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I sat in a ‘Kanzel’ on a bait last night. At around 21h00 in pouring rain, a sow and 6 piglets came in. They have been hitting the bait nightly for the last 3 weeks plus. The piglets are loosing their stripes and likely pushing 10 kgs. They cleaned the bait site up in 30 minutes with the sow flighting between the bushes and trees and the bait site. Then, on her grunt, they departed as one ....

Why did I not shoot something? Well this is the interesting aspect of hunting in Germany.

Firstly, custom and code dictates that you never ever shoot a sow that has piglets. Never. Period. To do so you would damage your reputation as an ethical hunter / sportsman and likely see no more invites from hunting friends to shoot on their grounds for some time. Sure mistakes can be made but here we know this sow and her hoglets well! You shoot the sow and the piglets would likely split up and not survive.

OK so why not shoot the ‘stripers’? Well here the answer is two fold. One, that to do so would likely panic the sounder and split it up with some of the piglets getting lost and possibly dying. And two, by keeping the mother and young intact as a group, they are coming on to the bait every night and not hitting the crops in the nearby fields! Hence we are limiting potential and costly crop damage not shooting them (yet)!

I guess in a week or two when the piglets are around 15 kgs then it will be time to start taking them off. And then the question is whether to use a rifle and try for 1 or maybe with luck and a quick reload a double or whether to use a shotgun and buckshot when the hoglets are grouped up on one of the bait holes and try for 3 or 4!!

But for now mum and the piglets are the winners!


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Custom in Texas is shoot the sow and hope the coyotes get the piglets! Good story!

Charlie:

NO damned wonder hogs are taking over
the world with that attitude.

Isn't hogs dying what the games all about?

Yeah I know about property rules if you
want to keep going back you've gotta abide 'em.

Far as feeding them to keep 'em outta the fields
Put that on the very doubtful list!

Have fun mate,

George

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George! That made me smile!! Let's put it under the 'label' of 'management'. Appreciate that the American approach and African approach may be a shade different .....

We have held this sow and piglets for about 4 weeks now and in two to three weeks their time will come - hoglets first then the sow. Looking forward to some good corn feed pork!

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Different stand last night .... 2 miles from the other one .... and same thing but with two sows and seven hoglets, stripped. Cleaned the bait site in an hour and left. Frustrating as I need to put something in the freezer asap!

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Go fishing then, ha!
George