Whistle Pigs

[Zuma]

This chunky ole chuck was mowing my neighbors yard
this morning. So tempting. They don't clip much grass
in my yard before that job is terminated.
I suppose this one will produce a litter of demons
and launch them at my garden next spring.
Zuma

[PEARL DRUMS]

Ahhhhh yes, the one and only animal walking planet earth that I have true blue disdain for. I will take them suckers out with anything at anytime. I have plenty of reasons

[osage outlaw]

It's not what they eat.  It's the damage they cause digging tunnels.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Exactly. I worked on dairy farms all through high school and have seen first hand what them baztards do. Plug field tiles, collapse barns from the ground up, dig massive holes in hay fields which in turn ruins equipment. More than once I was doing the outside rounds with a hay bine with my head turned to the mower only to slam into giant holes and practically break a wrist and most often break a front wheel right off the tractor. Nothing good about those things, zero.

I was chopping hay one day and my boss was hauling chopper wagons back and forth. I was waiting at the end of the field to get an empty wagon and for him to pick up the full one. Pretty soon I see him just swerving all over hell and I couldn't see what he was doing. Come to find out he was chasing a chuck down, he got him!

[Zuma]

Pearly, I am glad your stories were not leathal.
A guy that worked on the farm I did when I was
a kid putting up hay, flipped the old three wheel
John Deere over on top of himself.( Chuck hole).
 Warning--Graphic
He was trapped under and the engine was still
running when the fire started in his gas soaked
clothes. He made the National Enquirer with some
horrible graphic photos.
He was a good guy. RIP
Zuma

[mullet]

If they are the same as Prairie Dogs, my wife's family owns two counties in west Kansas and for years hosted the Annual Prairie Dog Shoot for all of the big Outdoor Sports and Shooting magazine authors of all of the big hunting, rifle and Big Game Magazines in the US. It lasted for a week and they slammed thousands of those boogers.

[bjrogg]

Yes Zuma, as Pearl stated I also dispise those cute little whistle pigs. Dang them things can destroy a lot of stuff and they repopulate faster than all the big sport shooters can ever keep up to. My buddy Gary (the one in the wheelchair that was on Michigan out of doors had 203 confirmed kills this year as of last Saturday, and there's no way he even put a tiny dent in population.
Zuma that is a tragic story. Those old narrow front tractor where really easy to tip over. Dieing from burning alive has to be about as bad a way to go as it gets.
Bjrogg

[BowEd]

I've been called on a couple of occasions to trap out a ground hog or two from underneath houses.One woodchuck kept this older retired lady up at night[3 AM] digging and rousting around.Scared the heck out of here.They are areal pain.They really don't taste that bad either.Their hide makes good rawhide too.I've hooped em before like a beaver on willow hoops.Hang em up in the house or shed.
Left shed doors open over one night and he came in and dug to beat the band.Won't do that anymore.Just to dig apparently.Took me some time to fix.As said destructive buggers.If I can't get a shot with the bow I ding with a .22 cal.

[Zuma]

If they are the same as Prairie Dogs, my wife's family owns two counties in west Kansas and for years hosted the Annual Prairie Dog Shoot for all of the big Outdoor Sports and Shooting magazine authors of all of the big hunting, rifle and Big Game Magazines in the US. It lasted for a week and they slammed thousands of those boogers.

Eddie. These critters are three times a prairie dog or more. 8-10 pounds I'd guess.
They live in burrows but not colonies. A sow and her kits would be a max unit.
They are still good for sport shooting. I weaned myself on my first Bear bow, killing
them in apple orchards.

BJ I probably wouldn't remember that incident if it wasn't front page in the rag sheet. To much death by farm equipment in those days.

Bead, my buddy used to make vests out of them. You would have thought they were gray fox. They say the kits are the tastiest.
Zuma

[paulsemp]

Used to have them underneath my bow shop years ago and had not seen them for a long time since I eradicated them. The other day my daughter got me after dinner and said Dad look what's in the backyard. I looked out the window and a big fat one was crawling back underneath my shed. Living in the suburbs I appreciate virtually all animals my backyard. Groundhogs and skunks won't be tolerated though

[bjrogg]

It seems like once you get them under a building you have to always watch that spot cause new ones will come in. I know a guy who didn't worry about them under his farm shop. They dug so much sand out from under his bathroom area that the cement caved in. Then they got inside his shop and and piled up sand till it covered his toilet. These thing are worst then bad renters you really don't want to "not worry about them"
Bjrogg

[---GUTSHOT--->]

I'm right there too. For the last 13 rears I have tried to kill a family of WP out from the same spot. I usually get 7-10 a year there but those suckers just keep multiplying. Does any body know how many they have in a litter and how many times they birth in a year. There the worst Critter out there for mass destruction on fields and barns.

[nclonghunter]

On  a positive note.....they can feed a family but you must par boil it first and skim off the frothy mess on the water. They are actually not bad for a food source. Their hide is tough and big enough to make an incredibly durable bag or quiver. I would also suspect a great bow string could be made. Many mountain folks made banjo heads or musical instruments from the hides and used them for shoe strings in their boots.

I grew up hunting them with bows and rifles. They can be an elusive critter. We would sneak up to a group of holes and whistle loud and sharp (like they do) one time and they would often come to the opening to look. If you were ready you could stop him in the hole.

Meet an old WV mountain man once that had a big coon dog. He said he hunted them with his dog and five gallon buckets, He said come along and we will get one. Went went along a creek and found a freshly used hole. He filled up five of the five gallon buckets with creek water. The dog poised along side the hole and the man started pouring water into the hole. one bucket after the other until the water started coming back out. took a minute but a ground hog came out of that hole and the dog grabbed him by the neck. It was a hell of a fight for a minute but that dog shook and broke that hogs neck. It was like going to a chicken fight and we had front row seats.

Me and a friend was out hunting hogs with out TC 54 cal Hawkins one day and found a couple buckets on the river bank. Found a hog hole and started pouring in water. The hog came out and I recall seeing a small bubble around his nose as he surfaced. I shot that hog as he surfaced and what happened was a learning process. The hog was dead but me and my friend had water that exploded from the hole and covered us. It was dripping off our faces...lol

I know they can be a big problem. Many a farmer asked us to shoot them. I think they have caused livestock to break legs and tractors to sink down into a field making a big jolt to the driver, not to mention the crop damage they can do.

[Zuma]

Gravy,
The PIGS ears must be ringing.
Thanks for all the great replies folks.
The chucks have been dissed.
Zuma

[Will Tell]

They're little grizzly bears. They are hard to kill and have had to shoot some a couple of times. Good news is the Coyotes love them and keeps them off the deer. We have way too many pigs and raccoons. I always carry a varmint arrow when I'm hunting. I've seen quite a few with rabies the last couple of years.