Peter Hamilton said:
MissouriMule, they sound pretty brutal the way you're describing them--are they really spreading thruout the US? Here in south and central florida I think they used to be around but there has been so much real estate development that we never hear about them anymore
They sure are. One of my neighbors has trapped nearly 20 in his back yard. The neighbor across from him had his beautiful yard just torn to pieces. He finally had to install an electric fence around the perimeter to keep them out.
I first heard about this from a local woman who said that they were just tearing her long driveway all to pieces. I didn't think much about it until I saw the neighbor's lawn. My wife saw one come out of the creek near our home but it quickly retreated. I would have no reluctance about shooting it on the spot. Most states have year round hunting to get rid of these things. They want them dead. Here is what they are doing in Wisconsin.
Feral pigs are exotic, non-native wild animals that pose significant threats to both the environment and to agricultural operations, according to Bryan Woodbury a wildlife biologist with the state Department of Natural Resources. These free roaming pigs can be found across a wide variety of habitats and are highly destructive because of the rooting they do in search of food.
http://www.biggamehunt.net/sections/Wisconsin/Feral_Pig_Numbers_Increasing_10250506.html
And let me also say, that you don't want to tangle with one of these things; even a domestic hog. They are quite dangerous. If they will eat their own, they wouldn't have any reluctance to taking a chunk out of your leg or arm either. The wild ones are called four legged fire ants in Texas. I used to think the armidillos were a problem. That is until I saw these monsters. You don't want them.
Dec. 14, 2006, 2:16AM
Feral hogs like 'four-legged fire ants'
Feral hogs are multiplying at alarming rates and causing million of dollars of damage each year across Texas
By SHANNON TOMPKINS
Texas holds the nation's largest population of feral hogs, the atavistic progeny of domestic swine lost, escaped, released or otherwise loosed into the wild.
Most hunters see this as a blessing.
But almost all landowners, wildlife biologists, land managers and natural resource experts consider it a curse.
"There's not much middle ground when it comes to feral hogs," said Billy Higginbotham. "You either love them or hate them."
While he heartily agrees wild pigs make great quarry for hunters the animals are smart, wary, abundant, can be pursued using many hunting methods and are incomparable on the table Higginbotham's bottom line on feral hogs is not complimentary.
"They're four-legged fire ants," said the wildlife specialist with the Texas Cooperative Extension Service...
(snip)
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/outdoors/tompkins/4401459.html