Hogs, Perhaps a Money-Making Opportunity?

With swarms of feral hogs massing on our northern border, it’s time to take stock of our options.

Montana wildlife officials warn against shooting them. Hunting, we’re told, only makes hogs harder to control. Trapping is the preferred alternative.

A column I wrote a couple of years ago to that effect prompted a flood of responses. The mere suggestion that feral hogs be trapped instead of shot outraged an entire community of folks who are rabid about shooting pigs.

Perhaps Montana should look to Texas for inspiration. The Lone Star state, which encourages hog hunting, is overrun by feral swine. But instead of bemoaning the damage caused to cropland, wildlife habitat and other wildlife, Texans have turned the pig plague into an industry.

For $5,495, piggy Rambos can shoot feral hogs from helicopters using machine guns. A video of the “hunt” is included in the package offered by Helibacon.

The company claims to be making an effort to control feral swine while at the same time profiting from its spread. Helibacon even advertises corporate retreats. What better way to bond with your co-workers than hanging out of a helicopter firing fully-automatic weapons at running targets that tumble, spew blood, and crash spectacularly while you fly away.

There’s no season, and no license of any kind required.

Night hunts, including thermal imaging optics, are a popular option.

Calling any of this a “hunt” is a stretch. A “shoot,” however, doesn’t carry the same cachet. The old saw “shooting fish in a barrel” comes to mind.

Montana has some of the best hunting in the world, but it’s threatened by an impending infestation of feral hogs. State wildlife officials contend trapping is the preferred solution.

Texas, long the home of canned hunts, has chosen another path: let the pigs run free, and charge a fee to slaughter them in an exciting fashion. As a result, there are no fewer feral hogs, but a lot of folks just feel good playing soldier.

It’s kind of like the hunts we have in Montana to control coyotes. They don’t really work, but they still attract a crowd.

Hunted coyotes produce larger litters.

Hunted pigs go nocturnal.

There aren’t many options. Hopefully, Montanans will choose the right one.

Parker Heinlein is at [email protected]