I’ve commented in the past about some of the more unique and common-sense approaches many states have taken to manage the spread of feral hogs. From states like Colorado, where it’s illegal to sell hunts or tresspass fees for feral hogs, to Kansas where it’s illegal to hunt feral hogs at all, state wildlife managers appear to be scrambling to come up with a workable plan.
Indiana already has some pretty stringent rules about the transportation and release of feral swine, but this article from the Star Press sheds some light on the approach the Hoosier State is taking. The following snip is what caught my attention here:
While wild hogs, also known as wild boars or feral swine, are already present in Indiana, state officials are tight-lipped about their exact location.
“I can tell you from my own nearly 20 years’ experience, … that providing location information is counterproductive to … control measures, and that impacted landowners are very adamant in their desires not to have the locations made known,” said Steven Backs, a wildlife research biologist at the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. “For many of them, the hog hunter problem is sometimes worse than the hogs themselves.”
The “hog hunter problem”…
I’m afraid that’s a pretty telling comment. The remainder of the article doesn’t let hog hunters off the hook either. The strategy the state is taking is intended to discourage the idea that wild hogs present a recreational hunting opportunity. Instead, the affected landowners and state DNR intend to fight the spread of feral hogs through depredation shooting and trapping in concert with the USDA’s professional trappers.
It’s an unfortunate reality that too many hunters apparently don’t get it when it comes to the importation and release of non-native species. They either don’t know, or don’t care that releasing hogs into the habitat creates a problem for everyone. Education is a good first step in controlling this, but I’m afraid that selfish greed will continue to trump common sense as hunters continue to try to establish huntable populations of feral hogs around the country.
