Hog Bounty?

I dont wanna pay a tax for someone being too lazy to hunt or trap hogs.

There was a bounty in one of the county a few years back and I do believe it was in Van Zandt County as mentioned earlier in this post. That county had 500K designated just for feral hogs that were brought in dead, most likely just their scalp, and not sure how much per hog they paid, but that bounty pot was depleted within 3-4 months.

It would be costly, the money would have to come from some source and we wouldn't like having another tax increase to control feral hogs. The aerial gunning does work with hundreds of hogs being shot in a couple 2-3 days but not all regions of the state are habitat-suited for aerial gunning, especially East Texas or any location where the gunner and pilot would not be able to see the ground due to forest and undergrowth.

hogs and coyotes we see on our place get owned. Seriously, the only way to thin out the population and keep them out of the pastures is to check them about every 30 minutes ,which isn't really possible. But I was sent this link *Tinks* a while back, and I'm sure all forecasts are relatively the same based on moon phase and such, but has been right on track (unless it has come a nice little shower, then all forecasts are off and expect them to be moving at full force) with the boars we have been shooting the last cpl years. I also don't have the "If I kill it, then I have to eat it" mentality when dealing with hogs, so each one shot, has coyote bait station potential.

NathanY

I have seen them come thru a very nice golf course and in one night totaly decimate two fairways and one putting green, I guess if they come into the city and do some of that for you, will it be the golf courses problem then?? do you honestly think the owner will not pass the cost on to you via green fees or whatever?? I dont know if you even play golf, but you can see where im going with it, Feral hogs will eventually become everyones problem

lol, he was referring to a free ranging exotic in that post.

Mod did...

I agree with Nathan. do you really think that the government can make more of a change then all the farmer/ranchers whose land is being torn up. If every landowner ran traps and killed on sight then the population would drop considerably. If you don't want deer in your okra patch then build a fence or get a permit to kill deer year round.

As for the golf course example. There is no reason that i should pay more taxes to keep hogs off of a privately owned golf course so that you can have a pretty place to putt. Yes, the player should absorb the cost not the government.

I am truly amazed at how many people here think that the government can fix there problems. There is no reason I should have to pay taxes so government employees can ride around an kill hogs or run traps. If it is that much of a problem then let the rancher pay a professional trapper to come in and take care of the problem. I can guarantee it would be cheaper than the government doing it.

I made a comment that was not very PC. Mr. Elliot corrected me. Let's move on.

No I wasn't raised in the city, but with your vast life experience it would be an easy mistake. When I grew up I left the farm. Your property is your problem not mine. If they put a bounty on hogs, the money will come from taxes. If people dont want others on their property, then they get what they get, but I ain't paying for it when there are options available to them. Bottom line.

I digress, probably wouldn't be a tax, more likely another fee on hunting and fishing licenses.

I'll word this a little more carefully...

The same with illegal aliens crossing and destroying property. Is that my problem? If so, why is it illegal for me to "deal" with my problem. We're paying taxes on that "population control"...if the hog deal was run the same way, the dang hogs would be getting free vet care and all of their piglets would have to be granted access with special treatment to the Houston Stock Show.

yes cause killing hogs for population control is the same as people crossing the border.

This is just another example of people being lazy and wanting the government to take care of them. No different than Welfare.

I'm done...

It's not neccesarily comparing apples to manzanas...he's saying the hogs are here that's your problem deal with it. He doesn't want to pay taxes to get rid of them. He's paying taxes to get rid of the illegals and it's for the most part wasted money. If that problem was deemed "my" problem and I was expected to deal with it the same way as I would any other unwanted or intrusive pest I'd do it. I'm not saying I'd shoot every illegal I saw but I'm saying I could trap them and harrass them til they were at least run onto my neighbors place....dangit, now you mo rons got me confused...

You are al right... Relying on the government to solve your problems is the problem.

I don't think we should pay extra to kill hogs.

I don't think we should pay extra to stop illegals either.

But then again the state pays for mosquito control, grasshopper control, boil weavil, heck even fire ants (low cost Amdro is still available)....

BUT, don't tax me for your problem.

My insurance rates are higher because some moron somewhere doesn't wear a helmet on a motorcycle.

My taxes are paying health care for people that aren't even Americans...

Sorry to side with the minority.... But the government is not the solution to any problem I can think of....

I agree with nathan..I dont want my tax dollars going toward a problem that is solely the ranchers,or landowners responsibility...also being from the city has nothing to do with this...We all pay taxes.

vernon for president!

Im not getting into politics, BUT, if you guys have a hog or coyote problem, i think your looking at it wrong. you have a valuable resource that. there are thousands of huntets out here, like me, that would LOVE to shoot them for you. all you have to do is let us know. hell, ill evven sell some hunts for you and help you make some extra money. think about it, you get rid of the problem AND make money. if you think im not serious, try me. as far as the hogs go, there are thousands of people that are starving. why not shoot the hogs snd donate the meat to some place like FARMERS AND HUNTERS FEEDONG THE HUNGRY?

i heard somewher that they wont take feral hogs... but that is just what i heard. i also know that they want u to do a lot of work for all that.... adn i dont even knwo the closest place to take a hog like that....

just shoot'm in the face and let the buzzards have'm

I apologize, this thread seems to have taken on a life of its own. It was a simple question as to wether or not the bounties existed.

