# Advice for riding trails in hog country



## ChieTheRider (May 3, 2017)

Ever since there's been logging going on in the woods surrounding us, the critters have been stirred up. There has been a recent jump in the feral hog population, more than I've seen since we've lived here. It's their rut season as well, so that's probably one of the reasons we hear them squealing at night. We've also been finding roadkill hogs, whereas before we didn't even know we had them back there. 

Recently I was trail riding with a friend and we came across a sow and a litter of piglets. Even my dog stayed back and didn't chase the pig, and she's a mix of some bulldog type. She loves hunting things, but when she saw that sow she stopped dead and let her run off into the woods. The horses did alright seeing them, they're used to cows and dogs on our property. However my mare was having a bit of a panic attack and didn't want to go past where they were on the trail. I know the dangers of these things for hikers, but what about on horseback? Usually with something big like a horse, smaller animals would rather avoid contact and the chance of something happening is rare. But again, these are hogs we're talking about. They're dangerous. Just the other day I found a dead sow in the woods. didn't mess with it, it looked like it might have died from some disease since it wasn't marred much. then again it had been laying there for a long time and it was hard to tell. I examined the head and teeth, and those canines. 

We're talking German Shepherd canines, and this is on a sow. The pig wasn't even that big, but heck, those teeth. 

I don't think I want to come in contact with one of those things, no way. It's not like they're everywhere, we don't see them too often, but often enough to know they're out there in the woods. Usually when I'm trail riding I have my dog with me. this dog just wandered onto our property and we took her in. She was smart and adjusted to the chickens and horses and other dogs and is really the best dog we've ever owned. She lived in these woods before we found her so I'm betting she knows when to leave well alone. Even so, hogs are known to tear up pretty much everything in their way if they get aggressive. 

Internet searches haven't come up with anything good, so does anyone know if a hog would attack a horse and rider, and if it did, what to do? I don't doubt my horse could outrun it if it charged (maybe not at close range, pigs are quick when close) but a panicked bolting horse might hurt worse than the hog. So I'd rather be sure of what to do than get hurt.


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

If you were close to where her litter was she would in a heart beat. Wild sow with piglets is by far more dangerous than a boar in my mind. We raised a baby when friends killed the sow and then felt sorry for baby. None of the horses would come near her. NONE. My son carrying her was enough to have them huffing and hauling *** for the other end of the pasture. You get away as far and fast as you can praying all the way. Top speed is 30mph and they can clear 3 ft of bush and scrub.


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## AtokaGhosthorse (Oct 17, 2016)

The sows are the ones you have to watch for. Keep in mind, they have excellent sense of smell, hearing, and sight. 

Where we ride, there's droves of them, and you can hear them just off the trails... my husband carries a .45 with him when we go and for that reason. If we're on foot in an area with wild hogs, esp. when there's litters on the ground, he carries an AR15.

I can tell you the last time we rode, our older Been There Done it All horse, Superman, would go to sleep while we waited on the hubs to put out the deer corn at his tree stand - the entire time we could hear wild hogs just yards away in the brush.

Trigger... was on high alert, fidgety, head up, nostrils huge, eyes wide.... and ready to haul grass out of there. He wanted NO part of anything that sounded or smelled like a wild pig, much less a gaggle of them. Gina wasn't as bad but she sure wasn't taking a nap. She was also on high alert. 

I figure if the horses want no dealings with the wild pigs, I'm going to trust their judgment on that. We just kept our ears open and moved out as far away from them as we could, as quietly as we could.

On the eyesight, I can tell you they can spot a hunter against a tree in full camo... hubs was on the ground last season while son was in his tree stand. It was youth season and son couldn't hunt without an adult present. So hubs was fully camoed, sitting motionless on the ground at the base of the tree. A band of wild hogs passed within 10 yards of my husband and the lead boar sniffed him out and turned on him and charged him. All he had was a hunting knife.

Son had to shoot the lead pig and all the others scattered. They are most unpleasant creatures and hubs said he'd rather deal with the mountain lions (terribly shy cats, despite their reputation) than the wild hogs.


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## Reiningcatsanddogs (Oct 9, 2014)

ChieTheRider said:


> Just the other day I found a dead sow in the woods. didn't mess with it, it looked like it might have died from some disease since it wasn't marred much. then again it had been laying there for a long time and it was hard to tell. I examined the head and teeth, and those canines.
> 
> We're talking German Shepherd canines, and this is on a sow. The pig wasn't even that big, but heck, those teeth.


