Texas Drifter: Old Scout's Lessons Surviving Feral Hogs

Library Entry # 885

Marshall’s Law Dateline – Sometimes old men by having survived longer; can teach young men lessons to help young men survive longer? Consider following letter from old ranch scout to his foster grandson.

To my favorite Foster Grandson:
Received your request for information from your mother my foster daughter; guess that makes you my foster grandson.

I understand your problem to be eradicating “sound” correct (word not herd) of feral hogs which are destroying crops on a forty acre field you recently purchased. Property borders Texas State highway on west side, and is bordered on south side by small “colonia” (colony) of mostly illegal immigrants living on public welfare.

Fortunately, there is a very large drainage ditch between “colonia” and your field. Other two sides are surrounded by thousands of acres of South Texas “monte thicket” with some of thickest brush on planet. Brush which only feral hogs and rattlesnakes have no trouble travelling through.

Starting with basics, hunting and shooting require different skills, since they are different activities. Example, shooting at paper targets is different that shooting animals wanting to kill you; or people shooting back.

Continuing process can involve using game cameras to better determine: next element involves placement, design, and visual image of blinds.

First suggestion is learn all appropriate Texas hunting, trapping and gun laws. Did you know that it is illegal for projectiles to cross out of your property boundaries (lines)? Translation one consideration is not using “high powered” rifles in direction of State highway or “colonia” homes. My preference would be using something like twenty or twelve gauge with slugs. A 357 Back up revolver might be good addition to you arsenal. Never forget, that your best weapon is your intelligence, also called smarts

Side note, post “No Trespassing – All Trespassers Prosecuted” signs in English and Spanish. Why to discourage local poachers both legal outlaws, as well as illegal immigrant public welfare poachers. Invest some money to install “game fence” between your property line and illegal immigrants “colonia”.

Feral hog eradication options include hunting and or trapping. Primary strategy should most likely be trapping. Catch and remove sow and eight little one involves one activity; while hunting involves up to nine different hunts. Remember feral hogs become smarter more times “shot at”. Perhaps start with trapping and save hunting for “un-trappable”.

Trapping feral hogs like any other profession requires: knowledge, abilities, and skills based on experiences. Hiring good trapper to start with, can save money in the long run. In Texas you will need, to provide trapper with letter of permission to conduct his business on your property.

It is also, courtesy to inform local Texas Game Warden as well as local Constable of your efforts to remove the destructive hogs. Never forget, not only will hogs destroy your crops, but also re-arrange rows, leave holes in fields; plus totally eradicate your quail, turkey, native deer as well as other plants and animals.

Feral hogs also develop taste for humans. It is seldom that South Texas ranchers go a week without ranch’s dogs dragging human bones into ranch headquarters. Illegal immigrants die in “tierra de monte” from dehydration, lack of food, snake bites, smuggler abuses, and other unflattering ways - no known video exists of hogs eating people; though it is reasonably sure to suspect that many illegals “near death” have been consumed by feral hogs.

One reason their remains are mostly never found is South Texas monte has perhaps highest cadaver de-compensation rates in world due to climate, terrain, insects, critters, and other reasons.

Some city people will doubt this observation. Ask hunters and ranchers how gun shots seem to have become “dinner bells” for feral hogs. Many accounts suggest how hunters downing a deer; only find hogs’ “left overs” after leaving and returning to pick up their trophy for transportation to be field dressed. (Heard no reports yet, of hunters; being attacked and consumed by feral hogs while field dressing hunter’s kill.)

People will eventually learn that feral hogs can return to hunting death scene of their relatives in really bad mood. Genuine threat to those who cannot wait to take selfie with their game kill. Mother pigs take killing their young serious and should not be ignored.

Foster grandson, may have written you more than you needed. Keep in mind that feral hogs’ senses are rated in order of strengths from superb to average: smell; hearing; sight. One quality ignored by most is that feral hogs are more intelligence than man’s best canine friend.

Some suggest that feral hogs are fourth smartest animal in world –preceded only by dolphins, apes, and humans. Good guesstimate - older largest feral hogs have more experiences based learned intelligence, than some city folks running around the woods with guns.

In closing, my favorite Foster Grandson, solving your infestation of feral hogs’ problems; just like your private security duties can be one mistake business for those getting careless.
First lesson to be learned about feral hogs is to judge their behavior by “tracks and scat.” Easy way to remember lesson, just like judging Progressive Democrats, Mussolini Republicans and conservative cults.

Getting old sometimes causes me to be forgetful. Possible baits can include:
1. Corn spread on the ground
2. Corn dusted with sugar spread on ground
3. “Home-made pig- beer” buried in containers or spread on ground, or on specific target areas.
4. Variation of number three above, hung from tree/s in gunny sacks off the ground
5. Other suggestions available from locals
Take eradicating feral hogs seriously contact me if I might be of more help. – Your Foster Grandfather

Bonus question: Further references might be made too:
1. Texas Drifter: Life Is Not Fair
2. Citizens Passions – Continue Plus 564 - Texas Drifter: Update Ranch Scout Notes
3. Texas Drifter: Two Tales for Same Dog

Correct answer – TRUE not FALSE

Bonus thought question: Some Marxist-fascist Progressive Democrats, corporate fascist Mussolini-Republicans, and conservative cult pretenders are more dangerous and evil than feral hogs. TRUE or FALSE