Y'all gotta read this thread!

[Why Syzygy]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3747875

Texas may let hunters shoot pigs from choppers

Source: Associated Press

Bill proposed to thin estimated 2 million voracious feral hogs roaming state

updated 4:28 p.m. MT, Thurs., Feb. 19, 2009

MERTZON, Texas - Millions of wild pigs weighing up to 300 pounds have been tearing up crops, trampling fences and eating just about anything in their path in Texas. But now they had better watch their hairy backs.

A state lawmaker is proposing to allow ordinary Texans with rifles and shotguns to shoot the voracious, tusked animals from helicopters.
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Comments from natives...

:rofl:

[Why Syzygy]

1. Does anyone else find the hatred of Texans

at DU to be bizarre?

[johncoby2]

2. No. The state actually deserves it.

Seriously. Look what we gave the US over the last 8 years.

[Why Syzygy]

10. huh?

Maybe we should blame Connecticut for what they did to us!

[WolverineDG]

6. Part & parcel of being on DU

Texans get slammed so folks from blue states can feel superior. :eyes:

dg

[flamin lib]

3. Here's the thing 'bout pigs . . .

These aren't wild boars, they're domesticated pigs gone feral. They're mean dangerous. They're smart too, probably the smartest farm animal out there--much more intelligent than any dog I've known. A sow can have two litters a year with ten or more piglets. They are a terrible problem and it's spreading.

That said, this Miller guy has no clue about hunting pigs. They don't travel in packs and most of the pig population is in wooded areas of the state. Hunting from a helicopter is the dumbest thing I've ever heard. How the hell is anyone going to see an animal the size of a large dog through a canopy of scrub oak much less shoot it? Palin's helicopter hunts are for wolves against a white snow background, no camouflage, no cover and no obstructions. The idiocy of this is beyond imagination.

[sonias]

4. Collateral damage

This idea is pretty stupid and even though Miller said it won't be a drunk Bubba shooting from the air - that's probably what it will turn out to be. The state already allows shooting these animals anyway. So why the helicopters? Probably because some business guy friend of Miller wants to start a weekend hunting business where he can take some rich fatcats somewhere they can kill something.

Just how regulated do you think these concerns are going to be? Please, the state can barely keep up with park maintenance and it's going to regulate these businesses - no way.

So the only requirement you'll need to shoot a hog from a chopper is "do you have the money?". Good enough for the state. Like having money somehow makes you more responsible and mature.

Just wait, till they shoot their first rancher's cow or horse or dog. What's Sid Miller proposing for a penalty then?

:crazy:

Sonia

[flamin lib]

8. The article points out a major issue which is land rights.

If we're talking about a large ranch like the King all the hunter has to do is pay a fee to the land owner. In the counties of Freestone and Limestone, two of the most heavily populated pig counties, most plots of land are quite small; 25 to 100 acres and it's damn hard to see a property line from a helicopter. It isn't like a map where every state has a different color ;-)

I know my brother would take exception to some yahoo shooting into his 25 acre hunting property from a helicopter. Hmmmm, wonder what a .270 Winchester would do to a Bell Jet Ranger???????? I've got a feeling we'd find out 'fore too long . . .

[WolverineDG]

9. Wouldn't you have to secure hunting rights b/4 getting in the copter?

Seems to me you should. It's bad enough that some landowners (farmers) can't run hunters off their property as it is. And how can you tell if you've strayed over public land? I can only imagine the uproar if they brought something down in a park or school!

dg

[cannabis_flower]

11. or farmer. nt

[WolverineDG]

5. My fave are the ones who are whining about not eating the kill

"wasting the animal's life" or some such, yet I doubt they'd think twice before killing rats & mice.

I wouldn't touch wild boar/javelina meat with a 10 foot pole & I come from a family of hunters.

dg

[flamin lib]

7. Actually it's as safe as any wild meat. The major risk of triconosis was

caused by overcrowding and sanitation in the sty. Free range pork is very lean, clean and pretty darn tasty. Yeah there is some danger in the processing stage but common sense sanitation is all that's called for. Just cook to an internal temperature of at least 150 degrees and let it rest for 20 minutes. All the bad stuff dies off at 140 degrees.

edit to add:

Besides, where I come from the phrase is, "I wouldn't touch that with a dirty hoe handle."

[X_Digger]

12. mmm, tasty, but wasted fuel.

Feral hogs have learned to stay away from the sound or smell of an ATV, so it'll be pointless in no time flat.

Suburban Fort Worth is starting to get quite a population of feral hogs and coyotes.