Much has been made of the threat that invasive non-natives, such as feral hogs, present to the environment and agricultural interests.  While I sometimes think things get a little blown out of proportion, I can’t argue with the general principal that invasive non-natives can be a problem.

But what I hadn’t thought about, at least not seriously, is the idea that invasives could potentially be used as biological warfare agents.  I mean, really… the idea that some terrorist might plant a few zebra mussels in the nuclear plant cooling tower intakes, or sabotage the entire corn crop of Iowa with a parasitic worm is sort of James Bond-ish, no?

Well, according to a recent doctoral dissertation submitted at Atlantic International University, the risk is both real and relevant.  The article in the BusinessWire, references PhD. candidate Lawrence Roberge’s dissertation on the possibility that these plants or animals might be used in an attack on the US.

Roberge’s research for AIU, which is based in Honolulu, HI and specializes in distance learning, builds upon ongoing studies by researchers at colleges and universities, the U.S. government and ecological research centers. Roberge began his research by examining if this type of threat was possible and realized it was a clear and present danger. He says that invasive species could be used to selectively destroy parts of a society potentially causing fear, social chaos, food shortages, and other forms of mass destructions.

A nation in this state would be vulnerable, and perhaps unable to respond, to an outright attack. “We must prepare for the use of invasive species as biological weapons,” says Roberge. “These types of weapons are inexpensive to produce and hard to detect immediately, so they can cause extensive damage before they can be controlled.”

It sounds pretty dire, and I suppose it could be.  However, in light of the biological warfare threats such as anthrax, I’d be surprised if the possibility hadn’t been pretty thoroughly considered by our defense agencies.  Then again, who knows?  It’s an interesting thought at any rate.

Kinda makes me want to go shoot a hog or two.

One thing to bear in mind is that Utah is one of the top pork-producing states in the US.  It’s a huge industry there, which means that there’s a lot of sensitivity around the threat of disease.  And we all know by now that feral hogs present a risk of transmitting major diseases, such as pseudorabies and brucellosis.  If feral hogs showed up in the state, you can bet there’d be an outcry.

And maybe that’s happening now.

According to this article from KSL.Com in Salt Lake City, there is a population of wild pigs on an island in the Great Salt Lake.  It appears that the pigs are Eurasian wild boar, descended from stock that were imported for a hunting operation on Fremont Island.  However, at least one hog has escaped the island and was found on a nearby causeway.  That animal drowned during capture attempts, but it illustrates the possibility that more of the swine could escape the island and spread to other areas.

From the tone of the article, I’d say the presence of these animals comes as a surprise to Utah wildlife managers and biologists.  Now that the light has come on, though, it looks like there may be movement afoot to find a way to get rid of them altogether.  Apparently, Utah law prohibits the importation, possession, or collection of non-native species such as sheep and wild boar, which means the hunting preserve is already in violation of the law.  However, as explained in the article, no one seems to know whose jurisdicition the hogs fall into.

Curiouser and curiouser…

Feral hogs are spreading across the fields and woods of the country.  Zebra mussels and asian carp are taking over the waterways.  Eurasian collared doves are flitting across the skies.  Most hunters and outdoorsmen have heard about these invasives.  There are invasive plants as well, both terrestrial and aquatic.

But now, according to this latest alert on the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) website, there’s a new threat to the native inhabitants of the Show-Me State.

Be warned of our state’s newest invasive species threat–ZOMBIES!

While zombie management is largely left to the police, military and health agencies, conservation plays a role in protecting Missouri’s fish, forest and wildlife resources–and Missourians–from this invasive species.

Hunters, campers and others in the outdoors and on conservation areas should know there is always the chance they may encounter a zombie while out in the field. Good preparation helps you know what to do if you encounter this newest invasive species in Missouri.

The zombie invasion is like the feral hog problem in parts of Missouri, and its management is similar. We do not encourage organized zombie hunts since that may encourage the intentional release of zombie swarms. It can also disrupt wildlife and hunting opportunities for the more than 500,000 living Missourians who enjoy hunting.

Great.  More zombies.

Of course, as with the CDC guide, the MDC website actually presents real information for MO hunters, masquerading under the zombie guise. It’s almost Halloween, after all. It’s time for costumes and disguises, no?

Seriously, though, I’m glad to see these government agencies at least trying to show a sense of humor.  First the CDC, with the Zombie Apocalypse Preparation Guide, and now this. How long before the Marine Corps decides to stage a zombie invasion training exercise over at Camp Lejeune?

