Article on Hogs in the Smokies

[mtnman2888]

Interesting read......

http://www.wbtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=9025925&nav=menu1434_3

[ijsouth]

Good article, although I would have thought the numbers would be even higher. All over the South, hogs were raised in a semi "free-range" manner...I know down here, the farmers would turn them loose in the fall to forage in the bottomlands, then would come in after a few months, round them up, and slaughter them. There were always a few that would escape, and my dad always said that a pig will revert to a wild state faster than any animal. They sure can cause a lot of damage, whether it is to fragile mountain plants or the grass that holds levees together...mmm, now I have a craving for some bacon ;)

[caught 108]

Those Hog's are something there tough,smart,reproduce very fast and are very destructive.

[bugg]

The ones they were talking about that escaped in 1920's were true Russian strain boars. They were imported to a "hunting preserve" in Graham county and escaped soon after they came to NC. This is why the far western counties in NC have a hog season and the rest do not. Not saying the rest of the counties do not have hogs, but I guess it is because of the genetics. Regardless, the hogs definitely have an effect on the land.

I knew a guy who was hired to hunt them over the summer. He stayed in the house next to the Ranger Station in Deep Creek. He killed a pretty good number of them, but it seems like they would have given him a partner. He would go out for days at a time, by himself, and hunt these things. Just seems like kind of a dangerous thing to be doing by yourself...

[mtnman2888]

Yeah i've heard of rangers that go out there and stay for a few days backpacking trying to get them. They were all decked out and even had nightvision gear.

I remember one time i was above elkmont and a ranger came down the trail who had been hunting hogs, he had what looked similar to an ar-15, not to mention a side arm, serious business.

[bugg]

this guy wasn't a ranger. he was a college student that got hired for like 6 months or so. but yeah, he had night vision, semi-automatic rifles, shotguns, the works. cool job but i'd want somebody to talk to after a while.

[BlueRaiderFan]

Man...Don't tell the Tennessee Vols fans that there are Hogs in the mountains of Tennessee. They don't even like it when they get in the backfield.

[Sage]

I saw a gator at Elkmont late yesterday. He said we were in for a whippin' this weekend. I asked him if he was going and he said yes. I said, "Good, more room for me up here." :biggrin:

[Gerry Romer]

"...Imported European hogs escaped from a private hunting preserve in 1920 and have interbred with stray domestic swine. There are currently as many as 1,000 wild hogs in the Smokies."

That's a ridiculous understatement! :rolleyes:

Heck, I've seen at least that many in just one day... the last time I went up Walker Camp Prong. And almost every one of 'em had a babe in a bandanna ridin' on the back. And, if that's not bad enough, they travel in packs... sometimes as many as 20 in a pack!! Scared the crap out of me goin' through the tunnel! :biggrin:

Gerry

[BlueRaiderFan]

Man...We could take this SO many places!:biggrin: