Here in my state Dept Primary Industries has been doing some aerial culling, 100,000 shot from helicopters in the last 12 months.
Around the farm they are still pretty transient and nocturnal, you will see sign of where they have been rooting and then nothing for a week, then more sign a mile or more away.
About 2 months back I noticed they had started feeding on some old carcasses so when we had a cow drop dead I dragged her to the general area and put a trap around it. 2 months with the door wired open and no interest from them. Sign pigs have been within 20y of the trap but nothing had been entering and feeding until Tuesday when the cow had been ripped apart and trap all rooted up. Time to unwire the door.
When I went to check it yesterday noticed a piglet bolt from near the trap while still 200y away. Parked the bike and approached on foot going down wind and coming in to it through a patch of tussocks. I had been planning on trying to shoot a few rabbits that are also starting to increase in number yesterday afternoon so my choice of rifle for the day reflected that. My Sako 17HMR is probably the worst choice I have as a hog rifle but what I had with me.
Working my way through the tussocks I spotted one piglet heading back towards the trap, when I dispatched it another 3 exploded from the tussocks just in front of me. Thankfully I wound the scope to its minimum of 3x when I got off the bike and managed to roll the last piglet with the last shot in the magazine. Time to reload and take care of the 130lb sow and boar in the trap with another couple of piglets.
I do eat a bit of wild hog but prefer to stick with those that have been grazing on pasture, hogs that are covered from head to foot in mud, guts and who knows what else from being inside a dead cow feeding just arent for me.
I lost track of where all the piglets were dropping with the shooting being quite frenetic but dragged 3 off them together for a photo.
