pack of wild pigs digging on heron golf course

[cwbrandt]

Our house is on the third hole on Heron golf course. Last night I went out into the birdcage around midnight and heard lots of noise and knew that there were some animals outside my birdcage. This morning the edge of the golf course is all torn up and we can see that multiple animals were here by the amount of scat back there. At least one of them has been digging in my garden for weeks, but various people told me that it was an armadillo or something else. I called the starter shed this morning but no one has come to even look at it today. Someone who was here pruning a neighbor's palms showed me the tracks and said it was definitely wild pigs.

Has anyone else had any experience with these animals?

[kittygilchrist]

more than you want to know...
they can be dangerous, don't mess with them. TV will probably hire a licensed trapper to remove. If I were u I'd call VCDD Community Watch who will figure out what to do.


Wild Hog Removal - Wild Hog Control, Wild Hog Trapping, ? Fort Myers, Florida (http://www.wildthingsflorida.com/control_wild-hogs.html)
ICWDM Home Page (http://icwdm.org/)

WEC277/UW322: Wild Hogs in Florida: Ecology and Management (http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw322)
quote: Another area of concern is the potential for wild hogs to serve as reservoirs for many diseases and parasites that may affect native wildlife, livestock, and people. Hogs have been known to carry dozens of such pathogens, including cholera, pseudorabies, brucellosis, tuberculosis, salmonellosis, anthrax, ticks, fleas, lice, and various flukes and worms. Although these pathogens and parasites typically do not present a serious threat to people, they do threaten livestock. Millions of dollars are spent each year to keep livestock safe from diseases and parasites spread by wild hogs (Figure 16). Finally, hogs can be dangerous. Although wild hogs usually prefer to run and escape danger, if they are injured, cornered, or with young, they can become aggressive, move with great speed, and cause serious injury (mainly with their hooves and tusks; Figure 17).
Trapper Registration (http://www.myfwc.com/license/wildlife/nuisance-wildlife/trapper-registration/)

[kittygilchrist]

they aren't a bit cute! I was fishing with mother and friends once when a boar (think tusks) chased us. I got the worst tongue-lashing of my life when I took time to pick up my shoe that had come off. There was no time to open car doors. we scrambled onto the hood of the vehicle.
I'm almost a native, love Florida culture, respect hunters who put meat in the freezer for their families...my son once asked me, accusingly, "Mom, why aren't YOU a redneck? Everybody else is.." I don't know, Son.

[skyc6]

There used to be a TV show called Hoggers. It was about these 2 blond chicks who hunted hogs for a living in Fl. The show claimed that 1 male boar could destroy a farmers crop in 1 night. These girls always hunted the males to stop the procreation, which I guess is rampant. It was a reality show I think on Animal planet. Great entertainment but scary in real life!

[Moderator]

Original post asked if anyone has had experience with wild hogs. These animals are dangerous and that should not be minimized.

Please stay on topic.

Moderator

[NoMoSno]

Original post asked if anyone has had experience with wild hogs. These animals are dangerous and that should not be minimized.

Please stay on topic.

Moderator

I have had experience with wild hogs and they are dangerous.
That is why I provided links to the best method of elimination.
Was not trying to minimize the situation.

[kittygilchrist]

Original post asked if anyone has had experience with wild hogs. These animals are dangerous and that should not be minimized.

Please stay on topic.

Moderator

exactly. I hope the OP has called VCDD already, and don't go out there!

[manaboutown]

Apparently Florida bears can be dangerous, too. Anybody seen them around The Villages? Black Bear Mauls Florida Woman, Drags Her Out of Garage - Yahoo (http://gma.yahoo.com/black-bear-mauls-florida-woman-drags-her-garage-164756458--abc-news-topstories.html)

[ROCKETMAN]

They used to have traps for them on the 2nd hole on hibiscus which makes sense because that wetlands would eventually be close to heron. They caught quite a few. Maybe call the pro shop at cane to report them.

[Carl in Tampa]

OK. Y'all need to give these porcine cuties the same love you did the gators.

