San Francisco’s Feral Hog Problem
BY Herschel Smith
2 years, 10 months ago
The man who was mocked on Twitter in 2019 for raising concerns about feral hogs is now being defended as a modern-day prophet due to a “feral swine bomb” that is ravaging the San Francisco Bay Area.
The New York Times detailed in an article on Tuesday how feral pigs have been threatening drinking water and damaging property outside the Golden Gate City, leading many local residents to seek out their destruction.
“They are tearing up lawns, ripping through golf course fairways, threatening the drinking water and disturbing the harvests at Napa vineyards,” the Times wrote. “Many Californians want them dead.”
The issue has become so significant that legislation was introduced in California last month that would make it easier for feral swine to be hunted. While hunters are currently required to purchase a $25 “tag” in order to hunt a single pig, the bill would allow hunters to target an unlimited number of swine instead.
“In California, 56 of the state’s 58 counties have wild pigs. The swine are inflicting a mounting economic toll in Lafayette, a suburb in the East Bay, where the pig invasion seems most acute,” the Times added. “Before the pandemic the city shelled out $110,000 when pigs, rooting for grubs, churned soccer and baseball fields like a rototiller.”
The financial costs—as well as concerns over water supply contamination due to the many diseases feral swine can spread—have led residents to begin recognizing the havoc states such as Texas have long dealt with.
Feral pigs in the San Francisco Bay Area are tearing up lawns, threatening the drinking water and disturbing vineyard harvests. They're part of what one federal official called a "feral swine bomb" — and many people want them dead. https://t.co/smZ4xQ8hi1
— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 1, 2022
The environmental destruction caused by this invasive species (or combined with an escaped farm population) is extreme. There is no more destructive wild animal in America than feral pigs.
It isn’t just the deer hunters wanting to keep pressure off of the herd. You know why the government of West Virginia doesn’t want to decimate the feral pig population?
Because they make money off of it.
This will be fine until some little child gets gored by tusks, or crops get decimated instead of the wild pig population. Then they’ll write stories about the out-of-control pig population in local newspapers and lament how there’s nothing that can be done to control it.
Then hunting guide companies will spring up out of nowhere to guide out-of-state hunters who want to kill feral pigs. Just like in Texas, where they have chosen not to eradicate the population.
Yea, in Texas too, where land owners charge money for hunting feral pigs, and so they have a vested interest in having the nasty critters around.
In Georgia, entire crop fields have been rooted up and farmers put out of business. But wait, this is the Bay area. The water supply is nasty, golf courses and soccer fields have been rooted up, and children may one day be gored to death.
So solve the problem then. Lethal removal works, you just have to stop trying to stop the lethal removal. What folks have found is that the AR-15 is perfect for the job.
Oh wait. California restricts magazine capacity and forces owners to have that bastardized grip. Too bad. You’ll have to suck down your nasty water, Bay people. Or change the gun control laws.
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On February 4, 2022 at 12:34 am, Wild Boar said:
Zuckerborg hive loses almost $240 billion in one day and now this from CCP rump vassal West Colony [CA] what a morale boost!
Hunting feral pigs is a construct of the white male capitalist patriarchy and anyone who harms them will go to Alcatraz. (s/)
On February 4, 2022 at 10:19 am, Sisu said:
My thoughts –
Stop feeding the homeless. They (those who survive) will eventually realize they can hunt for their protein locally; and wild pig is quite the feast. Thus the homeless will have purpose, learn self sufficiency and possible seek to better themselves.
Second, I have read that feral pigs have litters that correlate to the availability of food. Thus a feral population is faster at replenishing itself than hunters are effective at eliminating the population. Now whether this is “environmentalist” propaganda, I do not know. … Anyone have particular knowledge of this supposed fertility phenomena ?
On February 4, 2022 at 10:44 am, Bob in NC said:
Couldn’t happen in a more appropriate place!
This song comes to mind; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhY1x8CpWeI
On February 4, 2022 at 11:41 am, Joe Blow said:
What Bob said, phuckem!!!!!!