What teeth? These teeth? 

My dogs brought this to me a bout a month ago.









And here I thought we had gotten rid of them on our property. For a size comparison, the dog in the background is a 90 lb, great dane, bull dog, whippit mix. That skull is almost as long as the dog.

I hate hogs...in the summer here in Texas they generally lay low in the heat and tend to come out most at night unless they have a reason to move. Unfortunately, I'd rather ride in the cooler hours as well. 

Just keep your ears and eyes open and watch your horse, they will probably give you the first signs that something is up ahead. If you do encounter one, get as far away from them as you can. 

Stay on your horse at all costs...my worst nightmare is getting tossed and then having my horse run off leaving me for the hog.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

this is totally creeping me out. Just reading about crazy feral hogs is creepy, creepy. makes my skin crawl.


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## mmshiro (May 3, 2017)

You are welcome.


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## AtokaGhosthorse (Oct 17, 2016)

Interestingly enough though - Gina has been used as a hog hunting horse before we bought her. She's had a comprehensive In the Rough riding education. Most hog hunters in this area go on horseback or on mules and have packs of crazy a&& pitbull or curr dog mix... 'catch' dogs. And they hunt at night.

No thanks. 

A couple of years ago a HUGE sow kept hanging around at the base of my daughter's tree stand. I mean massive. Best we can figure she smelled her up there, and y'know. There was usually corn out for the deer and turkeys... m'girl was 17? 18? at the time? She got tired of the sow and shot her in the head. Bad thing was, the carcass was so big it couldn't be dragged off easily, so she had to hunt a different tree stand for the rest of the season. *gags*


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

On a good note, the hogs eat the rattlesnakes...........


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

we don't have wild pigs here, so to me , it's an exotic problem, but a totally disgusting one. I've seen TV shows about how damaging they are, and how no matter how much you hunt them, they just out breed you. Feral hogs, like these., which are hybridized with the VERY powerful European wild hogs, are a real menace. 
I don't believe we should do anything less than total warfare to get rid of them. But, as I am not a resident there, I am not fully informed on the whole issue, so I know my opinion is uninformed, at best.

(I feel the same way about feral cats in Hawaii. they are VERY destructive. But, there it's a lot harder because so many cats are pets. Hard to target only the wild ones.)


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## ChieTheRider (May 3, 2017)

Well this evening my brother saw one on his bike and turned tail. This pig saw him, jumped towards him, then ran off into the woods. It wasn't scared of him. 

I worry about them tearing up my dogs and spooking the horse so I get tossed. I'm generally pretty good at staying on and I think I just need to ride with a buddy, take the bulldog mix, make a lot of noise, and stinkin' carry a gun. Those things are huge. We don't have the monsters out here as far as I've seen, but these pests breed like rabbits and then tear stuff up. They'll eat anything from calves to chickens. No way, this just might be war. There's not a bag limit for them on private land, which is where they are. Might just have to go shoot a few.

On the bright side, hog hunting.


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## ChieTheRider (May 3, 2017)

Celeste said:


> On a good note, the hogs eat the rattlesnakes...........


That's a good thing, there's a ton of those around here. But rattlesnakes don't weigh 500 pounds and come barreling at you.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

And, aren't rattlesnakes an important part of the ecology of the area. I mean, aren't they part of the natural ecosystem, developed over thousands and thousands of years, where the snakes eat small varmints, so have a value, themselves?


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## gunslinger (Sep 17, 2011)

tinyliny said:


> And, aren't rattlesnakes an important part of the ecology of the area. I mean, aren't they part of the natural ecosystem, developed over thousands and thousands of years, where the snakes eat small varmints, so have a value, themselves?


Not to worry Tiny.....from what I hear, Florida has plenty of Burmese pythons to replace them.

I've rode up on pigs a few times....they're around here, but not in as great of numbers as S. Georgia and Florida.....

Miss Lacy sure doesn't like pigs...


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## Reiningcatsanddogs (Oct 9, 2014)

tinyliny said:


> And, aren't rattlesnakes an important part of the ecology of the area. I mean, aren't they part of the natural ecosystem, developed over thousands and thousands of years, where the snakes eat small varmints, so have a value, themselves?



