We went to the ranch yesterday to do some work. I decided to pull my camera cards and take a look.

I got home. I was tired and in a bad mood. It had been a long day. We got stuck twice which was all caused by a worker not letting me know that he had gotten stuck there. That killed a lot of time. My best food plot/feeder attracted the attention of a bear (there aren't supposed to be any in the area). He proceed to wreck the feeder.

So here I sit, dirty as hell, tired as hell looking at my pictures on the computer. I see some hogs that look kind of weird. I tell my wife that I think this one has an ear tag. I can't tell for sure.

Several pictures later, I get a better, closer picture. Sure as hell, this hog has an ear tag with a 5 digit number on it. Nothing else. There are at least 3 of them with the tag but different numbers. I have never seen or heard of anything like this in my life.

I have called the Florida Wildlife Commission to inquire. I am awaiting an answer. My guess is that these are escapees from a farm somewhere. I want to make sure. I would hate to whack them then find out I have committed a felony.

Has anyone ever heard of anything like this?

Check on strayed livestock laws in Fla. Here in La. you can pen stray horses, cows, etc. and bill the owner for feed and care. Hogs are considered as being destructive and you can shoot them. I think if domestic you can't keep the meat. GW

Then again, there's always the 3-S rule, shoot, shovel, shut up.

Since you have a bear on the feeder you will have to do one of two things. Quit feeding for a few weeks and hope the bear leaves the area or suspend the feeder. If you suspend it make sure the bear can't climb the tree. They will climb the tree and shake the feeder to drop feed. I've found the best way is too suspend the feeder between two trees with cable and use a boat winch too raise and lower the feeder. You will need too put corrugated metal or tin around the trees so that the bear can't climb.

I would not mount one with the ear tags on it. Otherwise, I'd shoot it, remove ear tag and carefully cover tag with a heel of dirt and clean hog, all subject to Florida law, of course.

quote:

Originally posted by Johnny reb:
Since you have a bear on the feeder you will have to do one of two things. Quit feeding for a few weeks and hope the bear leaves the area or suspend the feeder. If you suspend it make sure the bear can't climb the tree. They will climb the tree and shake the feeder to drop feed. I've found the best way is too suspend the feeder between two trees with cable and use a boat winch too raise and lower the feeder. You will need too put corrugated metal or tin around the trees so that the bear can't climb.

That is exactly what I have done in areas with bears.

This f'ing thing knocked off my spinner. Of course, all 500 pounds of my corn spills out . Then he never came back.

quote:

Originally posted by Gatogordo:
I would not mount one with the ear tags on it. Otherwise, I'd shoot it, remove ear tag and carefully cover tag with a heel of dirt and clean hog, all subject to Florida law, of course.

None of these are big. Probably good eating.

If I have to have an escapee, why can't it be hogzilla?

Hogzilla, you say?

I had a Hogzilla sandwich at lunch- Pulled Pork, topped with a Bratwurst, then Bacon, and finally, Pepperjack cheese.

Where's the nearest farmers? Might make you popular with them to ask around who has lost some pigs.
And/or call the local sale barns with the tag numbers. They should be able to check their records for the buyers info.
George

FWC confirms it is legal to shoot them. Their belief is that they are escapees. They did not tag them.

They also raised another possibility . These could be bar hogs. Hogs that could be caught ,castrated and released. The tags marked them as such. While at least possible, most either cut an ear or the tail when doing this. Plus it made no sense to me for there to be a number on the tag if this was the case. What would the purpose be?

I went back and looked at the photos. It took a while to tell but at least one is a sow. There goes the bar hog theory.

We called the Levy County Sheriff's department to unofficially report this and inquire if there were any reports of hogs escaping. The deputy said not to his knowledge. However there had been some hog thefts reported but they were quite a few miles away.

I looked again last night before I erased the card. Some of these number are really close together. I am betting on escapees.

If these show when bow season arrives, I imagine their life expectancy will be short.

Hogs running loose awhile can and will travel quite a distance. Folks reporting thefts may not want to acknowledge they got out and left the area. Just missing, so the first thing they come up with is theft and report it that way. Hogs are hard as hell to keep inside a fence if they want out. One goes, the rest will sure as hell follow.

Livestock sales tag lots or most animals sold thru the places. Pigs are very likely to have been vaccinated, that merits a tag for the records.
Could you tell if the tags were stuck on, or pinned thru the ears? Did you take notes of the numbers you could read and still have them?

Deputies likely don't know a hell of a lot. By the time you get back there, they may be elsewhere too. Did he offer to provide any names of the folks that lost hogs? Might be worth asking for them, and/or a small ad in the local papers just to be safe and clear any conscience problems you may have later.

Just some thoughts from being around livestock much of my life.

George