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Open season on wild pigs not the answer

Unfocused sport hunting will only 
make the problem worse

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Published: May 30, 2019

Open season on wild pigs not the answer

Is an open season on wild pigs the answer?

Likely not, according to most of the experts, who say it’s likely that could actually make the problem worse.

Private hunting may actually scatter a sounder and spread the problem unless the whole group is contained, Canadian Pork Council veterinary counsellor Dr. Egan Brockhoff said at the last Manitoba Pork Council annual meeting.

More importantly researcher Ryan Brook said, those scattered pigs will become even more reclusive, nocturnal, and may be pushed into heavier hiding cover.

“Sport hunting is not the answer,” he said. “Experienced teams of hunters that have good communication and training and ideally have aircraft support can be very effective.”

Brian Kotak of the Manitoba Wildlife Federation, says that there are not enough private hunters targeting wild pigs even if conventional hunting were effective.

About the author

Alexis Stockford

Alexis Stockford

Editor

Alexis Stockford is the editor of the Glacier FarmMedia news hub, managing the Manitoba Co-operator. Alexis grew up on a mixed farm near Miami, Man., and graduated with her journalism degree from Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, B.C. She joined the Co-operator as a reporter in 2017, covering current agricultural news, policy, agronomy, farm production and with particular focus on the livestock industry and regenerative agriculture. She previously worked as a reporter for the Morden Times in southern Manitoba.

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