Article

2017-06-14 -Short Attention Span Theater-

Culling feral hogs from the sky in Texas takes off

[Rooters] In Texas, the pigs do not fly but the hunters do.

Tourists looking for ever more thrilling holidays are taking to the skies above Texas to shoot wild hogs as part of the state's effort to limit the spread of an invasive species that annually causes millions of dollars in damage to farmland and livestock nationally.

For up to $50,000, people can hunt the feral hogs from a helicopter and even use a machine gun to mow them down.

"There's only so many places in the world you can shoot machine guns out of a helicopter and no one shoots back," said Chris Britt, co-owner of HeliBacon, one of the companies offering the aerial hog hunts.

HeliBacon says its customers alone gunned down about 10,000 feral hogs in the last 18 months, but that barely makes a dent in the Texas' population of more than 2 million, a total higher than any other state.

There were 2,752 helicopter hog hunts in Texas last year, up 81 percent from 2011, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department data. About 34,400 hogs were killed in those hunts, up 53 percent.

The total U.S. population of the hogs is estimated at more than 6 million, and state and federal government officials are increasing efforts to rid themselves of the pesky animals.

There are nearly 150 companies and individuals permitted to hunt invasive feral hogs from helicopters as part of the Texas' so-called pork chopper bill passed in 2011. State legislators last month sent a bill to Governor Greg Abbott that would allow hog hunting from hot air balloons.

Posted by Besoeker 2017-06-14 00:00|| || Front Page|| [5 views ] Top

#1 Someone sitting behind me with his knees in the breeze firing an AR.....? Uhhhh, no thanks. I believe I've got a colonoscopy that day. If not, I'm scheduling one.

Posted by Besoeker 2017-06-14 06:27|| 2017-06-14 06:27|| Front Page Top

#2 That's 12.5 dead hogs per flight, including "machine guns". Not what I'd call 'mowing them down'.

Posted by Bobby 2017-06-14 07:12|| 2017-06-14 07:12|| Front Page Top

#3 "would allow hog hunting from hot air balloon"

OK, next up, a ~~retread~~ repurposed Goodyear Blimp with a minigun!

Posted by ed in texas 2017-06-14 08:17|| 2017-06-14 08:17|| Front Page Top

#4 The total U.S. population of the hogs is estimated at more than 6 million, and state and federal government officials are increasing efforts to rid themselves of the pesky animals.

Make it a repeat 'secret' ingredient on Chopped.

Posted by Procopius2k 2017-06-14 08:26|| 2017-06-14 08:26|| Front Page Top

#5 invasive feral hogs
They're breeding like mexicans!

Posted by Skidmark 2017-06-14 09:21|| 2017-06-14 09:21|| Front Page Top

#6 ...I don't recall the hogs were subsidized by the government.

Posted by Procopius2k 2017-06-14 10:41|| 2017-06-14 10:41|| Front Page Top

#7 How does feral hog bacon / pork taste? Kinda nasty, or what?

Posted by Raj 2017-06-14 12:19|| 2017-06-14 12:19|| Front Page Top

#8 Very tasty, Raj, very tasty. had some just last summer. 3 Feral hogs went after my neighbor. He had an AR-15 and dropped all 3. We dug a pit with his backhoe and spent a great evening, night, and next day butchering and cooking them along with consuming mass quantities of beer. We fed around 50 people.

Posted by Deacon Blues 2017-06-14 12:43|| 2017-06-14 12:43|| Front Page Top

#9 I want to read articles about drones vs. feral hogs.

Posted by Anguper Hupomosing9418 2017-06-14 13:21|| 2017-06-14 13:21|| Front Page Top

#10 drones vs. feral hogs

Howsabout roving autonomous blimps, armed with miniguns, on a search and destroy mission? They also have live video feed and drop a beacon to mark a kill for easy retrieval.

Posted by SteveS 2017-06-14 14:17|| 2017-06-14 14:17|| Front Page Top

#11 they need a little bird and couple of mini guns

Posted by 746 2017-06-14 14:20|| 2017-06-14 14:20|| Front Page Top

#12 Viet Hawg, a no winner

Posted by Shipman 2017-06-14 17:40|| 2017-06-14 17:40|| Front Page Top

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