To clarify, I kill hogs regularly will get the meat if it is good and leave the rest to the dogs and birds.

The only reason I was asking, is that since I do kill them figured it would help with other expenses. I am by no means saying that we should go out there and rally for this, but if it already existed, then it would be a plus.

I didnt know the food banks wouldnt take them. Ill have to look into that.If any of you guys have hog problems let me know.

there are many hog removal buisnesses out there(my buddy runs one). he does this for a living. he has about 15000ac. in east bernard that he hunts for the farmers. he done a great job controlling that area. he hunts it 7 days a week. well soon as the hog population dropped cause he had cleared the vast majority of them out(or they just don't go there anymore, either way they aren't tearing that land up)the landowners didn't want to pay anymore. then the hogs came back and they are begging him to clear them out again. if ranchers really wanted to deal with the problem they could. there are MANY hunters out there that will do what is asked and will control the hog population(i personaly know of at least 25-30), the land owners just don't want us on the land. or they want to charge us to help them with their problem". there are very few people that if you let them hunt your land for no charge to you or them will do what is right(with that being said i offer my services free..and i have references to back up that i do what is asked of me and take care of the property given).

if the government every really wanted to deal with the hog problem they would simply go the texas hog dog websites and set up a form of a co-op state wide. the government would have a screening process to allow people in the co-op and the government would have "problem areas", land owners that want their land hunted for hogs/varmints. the government would then have a database listing the areas and for the time of one year said person(s) would be able to hunt that land with a charge to the government or minimal charge to the land owner. i know of 1000+ people that right now if the government said we will find you land to hunt hogs on we need you, they would do it, especially if they are getting paid.

and yes hunters for the hungry does take feral hog. every year in hallettesvilley, tx we have a big hog dogging tourney and 100% of the meat goes to hunters harvest or hunters for the hungry. if the government set up a deal with several hog processing places in every county/area and the members of the co-op know that every hog that is taken is to be taken to the these processors and they know to butcher the hog and give it to hunters for the hungry. THAT is how the government can stimulate the economy. you are building local businesses up, you are helping people across the state.

the government really doesn't care, if they did they know how to go get hunters(with little to no expense to tax payers) and i promise you we will help deal with the problem. i've seen what consistant hard hog dogging can do to a hog population, it does control it.

tell your government buddy's to give me a call and give me one large property and i'll show them what hog dogging can do to a hog population.

so in conclusion i think it falls on both party's shoulders. the land owners and the government. the government should have a dedicated division to help with varmint/hog populations and the land owner needs to be willing to pay someone to help with their problems.

alright this is what i came up with as for what i think would be a good working co-op between hunters, the governmetn and land owners..tell me what you think...

here is how i'm thinking it would be set up(now understand there plenty of kinks to be worked out, but this is my general idea). the government would have a screeing process to determine if you would be a good candidate for the co-op. this way they don't have people that don't close gates, leave trash, rut up the land, etc. you would have to have several references to your character and experience. i was once a just starting out and was wet behind the ears and wanted places to hunt so i don't think that newbies should be excluded because they don't have the experiecne. at the same time there is a lot to this game(as i am still learning)and experience is needed to do an effective job. maybe the members would have to go through a two day training on all rules and regulations. every two years maybe you would have to re-up your "member's certification" by going to a 1/2 day training of any new rules and regulation changes. after you pass the screening process you would have access to a database of properties all over the state of texas that are looking for help with their hog population, listed by county having a contact name and number for the land owner. it would have acerage, type of landscape, and possibly a listing of people that are currently hunting it(say you live in harris county and you travel to haskell county to visit family and want to get on hogs while your up there. this way you can contact those people to make sure you aren't butting heads). if more than one person wanted to hunt the land you would contact that person and you two or three would work a schedule that everyone would be able to hunt that property. there would be i called first so you CAN'T hunt it. you would be forced to share properties, but the great thing is that there would be so many properties that you could be on several different places and it wouldn't matter if there are four other people on that property cause you would have other places to hunt as well. owners would contact the government agency paying a montly fee to be a part of the database. by paying to be a part of the database you are ensuring that you are getting upstanding hunters that will respect your land and you are getting hunters that will give you results. in order for the members of the co-op to hunt the land the land owners have to contiue to pay their monthly fee. by being a member you agree not to make side deals with that land owner or surrounding land owners to hunt their land for free, or to give them a reduced rate in comparison to the government. the government would also have an agreement with hog processing places all over the state of texas that any hogs brought in by co-op hunters is to be processed and given to hunters for the hungry. each member of the co-op would have a member number and you would simply put that member number on a tag on the hogs leg and the government would pay the processing fees. the government could possibly pay you for amount of hogs you take on the land. this is regulated by turning in your hogs to the processing places. they would report the hog the weight and the member that turned it in. this way at the end of each month you would get a check from the government for your services. the more you hunt the more you make the less you hunt the less you make.

it might work, would take some working out and some clearing up. as for ur consistent hard hog doggin taking down a population. i will disagree with u. we hunt our lands hard. several nights a week. if im not on it, someone else usually is. with dogs, spotlights, deer hunters take some, traps everything. they still come. not to say it doesnt help against the pop. but it sure hasnt brought it to a controlable state yet..... now for the hunter for the hungry or whatever in halletsville every yr, i hunt in the hville area, never really got into the tourney u speak of, but isnt there a fee along with donating the hog??? i couldve swore i heard they didnt take feral swine, but i blieve u.

