Feral hogs

[BornBad]

For die-hard hunters, now is an excellent time to pursue wild or feral hogs on Fort Leonard Wood. Not many other hunting opportunities are available during this time of year but hogs may be hunted all year long and there is no limit to numbers that may be taken.

Hunters pursuing other game such as deer sometimes take feral hogs but some hunters are finding success hunting specifically for these wild pigs.

Many hunters are beginning to key-in on these elusive animals and taking opportunity of this otherwise slow off-season to pursue them.

Feral hogs were first reported on the installation in 1997, probably originating from deliberately released groups by individuals in hopes of establishing free-ranging populations for sport hunting as have been established in parts of the southern U.S.

This practice of releasing swine is illegal in Missouri and resource managers are trying to curtail the spread of these noxious animals.

Pigs are quite prolific ? sows can have two or three litters per year with up to seven piglets per litter ? and they quickly adapt to new surroundings. They are smart, wary animals that can be difficult to hunt. The number of feral hogs on post is not known.

The hogs vary in color. Some still exhibit similarities to domestic herds such as a white stripe around the body in the vicinity of the front legs, like the Hampshire breed, and others have irregular blotched coloration patterns.

After several generations in the wild the piglets begin to exhibit a light striping pattern and the adults are very wild-looking with long bristle hair around large front shoulders and neck, a long snout, and smaller hindquarters than typical domestic stock. Feral hogs come in varying sizes from five-pound piglets up to 500-pound adult sows and boars, though most hogs fall within the 50- to 200- pound range. Both the upper and lower canine teeth continue to grow on adult pigs and curl outward and can become quite large tusks on older specimens.

Besides the opportunity to get out of the house and hunt, there are other reasons to pursue feral hogs.

?They are exotic animals that are destructive to natural communities such as riparian areas.

?They compete with native animals such as deer and turkey and disrupt the balance of natural systems.

?Pigs prey on insects, bird eggs, reptiles and amphibians but are omnivorous and will eat just about anything they can catch, including deer fawns.

?Their rooting can be rather extensive and can disturb sensitive habitats and increase erosion.

?They also have the potential to spread diseases to domestic livestock and natural resource managers seek their eradication from the wild.

There are many ways to hunt for feral hogs. Some hunters pre-bait areas with corn, or just about any other food item, and wait until hogs have become accustomed to returning to a given area. Then, sit and wait for them to return either from elevated tree stands or on the ground.

Another method is to cover a large amount of territory until a fresh hog sign is encountered and sit-and-wait at that location.

Perhaps the most common way to hunt them is to still-hunt which is to walk as quietly and stealthily as possible, and listen.

Oftentimes hogs can be heard at a considerable distance ? grunting or squealing. This intergroup communication varies depending upon the dynamics and conditions of the group. Sows with piglets often make rather quiet grunting noises. Other times tussles among group members break out and loud grunting or squealing may erupt for short durations.

A pig's sense of sight is not especially acute so a quiet hunter can sometimes walk very near to them unnoticed, though they can hear and smell well, similar to deer. Others hunt with trailing dogs that key on hogs. All of the above methods can be used successfully to pursue hogs on post.

Some basic regulations about hunting pigs on post:

?Hunters are required to register their weapons prior to bringing them on post. Forms for registration are available at the military police station or the Outdoor Recreation Center.

?To pursue hogs on post hunters need to watch a safety video and obtain a post sportsman's permit at the ORC. A valid state-hunting permit is also required before purchasing the sportsman's permit.

?Immediately prior to hunting, all hunters must check in at Range Control to be issued a hunting area access pass. Also they must check out in person or via phone when done hunting for the day.

?Hunting with centerfire rifles or pistols is not allowed on Post. Most hog hunters prefer shotguns with slugs or .22-magnum rimfire rifles that allow multiple shots. Other possible weapons for on post use include muzzleloaders and archery equipment.

Perhaps the most obvious sign that hogs are at a given place is freshly rooted areas. Look for areas that have been disturbed by rooting while the animals are foraging.

