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Hunting the Most Destructive Pest in America

6K views 94 replies 39 participants last post by  Mr Fixit 
They won't allow us to hunt them anymore in Missouri. Conservation Dept wants them all trapped now, they say hunting just spreads the sounders all over creation while trapping if done right can capture the whole sounder or most of them in one fell swoop. I think anything goes in Texas outside of tactical Nukes.

Lot of truth in that, especially with larger sounders. Even a litter of pigs it's tough to get them all when you start shooting. They scatter instantly, and they scatter everywhere. When the group is shot, the survivors will adjust feed times. They might work back to a reasonable time over the course of a week or two, a few times, but sooner or later, they stop working back, and arrive 2 - to 5 am every night, and if you pressure them at all there, they simply move.

If the pigs in a litter are small enough, it's sometimes possible to take out the entire litter, IF you shoot the sow first. Been close several times, but usually wind up with one or two stragglers. Managed it once, 7 kills in one set, sow with 6 pigs. Shooting shotgun, took sow and a pig out first round, decided to sit back and wait, see if the pigs came back to the sow. Sure enough about 15 minutes went by and they came sneaking back in. Got all but the runt of the litter that round, waited a little, gave up, and went after the mule and my little trailer. When I got back out there and started picking up scattered pig carcasses, the last one stuck his head out from behind momma. Grabbed the .22 off the mule and popped that one between the eyes.

In larger groups they often split up and scatter in every direction. The pressure can make them very man shy, which often makes them difficult to trap as well.

Trapping is a whole different ball of wax too. Any time you catch part of a litter or part of a sounder, you educate the remainder. Some more so than others. Educate a sow, and she will pass on her knowledge to her pigs. Had one case where we caught several pigs and the sow rooted around the gate until she slipped the stop out and managed to open the gate and let them out.

Video surveillance, and remotely sprung trap doors like the Jaeger Pro system allow you to catch the entire sounder if you are patient enough.

Personally, I like the concept behind the Pig Brig trap, that one is built out of net, that lays on the ground and is tied up on steel posts. Pigs can lift the net and walk in under it, they are never locked out, they just keep walking in. When they try to get out, they walk up to where the net turns up before trying to root, and then they're standing on the net and can't get under it to lift it. If they back up and run into it, it simply gives, they can't hurt it. Simple, easy, no cell phone plan, much simpler to set up, and about $10,000 cheaper!

Trapping is not nearly as much fun as hunting them however! Have had some memorable hunts out there in the dark. Most fun I ever had, had a sow with pigs come in right at sundown one night, feed plot conditions were such that every time I sent a round of buckshot, a little circle of dirt around the pig would fly up about 3 inches. Honestly, looked like a video game. Got pigs going opposite directions, turned them back on both sides, and they crossed paths. Swing one direction a couple shots, then swing the other. Knocked a couple pigs down, they got back up and took off again. I emptied the 870, no plug, slammed 4 more rounds of #4 buck in quick, started over, and emptied it again. When the dust settled and the smoke cleared, sow and 4 pigs were down, and it took a week to wipe the smile off my face. That was the coolest experience.
 
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