My husband caught this one near the house... we highly suspect it killed our neighbor's 165 lb dog (the neighbor's thought it was the dog's cancer when his leg swelled and he was having problems breathing, vet found the bite he was PTS)









Rattlesnakes will eat the "good" snakes like the rat snakes we are happy to see living around the house. Rattlesnakes aren't on the hogs preferred eating list though they will if they are hungry enough or the opportunity is too good to pass up.

We have had as many as six roadrunners around the house. They eat snakes (including venomous) they eat rats, lizards, mice. 









The raptors (mostly red tailed hawks and owls here) will eat snakes but, I think they prefer fluffy mammals (including cats and small dogs; ask me why I think that. No feral cat problem here!). 

Everything here seems to eat either bugs or rodents. The raptors, the bats, the foxes, the snakes...we seem though to have more than enough bugs here to go around. They say everything is bigger in Texas, they must have been thinking about the bugs! 

The insects like this centipede I found sitting in our hall bathroom sink, more so than snakes, are really more of a foundation of the eco system than anything else. Almost every sucessful species adapted to life here can and will eat insects.









The hogs though, root and a group can destroy huge patches of grazing land overnight. Forget it if they find your garden.

They will eat almost anything; grasses, forbs, roots and tubers, browse, mast (acorns), fruits, bulbs and mushrooms. Animal matter includes invertebrates (insects, snails, earthworms, etc.), reptiles, amphibians, and carrion (dead animals), as well as live mammals and birds if given the opportunity. Feral hogs are especially fond of acorns and domestic agricultural crops such as corn, milo, rice, wheat, soybeans, peanuts, potatoes, watermelons and cantaloupe. https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/nuisance/feral_hogs/ 

I have a friend who was seriously galled by a feral hog while deer hunting (almost died). He spent over a month in the hospital and months afterwards rehabilitating. It is estimated there are over 1.5 million feral hogs in Texas alone. 

I can remember when we first moved in here (at the time it was a rural location), I was sitting on the flagstone patio that overlooked the hills in the distance, enjoying the beautiful night and I hear some rustling in the brush just below me. Then I hear that snorting sound. My blood ran cold as that "thing" from the sound of it was only about ten-twenty feet away. 

I slowly stood up, backed away, turned and booked it the hundred feet to the house, slammed the door and stood there panting, my heart beating out of my chest in between I'm yelling "get the rifle". My husband grew up in suburbia and had no idea how dangerous those things can be so he thought I was being silly. We have been here now for sixteen years...he has since learned.


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

@Reiningcatsanddogs That centipede picture is more terrifying than the hogs and snakes put together.

About rattlesnakes; if we see them far away from houses and civilization sunning in the road, we leave them alone. If they are hanging around the house, I yell directions for my DH to shoot them. We leave non-venomous snakes alone always.

We had a pet cat that died from a rattlesnake bite. It got him right in the chest and he didn't take long to die.

We have feral hogs. There is a mounted giant boar head in my living room. :sad: (DH puts up with all my horse stuff)

They are actually pretty scarce around here. We have an abnormally large number of deer hunters around and there are few Georgia deer hunters than can resist shooting a feral hog if they see it. 

Some even eat them. I hope they cook them well so that they don't get Trichinosis or Toxoplasmosis or just die from being grossed out to death.


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## ChieTheRider (May 3, 2017)

Got this from a Florida extension site: _"Florida's wild hog population is second only to Texas'__s; the state is estimated to have more than 500,000 wild hogs in a relatively stable population" 
_



> They say everything is bigger in Texas, they must have been thinking about the bugs!


Ha! Florida's right on up there with the giant bugs. The horseflies are practically helicopters. Also, these pretties.


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## whisperbaby22 (Jan 25, 2013)

Where I grew up we had hogs that were originally brought in for hunting. There were not huge populations of them, and where I ride now in a riverbed we also have some feral hogs. I keep an eye out for rooting, and if I or my horse suspects hogs I turn and ride out. One thing you do not mess with.


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

Cooked. In. a pit. all. day. The meat falls apart. All the better to get the shot out as you don't want lead poisoning. Makes me miss the boucherie. Sausage, boudin and pit pork. Never could stomach hogshead cheese though.


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## Dustbunny (Oct 22, 2012)

After reading all these posts, I do believe I am quite happy here in the Pacific NW (west side if the Cascades) where many of the aforementioned critters do not reside.