The owner of a small zoo in Ohio committed suicide after releasing some 56 animals from their enclosures.  Several of the animals were potentially dangerous, including 18 tigers, lions, a wolf, and bears (grizzly and black bears).  Schools were closed, businesses shut down, and motorists along the highway were warned to be alert for crossing wildlife.  In short, it created quite the fiasco for several hours.

Because of the risk to public safety and the difficulties of safely capturing the animals, local law enforcement took the logical step of issuing a “shoot on sight” order.

When the smoke cleared, 49 of the animals were dead and the predictable, public relations crap storm ensued… is still ensuing.

I know it seems an awful shame to kill all of those animals, but dammit folks, they are not pets.  As relatively recent events have shown, even a “tame” tiger or bear can turn deadly in a heartbeat.  According to the reports, these were not considered tame animals.  The reports also suggested that the animals weren’t necessarily kept in great condition, which can make big predators particularly dangerous.  Into that mix, dump an unpredictable population of civilians, and you’ve got a recipe for real disaster.  Even one human death would have been too much, especially if you’re the law enforcement officer charged with maintaining public safety.

The way the whole situation came into being is a sad shame, but in light of circumstances, it almost appears that this outcome was pretty much inevitable.  The only way it could have been avoided was to take those animals away from the zoo owner a long time ago.  Because the law didn’t provide for that at the time, the situation spiraled out of control until this.

Bottom line, folks need to stop blaming law enforcement for taking the actions they did.  It was the only sensible thing.  But if we want to be constructive, it’s time to take a closer look at the laws surrounding the possession and treatment of exotic animals.

Unless you’re a Scrabble player or a Jeopardy fan, you may not have ever heard of the capybara.  This South American native is the world’s largest rodent (a questionable claim to fame), and resembles nothing so much as a giant guinea pig.  They are, fortunately, gentle herbivores, so they don’t present a particular threat to humans.  Also fortunate is the fact that, so far, there’s really only confirmed evidence of one of the creatures in the area.  It’s more likely an escaped pet, and all reports suggest that these mammals do not reproduce asexually, so this probably doesn’t really represent an invasion at all (I just enjoy hyperbole… hell, I even like saying, hyperbole!). 

I also like saying, “capybara.”

Try it!

And no, as of yet I have no idea what they taste like.  However, should this sighting in Paso Robles turn out to be the tip of a furry iceberg, I’ll find out.

Before I begin, however, I must offer a warning to my most politically conservative readers.  Mr. Morford’s columns often lean to the left of… I dunno… Diane Feinstein?  Ghandi?  He’s unapologetically a city boy, and a poster-child for what some folks would call, “San Francisco values.”  For many of you his columns may well cause apoplexy, hysteria, and possibly blindness.  They will certainly create a quickening of the pulse and a moderate-to-severe rise in your blood pressure. 

For my own part, I read his columns pretty regularly.  I usually enjoy his writing even though I find myself diametrically opposed to many of his positions.  For example, Morford is unabashedly opposed to private firearms, and considers hunting a barbaric throwback to our proto-human ancestry.  And it is from this position that he launched his latest column… and spurred me to a convoluted rebuttal/agreement.

To set the stage (because I must), Texas exotic game ranches are now some of the only places in the world with viable, breeding populations of certain species of animals.  Among these are the scimitar horned oryx, now extinct in its native Africa.  Other species, such as the dama gazelle and blackbuck antelope are endangered or at risk in their natural environments.  However, on many Texas game ranches, the species are actually thriving.  Blackbuck have even escaped the confines of the high-fence ranches are ranging widely throughout the Texas Hill Country, along with Axis deer and several species of goats and sheep (e.g. aoudad). 

Hunters from all over the country, and around the world, travel to Texas to hunt these exotic species.  As a result, the hunting industry in some parts of the Lone Star State has become huge business.  In many cases, exotics and wildlife ranches have replaced the venerable cattle ranches.  There’s more money in it, and some of the african plains species are much better adapted to the marginal lands and arid climate of western Texas. 

There has been some concern, possibly well-intentioned, that there should be some protections afforded to these endangered animals on the hunting ranches.  The thinking is that if the well-being of the animals is directly influenced by their profitability, then if they become liabilities, the ranches will eliminate them.  In other words, if they’re not earning their keep they’re gone.  The Texas legislature has taken this into consideration, and is now crafting regulations (and restrictions) that are intended to drive the management of endangered exotics.

