But Bubba, Bob's fellow bowman, was never very good with counting and at TWO his arrow was launched. That one second delay caused the more patient.
Boar Are Never Boring! (Part 1) 11/12/2008 This was going to be kinderspiel (child’s play). Both archers would “release” at the inaudible count of 3; and two wild boar would bite the south Texas dust. But Bubba, Bob’s fellow bowman, was never very good with counting and at TWO his arrow was launched. That one second delay caused the more patient and professional of the pair to hit his intended target high, and in the ham. Bubba (not his real name but it ought to be) got his boar loaded up on the four-wheeler and headed out, while Bob searched the ground for tracks and any arrows he could rescue. As he glanced up from the hard baked ground he caught sight of the wounded boar, or perhaps it was the other way around; but it didn’t matter who saw whom first. The boar put its head down and charged right at him squealing bloody murder. There is an invasion going on in these United States, and for once it isn’t two legged, but the dreaded four legged Sus scrofa, aka the wild boar. Few people know that the hog was domesticated as long ago as 7,000 B.C. Thanks to Cortes, DeSoto and LaSalle, these oinkers made their way to the New World a few hundred years ago. They’ve been in Texas since the 1680’s and right now there are over 2 million feral hogs in the Lone Star state. As a matter of fact, 50% of all feral hogs in the U.S. “reside” there. A look at the map below shows how they have nearly saturated every county.
Map courtesy of Texas Cooperative Extension. Texas A&M University System Bulletin # 6149, May 2004 p.4 So how did all of these critters get so out of control? Well, it seems that when hard times hit settlers in this part of the country just abandoned their stock, pulled up stakes and moved elsewhere. These hogs, formerly domesticated, now became free ranging, and feral over a short period of time. To add to the
quandary, in the 1930’s some sportsman and ranchers released Eurasian boar for hunting purposes. These then bred with the ones already in the wild. So today there are three strains left. First there are the Eurasian. Second, there are the feral (escaped or released domestic hogs) and lastly; hybrids which are a combination of the first two. According to wildlife biologists, the Eurasian breed no longer exists in its pure form. Extremely prolific, they can produce two litters averaging from 10-13 piglets every 12 to 15 months depending on the available food source. Feral hogs are social creatures and travel in groups known as sounders. Adult male boars that reach the age of 18 months are solitary and only enter the herd for breeding purposes. Some adult boar will travel as much as 15 miles in a day in search of food and water. They don’t see very well, but they have an incredible sense of smell and hearing. Essentially nocturnal, they will sometimes be found in the early morning hours or late afternoon if the air temperature is conducive to movement. When it comes to eating, they are omnivorous gourmands. Boar will devour carrion, amphibians, reptiles, eggs, birds, small mammals, and the young of wild mammals and livestock. They wreak havoc on corn, melons and tomatoes, inflicting 52 million dollars in damage every year. Females average around 110 pounds, whereas males are closer to 130. But, the big bad boys can get into the 200-400 weight range; and that was my goal as I headed to Texas in 2001 to thin out the population on Bob’s ranch located near Valley Wells in the godforsaken area known as Dimmit County. Originally the ranch was being managed for increasing both the number and quality of white tail deer. The feeders that were strategically placed on the property were raided daily by marauding “sounders” that in some instances literally chased the deer away. Bob was faced with the double challenge of improving the deer stock and eradicating as many swine as possible. Migs, as he is affectionately known, has dropped anywhere from 750-1,000 hogs, and is without a doubt a maven when it comes to boar hunting. I jumped at his invitation, and with my 1900 Krag-Jorgenson carbine, headed south. Now just to give you an idea how out of control this situation is, please keep in mind that you do not need a license; nor is there a bag limit, or minimum caliber requirement. You can hunt them at night, with dogs, on foot, on horseback or by helicopter. You can trap them, snare them, or bait them. In other words—anything goes.
A medium sized boar caught in a live trap. Notice corn in left rear background. (photo by C. Priore) “You can use a full auto Thompson, if you have one,” Bob said on the phone. My first exposure to these exciting creatures was from a tree stand about 35 yards from a corn feeder. No joking aside, but my heart skipped a beat the very first time I saw these wily pests. They virtually appeared out of thin air and there were about 20 of them grunting, squealing and pushing each other out of the way to savor the corn kernels that were scattered on the ground. What was also fascinating was the wide variety of coloration. There were red heads, brunettes, white, spotted, belted, and some with blue or gray roan patterns.
Here is an example of a deer/feral hog feeder. Notice steel trap in right of photo. (photo C. Priore)