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

gunslinger said:


> Not to worry Tiny.....from what I hear, Florida has plenty of Burmese pythons to replace them.
> 
> I've rode up on pigs a few times....they're around here, but not in as great of numbers as S. Georgia and Florida.....
> 
> Miss Lacy sure doesn't like pigs...


Well, those pythons should be able to eat those pigs! Seen videos of them taking on crocks
One invasive species controlling another????


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

We don't have feral pigs-well a few, as there was an attempt at game farming them here also, but when the 'writing appeared on the wall', far as how they can multiply, once they escape, there was a bounty placed on any feral hogs in Alberta, and it was also made illegal to game farm them.
I believe the problem got slightly more out of hand in Sask.

Horses never exposed to pigs, don't even like domestic pigs.

My mother, as a young girl, had to pick mushrooms for sale in the forests in Germany, and re counted as to how terrified she always was of running into wild pigs. She was only about 6 years old.

I imagine I would not take a dog with me, riding where there are wild pigs, unless that dog, like a cougar hound, is trained to hunt them.Otherwise, there is the danger of the dog bringing that pig back to you and the hroses-same as applies to riding in bear and cougar country
I read somewhere that the feral pigs in the USA have interbred with domestic pigs, so some are not exactly like the European boar

I am sure glad they never got out of hand here 
Saskatchewan can keep their boar problem!

https://globalnews.ca/news/3517136/wild-boar-population-continues-to-spread-across-saskatchewan/


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

WATCH ABOVE: During the 90s wild pigs were first introduced as a diversification initiative. Now, they're spreading and causing damage to crops in Saskatchewan.

- A A +
Listen
It’s a billion-dollar problem in the U.S. every year – wild boars wreaking havoc as they ravage land in 39 states and counting.

It’s also become an emerging issue of serious concern in Saskatchewan, after researchers at the University of Saskatchewan began studying them in 2007.'


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

Celeste said:


> @Reiningcatsanddogs That centipede picture is more terrifying than the hogs and snakes put together.
> 
> About rattlesnakes; if we see them far away from houses and civilization sunning in the road, we leave them alone. If they are hanging around the house, I yell directions for my DH to shoot them. We leave non-venomous snakes alone always.
> 
> ...


 Yeah, I feel for you!
Our living room walls, are a balance between my horse trophies and pictures and hubby;s hunting trophies
In fact, our present house required vaulted ceilings, to accommodate racks from 6 point elk, a grizzly hide, a wolf hide and wolf head mount, but I put my foot down on a head moose mount!
In the basement resides several deer mounts, an antelope head mount, and several black bear hides, with no space left for them to go on any wall


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Dustbunny said:


> After reading all these posts, I do believe I am quite happy here in the Pacific NW (west side if the Cascades) where many of the aforementioned critters do not reside.



that's how I feel. I know I'm spoiled . . . . but I dont' care.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

people should know by now that introducing an outside specie almost NEVER works. Introducing hogs??!!! OMG. disaster in the making.

Yeah, the feral hogs in the South are some kind of hybrid of recently domesticated pigs, and those that early colonists let go to forage on their own, which were more closely genetically related to the wild (and VERY aggressive and robust) European pigs. that's what some tv program on it was saying.


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## gunslinger (Sep 17, 2011)

Reiningcatsanddogs said:


> It is estimated there are over 1.5 million feral hogs in Texas alone.


Hummmm.....makes me wonder why the barbecue in Texas is beef?


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## Reiningcatsanddogs (Oct 9, 2014)

gunslinger said:


> Hummmm.....makes me wonder why the barbecue in Texas is beef?



Beef and Pork...pulled pork, fried pork chops, smoked pork ribs, pickled pigs feet, pork rinds....plenty of pork specialties here!


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

@gunslinger
I read your post and read" I rode up on some pigs" as, " I rode on some pigs". 

See, knowing you, it didn't seem that implausible. 



