The province has put a price on the boar’s heads – re-establishing a generosity program designed to uproot stubborn populations of the invasive species.
Hunting needs to be handled carefully, said Ryan Brook, an associate professor in agriculture at the University of Saskatchewan and director of the Canada Wild Pig Research Project.
Sporadic hunting will make the animals more difficult to spot, Brooke said. Wild boars quickly learn to disperse and avoid threats – and they will pass these tricks on to their young.
“Wild boars are incredibly smart, incredibly elusive,” Brooke said.
“The more pressure you put on them than chasing or shooting them – any kind of thing that pushes them and makes them nervous – they will become more and more nocturnal to a point where they can only be active in complete darkness. ”
The province announced on Tuesday that hunters, landowners and government-approved trappers will be rewarded for killing boar.
Trappers will receive $ 75 per set of ears, in the hope that they will kill an entire speaker. Hunters and landowners will also receive $ 75 per set.
The hunt is a pilot program that started on April 1 and will last next year. To date, Stettler County and the Peace District have signed.
The program trap will last until the spring of 2024.
The Wild Boar Control Program includes expanded surveillance and new compensation for farmers.
Wild boars are destructive and adaptable. Groups of these have been identified throughout North America. (Submitted by Ryan Brook)
Brooke said there is no silver bullet to wipe out productive ranchers. Increased surveillance along with trapping efforts will likely be more effective, he said.
“One of the things that really stands out about Alberta’s program is that it recognizes that there is no tool to fix it,” he said. “There is no magic potion that will remove them.
“I have some reservations about bounties, but I hesitate to be very critical because whenever someone does things to find and remove pigs in the landscape it is very good.”
Alberta has been waging a decades-long battle against pigs, which have been identified in at least 28 municipalities.
Running awkwardly
The wild boar’s ability to survive in almost any climate makes it one of the most productive invasive species in North America.
A hybrid of domestic pigs and European wild boar, the animals can weigh up to 150 kg and have a woolen substrate that protects them from the cold.
They usually live in the forest, emerge to devour crops, contaminate water sources and harass animals. They also transmit diseases that can be transmitted to domestic pigs.
They have been found in at least 39 states, with populations established in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba with widespread outbreaks in BC, Ontario and Quebec.
They can live with anything. They can eat a rock and make a living from it, I think.-Allen Williams
One of the largest wildlife populations in Texas, where bounties have been around for years.
Boars are very smart and hunting them too much in one area can only lead them to new territory, said Allen Williams, owner of Dos Plumas Hunting Ranch, a pig hunting ranch northwest of Abilene.
“If you put enough pressure on them, they will just find another place to go that is impenetrable.”
The animals are smart, incredibly resilient and will eat almost anything, he said.
“They can adapt to anything,” Williams said. “They can make a living from anything. They can eat a rock and make a living from it, I think.”
The wild boar was first introduced to Alberta in the 1970s and 1980s for breeding and rearing.
In those early days, pigs were often allowed to roam freely. Few believed that wild boars could survive Alberta winters. Instead, the fugitives prospered.
The Old Yeller effect
In May 2008, as pigs began destroying crops more frequently, the province declared them an official pest and launched a reward program, offering Albertans $ 50 per pig. More than 1,000 wild boars were killed through the program, but closed in 2017, in part due to declining interest. Williams expects Alberta hunters to be willing to re-enter the Alberta bounty hunt. He said there is a certain mystery about animals, which he attributes to a scene in the Disney movie Old Yeller, when a young farmer boy is attacked by wild boars. “It was created in everyone’s mind, at such a young age, that these things are just to kill whatever is going on,” he said. “This sense of excitement, this little risk, if you will, is a fixation.” Brooke said that to reduce wild boar populations, the province will need to combine strategies as hunting alone will be ineffective. (Submitted by Ryan Brook)
title: “Feral Pigs May Outsmart Alberta S New Bounty Hunters Boar Expert Warns " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-16” author: “Robert Snyder”
The province has put a price on the boar’s heads – re-establishing a generosity program designed to uproot stubborn populations of the invasive species.
