Population threatens wildlife and domestic livestock, damage to land, water and habitat

  SPRINGFIELD– The Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the Illinois Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are enlisting the help of Illinois hunters in efforts to track feral swine and assist in slowing the population and expanding range of the invasive animals in the state.

  Feral swine – often referred to as feral hogs and wild pigs – are defined as free-ranging animals that are not under domestic livestock confinement. They are an invasive species competing with native wildlife for food resources and damaging soil through their rooting and feeding activities, increasing soil erosion and damaging crops, plants and water quality. Feral swine also are known to carry at least 30 diseases that pose serious implications for people, pets, wildlife and livestock.

  "We are encouraging Illinois hunters – especially the thousands of Illinois firearm deer hunters who will be in the field in coming weeks – to be on the lookout for feral swine and report any sightings to us," said Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Director Marc Miller. "The dangers of disease, costly damage to the land, and negative impacts to wildlife from the further spread of feral swine in Illinois are significant."

  Hunters, landowners, and others who see feral swine in Illinois are asked to report the sightings to the IDNR Division of Wildlife Resources at 217/785-2511. Hunters in the field who observe feral swine and possess a valid Illinois FOID card can – with the permission of the landowner – legally shoot the wild hogs.

  "Feral swine pose a significant threat to the Illinois domestic swine industry as the wild hogs are very mobile and can spread a variety of viral and bacterial diseases, as well as dozens of parasites that can affect domestic pigs and other livestock, wildlife, people and their pets," said Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) Acting Director Jim Larkin. "Reports of feral swine from hunters and landowners can be vitally important in helping Illinois control this major nuisance species."

  Wildlife impacts of feral swine in Illinois include predation on ground nesting birds, amphibians, reptiles and other wildlife. Rooting activities by the wild pigs cause significant erosion, damaging habitat and reducing water quality. Economic losses nationally resulting from feral swine are estimated at more than $1 billion annually.

 * For Illinois sightings of feral swine: Call the IDNR Division of Wildlife Resources at 217/785-2511

 * For more information on the impacts of feral swine, check the USDA website at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/wildlife_damage/feral_swine/

  We’ve reported on the growing problem of wild hogs many states are experiencing in past issues and looks as if Illinois is on the growing list of infected states. Remember that wild hogs have no natural predators and it’s up to us the stop this scourge. - Editor

  My friend James Burns, Editor-in-Chief of The Bullet and Backwoods Bound website had one of his most successful Oklahoma deer seasons ever. James took two nice does and filled his buck tag with a 3 1/2 year old high racked 6 pointer that was a nice trophy and a management cull at the same time. I was both happy for him and tickled that he removed this buck from our herd.

  Muzzleloader season has, however, put me in the unenviable position of being able to write this guest spot for his Series of Unfortunate Hunts. Hopefully this is the one and only time I will get to write this column for James.

  This has been an interesting deer season and so far for myself, one of several disappointments. Have you ever had one of those dreams where some monster or murderer chases you all night and the trigger on your gun won't pull or the bullets never seem to find their target? Try having a deer season like that!

  Bow season was not bad. I had a group of three big bucks spot me in my deer stand and spook, but I saw some deer though I did not get a shot. Then I hurt my shoulder pulling on a hard to start chainsaw! Wow, talk about a fire that can't be put out!! When I tried to shoot my bow the next week I couldn't hit in the same place twice and my shoulder felt like deep probing needles were lancing into the joint over and over. My wife, God bless her soul, bought me a Horton 175 Ultra-lite crossbow so I didn't miss the rest of bow season.

 The ultra-lite is a success story. What a great tool and weapon! I sighted it in at 20 yards and the BDC scope does the rest. I killed a big doe with it and Mike VanSant, CEO of Hunting Down South LLC was running the camera that evening. We got a great video of the shot and harvesting this doe.

  It went downhill from there. The first morning of muzzleloader season daylight appeared with a 100 lbs. or so black boar under my feeder. When it was finally light enough to shoot I do so. The hog goes down, the sound of the impact solid and then he jumps up and runs off. I hunt the rest of the morning before going to check my hog. Couldn't find it. I can find where it went down. I can find a little patch of skin. No hog. No blood splatter. What the hell!!

 That evening saw some does, but I already had one in the cooler and did not want another one at that time. Next morning I am in my stand. Around 8 AM a BIG black boar comes out of the woods, spots me in the tree and back in the woods he goes! I am like holy crap, how did he spot me?? Nothing ever spots me here!

  About that time he eases back into the edge of the food plot looking straight at me. I set the crosshairs on the top of his head and pull the trigger. Thump!! My brother will later tell me he heard the hog squeal all the way down the mountain. After a half hour I get up and go look for the hog. There is a bone shard 3 inches long and blood, gristle and skin splattered all over the place. There is a good blood trail down the side of the hill. This one should be close.

 A quarter of a mile later and full of disgust I am still tracking a good blood trail. Down at the bottom of the hill I head across this gas well location on the north end of my property and lose the trail. I knew my brother Ronnie was up the road a ways and so I went to where his Kawasaki Mule is parked and sit down. He showed up around 45 minutes later and we go back looking for my hog. Ronnie finds blood across the gas well and we track the hog into the San Bois River bottom. I had logged this bottom 12 years ago and now it is pretty grown up, becoming a thick hog mecca full of winding game trails and hanging green briers. We took him all the way to a series of beaver sloughs and lost him.

