Sure enough, there is a population of hogs in Pennsylvania. Well I'll be dipped. Hogs in PA

Well, sir, you were looking for something closer to home. Seems like the PA Game Commission might afford you the opportunity. Definitely worth looking at.

There are some in New York also !

Hip

Hip: WAS!

Like has been said many times:

"IF you don't have feral hogs yet,
you will before long".

George

quote:

"IF you don't have feral hogs yet,
you will".

Sorry George, but that is the actual saying here in Texas.

I read claims from NY state that there was a hog population and they were eradicated. I think it was NY yet may have my states mixed up a little bit.
Worth mentioning is that unexpectedly, hog hunting in some northern break-out states has been made illegal. They claimed that hunting pressure tends to push the pop further out from the initial point of introduction into the wild making them difficult to trap and dispatch/eradicate.
Some also made it illegal to free wild hogs (such as Eurasian hogs) into the wild for sport hunting.

Pennsylvania currently allows hog hunting with a regular PA license. That could change if the Game Commission decides to go the trap & dispatch path to eradication.
From what I could gather from hunters. PA hogs aren't everywhere. The last pop report I saw (open to update) was only 3,000 head.
Hardly worth a trip to go hunt PA hogs.

quote:

Pennsylvania currently allows hog hunting with a regular PA license

Any game department that requires a lic. or has other restrictions on killing feral hogs.

Is not truly interested in getting rid of them.

They are more concerned about raising funds.

They should adopt a anytime, anywhere, any means policy.

UPDATE: Crop damage exceptions exist in Pennsylvania. One area is already closed for hog hunting. Here's the scoop.
http://www.pgc.pa.gov/HuntTrap...%20Feral%20Swine.pdf

quote:

Any game department that requires a lic. or has other restrictions on killing feral hogs.

Is not truly interested in getting rid of them.

They are more concerned about raising funds.

They should adopt a anytime, anywhere, any means policy

From what I have seen, Game Departments have to experience the damage pigs cause before they open their eyes/minds. They cannot seem to grasp the idea that the damn things cannot be managed no matter what the information from other states Game Departments shows.

I hear that Randall. 100% agreed. My info on Northern states still had a good point albeit not a fix for all hog populations elsewhere.

My conclusion is that the only way to fend off any 'invasive species' is to attack them early on in their introduction. After they become established, it's too late and too expensive (?) to control without affecting other things in a negative way.

So, yeah, Texas and other prolific states are always going to have hogs. Potentially tasty, fun to shoot hogs. Damaging, game species eating bastards, yup.

quote:

My conclusion is that the only way to fend off any 'invasive species' is to attack them early on in their introduction.

Humans are very good at getting rid of things they don't want.

Put a bounty on hogs it making worth while spending time killing them

Pass any time any how no lic required regulations.

One would start seeing reductions it has been done with wolves, ect.

We killed of millions of buffalo because it was worth making money on them.

I did some research on hog hunting in most states that said they had hog problems.

The restrictions on time, place, calibers lic fees ect.

Their mapping of where the hogs were was terrible.

Told me that they were really not that interested having their hogs killed off.

On top it off we have people selling hog hunts who have a financial interest in supporting a certain amount of hogs on their property.

It is like Florida with there snake problem a short season restrictions on who can do it lic fees ect. Tells me they are not interested in getting rid of the invasive stakes.

A anytime, any place, anyway, any body and some cash would go a long ways.

Lot of actual truth in that response.

I think a bounty system here in Texas has merit, until you get to thinking about folks just riding the roads trying to find hogs close enough to the road to shoot and then drag before the landowner or his agent or the local GW comes along anbd catches them.

I have a feeling that feral hogs will eventually make enough of an impact nationwide that real effort will be put forth in an attempt to reduce their numbers because I do not believe they can be managed in any manner to keep them from overpopulating any area. JMO.

Living here in Pa. I can tell you the few we have are escapees be it from shooting preserves or misguided hunters frustrated with the Game Commission over low deer number and wanting something to hunt.
The PGC is completely broke not cash strapped but broke and have tried to place a tag on them in the past to raise money. Not so much anymore they will tell you to just shoot on sight . The landowners whom have a few hogs shoot them off themselves rather than publishing their addresses and having too many hunters trampling their property.

Sounds about right. But I hadn't known about the tag deal. I hope they fizzle out just from landowner pressure. There a some nice hunters out there. But, there's always the ones that don't have any respect for private property.
Happy hunting.
If you see a really old buck with a wide rack in northern Clearfield county this season, don't shoot. That one's mine.

PA has had a hunting license LONG before any hogs might have gotten loose, so just keep it. and low deer numbers there a joke. Idiots who don't want to actually go out and hunt, so bitch. Pa instituted an antler restriction, and now better deer being taken. Hunters bitched, but has gotten better. AND PA still have the 375,000 a year, deer kill it has had for years. They kill another 50k on the highways. If you not getting a deer in PA, because you not putting time into hunting right.

I just spent a couple days in near 100 degrees temps putting in food plots on my land for the deer and Turkey....where were these guys who bitch ...oh yeah in the a.c. behind their computers.

tysu

2th doc

I don't see anyone complaining here about licenses or deer hunting.
Did I miss something?
The jist of my post is about hogs in PA that until a couple months ago I thought was just a rumor.

CB

That's cause up to this point only you and I are the only two from Pa. making comments an you were not aware of a PGC effort to impose a tag fee on feral hogs in what they deemed "controlled harvest". An honestly can you even try to deny Pa. hunters dissatisfaction with the over harvest of anterless deer statewide?

No. I can't deny that whiners still exist.

My only whine is about those hunters that shoot 4 does and then give the meat away.

Most of the whiners I've met are hunting state game lands (high pressure) where the herds are still very small. What I see as a contributing factor to this in addition to the abrupt high doe tag issues, is that not only do crop damage hunts have an affect, more and more farm land previously open to hunting with permission is being leased to re-sellers for profit because crop prices are not so hot these days and leasing to hunting helps make ends meet. Thus, putting more pressure on public hunting grounds. Other factors contribute. Point being, I don't blame them one bit. My local hunting spot was sold to build houses. I get it.
I can't imagine the taxes on a 2-3 million dollar farm.

All one has to do is spotlight at 10 P.M. This is a good gauge of the herd size. Been doing that for 45 years at the same 6-8 fields, apples to apples.

I'm not bitchin', simply stating the facts. I never did like hunting in a 'circus' environment like SGL's. Too dang crowded. I just head to the local one, once in a while to see if anything has changed. Same for another former good spot, 4 hunters on the ridge in the middle of the field in a tent blind, 2 up a tree within 20 feet of my stand, one below in the woods in a ground blind, all this when there used to be just me and another guy and his daughter hunting this 30 acre plot.

I'm happy to scout for another local spot for deer and always ask permission first, posted or not. After a couple dozen NO's locally, I found a dandy spot a few hours away not far from by buddy's deer camp that we hunted in the mid 1980's. Then found another dandy spot a dozen miles from there. No nice-sized bucks yet. But, the point remains, seek and ye shall find. Just takes bit more looking these days.