Hunting needs to be handled carefully, said Ryan Brook, an associate professor in agriculture at the University of Saskatchewan and director of the Canada Wild Pig Research Project.
Sporadic hunting will make the animals more difficult to spot, Brooke said. Wild boars quickly learn to disperse and avoid threats – and they will pass these tricks on to their young.
“Wild boars are incredibly smart, incredibly elusive,” Brooke said.
“The more pressure you put on them than chasing or shooting them – any kind of thing that pushes them and makes them nervous – they will become more and more nocturnal to a point where they can only be active in complete darkness. ”
The province announced on Tuesday that hunters, landowners and government-approved trappers will be rewarded for killing boar.
Trappers will receive $ 75 per set of ears, in the hope that they will kill an entire speaker. Hunters and landowners will also receive $ 75 per set.
The hunt is a pilot program that started on April 1 and will last next year. To date, Stettler County and the Peace District have signed.
The program trap will last until the spring of 2024.
The Wild Boar Control Program includes expanded surveillance and new compensation for farmers.
Wild boars are destructive and adaptable. Groups of these have been identified throughout North America. (Submitted by Ryan Brook)
Brooke said there is no silver bullet to wipe out productive ranchers. Increased surveillance along with trapping efforts will likely be more effective, he said.
“One of the things that really stands out about Alberta’s program is that it recognizes that there is no tool to fix it,” he said. “There is no magic potion that will remove them.
“I have some reservations about bounties, but I hesitate to be very critical because whenever someone does things to find and remove pigs in the landscape it is very good.”
Alberta has been waging a decades-long battle against pigs, which have been identified in at least 28 municipalities.
Running awkwardly
The wild boar’s ability to survive in almost any climate makes it one of the most productive invasive species in North America.
A hybrid of domestic pigs and European wild boar, the animals can weigh up to 150 kg and have a woolen substrate that protects them from the cold.
They usually live in the forest, emerge to devour crops, contaminate water sources and harass animals. They also transmit diseases that can be transmitted to domestic pigs.
They have been found in at least 39 states, with populations established in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba with widespread outbreaks in BC, Ontario and Quebec.
They can live with anything. They can eat a rock and make a living from it, I think.-Allen Williams
One of the largest wildlife populations in Texas, where bounties have been around for years.
Boars are very smart and hunting them too much in one area can only lead them to new territory, said Allen Williams, owner of Dos Plumas Hunting Ranch, a pig hunting ranch northwest of Abilene.
“If you put enough pressure on them, they will just find another place to go that is impenetrable.”
The animals are smart, incredibly resilient and will eat almost anything, he said.
“They can adapt to anything,” Williams said. “They can make a living from anything. They can eat a rock and make a living from it, I think.”
The wild boar was first introduced to Alberta in the 1970s and 1980s for breeding and rearing.
In those early days, pigs were often allowed to roam freely. Few believed that wild boars could survive Alberta winters. Instead, the fugitives prospered.
The Old Yeller effect
In May 2008, as pigs began destroying crops more frequently, the province declared them an official pest and launched a reward program, offering Albertans $ 50 per pig. More than 1,000 wild boars were killed through the program, but closed in 2017, in part due to declining interest. Williams expects Alberta hunters to be willing to re-enter the Alberta bounty hunt. He said there is a certain mystery about animals, which he attributes to a scene in the Disney movie Old Yeller, when a young farmer boy is attacked by wild boars. “It was created in everyone’s mind, at such a young age, that these things are just to kill whatever is going on,” he said. “This sense of excitement, this little risk, if you will, is a fixation.” Brooke said that to reduce wild boar populations, the province will need to combine strategies as hunting alone will be ineffective. (Submitted by Ryan Brook)