  As a foot note I would like to say this is the same gun I killed a running buck at 150 yards with last year and have taken more than one deer by shooting them through the neck. I had a lot of confidence in the gun. I was losing confidence in myself. Something was just wrong!

  That evening I watched as a sow and five 50 lbs. piglets came to my feeder. Waiting patiently I allowed the sow to get broadside at 75 yards, put the crosshairs to where the bullet should pass between both shoulders and fired. I didn't touch a pig!!! Wow, I was sick. WTH was wrong with my gun!!! No way could I have made 3, count them 3 bad shots!!!

 That next morning after watching a number of young, non-shooter bucks I headed to the range. We had set up a target and it was 50 yards from the shooting bench. I am about to make the BIG mistake. I shoot my gun at 50 yards and it is way high! I quickly dialed it down to dead center at 50 yards. NOW I am happy. Later during the middle of the day in camp I set up two bottles at 40 yards side by side and shoot at the junction of the bottles, slicing each of them dead center. Now I am ready.

  I was not in my stand over 45 minutes when the little bucks from that morning were at my feeder. Watching them I caught movement out of my left eye and there was a big tall racked 8 point with at least a 17 inch inside spread moving majestically out of the woods into the west side of my food plot. He was around 70 yards and broadside, standing and watching those young bucks. Let me add something here. This clearing he is in has been a Bermuda Triangle of deer shots for me. Three years ago I shot at a really nice buck broadside during muzzleloader season. The buck did a heart kick. I found one tuft of hair. I found where my bullet hit a tree in an impact that appeared the bullet had tumbled or was flattened. I spent the next two days looking for that deer and never found another sign he had been hit. The next year, almost the same scenario with a big doe.

  Knowing this in the back of my head, I took my time. I found the juncture of the buck's front leg brought my crosshairs up from below. I took a long deep breath and took my time, gently squeezing the trigger. The wind was blowing hard so the black powder did not even obscure my view. He gave a little kick, then low to the ground he hauled ass. Still, I knew where I had aimed and I knew I had just killed a big buck.

 How damn wrong can things get?

 I loaded my gun and walked through the opening where I had last seen the buck. No blood. I follow the disturbance in the leaves for 50 yards past that.

 No blood.

 Taking a deep breath, I am in a near panic. I take a long circle around the rim of the hill. No blood.

 Dropping half way down the hill I make a long half circle. No blood.

 Going to the bottom of the hill I take a huge half circle. No blood.

 Climbing all the way back up the hill I go to where the buck was standing. You could see where he had shuffled his feet and took off. There was a half handful of white hair.

 White hair?! Belly hair?!

 I looked toward where he ran and there was a perfect circular hole through a small hickory tree where my bullet struck it and had blown out a section at the back where the Hornady XTP had went through that hickory. Well at that point in time I gave serious consideration into selling my guns and becoming a monk. The deer deserved better than I was giving them. What happened? I do not miss! Yet I had done some pretty shoddy shooting.

 I didn't hunt the next morning. I got up and looked for my deer again. I decided I was really fooling myself. Going back to the range I moved my target out to 100 yards and fired. Wow, I was like 6 inches off. Putting back in the exact amount of adjustment into my scope that I had made to set the gun up tight at 50 yards I put the next bullet 1/4 inch off the bull’s-eye. I then did it again.

 The bullet really had shaved his belly. I know it didn't cut it because there was no blood anywhere. Feeling better that I had not gravely wounded an animal that was now suffering because of my stupidity I cleaned my gun and decided to go back afield.

 Too many times I had laughed at guys who blame their equipment rather than their shooting and I had let that same worry screw me up and re-zero my gun. What an idiot! Another thing, I am not sure why the 50 yard zero is such a ballistics nightmare, but it is for me. I have always done my sighting in at 20 yards, then out to 100. Two inches high at 100 is dead on at 200 for my 30-06 and 7mm Mag. I know this to be true and it is how I set up my modern rifles. It will be a cold day in hell before I zero at 50 yards with anything!

 Bad choices and knowing better. That is the part that sucks, but when we have been hunting for 30 + years like I have sometimes we get a little too comfortable in our comfort zone. We might practice less or try something different from what we know is a tried and true practice. Gun season starts next weekend in Oklahoma and the tools I am taking to the field have not been adjusted in many moons. I will check their zero, but it will be one shot tests. - David

  I have noticed that in this so called modern world we have a Hi-Tech gadget for everything...it will do everything...and we all must have one! I believe it is called marketing or starting a trend and herding people so someone can make millions. It is thought that we cannot live without one. Is this truly to our benefit? Is it all worth our time or could we do without at least some of the trend? After all, it seems to change every few months, so we need to update and spend more money!

  Well...since the beginning of time, nature and nature's creatures have never had Hi Tech or needed it! They seem to get along very well without it...and always will! And they, after all, have been around long before us and will be here long after us.

  Look at his beautiful bald eagle, our American Symbol. It soars on high...rests in a tree...searches and finds its next meal. These things are so simple and down to basics...nothing Hi-Tech needed!

  I wonder if we got back down to basics if our lives would be simpler, less jammed with what we are supposed to do, as we are told? Would we be better off? Happier? More Content?

  Would we have more time to do as we want too, enjoy more of what we want too, and be more content within ourselves?

  Think about it. Don't be pushed into a fad, a trend, or do something because you are supposed to do it. Be happier...look, listen, learn and enjoy nature and its creatures. Nothing Hi-Tech about it! I believe you’ll be happier, better off, and more content.

  Do yourself a favor. Break the trend. Look to nature and enjoy!