The Liberty Vindicator- Texas Feral Hogs
May 10, 2009 · Print This Article
Outdoors With Larry Wilburn
In light of all the Swine Flu panic, I thought it would be appropriate to write an article on the history of wild hogs. Unfortunately it turned out to be much longer than the 500 words that you like. Actually it is over 900 words. Perhaps you can run it in two parts. In order to tell the story, it took that many words. If you can not, let me know and will write something else.
With all the media attention on the Swine Flu outbreak, there has been a lot of attention focused on swine both domestic and wild. Of course, we have wild hogs in abundant numbers around southeast Texas.
These animals do a lot of roaming around looking for good food sources and that often times brings them in contact with people.
The wildlife officials, as well as the health officials, report that there is no danger of getting Swine Flu from feral hogs.
To some, feral hogs are a menace and are looked at as vermin that does nothing but destroy pasture, crop land and kills livestock.
To others, feral hogs are an economic boom as hunters are willing to pay for opportunities to hunt the wild pigs of Texas.
Hunting for wild hogs is a great way to scratch that hunting itch while we wait on deer season to roll around again.
Texas wild hogs are second in large mammal numbers behind white-tailed deer with an estimated population of over one million animals. In some areas of the state biologist are concerned that the wild pigs will soon out number white-tails and cause declines in deer numbers as hog compete with the deer for acorns and forbs.
Where did all these wild hogs come from? Well it’s a long but interesting story that spans hundreds of years.
Wild hogs are in the family Suidae, the same as domestic breeds. There are 23 recognized sub-species of wild hogs in the world. Hogs are an old world specie that are not indigenous to the US.
Actually today’s modern swine can be traced back to the ice age. Hog bones have been found in caves and were apparently hunted by humans in the stone age.
It is believed that domestication of hogs dates to around 4,000 BC.
The first swine to enter the United States was in 750 to 1000 AD as Polynesian immigrants brought pigs to Hawaii.
The earliest record of hogs coming to the Americas is in 1493 when Christopher Columbus on his quest to discover America, had eight hogs on board as he landed in the West Indies.
It wasn’t until the year 1539 that hogs first made land fall in the continental US. Click Link Below for the rest of this great article!
I have been hunting for over 25 years and always respect the land on which i hunt,also respect any wishes of the land owner. I would love to help you dispose of wild boar(feral swine)off your land.please contact me at matt_6861@yahoo.com or by phone 740-296-0215 thank you Matt.