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bearcat · March 15, 2000, 07:35 PM

There are still quite a few wild Russians here in southwestern North Carolina (Cherokee/Graham Counties) as well as southeastern Tennessee (Monroe/Polk Counties). There are of course,
some feral crosses but they're the wild Russian stock for the most part. I've seen both in the woods.

Southwestern North Carolina is an excellent choice to hunt wild hogs. The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission has an excellent webpage devoted to details about the North Carolina wild hogs. It's at
http://www.wildlife.state.nc.us/Management/boar.htm

It gives a good description of the wild hogs found in southwestern North Carolina and gets into their history, status, distribution (inclues map), movements, food habits, management, etc.

The history of the NC wild boar is interesting so will include this from the
NCWLRC page: "In 1908 the Whiting Manufacturing Company of England bought a large tract of land in the Snowbird Mountains in Graham County, North Carolina. Within this tract was a mountain known as Hooper's Bald. Mr. George Gordon Moore, an American advisor for the company, was allowed to establish a game reserve on company land on Hooper's Bald around 1909. In 1911, a 500 to 600acre hog lot was constructed, with a split rail fence nine rails high. In April 1912, a shipment of 14 European wild hogs, including 11 sows and 3 boars, arrived and was released in the lot. They each weighed approximately 60 to 75 pounds. They were purchased from an agent in Berlin, Germany, who claimed that they came from the Ural Mountains of Russia. The hogs arrived in Murphy by train and were hauled to Hooper's Bald by oxdrawn wagon. One sow died en route to Hooper's Bald. From the beginning the lot was not hog proof, and apparently some of the hogs rooted out and escaped and returned at will. The majority remained in the lot for eight to 10 years and increased in numbers. In the early 1920s,
when the lot contained approximately 60 to 100 hogs, a hunt with dogs was conducted. Only two hogs were killed, but many escaped the lot during the hunt. The escapees became established in the surrounding mountain terrain of Graham County, North Carolina and Monroe County, Tennessee. Today Hooper's Bald is owned by the U.S. Forest Service and is a part of the Nantahala National Forest."

It is amazing to know that from a few hogs that excaped SW NC is now a hot spot for wild hog hunting. The 1998-99 Reported Wild Boar
Harvest for NC was also interesting with Cherokee County's harvest ranking number 1, Graham county came in second.

I don't doubt that these wild hogs will be migrating into other NC counties here shortly. Not only have they established good populations in southwestern NC they have migrated into Monroe and Polk Counties,
TN in good numbers.

As far as huntable populations of wild hogs there are some in the Cumberland Plateau area of TN but don't know about the surrounding
areas.

If you want the really wild hogs (and not penned up), I would suggest getting out in the Cherokee County area (Nantahala Game Lands). A good GPS and a topo map will serve you well. The area is pretty rough going as most of the area is mountainous, wooded and has mountain laurel and clear cut
areas. But that's where the hogs are.

No swamps, just ridges, hills and mountains.

Bearcat

Especially interesting is the distribution map that shows the concentration
by county.

------------------
"Hunt to Live, Live to Hunt"

March 15, 2000, 07:35 PM	#5
bearcat Junior Member Join Date: December 28, 1998 Location: Tellico Plains, TN, USA Posts: 9	There are still quite a few wild Russians here in southwestern North Carolina (Cherokee/Graham Counties) as well as southeastern Tennessee (Monroe/Polk Counties). There are of course, some feral crosses but they're the wild Russian stock for the most part. I've seen both in the woods. Southwestern North Carolina is an excellent choice to hunt wild hogs. The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission has an excellent webpage devoted to details about the North Carolina wild hogs. It's at http://www.wildlife.state.nc.us/Management/boar.htm It gives a good description of the wild hogs found in southwestern North Carolina and gets into their history, status, distribution (inclues map), movements, food habits, management, etc. The history of the NC wild boar is interesting so will include this from the NCWLRC page: "In 1908 the Whiting Manufacturing Company of England bought a large tract of land in the Snowbird Mountains in Graham County, North Carolina. Within this tract was a mountain known as Hooper's Bald. Mr. George Gordon Moore, an American advisor for the company, was allowed to establish a game reserve on company land on Hooper's Bald around 1909. In 1911, a 500 to 600acre hog lot was constructed, with a split rail fence nine rails high. In April 1912, a shipment of 14 European wild hogs, including 11 sows and 3 boars, arrived and was released in the lot. They each weighed approximately 60 to 75 pounds. They were purchased from an agent in Berlin, Germany, who claimed that they came from the Ural Mountains of Russia. The hogs arrived in Murphy by train and were hauled to Hooper's Bald by oxdrawn wagon. One sow died en route to Hooper's Bald. From the beginning the lot was not hog proof, and apparently some of the hogs rooted out and escaped and returned at will. The majority remained in the lot for eight to 10 years and increased in numbers. In the early 1920s, when the lot contained approximately 60 to 100 hogs, a hunt with dogs was conducted. Only two hogs were killed, but many escaped the lot during the hunt. The escapees became established in the surrounding mountain terrain of Graham County, North Carolina and Monroe County, Tennessee. Today Hooper's Bald is owned by the U.S. Forest Service and is a part of the Nantahala National Forest." It is amazing to know that from a few hogs that excaped SW NC is now a hot spot for wild hog hunting. The 1998-99 Reported Wild Boar Harvest for NC was also interesting with Cherokee County's harvest ranking number 1, Graham county came in second. I don't doubt that these wild hogs will be migrating into other NC counties here shortly. Not only have they established good populations in southwestern NC they have migrated into Monroe and Polk Counties, TN in good numbers. As far as huntable populations of wild hogs there are some in the Cumberland Plateau area of TN but don't know about the surrounding areas. If you want the really wild hogs (and not penned up), I would suggest getting out in the Cherokee County area (Nantahala Game Lands). A good GPS and a topo map will serve you well. The area is pretty rough going as most of the area is mountainous, wooded and has mountain laurel and clear cut areas. But that's where the hogs are. No swamps, just ridges, hills and mountains. Bearcat Especially interesting is the distribution map that shows the concentration by county. ------------------ "Hunt to Live, Live to Hunt"