My sarcasm detector went off!

My experience with wild hogs has been mainly eating them while in hunting camp. A close friend and hunting buddy from my college days is an acknowledged expert regarding Florida wild hogs. He manufactures special hunting ammunition specifically for killing these dangerous animals. He has personally killed many dozens of them, usually when they are charging him with the intent to harm him.

Generally, they will flee in the presence of humans, but you can't count on this. The older and larger males have very dangerous tusks. Don't seek out a confrontation with wild hogs.

I'm including a couple of photos from the ammunition web site. My buddy James C. Gates is in one of the photos.

[LndLocked]

It could possibly be wild hogs as there is some undeveloped land around Lk Miona for them to live in.... but it even this bit of land is surrounded by development with not real woods or forest for many a mile and I am not sure how they would get there and I doubt they have been there long.

Hog rooting is very distinctive https://www.google.com/search?q=hog+rooting&client=firefox-a&hs=aAB&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=sb&tbm=isch&imgil=ek0NCG96rdi05M%253A%253Bhttps%253A%252F%252F encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com%252Fimages%253Fq%253Dtbn%253AANd9 GcRJuypEMpz-JONvxMg6a00rcnyctxyI7vWY0tr1bI8F5rG3lVOo%253B480%2 53B360%253BemevJuKESZR_UM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%2 5252Frazorbackoutfitters.com%25252Fhoghunting101.a spx&source=iu&usg=__5rXEbKgGzI7khuG059ZWPsbURDs%3D&sa=X&ei=TSJLU4WgKKjK2gXk-4CgCw&ved=0CC0Q9QEwAA#facrc=_&imgrc=ek0NCG96rdi05M%253A%3BemevJuKESZR_UM%3Bhttp% 253A%252F%252Frazorbackoutfitters.com%252FImages%2 52Frooting.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Frazorbackoutfi tters.com%252Fhoghunting101.aspx%3B480%3B360

If it is hogs ... DO NOT approach them as the can be aggressive and dangerous .... be very careful about letting any pets out at night also! I would call VCDD immediately!!

[buggyone]

Last year someone posted a picture of a bear in Village of Winifred by the Palmer club area. Someone else posted a video of a coyote jumping around on hay rolls in one of The Villages fields.

Lots of wild critters here.

[KathieI]

They were seen a couple of years back on golf courses. I'll attach the link to the thread, some of the posts were peeps being silly, but some will tell you that they are around. Just can't decide if they are pigs or boars???

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/villages-florida-general-discussion-73/wild-boars-60984/

[golf2140]

They have been in the Cane Garden course for years. They have trappers there at times. The wild pigs are nasty and tear up the ground.

[scrapple]

I woke up during the night to yipping and thought it was probably foxes. Glad to know Nature feels comfortable enough to live with us.

[LndLocked]

I woke up during the night to yipping and thought it was probably foxes. Glad to know Nature feels comfortable enough to live with us.

Their are dif Fox and Coyote around.

[TNLAKEPANDA]

I have a smoker!

[getdul981]

Wild hogs are wild hogs. Wild boars are wild male hogs. Wild sows are wild female hogs. All boars are hogs, but not all hogs are boars.

[Carl in Tampa]

I have a smoker!

:mmmm:

[Neal2tire]

With the exposure on this site I'm sure the management is on it. In most cases controlled hunting is done with bows and in some cases guns. Thanks for the heads up. I walk every night about midnight.
NG

[Bizdoc]

I have a mountain feist (a type of dog bred in the Appalachians for hunting small game). She responds rather strongly to the presence of wild animals (dinner time!). When we first moved to South Fernandina (on the edge of the desert), she regularly would get her hackles up during late evening walks. She still does from time to time. (No, she doesn't tell me what she's thinking about for her midnight snack.)

The point is that this part of TV was range land until very recently. All kinds of critters lived here. Some still do. Unlike the Disney channel or Animal Planet, some of them would be happy to eat you for dinner. Like the nature preserves? The price for having them is that nature lives there including animals you may not really want as neighbors.