(That's a compliment)


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## Kaifyre (Jun 16, 2016)

My family is originally from Houston and I grew up listening to my dad's feral hog horror stories. I've never seen one personally, and I have no intention of doing so - from pictures and videos I've seen, not to mention first hand experiences I've listened to, they seem like a terrible thing to come across out in the middle of nowhere. I will say we had a small population of feral hogs in Nevada when my parents bought me my first horse. Dad read a few newspaper articles about how the hogs were tearing up land, and heard several people complain that the hogs were scaring their horses, and rounded up some volunteers to take care of the feral hog problem before it snowballed. It took them a year but to this day there are no more feral hogs in the Logandale area - or at least, people don't see any evidence of them. When I asked him about it he always told me, "I won't have those pigs scaring Mirage enough to dump you while you're out riding and have you end up gutted."

-- Kai


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## gunslinger (Sep 17, 2011)

tinyliny said:


> @*gunslinger*
> I read your post and read" I rode up on some pigs" as, " I rode on some pigs".
> 
> See, knowing you, it didn't seem that implausible.
> ...


And pigs fly......

In Cincinnati, that is....

Lol.


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## AtokaGhosthorse (Oct 17, 2016)

Smilie said:


> We don't have feral pigs-well a few, as there was an attempt at game farming them here also, but when the 'writing appeared on the wall', far as how they can multiply, once they escape, there was a bounty placed on any feral hogs in Alberta, and it was also made illegal to game farm them.
> I believe the problem got slightly more out of hand in Sask.
> 
> Horses never exposed to pigs, don't even like domestic pigs.
> ...


MOST of the wild pigs actually were once domestic hogs that either escaped or were turned out. I'm excluding the old world pigs that came to the Americas in the 1500s. Those became naturalized if you will. Until the modern breeds were allowed to get loose and get out of hand (for gaming etc) razorbacks and javelinas weren't a huge problem.

Now, its open season here in Oklahoma. We have a friend that's recently lost his job with the health/food inspector office due to cut backs (After 19 years) and he's hired on instead with the department of wildlife - he's being trained to hunt wild pigs from a helicopter. ANother friend of ours has purchased an industrial sized trap with remote sensors that send a message to his cell phone, then he can go to a live stream of the camera, watch until the biggest bunch of hogs are in the trap, then press a button and BOOM. Pigs are trapped. Then he goes out, hooks on to the cage, it rolls up onto a trailer built for it... and then the pigs are disposed of. 

The destruction they can do to a field is just astonishing. Last time we rode on a friend's 800 acres, we had to really watch where we went because the open areas were mine fields with the huge holes the pigs root up. Tall grass would lay over the hole and neither us, nor our horses, could see the holes. :x


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## AtokaGhosthorse (Oct 17, 2016)

So there's this advice too - watch for pig ruts and steer clear of the minefields they leave behind. They'll till a field up and if the grass is just right, it can lay over and hide the holes.


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## ChieTheRider (May 3, 2017)

AtokaGhosthorse said:


> So there's this advice too - watch for pig ruts and steer clear of the minefields they leave behind. They'll till a field up and if the grass is just right, it can lay over and hide the holes.


I have to watch for holes anyhow, the armadillos dig enormous ones. But in the field I sometimes ride in there is what looks like cow wallows, but there's no cows and they're messier so it's most likely pig.


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## Avna (Jul 11, 2015)

Yep, feral pigs are a *big* problem out here. In many ways. But it reminds me of a story ... back when my good working Aussie dog Bonnie was young and foolish (she's almost 15 now), I was hiking in the woods by my house and a mama sow about the size of a small refrigerator crossed the trail in front of us and behind her, a whole troupe of little striped piglets. Bonnie stood there and watched them with me, and then, when the last little one went past, she got it in her head to cut it out and herd it back to me. Holy s**t! It's dodging and squealing and she's heading it and blocking it and of course I'm yelling THAT'LL DO! (herding dog speak for quit working and get back here). It seemed like an eternity before she obeyed me although it may have only been a few seconds. 

Nothing happened. 

People who hunt those pigs are doing a public service.