A favorite fall and wintertime meal of hogs is acorns. Areas that hogs have been rooting recently can be identified by upturned leaves ? usually down to bare soil in irregular narrow lines. This disturbance appears similar to foraging trails that armadillos and box turtles leave, but more extensive.

Some hog hunters prefer to hunt after a snow when it is especially easy to detect disturbed leaves from rooting, and also possible to track down hogs.

Other hog signs include scat, tracks, rubbed trees and wallows. Tracks are similar to deer but more rounded at the tips. Trees that have been rubbed by hogs show a telltale ring of mud and sometimes hair. Smaller trees such as saplings are preferred but large trees, stumps, or logs may also be utilized.

The frequency of rub trees seems to increase the nearer the vicinity to a wallow. Feral pigs act just like domestic farm pigs in that they love to wallow in mud. They especially do this in the warmer months of the year to cool down and to reduce their external parasites such as ticks, fleas, and lice.

They tend to return to favorite wallows regularly. Wallows are formed anywhere they find mud including wet drainages and hollows near Roubidoux Creek and at the edges of upland ponds.

All hogs are safe to eat if cooked thoroughly. It is recommended that you use plastic or rubber gloves while dressing and processing wild hogs as a precaution. No diseases have been found to date on hogs taken on Fort Leonard Wood.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is testing Missouri's wild hogs for various diseases and you can help. If you harvest a hog, collect blood in a small jar and deliver it to the Fort Leonard Wood natural resources branch, Building 2112, or you may send the sample to the Missouri Department of Agriculture Animal Health Laboratory, 216 El Mercado Plaza, P.O. Box 630, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0630, for disease testing.

Also please provide your name, address, and telephone number along with the date and location of the kill. You may keep the sample refrigerated for a couple of days but do not freeze it.

Hogs have commonly been seen around Roubidoux Creek. They tend to stay in close proximity to water in the spring and summer but venture out further into the uplands in the fall and winter in search of acorns. Specific hunting areas that are popular for hog hunting include hunting areas 14 through 24.

Pigs have also been reported behind the ranges in HA 10 and HA 11 and in the creek bottoms or upland areas in HAs 29 through 36. The tricky part is finding an area were the pigs have been very recently. Unfortunately many of the favorite areas of pigs are those that aren't often open for recreational uses such as hunting.

U. S. Forest Service property and some privately owned land surrounding post has pig hunting potential as well. The southwestern border of post borders U. S. Forest Service property. Post resource managers are trapping feral pigs to control their numbers but we also seek the help of hunters to reduce these animals on the installation. Please do not disturb traps that may be encountered while hunting.

As with other types of hunting ? timing is everything. With a little luck if hunters do their scouting and planning work, there is a real possibility they can intercept a feral hog or two and procure some tasty free-range pork for dinner.

But a successful hog hunt often depends on one's definition of success.

If you can call getting out of the house and getting exercise walking while enjoying the sights and sounds of the Missouri Ozarks on a winter day success, then you can be guaranteed of a successful hog hunt at Fort Leonard Wood.

For more information about feral hogs and hunting on post check out http://www.wood.army.mil/DPWENV and Outdoor Recreation Center web pages http://www.wood.army.mil/mwr or call the DPW, Natural Resources Office 596.0131 ext.6.7605.

By Kenton Lohraff Special to GUIDON

[BornBad]

or .22-magnum rimfire rifles that allow multiple shots

In other words; 1st shot may just p*ss them off and you will proly need a back up plan

[hobiecat]

BB, when you wanna go?

[BornBad]

On post, with a firearm, as non military personnel, in these high security times ? Not hardly... Falls into the ranks of personal responsibility and common since, I don't care what this writer says or what kinda pass some contract employee/agency gives me...

Now if you wanna pull some maps together and see what we can find along Roubidoux Creek, then

[BornBad]

Nothing like a sister with a machine gun to straighten up a feller's way of thinking at the gate... saying yes Mam!