Oregon Hogs

[Moonshiner]

anyone from oregon ever hunted our local hogs with dogs? if so, what was your experience?
Thanks

[Bearsmom]

No hogs but this was just posted in our local paper this week.....funny I've never seen any...just the wild horses running with the Elk and sure can mess up a hunt!

Controlling the feral pig population
A proposed bill will make it illegal to purchase or sell swine hunts on public or private land

COURTESY OF ODFW
A group of feral pigs gathers near Bully Creek in Malheur County. Under new legislation, charging for feral swine hunts would be outlawed.

By Kevin Gaboury
Oregon is home to a number of invasive species, but one of the most destructive once made its home on the barnyard.
Feral swine, also known as feral pigs, feral hogs or wild boar, are actually relatives of escaped or released domestic pigs. They are notorious for their aggressive "rooting," which can cause irreparable damage to crops or native ecosystems.
They also carry a host of nasty diseases, including trichinosis and brucellosis, both of which can be spread to humans.
In an attempt to get a handle on these beasts, which number an estimated 2,000 in Oregon, legislators are considering HB 2221 at the request of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW). This bill would make it illegal to purchase or sell swine hunts on public or private land.
While it doesn't seem like such a bad thing on the surface, ODFW officials say that rather than controlling the population, selling hunts gives landowners an incentive to keep the pigs' numbers up.
"That's one of the ways the pigs got into Oregon," said Rick Boatner, ODFW invasive species and wildlife integrity coordinator. "Some have been from unintentional escapes; others have been intentional releases to develop a hunting opportunity...it's becoming quite an industry."
Boatner isn't sure how many feral swine exist in Crook County due to the animals' propensity to live in isolated pockets of private land, but said many sightings have been reported between Madras and Antelope in Jefferson County.
"One of the hot spots is the Central Oregon area," he said.
According to a 2007 feral swine action plan by the Oregon Invasive Species Council, a confirmed population exists in northern Crook County, along with areas in Jefferson, Wheeler, and Wasco counties. The pigs have also shown their snouts in places they have never been before, including the southern Oregon coast.
"We have small, isolated tracts of land where we have received some damage," said Monte Kuk of the Prineville Bureau of Land Management office. "There are a few parcels where we know there's been some in Crook County."
In 2000, with help from landowners and hunters, a herd of feral pigs was successfully eradicated near Post, and wildlife authorities hope to do the same across the rest of the state.
"We'd like to see zero," Boatner said. "We're still at a point where we can control the numbers."
However, the pigs are such efficient breeders that a pocket of them can double in size in four months.
In California, the population has grown from around 2,000 in the 1950s to an estimated 1 million today and swine often migrate across the border into Oregon.
Feral swine are considered a predatory animal on public and private land in Oregon, which means with a hunting license, there is no bag limit and the season lasts all year. If the bill is made into law, hunters would still be able to hunt on private property with a landowners' permission, but any financial incentive would be illegal.
According to Bill Littlefield, Central Oregon Director of the Oregon Hunter's Association, OHA "supports ODFW's efforts to eradicate feral pigs."
He mentioned it is fairly common in many other states, especially the southern U.S., for landowners to turn pigs loose on their property to create hunting opportunities, but rather than stay put, the pigs will spread rapidly to other areas. Before long, their numbers are out of control.
"It's a non-indigenous species, which will have negative impacts on our indigenous species," he said. "They'll tear up habitat for deer, elk, and even turkey areas. It's not healthy for those other populations."

[catdog360]

The thought of 1 million pigs in Oregon, how cool would that be. We lost the bear hunting but boy could we have fun year around with hogs.
Mic O'Brien

[livetohunt]

And man is it fun.... You guys really need to get on them guys running that state they get $20.00 per tag sold here in Cal. I dont know the amount they sell here but I would have to say its more then a few. I know the money they make off the tags and taxes from the hunting clubs and ranches more then makes up for the crop loss cost.... And we have something to hunt year round.

[Moonshiner]

Im not paying $20 to hunt a feral invasive species. I have a fit everytime I hear the price of a turkey tag.