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

AtokaGhosthorse said:


> MOST of the wild pigs actually were once domestic hogs that either escaped or were turned out. I'm excluding the old world pigs that came to the Americas in the 1500s. Those became naturalized if you will. Until the modern breeds were allowed to get loose and get out of hand (for gaming etc) razorbacks and javelinas weren't a huge problem.
> 
> Now, its open season here in Oklahoma. We have a friend that's recently lost his job with the health/food inspector office due to cut backs (After 19 years) and he's hired on instead with the department of wildlife - he's being trained to hunt wild pigs from a helicopter. ANother friend of ours has purchased an industrial sized trap with remote sensors that send a message to his cell phone, then he can go to a live stream of the camera, watch until the biggest bunch of hogs are in the trap, then press a button and BOOM. Pigs are trapped. Then he goes out, hooks on to the cage, it rolls up onto a trailer built for it... and then the pigs are disposed of.
> 
> The destruction they can do to a field is just astonishing. Last time we rode on a friend's 800 acres, we had to really watch where we went because the open areas were mine fields with the huge holes the pigs root up. Tall grass would lay over the hole and neither us, nor our horses, could see the holes. :x


Well, the wild pigs in western Canada, are from direct imports of the European wild boars, as an attempt at game farming diversity, and no domestic escaped hybrids
Soon as those wild pigs started to escape Game farms, and with the precedent in the States, Alberta became very proactive in not going down the same path.
Thus game farming of wild European boars was made illegal, and bounties were placed on those that had escaped.
Saskatchewan dropped the ball, and not sure if they now have the problem under control
Thus, to be clear, the wild European Boar was never introduced as a species here, other then bowing to the game farm lobbies, and then that allowance was quickly rescinded.


http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-extends-wild-boar-eradication-program-1.2784402


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

On further reading< i guess the European boar was imported as an agricultural diversification here also. I thought they were only in game farms.
Anyway, take a look in this link at the teeth on those suckers!
There was a Wild Boar farming operation not that far from us, but now shut down. When the bounty came out , hubby hunted them, but never saw one.Thank God, as I don't want a head mount, like that boar in the link below, on any walls in my house!

Wild boars in western Canada: ?ecological trainwreck?


I have never seen one,except in behind a proper enclosure-touch wood!


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

That terrifying creature looks a lot like the one on my living room wall. He wanted to hang it in the bedroom, but I put my foot down. Can you imagine the nightmares......


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## AtokaGhosthorse (Oct 17, 2016)

Smilie said:


> On further reading< i guess the European boar was imported as an agricultural diversification here also. I thought they were only in game farms.
> Anyway, take a look in this link at the teeth on those suckers!
> There was a Wild Boar farming operation not that far from us, but now shut down. When the bounty came out , hubby hunted them, but never saw one.Thank God, as I don't want a head mount, like that boar in the link below, on any walls in my house!
> 
> ...


I have seen one of the european lineage. Some hog hunters and a friend of ours caught one and had it alive, in a trailer. Nasty tempered, mean and hairy stinking s.o.b too. The sound of those teeth being ground and clacked together is something that'll raise the hair on your neck. They really are something and I hope I don't run into one in the wild.

If I'm understanding correctly, the javelinas we have around here are far more shy and small enough they aren't a threat unless you run up on a sow with piglets. I have never seen a javelina btw. Just the bigger feral type and the feral/wild european type.


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## ChieTheRider (May 3, 2017)

Summary of this discussion: pigs are gross, lets get some catahoula curs and a .308 and get the heck rid of them.


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## Mulefeather (Feb 22, 2014)

After reading through this thread, I am SO HAPPY to live in Pennsylvania. The worst we deal with here are black bears coming down off the mountains to forage. Thankfully as long as you don't surprise a sow with cubs, they'll run as soon as they see you.


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## AtokaGhosthorse (Oct 17, 2016)

ChieTheRider said:


> Summary of this discussion: pigs are gross, lets get some catahoula curs and a .308 and get the heck rid of them.


I'd go with something bigger (overkill is underrated) and have some catch dogs too - usually pits or pit mixes - ride out with you.


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## ChieTheRider (May 3, 2017)

Catahoula x some kind of bulldog or pit would be great. Hows a 12 gauge with slugs sound?


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

ChieTheRider said:


> Summary of this discussion: pigs are gross, lets get some catahoula curs and a .308 and get the heck rid of them.


I think, once the problem gets out of hand, those pigs, whether hybrids or direct European wild boars are difficult, if not almost impossible to irradiate
They can produces several litters each year, become very 'smart' at evading humans and any hunting attempts, can become nocturnal,and difficult to track down, esp in rough country.
I am not sure any dog would really stand much of a chance against the European wild boars we have
I think the 'horse has gotten out the barn, before the door was closed, on this one!
"we'now certainly have sparrows and pigeons forever, and the Everglades aren;t making any progress , far as those pythons.