As one might expect, the legislation has drawn the ire of many ranch-owners, some hunters, and the Safari Club, International.  Earlier this week, like many outdoors media sources, I received an email “Alert” from SCI, urging all ranch owners and anyone involved in the industry to get involved and take action.  The email wasn’t particularly specific about what that action should be, nor did it even include a link to the legislation in question.  Since I was already aware of what was going on, and not particularly involved or educated, I chose not to make it another Hog Blog topic, and deleted the email.

But somehow (whoever is managing the SCI mailing list may need a kick in the head… or at least a punch in the ear), this same message went to Mark Morford’s email.  Maybe he mentioned SCI in a column at some point, or maybe even spoke to a representative about some other topic and they saved his address.  I don’t know.  But the message predictably triggered a commentary.  However, the commentary itself wasn’t quite as predictable as I’d have expected.

On the predictable side, Morford writes:

Have you heard of these places? Giant ranches where giant men pay giant fees to be driven in luxury SUVs out onto huge swaths of privately owned property in order to shoot carefully bred and relatively tame exotic and/or endangered creatures who never had a chance in the first place? And then they kneel down next to them and grin like caveman as they pose for revolting photos atop a very, very dead bison, or leopard, or gazelle — a creature who was, minutes prior, pretty much just standing there waiting to be shot because, well, it’s a goddamn game preserve, after all. What are they going to do, run?

Now untwist your drawers for a second.  Did you not read my warning above?  Morford has no mercy for the gun-loving, animal-killing masses and he makes no bones about it.  Of course, to my knowledge he’s never visited an exotics ranch, and he has no real-life experience with what goes on there.  He’s enslaved by his prejudices.  But honestly, who isn’t?

The point is, despite the stereotypical and hyperbolic nature of his description, it’s not all that far-fetched.  Exotics on many of these game ranches are not especially “wild”.  You can (and many operations do) pretty much drive right up, pick the one you want, and pull the trigger.  To be brutally honest, that’s exactly how I shot the scimitar-horned oryx I’m holding in the picture above.  I know this doesn’t jibe with the ideals of sportsmanship held by many in the hunting community, but I’m not going to waste a lot of time with my personal justifications.  In many cases (but definitely not all), that’s how exotics hunting on a preserve plays out. 

But this post isn’t really meant to be about high-fence hunting.

So now the unpredictable aspect of Morford’s column:

But wait. Not so fast, self-righteous liberal columnist. Here is where I admit my own wild hypocrisy, my own complicit nature.

Here is where I humbly remind myself that not only do I eat meat, I do so quite adoringly. Grass-fed and organic and sustainable as possible, reverentially and deeply gratefully and in small and reasonable amounts? Yes. But whatever. Still: meat.

So as not to copy and paste the entire column, I’ll tell you that Morford also writes that he’s a big fan of leather, and even shops at places that feature various exotic animal products, such as skulls and skins.  He recognizes that, by shopping at these places he’s probably supporting some of these very ranches.  Even if he’s not getting actual blood on his hands, he’s still involved.

And there it is.  Sort of…

Morford never backs off in his attack on hunters.  Sorry if I got your hopes up.  I doubt he’ll ever change his attitude about people who shoot guns and kill things for “sport,” because to him, that’s all hunting and shooting will ever mean.  He doesn’t really “get it”, in the way we (hunters) would like to see him get it.  But he at least recognizes that meat and skins and those cool animal skull, wall decorations come at the cost of the lives of these animals, and that his commerce contributes to the selfsame industry he’d like to lambaste.  He’s made the connection and acknowledged his hypocrisy.  That’s something, even if it’s not everything.

What I don’t think he recognizes, however, is that the primitive draw of these products to him and his urban peers… the desire to own the ”gorgeous, sacred gemsbok skull”… is probably rooted in the same drive that affects hunters.  There’s something primally satisfying about a cool skull, a glistening white set of bones, or a finely patterned hide.  It represents something deep in our psyche, even if we can’t put a finger on what that “something” is.  The difference is that while Morford prefers to acquire his trophies in the safe and sterile confines of a fashionable shop, hunters prefer to take things into their own hands… to bear direct responsibility for taking the life that provided that meat, that skin, or that trophy on the wall. It is, certainly, a big difference, and it’s probably irreconcilable. 

