Front page in the local rag today: Hogs on the move. Y'all are invited to come on down and shoot as many as you can. Partial excerpt, recipes are at the link:
Although they haven't yet achieved the status of Sherman's March to the Sea, Mississippi's rapidly growing wild hog population is cutting its own destructive swath through the state, and along the way exacting a heavy toll on the state's ecosystem.
Wild hogs, sometimes referred to as feral pigs, are swine that were once domesticated and were released or escaped into the wild. Their ability to reproduce quickly and insatiable appetite, have make wild hog sightings a common occurrence for Golden Triangle sportsmen and farmers. More significantly they present a growing problem without an obvious solution.
The hog are particularly prevalent in Clay County, says Dr. Bronson Strickland, Associate Extension Professor, Wildlife Ecology and Management at Mississippi State University. "There are some true Russian or European wild boar in Mississippi, but they were deliberately brought here and let loose for hunting, he says.
Lowndes County Agent Reid Nevins said wild hogs are not as common in Lowndes -- at least, not yet.
"We don't have the number of wild pigs here in Lowndes County that have in, say, Clay County or Monroe County," Nevins said. "It's coming. It's only matter of time."
Strickland said that even though wild hogs are capable of breeding a couple of times a year, one of the major problems is the transporting of wild hogs.
"This is one of the biggest things we have to stop," Strickland said. "People like to transport wild hogs and let them loose in other areas so they can later hunt them. They don't think it's hurting anything but it is. The pig population expands naturally and that is a big enough problem. The transportation of hogs, which is illegal, only makes it worse."
Feral hogs can also be a threat to public health. According to research gathered by the MSU Extension Service, wild pigs are known carriers of at least 45 different parasites and diseases that pose threats to livestock, pets, wildlife and, in some cases, humans.
The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks has deemed wild hogs a nuisance species, allowing landowners to hunt them year-round without restrictions. They can be hunted with bait, such as corn and can even be hunted with dogs or trapped.
Ground zero for hogs
Pheba is a small community in western Clay County about 18 miles west of West Point. It has its own post office, zip code and Pheba's Diner, the local spot for biscuit breakfasts, plate lunches and burgers. The community is home to Hebron Christian Academy and miles and miles of prime hunting land.
It also the home to large infestation of wild hogs that are leaving a visible path of destruction as their numbers increase.
Read more: http://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.a ... z2KVF3AJa3