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## Spanish Rider (May 1, 2014)

> I am not sure any dog would really stand much of a chance against the European wild boars we have.


Here, our wild boars (jabalíes) are not hunted with dogs. Hunters make stands in trees up above their feeding sites, as the males are known to turn and attack anyone shooting at them. If anyone is having problems with wild boars, I have seen a hunter friend of ours make an effective trap for an ambush: make holes in a 30 gal plastic drum, fill with some corn feed, and tie it with a long rope lead to a tree in a clearing where the boars are known to feed at night. When they start rolling the drum around to get at the corn, it makes a heck of a lot of noise, grab your shotgun and get in your stand. Easy pickins, or so he says (and he has trophies all over the house, even in the bedroom, *Celeste*!)


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## whisperbaby22 (Jan 25, 2013)

Just about any area you ride in is going to have challenges. Out here, I have to look out for rattlers and pigs. You just have to be aware of what you are doing. During snake season, don't stick your hand under a rock. I've seen plenty of snakes in my life, and never been bitten. Same with the hogs. I've only caught glimpses of them. Even if I have to ride a ways around, I just leave.


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## Kriva (Dec 11, 2015)

Our dog is specifically bred for hog hunting as the feral hog population here is Texas has been out of control for a very long time. Her breed is also used for tracking, which is what we use her for. We usually just track deer that have been shot, but will also use her for hogs that have been shot. We do not use her specifically for hog hunting as you really need a pack of catch dogs for that. When we take her out to track she gets her "special collars" put on her. One is a tracking collar with a GPS and the other is a collar made for hog dogs that is very wide and thick...it may have some kevlar in it as well. A cornered hog will usually fight back and go for a dog's head and neck area. 

She has tracked hogs that had been shot but didn't die. They are not happy when they are cornered and the safety of our dog is in great jeopardy. Luckily her instinct is amazing and she has not yet been hurt. I hope she never is. 

All this being said...I have not had a feral hog come at me but they definitely will. That's why we carry a pistol with us when we are out in the woods. They will also go after a dog, and/or a dog might go after them. If you are riding in an area that is known to have a hog problem and you are taking your dog with you (which is good for your protection), I'd suggest looking into some sort of protective gear for your dog. I believe they also make "blankets" to go on your dog that will help protect it from a hog.


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## AtokaGhosthorse (Oct 17, 2016)

ChieTheRider said:


> Catahoula x some kind of bulldog or pit would be great. Hows a 12 gauge with slugs sound?


Wild hogs suddenly make the argument: Why would anyone need an assault rifle? take on a justification. 

Hubs seriously has used an AR 15 before, didn't ask the caliber. Most of the time its a 7mm-08 since that's what he deer hunts with and that's when he shoots the bulk of them. If we're on the horses, he takes a Judge loaded with .45s... just in case.


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

I am pretty sure that my main dog would not be too good at killing hogs. She has attacked full grown o'possums, raccoons, and armadillos. Here is my 15 pound attack dog.


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## ChieTheRider (May 3, 2017)

This is my dog who rides trails with me, she's possibly part pit and/or catahoula. (pics here bc I I'm lazy) http://www.horseforum.com/other-pets/what-do-you-think-she-777738/ We came across a sow on the trail and she just stopped and let her pass. She's not stupid and leaves the hogs alone. We'll ride down to the river and have a picnic and throw rocks in the water and she'll come with us and not fight dogs or chase people. There's a leash law there so we have to tie her as soon as we get there or just let her follow us. Even so when I go on the back trails (IF I go, the landowners closed the gates so I can't get in for some reason) she might just stay home. She did live out in the woods before she turned up at our place so it's not like she doesn't know what a pig or a deer is. 

She's great at home for killing the armadillos. Grabs them by the head and crunches. Only dog I know that effectively kills those possums in a half shell.


