a few at a time or even trapping 25 or 30 at a time is going to do much -- surely they're breeding faster than they're killed off? Maybe some kind of contagious pig disease would work.
ReplyDeleteOn the "Texas wild boar hunting" video, around 5:30 where the dog is gnawing (?) at the dead hog, it looks like there's smoke or steam coming from it?
Yeah Infidel, pissing in the wind basically on a few kill's, there is a Hell of alot of them, I hear now they are shooting them from helicopter's around some of the ranches in larger number's. After a buddy Tim seen this last night, he told me that his nephew just go a big one over in Greenville (northeast of the Metroplex a wayz)bout a month ago, and Tim told me the meat was excellent and NOT like basic pork, but you have to spice it and slow cook it which his nephew done. He also pointed out that it is really good eat because these animal's were not raised by human's and are free of all the commercialized antibiotic's and crap that so much at the market's have ... he called it "truely organic", and he figured it will just be a matter of time before some of the large pig businesses will get their panties in a bind, because this meat is better than their's or whatever. Right now it's open game because of the problemo, and alot of folk's in these rural area's are eating for free too, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh,{: ), which may have a tad impact on rural pork sales. But Tim also said his nephew made some sausage that tasted really great as well ... he is supposed to bring me some to try out, I never ate any of this yet. I more or less favoured deer, which is excellent too, we done some out door ground pit cooking out in the wood's up there and made some kick ass barbeque ... and smoking all that pot gave us the "munchies" so we piged out {: ) But also squirrel, snake and rabbit I also like as far as taste, and it depend's on the cook/ chef alot too and cooking it right.
ReplyDeleteI just reckon the smoke is from steam from the cold like that feller I ran across, maybe a lil "gas" combined after taking a round/ bullet in the gut too.
Shit man, it's 8:45am already and I still gotta trim the rose bushes, vacuum, dishes and laundry ...
Thanx for your input here Infidel ....
We had some idiots from North Carolina release opossums here some years back (not native to the NW). Fortunately the local coyotes must have found them delicious because there aren't many left.
ReplyDeleteFolk's came all the way from North Carolina to Washington State just tp release a few possum's? ... well ... heh, heh, heh, heh, heh {: )... I dont see the point or whatever. Lots O' possum round here though, I know their not common around your part's. But your probably correct as far as being coyote food or whatever Demeur, because they have a short lifespan of only about 2/ 3 year's or so, due to they are such popular prey to so many animal's, and those big dark pupil's make them very aware as nocturnal creature's, they are also expert's on playin dead as well (or what's called 'playin possum', and can act/ play dead for up to 3/ 4 hour's at a time ... nature's survival instinct's {: ), they are sharp as far as memory especially on where the food is. I had possum's as un- official pet's in my yard/ patio, that were pretty cool with me and came around because they knew there would be a few treat's for them, one of my favourite's I nicknamed him "Poo- Poo", he was actuallly quite a big boy too (he really needed a diet).
ReplyDeleteHey Demeur, Thanx fer yer input here ....
There's the solution to the Texas wild hog problem -- breed giant coyotes!
ReplyDeleteThanx fer the suggestion Infidel, which inspired the solution addition to the posting ....
ReplyDelete