[PaPaLarry]

My sarcasm detector went off!

My experience with wild hogs has been mainly eating them while in hunting camp. A close friend and hunting buddy from my college days is an acknowledged expert regarding Florida wild hogs. He manufactures special hunting ammunition specifically for killing these dangerous animals. He has personally killed many dozens of them, usually when they are charging him with the intent to harm him.

Generally, they will flee in the presence of humans, but you can't count on this. The older and larger males have very dangerous tusks. Don't seek out a confrontation with wild hogs.

I'm including a couple of photos from the ammunition web site. My buddy James C. Gates is in one of the photos.
Wow!!!! Very interesting.

[nitehawk]

I just know that the powers to be will take care of everything

[cwbrandt]

So after no response from the golf course people, I followed the great suggestion by kittygilchrist and called community watch who came out yesterday and said it would be handled. They called this morning and said that a hog hunter would come out to handle the problem.

Meanwhile I now realize that there have been holes in my garden which probably were also made by these hogs. They dug up some lily bulbs and other flowers I had just planted. We also had some animal dig up the corrugated pipe which we had buried 2-3 years ago to take water from the downspout farther away from the house. I suspect that some smaller animal was in the pipe and a larger animal wanted to get to it. I don't know if we can blame the hogs for that but it was close to the area they visited yesterday.

[perrjojo]

We have had some wild hogs here in Haciendas of Mission Hills. My daughter lives on a horse ranch in Texas and they have occasionally had problems with wild hogs. They can tear up an entire pasture in no time. They are destructive and can be dangerous.

[kittygilchrist]

With the exposure on this site I'm sure the management is on it. In most cases controlled hunting is done with bows and in some cases guns. Thanks for the heads up. I walk every night about midnight.
NG

Hogs are baited into a trap with food.

[Chi-Town]

Where is the "Motor City Madman" Ted Nugent when you need him? He claimed to have killed 455 hogs one weekend last year with a machine gun. I think he said that he shot them from a helicopter. 750 rounds per minute.

[BobnBev]

And I though this thread would be------------





"boar".......ing



:clap2::MOJE_whot::clap2::girlneener::pepper2:

[Average Guy]

Maybe these wild pigs/boars could be trained to patrol the squares so that no one saves seats anymore.

[kittygilchrist]

Maybe these wild pigs/boars could be trained to patrol the squares so that no one saves seats anymore.

LOL! I'm happy that this situation being posted has been educational to folks not from around here about the jeopardy of thinking pigs are all domesticated and cute.
Some posters made me proud who kept putting awareness of danger back into view, esp moderator and Carl. I suppose this area, like all places, has its dangers. Lucky for us most of them here are seldom encountered, and if you know what to do and not, you'll likely be okay.

Except for those pesky seat savers, the beasts. Seat Hogs, that's what they are.:duck:

[DDoug]

Lets get our guns and go out hunting at night oboy

[JMike]

While I was playing Heron this morning a convoy of 5, 4-Wheelers with their hunting dogs were being led to the back side of the course.

[Bogie Shooter]

Probably should keep little FooFoo away.:D

[buggyone]

Probably should keep little FooFoo away.:D

FooFoo is your pet Pot Belly Pig?

[Carl in Tampa]

Except for those pesky seat savers, the beasts. Seat Hogs, that's what they are.:duck:


:22yikes::a040::BigApplause:

[mulligan]

To date, there have been 9 hogs "removed" from the Pelican-Heron/Hibiscus area. This has been done by hunters with dogs, and they are not done.

[kittygilchrist]

To date, there have been 9 hogs "removed" from the Pelican-Heron/Hibiscus area. This has been done by hunters with dogs, and they are not done.

thanks for the update. I am from "around here" and curious whether the hogs are killed and if so, how?

[NoMoSno]

thanks for the update. I am from "around here" and curious whether the hogs are killed and if so, how?

Since they are invasive, they are probably bacon this AM.
Most hog hunters will have a large knife and a .357 on the hip, and carry a rifle. Will use whatever it takes to protect the dogs and get the job done.