The problem with that is that a lot of ppl don't want dogs on their property. But you are right, it does fall on both parties shoulders

there is a fee because it is a tourney. you win money for most hogs taken, biggest boar, biggest sow, etc. so yes there is a fee to be apart of the tourney. but all the meat is skinned there and it is taken there...they do take it....and yes there are plenty of holes, this is just a frame work of a plan.

i guess we would have to agree to disagree cause we have put one heck of a dent in the hog population down there. that land is hunted 7 days a week and when we hunt it we take multiple hogs every time. no, you will never completely eradicate the hogs, but you can control it. we have done that much.

i agree to disagree, but im not talking about the fee for the tourney, but rather on any occasion when u give an animal to the lil hunters for the hungry or whatever, u have to pay a processing fee or something like that?? correct me if im wrong. i mean i dont mind givin some meat every now and then, but on my tight budget, i cant pay someone to take my hog....

rifleman...if they don't want dogs on their property then they don't really care to get rid of the problem. you can't hunt hogs just one way and make any head way. they get too smart for traps after a while, using guns you get one a night, with dogs we are able to get upwards of 4-8 hogs in one night. on multiple nights. the land owners have to loosen up. and be more relaxed in their restrictions. this is the problem now. they want only guns, they want to charge 200+ a day. they are trying to make money in stead of spend money to fix their problem. they wouldn't have to be a part of the co-op, but when their neighbors have reduced hog problems(like down in east bernard)i bet they will start to come around(which is what happened in east bernard).

alright nightowl, one hole i can see here with the dogs on the land. while its not a problem on 15000 acre ranches, on smaller ranches like the ones i hunt where one tract isnt over 600 acres, and most of em about 300. the dogs will run into other peoples land. and if u dont have permission, its illegal to tresspass over there. so that could just be one problem. but like we have permission to go onto most of our neighbors land and dont have to worry about it that much.

From what I've seen it pushes a lot of the hogs over onto the next property (so I see where the coop needs to come in), but in our area, there is a lot of timber company land, at that point you are dealing with a lot of ppl paying dues, and will probably get no cooperation. And if running dogs in the wrong time of year, when those ppl are still deer hunting during the extended season, there is a real good chance that any dog crossing a boundary will never be seen again. Atleast that was how it used to be on the lease I was on; there was even a no dogs for bird hunting as a lease policy.

not bashing anyone, but if landowners cooperate, then do it to it, if not, then take caution.

different dogs for different properties. my dogs would never get off of 300 acs. they are too short ranged. if you run short ranged dogs then small acs are okay. don't hunt during deer season. most people don't hunt during deer season anyway cause of the problem you present.

yes it pushes them over. meaning the next man needs help also. if you continually push them off to the next land the next man needs help. the timber companies if they need help they can be apart of the co-op also. if not then they are on their own. to me this makes a very point blank situation. if you want help then you are saying you adhere to the rules of the co-op. we will help you with your hog problem but you can't tell us i don't want you to hunt this way only this way. if that is the case then you take care of the problem on your own. if you are looking at the co-op then eveidently you way isn't working so let us do what we do.

not to start an argument, but ur dogs will get off several of these 300 acres spots since most of te brush is along fence lines which is where u will find the hogs. mostly creek lines that split the property. the dogs ive been running with lately are the shallowest ive ever hunted with. we had to cross a fence the other day cuz the strike dogss chased a hog forever it seemed like. u just have to be prepared and understand that u will be crossin a fence every now and then even if u have short ranged dogs.

yes this isn't perfect just an idea. on another board they are completely against government involvement. i would think that it would help. for those land owners that CHOOSE to use it know what they are getting and at a decent rate. if the land owner CHOOSES not to use the service then they are on their own. as far as getting off of those 300acs again you would try to get the surrounding properties to become apart so taking your 300ac to 600acs and so on.

the hog population will never be controlled if the land owners don't open their lands up to ALL kinds of hunting so that it can be dealt with. as long as they have tons of restrictions on how to get rid of the hogs then there will always be a hog problem.

for example what if people said i want you to get rid of the coyotes on my land, but you can only snare them. would this or would this not seriously hamper your ability to take yote? you would still get yotes but at a much lower rate because you are ONLY able to hunt ONE way. same problem with the hogs. if the land owners want the problem dealt with they have to open their land up to more than just guns, or rifles, or dogs. they have to say come get by any means neccessary. with restrictions comes lowered results.