On February 4, 2022 at 12:17 pm, Brad said:
The Santa Cruz mountains have been full of wild pigs since the turn of the century. Direct descendants from the original Feral Russian hogs. The difference is people use to hunt them. Not anymore. Several years ago there were reports of a new subdivision in Morgan Hill where the pigs were coming in there at night and eating all the newly laid sod lawns. The DFG eventually hired some guys to fix the problem. But they’ll be back.
On February 4, 2022 at 1:33 pm, Ned said:
Never fails – some animal rights retards are opposed to culling wild pigs, and compare it to killing dogs & cats.
On February 4, 2022 at 1:54 pm, Sisu said:
Ned, I would allow (encourage) culling of feral cats, and any cat which its owner allows to roam beyond the owner’s private property. And, I agree with your descriptor – “animal rights retards”. …
On February 4, 2022 at 2:50 pm, Bradlley A Graham said:
Feral hogs and San Francisco politicians are both an invasive species.
A good bow with some good broad heads would solve both problems.
On February 4, 2022 at 2:53 pm, billrla said:
Feral hogs in the City of San Francisco walk on two legs, when not passed out on the sidewalk or seated at city council meetings.
On February 4, 2022 at 2:54 pm, Matt said:
I’m fortunate that several folks I know have given me a standing invite to use feral hogs for target practice. Unfortunately I don’t get to take them up on it that often.
Feral hogs I do believe have a short gestation period so multiple litters in a year is par for the course.
On February 4, 2022 at 3:57 pm, Done. said:
Why not just shoot them?
I’m sure all the gunfire wouldn’t surprise anyone around San Franshitstain.
On February 4, 2022 at 6:07 pm, Stuart said:
The Texas info is incorrect. Everybody wants them gone.
Yes, landowners make money off of hunts but that money will rarely offset the damage to crops and livestock. Additionally, the pigs are replicating at an exponential rate. The feral pig population is capable of DOUBLING every FOUR MONTHS! Hunting isn’t making a dent – even using helicopters & thermal sights on AR’s at night.
Many landowners, including myself, will allow you to hunt as many as you want for free. The only stipulation is you can’t just leave your kills laying around. Take or bury. The piglets are good to eat but the adults… not so much. Who has the ability to dispose of a 300-500 lb. animal? (and you can easily shoot five or six a night)
The REAL issue (as Cali. is about to find out) is traffic. Hitting a 500 lb. boar at 70 is the same as hitting a concrete wall. Being various shades of gray, they are impossible to see at night grazing along the highway.
On February 4, 2022 at 7:49 pm, MTHead said:
Well now they know what to do with all the homeless that OD?
I guess the most asked question in SF will be. Was that human or swine crap you just stepped in?
I passed thru there 30 years ago. It was full of swine then too. (When they’re sleeping all over, you really can’t tell or smell the difference.)
On February 4, 2022 at 10:33 pm, Red Man said:
A crazy Fl guy I knew hunted feral hogs with a .45 and a K Bar. The .45 was his backup.
On February 5, 2022 at 10:58 am, Elmo said:
A couple of points to make here, just my opinion, thoughts, experiences-
(Eurasian crossbred) Feral pigs can have three litters per year.
It’s lot legal to hunt with a firearm in California within 150 yards of a structure, so hunting in most of the Bay Area is out. Too bad for them.
My family has a ranch near Marysville, CA. In the late 70s a man associated with a 36,000 acre ranch near us started a hunting club and imported Eurasian hogs and released them just over the hill from us. Point being, not all ferals have been here since the 1800s.
On February 5, 2022 at 1:19 pm, Ned said:
Here’s a 10 second video showing the power of a European boar. Always nice to have these in the neighborhood…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QT4QqR_S-EM
On February 6, 2022 at 4:07 pm, The Mad Scot said:
Several years ago i visited a friend in san luis obispo to hunt hogs on the mendocino coast, where there were hundreds of hogs, massive hog trains running about.
We nailed several, we could not kill em fast enough..
they dug holes into the side of the hills and created hog hotels, we just shot em there too…
had to use solid copper rounds too, fucking ca regs…
yeah, fees per hog…
in sc, they are varmits, so we can smoke all day/night long. just need license…