New York State Bans Feral Hog Hunting | The Woodsman Hut | Forums

I had no idea they were becoming a issue so far north, I had heard of reports of them in Michigan, NY should make open season on them

The state Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joe Martens announced the ban on Monday, according to the Democrat & Chronicle.

Martens said that hunters are interfering with the state’s efforts to eliminate feral hogs.

“Hunters have offered to assist our efforts by hunting for boars wherever they occur, but experience has shown this to be counter-productive,” Martens said. “As long as swine may be pursued by hunters, there is a potential conflict with our eradication efforts.”

Martens is referring to baited hog traps set up by the DEC. When hunters shoot hogs near the traps, the swine scatter and rarely return to the traps, Martens said.

The state has also used sharpshooters from the DEC and the US Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services to kill more than 150 pigs.

RELATED: New York Feral Pigs Face Death From Above

Under the new regulations, DEC and federal wildlife and law enforcement agencies will be allowed to continue to hunt for feral hogs.

Feral pigs have only recently been spotted in northern US states. They are a persistent pest problem in the southern US, where each year they cause millions of dollars in damage to agriculture and livestock

http://www.wideopens.....g-hunting/