Hog huntin..Texas style......

[Keg]

[Mausermolt]

that looks so much fun i think i would die. being the pilot would be fun to

[mquail]

That's a great video! From what I gather that's the way feral animals should be culled. All business, no sport! Actually for my tastes the music wasn't that bad either.

[taylorce1]

First off that does look like a lot of fun exterminating hogs by chopper. I wouldn't mind trying it once, but it is probably out of my price range. The DOW shoots coyotes much in the same manner around my dad's ranch but they use a Piper Cub and shotguns.

I do disagree with calling this hunting though, kind of the same way I feel about calling shooting prairie dogs "hunting". There isn't any "hunting" skills used in this video, it is a plain and simple extermination of vermin. Which I have no problem with and I do love to shoot vermin, but I don't call it hunting.

[markj]

Somone outta get them hogs and grind em up, makes good dog food.

[Keg]

Sorry..Yes..I guess I should not have posted as huntin......It is an attempt at extermination.......Pretty cool though.......

[rickyrick]

If its fun, its hunting. If it sucks, its a job.



If you want hunting in its purest form, put on the suit you made from the last animal, affix a crude stone tool to a stick and try your luck. And I bet the guy that still does it with his bare hands will say that you aren't hunting because you used technology.

[Double Naught Spy]

Sorry..Yes..I guess I should not have posted as huntin......It is an attempt at extermination.......Pretty cool though.......

Actually, it is an attempt at control, not extermination or extirpation. The helicopter hog hunting will die off when it becomes too expensive to do it by chopper, but the population won't be gone by any stretch. Hunters don't want them all gone.

Anybody have a guess as to how much commercial chopper hunts will cost wannabe door gunners?

The hunting section is where you should have posted. It is the section dealing with the taking of animals. We don't have a section on animal control or extermination. Besides, if you took everything out of hunting that some forum member didn't think was hunting, there would be not posts in the hunting section.

Nearly every year, TPWD and various wildlife biologists work with many land owners that own large quantities of land in an effort to have the land owners selectively kill (via personal interdiction, hunting leases, or what have you) certain numbers of males, females, etc. It is an attempt at population control. This is what the choppers are doing, only right now, we aren't interested in males or females per se, even ages, because the population is so high, any that are removed are beneficial, though removing females is better than removing males.

Personally, I don't see how or why opportunistic air stalking isn't considered within the scope of hunting skills. The only difference I see from the hunting of birds of prey is that they tend to immediately eat their kills. Otherwise, as in the video, they fly along, spy a target, swoop or dive in for the pursuit and kill. That is exactly what the choppers are doing.

Of course, there are those who think that hawks are hunters. There are those that don't think Native Americans ever hunted either.

[Keg]

Actually, it is an attempt at control, not extermination or extirpation. The helicopter hog hunting will die off when it becomes too expensive to do it by chopper, but the population won't be gone by any stretch. Hunters don't want them all gone.

Anybody have a guess as to how much commercial chopper hunts will cost wannabe door gunners?

The hunting section is where you should have posted. It is the section dealing with the taking of animals. We don't have a section on animal control or extermination. Besides, if you took everything out of hunting that some forum member didn't think was hunting, there would be not posts in the hunting section.

Nearly every year, TPWD and various wildlife biologists work with many land owners that own large quantities of land in an effort to have the land owners selectively kill (via personal interdiction, hunting leases, or what have you) certain numbers of males, females, etc. It is an attempt at population control. This is what the choppers are doing, only right now, we aren't interested in males or females per se, even ages, because the population is so high, any that are removed are beneficial, though removing females is better than removing males.

Personally, I don't see how or why opportunistic air stalking isn't considered within the scope of hunting skills. The only difference I see from the hunting of birds of prey is that they tend to immediately eat their kills. Otherwise, as in the video, they fly along, spy a target, swoop or dive in for the pursuit and kill. That is exactly what the choppers are doing.

Of course, there are those who think that hawks are hunters. There are those that don't think Native Americans ever hunted either.

Yaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwwnnnnnnnnnnnn.........Oh..where were we????
Attempt at extermination......hmmmmm.......please don't take literally......
As in...Someone tells U to jump off a cliff......Please don't do it.......
Attempt at extermination..simply means..kill every no good pig U see......
Notice in the video...Farm land..acre after acre......Most large landowners here would love to see them gone..but it ain't happenin.......
As far as huntin..no..I don't consider this huntin......But it is shootin guns..and wild BBQ pork is good......and thinnin out the hog population is a good thing.......nothing more..nothing less......

[Double Naught Spy]

Sorry, I thought words had meanings.

It doesn't really matter if you or anyone else considers it hunting or not. It qualifies under Texas hunting laws.

[Mausermolt]

For a Robinson R22 (thats what they are using in the video) one hour of flight time will run you around 250 bucks thats including fuel and pilot. If you want a R44 (4 seater) its going to be about double that.

[Scorch]

I think most states use similar definitions of hunting, usually something along the lines of "pursuing animals to kill or attempt to kill", and I think helicopter hunting would qualify.

As for the cost, at several hunderd $/hr to operate a helicopter, I would assume it would be used for animal damage control rather than sport hunting. You hire a helicopter for a day, costs the farmer roughly $2,000, and the dozens of pigs culled would have eaten or trampled several times that much of the crop.

[cornbush]

I wouldn't pay to go hunt problem animals, I WOULD pay to shoot them from a helicopter.

[taylorce1]

I guess I don't see it as hunting because I'm sure most of the animals shot were not recovered unless they were in the middle of a field. I've been in on a hog shoot on a peanut farm in TX. I only kept a couple of smaller pigs in the 100-150 lbs range. The rest that we shot were just thrown into a large pit that the farmer dug and were buried. In two nights with spotlights we shot about 30 pigs, and I'm sure that didn't put a dent in the farmers population.

What we were doing plain and simple wasn't hunting even though by the letter of the law it was. We were trying to eradicate an invasive species just like when farmers and ranchers poison prairie dogs. I guarantee you that farmer wanted there to be no pigs left on his place, but we just didn't have enough time or ammunition to put forth a better effort. However, he was very greatful for the pig that were shot.

Hunting is more of a selective process for me. I usually try to take only mature animals unless I just run out of time during a hunt. I have eaten a lot of tag soup as well for not shooting animals just to fill my tag as well. There was nothing in the video that I would consider hunting, as a lot of the animals shot were piglets as well.

[hornetguy]

from the online Merriam/Webster dictionary...


hunt:
\–verb (used with object)
1. to chase or search for (game or other wild animals) for the purpose of catching or killing.
2. to pursue with force, hostility, etc., in order to capture (often followed by down ): They hunted him down and hanged him.
3. to search for; seek; endeavor to obtain or find (often followed by up or out ): to hunt up the most promising candidates for the position.
4. to search (a place) thoroughly.
5. to scour (an area) in pursuit of game.
6. to use or direct (a horse, hound, etc.) in chasing game.
7. Change Ringing . to alter the place of (a bell) in a hunt.
–verb (used without object)
8. to engage in the pursuit, capture, or killing of wild animals for food or in sport.


notice, this definition was for "hunt", not "harvest"....

[mquail]

Hunt: To capture, trap, take, or kill, and includes any attempt to capture, trap, take, or kill. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publicat...t/definitions/

It's hunting by definition.

[Keg]

They also call canned hunts hunting..or small high fence places.....not hunting to me.....my 2 cents

[Rachen]

That video was pretty cool, but hey! Leave some fer me dammit! I live out in the sticks there an' I need hogs t' eat too!

The paintball "hunting" at the end was hilarious