It is probably quite true that the desire to hunt and to revel in the trophies of the hunt is a very real throwback to the brutish, visceral appetites of our prehistoric ancestors.  I’ve no doubt that, at many levels, there’s a sense of bravado and conquest in the successful culmination of a hunt even if we filter it in different ways.  I don’t think it matters if that hunt took place from a “Texas trolling tower” in the back of a customized Hummer, or if it was in the deepest jungle of the darkest continent, or if it happened in the aisles of a hip boutique. 

Why deny that part of ourselves?  Who are we trying to fool?

Food for thought from my own random scribblings:

If life is sacred, then life is sacred.  We don’t get to pick and choose which life is more sacred.  If you eat, you must kill, and you must eat if you want life.  Then is killing not also sacred because it gives life?  You can’t have life without death.  Therefore, if every living thing deserves life, then doesn’t it equate that every living thing deserves death? 

Simplify.

In a nutshell, the trip was a blast… even if I did try to cram two weeks into a few days.  The hunting was tough, with the drought affecting overall game numbers, and the wind on Saturday making the axis deer particularly skittish.  This trip was nothing like previous hunts, and we actually had to work a little for our animals.

There were four of us on the hunt, as our fifth hunter, John, had to bail before he even got started due to a family medical emergency.  We were all primarily out for meat, although Jeff was toying with the idea of taking a trophy axis buck.  We split up on Saturday morning, and after covering the better part of a 5000 acre ranch, had only seen a couple of animals.  Jeff made a nice 215 yard shot on a huge axis doe, and then I had my opportunity at over 275.  I hesitated at first, but found a perfect rest on a cedar stump.  When the deer presented the right opportunity, I let the .243 rip, and the 100gr Winchester XP3 went right where it was supposed to go.  These animals are tough!  Despite the bullet entering at the front of the right lung and angling back to pass clean through the lungs and liver, she didn’t go down.  It was a short blood trail, though, and when she bolted at 50 yards, I pictured her as a rabbit, swung ahead, and put one more in her to end the chase.

A little later we hit another ranch.  Just as we were talking about whether or not Jeff would take a trophy buck, a monster stepped out with a pair of does.  Jeff bailed out to try to get a shot, but he took a little too long.  We loaded up and moved on down the road.  Within minutes, we were on another nice buck.  Jeff didn’t lose any time on this one.

The other pair of hunters, Mike and his son, Ben, were having a much harder go of it.  Despite running up on a huge group of hogs, neither of them could get a decent shot.  By the time we regrouped for lunch, they were still empty-handed.  That changed in the afternoon, though, as Ben made a phenomenal 300 yard shot to claim his first axis doe.

While they were out, I was riding around with the ranch owner, Jim, and a small group of axis does stepped out of the mesquite.  I took careful aim and fired.  The gun went off, but the deer never reacted.  To this day, I have no idea where that bullet went, but it should have gone right through that deer’s shoulder.  I levered another round into the chamber and put the crosshairs on her again.  This time the doe dropped like she’d been poleaxed.  Jim slapped me on the back and we started the drive across the field to pick her up.  At about 75 yards, she started to thrash.  To both our amazement, she stumbled to her feet and then rocketed off into the thicket.

There was not a lot of blood where she’d fallen, but it looked like good, dark blood from the chest cavity.  Her trail, however, offered nothing.  I was able to keep her tracks for about a hundred yards, but lost them soon in the confusion of tracks in the mesquite.  There are, literally, hundreds of deer on this place, and several of them had bolted at my shot.  The ground was chewed to pieces.

After two hours and three of us looking for her, we had to concede defeat.  My guess is that she hadn’t gone far, but these animals are incredibly well camoflaged and can disappear in the oak leaves and cedar brush.  When I shot my buck in 2009, three of us walked all around him for 10 minutes before I finally spotted his foot sticking out of a brush pile.  This is where a tracking dog would have been really handy.

We had only a few hours on Sunday morning.  Mike was the only hunter who had yet to pull the trigger.  Unfortunately, although he hit a doe later in the morning, we weren’t able to find her and time ran out on his hunt.

As usual, when the hunting is a little tough I never think to shoot video at the right time, but I did put something together.

Oh, and I even ran into a friend of Rex’s while bumming around San Antonio!