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

Well, those of you living south of the boarder, are lucky to be able to carry hand guns, we in Canada cannot
Thus riding in cougar, grizzly and wolf country, not to mention feral hoses, with amorous bachelor studs at times, either have to pack a rifle or hope bear spray works, in a time it is needed. Of course, might have to ask that bear to stand downwind!
I have been fortunate in the fact that while I have seen grizzlies several times, I never came upon one suddenly,or got between a sow and a cub, so in those cases, the bear left.
However,not all are so lucky, esp since grizzlies are now protected, thus have lost their fear of man to a great extent.In fact, during hunting season,gun fire has become a 'dinner bell', spelling gut pile.More then one hunter has come back to pack an elk out, to find a grizzly has claimed it
Several years ago, a bow hunter was killed and partly eaten, by a sow grizzly and her two cubs, just across the highway from us .It is not unusual for a grizzly to attack and even kill a human here, everyone in awhile.
Black bears are hunted, and usually not as aggressive as a grizzly, plus most bear attack fatalities are attributed to grizzlies.
One year a cross country skiier was killed by a cougar. The cougar population was really up one year, just locally, with school kids not allowed to go out at recess, as there was a cougar kill right in Sundre
If you ride in a national park, you are not allowed to carry firearms of any kind

A rifle packed in a scabbard on your horse, is useless, should you and the horse part company,unless you taught your horse to shoot!


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

ChieTheRider,all I know is your dog looks like some sort of pit bull.
Our dog, that rides with me, is a Heinz 57 taht I rescued. We usually don't ride in National Parks, so can take a dog.The no dog rule in national parks exists because if a dog finds a bear, likely to bring him back to you and your hrose.
Once, we ran into some bachelor studs, that did not take 'no; for an answer, far as their interest in my mare. Told my dog to 'get them', and it was like'is this a trick command, as I know I am not allowed to chase horses'!


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## Folly (Jan 27, 2015)

We are looking for rural recreational property in Oklahoma/Arkansas/Texas/Kansas area... and I've learned to spot the signs of feral pigs. Holy cow they are everywhere! I had no idea. And it's definitely open season on them around here... I was researching local hunting regulations, and basically you can hunt them any time any place with any thing (assuming you have permission to be on the land). If you want to hunt them at night (a no-no on about anything else), you just have to let fish and game know you'll be doing it (there's even a phone app so you can log on and instantly tell them!! Not making this up.....). They want to make it really easy...

Funny thing is, I think I used to mistake their prints for deer... they are rather similar especially on firmer soil, but where they can sink in the differences are clear. Nasty, messy creatures.

(sorry the pics are sideways... they are fine on my screen... not worth the effort to troubleshoot).


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## lsdrider (Jun 27, 2012)

Check your game laws, ours are very liberal with feral pigs (even though they are pretty rare in MI). 
While I dismount before shooting game, it's a perfect excuse for learning to shoot off your horse! LOL (It could be useful in a defensive situation)
And a new gun...
And a nice new holster or scabbard...
And plenty of practice...


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## ChieTheRider (May 3, 2017)

FLs hog laws are pretty much shoot them whenever you want, even at night in some cases, and in archery season you have to use a bow in some places. 

Other than that, bang. I'm currently getting my horse used to things like that. a BB gun doesn't bother her...hehe that's a far cry from the caliber minimum needed to kill a charging hog.


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

lsdrider said:


> Check your game laws, ours are very liberal with feral pigs (even though they are pretty rare in MI).
> While I dismount before shooting game, it's a perfect excuse for learning to shoot off your horse! LOL (It could be useful in a defensive situation)
> And a new gun...
> And a nice new holster or scabbard...
> And plenty of practice...


Lol, they say you can shoot off of any horse-once!

If I was using a gun off a horse, I would most likely use the ear plugs mounted shooters use
nOpe, when I hunt with hubby, ie, go along for the riding experience, as I don't shoot, hubby gets off to shoot while I Hold the hroses
When there were still tags for grizzly bears, that proved kinda interesting, as the bear was circling back to where I was with the horses. I did have that app mare off the track, and recalled the old saying that you did not need to outrun the bear, just your companion!


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## ChieTheRider (May 3, 2017)

Found a little runty male hog dead in the neighbors field today. It looked like someone killed it and took the tusks. But there were multiple bones broken and jutting out of the body, so I'm not sure how they killed it. Might have been roadkill they drug off. Just glad it wasn't alive lol.


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## Reiningcatsanddogs (Oct 9, 2014)

Ran across this article and apparently, England has its own wild boar issue and it isn't confined to the woods...Dubbed Pigzilla.

Wouldn't want to meet up with this monster!

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/humongous-wild-boar-dubbed-pigzilla-12011991


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## Kaifyre (Jun 16, 2016)

Good lord ... is that a boar or an elephant?

-- Kai


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