Wild Boar in Alberta

[frazzlehead]

First let me confess that I am a city person transplanted to the country, so I don't know much about some of the things that are probably common sense to people raised in rural communities.

I was reading my county newspaper the other day and saw that there is a bounty of $50 for every wild boar shot.

My first reaction was, "We have wild boars???"

Anyone know anything about the critters? What do they like to do, will they hassle the acreage ... I'm feeling clueless.

Thanks!

[tinda]

Huh??

I have lived here all my life & have never heard of wild boars in Alberta. We have a lot of wild things here but no wild boars!
Maybe they got loose from a game farm.

[frazzlehead]

Yeah, $50 for a pair of ears!

http://www.cbc.ca/edmonton/story/ed_boars20031030.html

The article says:

The animals, which weigh about 136 kilograms, were first brought to the area as livestock themselves, part of the area's attempts to diversify.

"They start out with the odd one escaping from domestic farms, where they raise them, but they multiply very rapidly," Butler said. "They're very hardy. They do extremely well on their own."

So yeah, I guess they are escapees from domesticity.

This explains why the only web links I found were for raising them as meat, and why I couldn't find anything about "the native habitat of the Alberta Wild Boar".

[Jan Doling]

We have them here. Sometimes you see them trotting along on the hill by the turnpike. I once found tracks & rutting in my yard, They have tusks & can be dangerous. I think they have a gamey flavor.

[Rockin'B]

Wild hogs are some of the best eating I've ever had. I hunt them in Texas and we cook various cuts over mesquite. It is some of my favorite meat for certain.

Do not overlook eating a wild hog if you get the chance.

[MontanaVet]

According to the Discovery Channel the domestic pig is only about two litters from returning to a wild hog, much more mean and hairy than a domestic pig. When the pig escapes with others it becomes a problem, which used to be just in the south. Apparently the problem is moving north. MV out!

[slowsuki1]

we would not want to have a free sourse of food running aroud that anyone could shoot and eat that would be bad would it not. free food.ask the indains if you can find one.

[frazzlehead]

Well, since you only have to give 'em the ears, I presume they'll let you eat the rest ... if you can kill it! The few things I've seen are that these beasties are for "experienced hunters".

I think I'll just hope I don't meet one down by the creek any time soon!

[Westwood]

It's open season on wild boars here around the Buffalo National River now. Apparently people around here have been breeding Russian boars from Texas with the local razorback variety and now they're tearing up the riverbanks.

[slowsuki1]

yes you are corect that you only have to give ears.but you can kill as many as you want and they will pay you for it.that is how you eradicate things. then there will be no more free food.worked with buffolo why not pigs.

[Quint]

Originally Posted by slowsuki1

yes you are corect that you only have to give ears.but you can kill as many as you want and they will pay you for it.that is how you eradicate things. then there will be no more free food.worked with buffolo why not pigs.

*sigh*

Because feral hogs are non-native. They aren't native to anywhere in North America. They are terribly destructive to the native plants and animals and the ecosystem in general. They positively wreck your timber not to mention what they do to crops. It's hardly "free" food. It's costing the native wildlife their habitat and the landowners a bundle through their damage to their property and crops.

If you had spent any time in area infested with the things you'd know that.

How eradicating a non-native feral pest equates with buffalo is logic that escapes me.

[Rockin'B]

Originally Posted by Quint

*sigh*

Because feral hogs are non-native. They aren't native to anywhere in North America. They are terribly destructive to the native plants and animals and the ecosystem in general. They positively wreck your timber not to mention what they do to crops. It's hardly "free" food. It's costing the native wildlife their habitat and the landowners a bundle through their damage to their property and crops.

If you had spent any time in area infested with the things you'd know that.

How eradicating a non-native feral pest equates with buffalo is logic that escapes me.

.....and, you will never eradicate them. Once established, feral pigs cannot be totally removed. They breed like bunnies and are very intelligent critters.
It becomes an issue of control and limiting damage. Pigs can be highly destructive in their rooting around for food. Any comparison to the bison situation is nonsense.

Shoot them and eat them. You'll thank me later.

[frazzlehead]

Would anyone be willing to describe the "symptoms" of a wild boar having visited my land? I'm afraid I'm quite the rookie to this whole country experience and I'm just learning, so details are good.

Are they nocturnal, or daytime animals? They dig and root around, I know that, so I imagine you'd have ripped up dirt and such ... where do they do this - near trees, water, gardens ... what do they like to eat? Pigs eat all sorts of things, if I remember rightly. Will they bother animals? I remember a thread awhile back that the neighbour's boar had killed a kitten ...

I can regonize deer prints and spoor and the sound of a coyote howling, but this whole wild boar thing is quite different. I'd just like to know what to look for so that if I see it I can call a hunter to come deal with it - that's certainly not a skill I have!

[slowsuki1]

they are a tiller with legs.the truth is they are good for habitat bad for crops.they turn under all the leafs and dead stuff kind of like burnirng without the heat or smoke.farmers hate them like cattlemen hate woves and coyotes.

[slowsuki1]

what is bad for nature is turning it into crops and hay.and worse yet subdivisons.

[TedH71]

Hi,

Feel free to go to the Pet Forum and check out my newspaper post about feral hogs in Texas. I did a bit of research and your hogs are more than likely pure Russians which are twice as dangerous and tougher than your typical razorback variety because they're escapees from a game ranch. We hunt them here with dogs and trap them. Dogs is best way to get them. The biologists who say that we have 2 million feral hogs is underestimating it as near as we can tell. You can shoot them..just be aware the head and shoulders are the toughest parts to shoot because they fight with those parts so that is toughened up.

Jan,

Gamey? No not really. They're just lean meat. I would say a boar that is over 2 years old might taint the meat but if you neuter them then feed them for 30 days and they should taste fine.

The joke here is if you see one you probably missed 5 more hiding. It's that bad here.

[slowsuki1]

i agree with the part about escapeing from game ranches totally. have no idea why most still say they are from farms. when they are russain boars mostly.could be some pot belly in there to.lots of people turned them lose after the craze was over and they had a 75 lb pig. might of cross bread

[Chas in Me]

I thought you guys out there called Liberals wild boars.

[TedH71]

Actually hogs are bad for the land espically in East Coast because they eat rare and endangered plants..they also eat quail eggs and from what I've learned...fawns as well. They eat everything that isn't nailed down or poisonous.

[slowsuki1]

they may eat endangerd plants but after they have tilled up the groud more will grow than they ate.as for eggs that is true but not just hogs eat them.lots of animals plus farm empluments run over tons of eggs of all sorts.