Wild BOARS to be regulated by PGC after court rules

[WhiteFeather]

Got this email for you to know what the courts do does effect us
From: PA Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs [mailtofsc@pa.net]
Sent: Friday, January 04, 2008 3:35 PM
To: PFSC
Subject: PGC News Release - Game Commission Begins Drafting Regulations
for
Wild Boars 1-4-08


Release #002-08
Jan. 4, 2008
For Information Contact:
Jerry Feaser
717-705-6541
PGCNews@state.pa.us

GAME COMMISSION BEGINS DRAFTING REGULATIONS FOR WILD BOARS

HARRISBURG - In response to a recent state Supreme Court ruling,
Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe today
directed staff to begin developing regulations to allow the incidental taking of
wild boars during certain hunting seasons. The draft regulations are
expected to be ready for the Board of Game Commissioners to consider as part
of its Jan. 29 meeting agenda.

"On Dec. 27, a Supreme Court ruling, in effect, classified wild boars
as 'protected mammals,'" Roe said. "Prior to the court's ruling, the Game
Commission had no regulatory oversight or authority for wild boars.
Now, we are seeking to clarify and appropriately regulate the protection of
wild boars that was put in place by the court."

Roe stressed that wild boars are not native to the Commonwealth and are
classified as an invasive species by the Pennsylvania Invasive Species
Council.

"Wild boars found in the state are either domestic pigs, Eurasian wild
boars, descendants of European and Asian hogs, or hybrids of these
species that have escaped or been released," Roe said. "They should not be
confused with the javelina, or collared peccary, which is native to the
southwestern and southern U.S. and northern Mexico.

"Wild boars may weigh more than 400 pounds and are very prolific; they
can produce litters of 8 to 12 young and can have two litters per year.
They are extremely destructive to crops, wildlife habitat and the
environment, and they are a danger to wildlife and domestic animals and a
threat to the pork industry, especially since they are carriers of diseases and
parasites that can infect livestock, wildlife and humans."

Roe noted that wild boars root and wallow, which destroys wildlife
habitats.
Destruction includes erosion along waterways and wetlands and the loss
of native plants. Additionally, wild boars compete for food with deer,
bears, turkeys, squirrels and many other birds and mammals. They are predators
of small mammals and deer fawns as well as ground-nesting birds such as
turkeys, ovenbirds and grouse including their nests and young.

Breeding populations are believed to currently exist in only Bedford
and Cambria counties, where pregnant females and young have recently been
seen and killed. Damage caused by feral hogs to wildlife, habitat and
property has been reported in the southwest, southcentral and northeast regions
ofthe state. Two additional counties, Montgomery and Warren, have
unconfirmed sightings of young and/or pregnant sows.

While no feral hogs in Pennsylvania have tested positive for any
infectious diseases as yet, feral hogs are known to carry 18 viral diseases, 10 of
which can infect people; and 10 bacterial diseases, all of which cause
disease in humans. Feral hogs are reservoirs for numerous parasites that can affect people, pets, livestock or wildlife.

As wild boars were not considered "wildlife" prior to the court's ruling,
Roe said that hunters had been permitted to take them without regard to
state hunting laws or regulations. However, with the ruling in place,
wild boars are protected and may not be killed until the Game Commission
takes action to implement a regulation to allow such action.

Roe also noted that the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Pennsylvania
Pork Producers Council are sponsoring research in Pennsylvania. The
Wildlife Services Division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and
Plant Health Inspection Service, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
and the Pennsylvania Game Commission are collaborating to trap wild boars
and collect blood and tissue samples. Wild boars captured as part of these
surveillance programs are not returned to the wild, they are humanely
dispatched.

A Pennsylvania task force also has been established to locate feral hog
populations and help address the concerns caused by their presence. The
task force consists of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, the U.S.
Department of Agriculture, the PennAg Industry Association, the
Pennsylvania Game Commission, Penn State University,
the Pennsylvania Audubon Society and the Pennsylvania Pork Producers Council.
# # #
(Note: PFSC is also represented on this task force.)

[roland]

It figures. Just when I found something I could hunt in Pa with my AR, Their going to regulate them. Damit!

[Pa. Patriot]

Originally Posted by roland

It figures. Just when I found something I could hunt in Pa with my AR, Their going to regulate them. Damit!

AKA: Make $$$ off of them

[Triggerh4ppy]

Originally Posted by Pa. Patriot

AKA: Make $$$ off of them

make footballs out of em >8D (the boars)

[Pa. Patriot]

Originally Posted by Triggerh4ppy

make footballs out of em >8D (the boars)

That's our job

I'd rather make the $$$ though

[markheck1]

Just what we need, more government meddling

[338winmag]

i just talked to someone at the game comishon they said that per the court we will only be able to hunt theys hogs incodently and only if you have a valid fall turky/bear/or dear tag . i personaly think they need to figer out how to control this problem and the cyotie problem not try and figer out a way to charg us to do it this really pisses me off

[cms81586]

Well I can say I have little respect for the PGC after more than one bad experience. I will be putting a round into any of these little bastards (hogs...not WCO's...) if I see one. No politician has any idea about crop damage. How many of them out there were farmers before hitting the political arena? I'm not one to go against the grain but screw the PGC...

CMS