Outgoing DNRE Director Becky Humphries signed an order today that will outlaw feral pigs by next July if the state Legislature doesn’t enact a fully-funded regulatory program for commercial pig hunt operations.

Under the mandate, wild pigs would be classified as an invasive species and be illegal to possess.

Humphries is leaving lawmakers with a strong message about feral pigs, which have proven a nuisance when on the loose, chasing people and destroying property.

“Becky said she hopes to see bio-security addressed strongly in legislation,” Department of Natural Resources and Environment spokeswoman Mary Dettloff said.

“She is sending a signal. She wants to make sure the pigs don’t get out of the (pig-hunting ranch) facilities. They pose a serious disease threat and do ecological damage.”

The argument from many sources, including some folks at the MI Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DNRE), is that the majority of the feral hogs in MI are escapees from the preserves.  I can’t authoritatively dispute this, of course, but I do question it.  I tried researching a little more thoroughly, but there didn’t seem to be a ton of hard evidence outside of some local situations. 

From what I’ve seen in other states, feral hogs come from many sources, including illegal traffic by hunters who want to establish huntable populations in their areas.  They also come from escaped domestics which go feral pretty quickly.  I think this is a bigger part of the problem in Michigan than we’re hearing from more biased sources who appear to be specifically targeting high fence ranches (an admittedly easy target).   

At any rate, it’s pretty much up to the hunting ranch operators and MI sportsmen to decide the future of wild boar hunting in their state.  I think there are workable solutions to address escaped animals as well as ways to fund necessary enforcement through preserve licensing and fees.  I wish you luck.

Texas was a hoot, as it always is.  The incredible country, the people, and the fun of spending quality time with family all combined to make for one heck of a great trip.  Even the road trip there and back was a blast (if you enjoy long, long drives, crossing the desert southwest is truly a treat). 

Hunting exotics with Shane (Borderbandit Outfitters) is also a pleasure, and as I mentioned in an earlier post, we did pretty well.  The weather conspired again to make the hunt a little more challenging than it sometimes is, but that’s never a bad thing.  My brother and I still came out with a total of four axis does (two each), two oryx, and a little pig for the roaster.  We both shot well, and spent a lot of time on some beautiful properties.  Unfortunately, I didn’t really get many pictures.  My brother has some video, and if he’s able to get it on disk for me, I’ll edit it and get it online.  Besides that, you can go back to previous years’ hunt stories and use your imaginations. 

But with every pleasure comes pain.  At some point, the inevitable truth is that I had to get back to work.  I also had to unpack the truck, clean and stow gear, and grind about 40 pounds of meat.  Now I generally enjoy processing the meat that I harvest.  I get a sense of completion, and a feeling of self-sufficiency when I convert a once-living animal into nice packets of steaks, roasts, and ground meat or sausage.  But it is work, and when that work comes at the tail end of a 1600 mile drive… well, it kinda wears on you.

So there’s that.  There’s also my real job, which took a sort of ugly turn while I was gone.  Looks like this consultant is going to be back on the market at the end of next week.  Not a prospect I savor, considering the current job market.  I have some possibilities, and hope to make something happen quickly.  I can’t really afford another extended vacation like last year. 

While I was gone, it looks like I missed a lot of cool stuff too.  Another Hog Blog reader, Will Sitch sent me an email about his first successful hog hunt.  He has his own blog, so instead of reprinting his story here, I’ll just send you over there to check it out if you’re so inclined.  Congrats Will!

I’ve got a ton of press releases, but I haven’t had a chance to sort through them all.  This one stood out to me, though, and it’s worth a visit if you’re a gadget head or just looking for a creatively written website.  HuntGeek.com offers iPhone apps for hunters, including one that calculates the legal shoot time for your area, and another that allows you to store hunting data (sign, trails, etc.) for GPS access.  Just the place for the high-tech rednecks out there. 

As I sort through stuff and get back on track after the trip, I’ve got a lot more to tell ya!

But all has not been in vain! 

We started the hunt a few days early with a call from our guide, Shane, to tell us he’d found a special deal on a couple of oryx “culls”.   Both had broken off horns, which didn’t really matter to us as much as the opportunity to put a couple-hundred pounds of prime meat in the freezer.

Much, much more to come when I get home and get a chance to sit down and put it all together.

For now, we’ve put three axis, two oryx, and a pig on ice, with at least one more day of hunting ahead of us.  Just hoping the weather holds out for us now…