Texas threat alert update

[Nords]

REWahoo, your list might need a refresh:
http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f26/greetings-from-california-59007.html#post1136642

Drumroll, please...
Because Texas is infested with scorpions, rattlesnakes, fire ants, crazy raspberry ants, cockroaches on steroids, killer bees, mosquitoes, ticks, chiggers, tarantulas, brown recluse spiders, love bugs, swarming crickets, copperheads, cottonmouths, rabid skunks, wild hogs, alligators, oppressive heat & humidity, bleak desolate scenery, dirty beaches, polluted air, dust storms, drought, wildfires, water shortages, recurring floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, rednecks, huge piles of flaming mulch, spontaneously combusting playgrounds, roads hot as flowing lava, the stench of natural and unnatural gasses, pirate attacks and amoebic meningitis lurking in area lakes, recurring ebola virus outbreaks, flesh eating bacteria, the highest homeowner insurance rates in the US, unbelievably high property taxes, mandatory death sentences for DUI convictions, polygamous religious sects, and, according to at least one forum member, doesn't look kindly towards Yankees.
Thank you, thank you very much...

Business Week has just alerted its readers that the wild hogs have started suicide attacks on vehicles using the new Hwy 130 toll road:
Texas Drivers, Beware Feral Foe: 'These Hogs Are Built Solid' - Businessweek

In unrelated good news I've heard rumors that bacon prices will be dropping, partially due to a new tenderizing process!

 

[M Paquette]

REWahoo, your list might need a refresh:
http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f26/greetings-from-california-59007.html#post1136642

Business Week has just alerted its readers that the wild hogs have started suicide attacks on vehicles using the new Hwy 130 toll road:
Texas Drivers, Beware Feral Foe: 'These Hogs Are Built Solid' - Businessweek

In unrelated good news I've heard rumors that bacon prices will be dropping, partially due to a new tenderizing process!

Oh boy! Prosciutto crudo goodyear! Texas foodie heaven!

 

[bbbamI]

Texas feral hog population has swelled to about 2.5 million and can grow 20 percent a year.

I hope they don't turn into pirate hogs...

 

[REWahoo]

Helicopter hog hunting in the great state of Texas. Music optional...

Helicopter Hog Hunting - YouTube

 

[CCdaCE]

... and people think there's a hunger problem in the world.

Ship out some of them hogs!

-CC

 

[Purron]

I predict feral pigs will soon take over this forum and close every thread.

 

[mickeyd]

A little OT, but I have a friend that once ran over a Javelina in the Big Bend. He said it was like running over a keg of nails. I suppose that bumping off a feral hog near Bastrop would be a simular experience.

 

[Bestwifeever]

Those scary feral hogs should take care of Texas's burgeoning deer population.

The war between venison jerky and bacon.... My money is on the bacon.

 

[Chuckanut]

Not to worry. Texas will soon be an independent, sovereign nation.

Texas Secede!

 

[freebird5825]

Looks like they've adapted to the winter weather.

Feral Swine - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation

List of states with feral hogs
http://www.ehow.com/info_8579047_list-states-feral-hogs.html

 

[brewer12345]

We do not have them here in CO, instead opting for mountain lions, bears and rampant coyote populations. I am starting to get very tempted to make a trip to Texas next year to help with the infestation...

 

[REWahoo]

We do not have them here in CO, instead opting for mountain lions, bears and rampant coyote populations. I am starting to get very tempted to make a trip to Texas next year to help with the infestation...

You don't even need to bring a gun - just be sure you have a sturdy brush guard on your truck!

 

[eytonxav]

Time to break out the AR16 and go piggy hunting

 

[brewer12345]

You don't even need to bring a gun - just be sure you have a sturdy brush guard on your truck!

Talk about muzzle energy...

Thanks, all the same, but I think I'd rather use one of my rifles. It would be nice to avoid having to scrape the meat off the road with a spatula.

 

[REWahoo]

Thanks, all the same, but I think I'd rather use one of my rifles. It would be nice to avoid having to scrape the meat off the road with a spatula.

+1

It's rough on your car insurance budget, too.

I've killed 5 from the deck of my house using a 12 gauge and buckshot. The only good news about our persistent drought is it is driving them to wetter parts of the state - like the lawns in the suburbs!

 

[grasshopper]

Kids don't try this at home.

 

[REWahoo]

Kids don't try this at home.

View attachment 15569

Javelina, not a feral hog, right?

Still, based on the $600 vet bill for what one did to my old Lab, your advice is prudent.

 

[brewer12345]

+1

It's rough on your car insurance budget, too.

I've killed 5 from the deck of my house using a 12 gauge and buckshot. The only good news about our persistent drought is it is driving them to wetter parts of the state - like the lawns in the suburbs!

How do they eat?

Its too dry for them here. I wonder how long it wll take them to make it to Nebraska in large numbers, though.

I am jealous you can bag meat from the backyard. There is a canal with a very popular footpath that runs behind my house. I love the access and the provacy it affords, but if I popped one of the legions of squirrels that cavort back there it would be at the risk of nailing a biker, dog walker, etc.

 

[martyb]

A little OT, but I have a friend that once ran over a Javelina in the Big Bend. He said it was like running over a keg of nails. I suppose that bumping off a feral hog near Bastrop would be a simular experience.

I lived in Bastrop several years, never saw a wild hog. I did hit a few deer with my car, though. I spend my time in east Texas & NW Louisiana these days, and lot's of folks around here do hunt them. My son-in-law has taken out a good number of them, with both crossbow & rifle.

 

[grasshopper]

Javelina, not a feral hog, right?

Still, based on the $600 vet bill for what one did to my old Lab, your advice is prudent.

This is a pet Javelina Ms G was hiding a carrot from. A neighbor nursed it back to health after it injured its leg. Stayed around the ranch until a hunter killed it.

 

[freebird5825]

You don't even need to bring a gun - just be sure you have a sturdy brush guard on your truck!

C'mon, now, you rascal, that's a steer.

It's the wrong color and definitely too big for a feral hog. Right?

 

[freebird5825]

This is a pet Javelina Ms G was hiding a carrot from. A neighbor nursed it back to health after it injured its leg. Stayed around the ranch until a hunter killed it.

Um, her body language suggested something else.

 

[audreyh1]

Javelina, not a feral hog, right?

Still, based on the $600 vet bill for what one did to my old Lab, your advice is prudent.

That's definitely a javelina! And I can't imagine standing so close to one.

At the state park next door we had a crowd of way too tame javelinas. They always made me nervous - especially when they walked past with their babies!! After the flood of 2010 the tame crowd completely disappeared from the park. Apparently javelinas have returned, but at least this new crowd is rarely seen because they have the good sense to stay away from people.

 

[REWahoo]

C'mon, now, you rascal, that's a steer.

It's the wrong color and definitely too big for a feral hog. Right?

Not sure what it is. The photo I found on Google said "wild pigs crash test" - but the closer I look at the photo the more it looks like a rhinoceros...

 

[REWahoo]

How do they eat?

They are messy eaters - and therein lies the problem. From the Texas Parks and Wildlife website:

Feral hogs are omnivorous, meaning they eat both plant and animal matter. They are very opportunistic feeders and much of their diet is based on seasonal availability. Foods include 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

Here's a photo of what a suburban yard looks like after a night of feeding. Imagine the damage they can do to a cornfield...