sgp
New Member
Posts: 8
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Post by sgp on Apr 12, 2024 10:51:58 GMT -5
It might be past time for you to go for helicopter or buggy ride to get a current assessment. The trapping has been surprisingly effective, but consider that it is 20+ traps being hunted 5 days a week for 3 years. Ask the cowboys their opinion on current game populations. Something is off with all game populations. Maybe some of the many people removing hogs, trees, leaves, fences, etc. for years are doing more than they are supposed to be doing.
Seeing more coyotes than hogs on long late afternoon buggy hog hunts is very unusual, and that happened a couple times lately. The coyotes are going to eat something, and piglets are no longer easy to come by. You don't have a big cougar problem yet, but the other predators are prolific. It will hurt the fawns/deer, and something sure seems like it already has.
Do something to control the coyotes and other predators if you are going to remove their food. That would be about the only thing you can do that would have a positive effect.
The main landholder in Glades County is apparently conducting that experiment right now. For 3 years they have allowed a local high fence outfitter to trap thousands of hogs off a large lease, of which he is not a member, decimating the hog population by at least 90%. I saw one fawn this weekend in over 50 miles of buggy riding.
Unfortunately, I already know what the result is going to be because I lived it in the late 90's in Turner River, then in Hendry County.
Correction. Manage the hogs. Not get rid of them. A trapper is assisting with hog control, mostly because not enough have been being removed by the hunters. I can’t speak for what any one person sees, but removal of 90% would be an unprecedented of level of hog control using hunters or trappers using the typical box traps. They tend to become wise to them fairly quickly after seeing part of their group trapped. The annual wildlife surveys don’t come anywhere near bearing out a 90% reduction. Fawn production also continues to be documented as being average to slightly better than average in the area being trapped as well. It really is amazing what keeping good records can do for the proper management of wildlife resources. It can dispel myths and it can document progress toward management goals, as is the case in the area being referred to. P.S. I will be voting yes on the amendment as well. Using science to guide hunting policy is the best combination for good management of our native game resources.
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Post by cyclist on Apr 12, 2024 11:24:02 GMT -5
In the late 60's GFC would trap hogs at the carnival space center (no hunting) and put them in Guana River WMA just before deer season for the hunters to hunt. This was before quota hunts. No hunting on public and private land is the biggest reason why hog population explode in many areas. Even on WMAs that allow hunting most are short quota hunts which aren't enough to control hogs. On private leases where you can hunt them most of the year it's still hard to control them because most hunters don't want to mess with them. So when they get the cats move north, they will have plenty to eat for a while. You can't control hogs with hunting period. The only way is the large traps that catch entire sounders at one time.
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Post by nuthinfancy on Apr 12, 2024 12:04:10 GMT -5
In the late 60's GFC would trap hogs at the carnival space center (no hunting) and put them in Guana River WMA just before deer season for the hunters to hunt. This was before quota hunts. No hunting on public and private land is the biggest reason why hog population explode in many areas. Even on WMAs that allow hunting most are short quota hunts which aren't enough to control hogs. On private leases where you can hunt them most of the year it's still hard to control them because most hunters don't want to mess with them. So when they get the cats move north, they will have plenty to eat for a while. You can't control hogs with hunting period. The only way is the large traps that catch entire sounders at one time. Again, beg to differ. Frequently running dogs combined with heavy hunting pressure/shoot on sight works wonders. Sure, trapping is also effective but to say that it’s the only way would be ignorant of the truth. In fact, I know of several state parks that have isolated but very robust hog populations within park boundaries and their only means of control is trapping. They’ve been at it for years and it hasn’t made a dent. Hogs get trap smart just as much as they get hunter smart.
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Post by cyclist on Apr 12, 2024 13:06:58 GMT -5
You can't control hogs with hunting period. The only way is the large traps that catch entire sounders at one time. Again, beg to differ. Frequently running dogs combined with heavy hunting pressure/shoot on sight works wonders. Sure, trapping is also effective but to say that it’s the only way would be ignorant of the truth. In fact, I know of several state parks that have isolated but very robust hog populations within park boundaries and their only means of control is trapping. They’ve been at it for years and it hasn’t made a dent. Hogs get trap smart just as much as they get hunter smart. The outfit I was associated that was hired to remove hogs found out several things, one - gun hunting just moves the population elsewhere or turns them completely nocturnal, single traps catch one or 2 animals and then rest will not go near them, large corral traps with automatic doors can catch entire sounders. Dog hunting is effective but again, the hogs generally move on, become nocturnal and the hunting would need to be near constant over a long period which land managers and dog hunters don't seem to do.
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Post by walkerdog on Apr 12, 2024 14:30:42 GMT -5
Again, I can’t speak to what any particular individual sees as they ride the property, but our staff conducts wildlife population surveys every year. Happy to share the results with you, if you’d like to see them some time. Just let us know. We will be doing them again this summer. The trends have been showing increased deer density, good reproduction, and increasing age structure. Harvest data supports that being the case as well.
We have used predator control in the past to good effect when our surveys have shown issues with reproduction in select areas and will again, if and where the surveys show that there is a need.
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Post by meateater on Apr 15, 2024 8:51:42 GMT -5
FWC would be smart to go back to the 20 inch shoulder height and 1 per person just for a few years. south zone wma,s only. they do it with fish all the time so it wouldnt be a big deal to do.
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Post by mackeralsnatcher on Apr 18, 2024 9:38:08 GMT -5
Too bad FWC doesnt do a Q/A on this matter. That’s because their mind is already made up. Public hearings are a joke. Truer words have never been spoken.
I've been to more"Public input" meetings then i care to remember. Roy crabbtree used to cringe when he saw me walk into a "public meeting" because he knew i'd get up there and talk shit about the council and it's members not being in touch with what was actually out there. Garry three c'sand i would gang up on them. it was sort of funny, but also an exercise in futility.
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Post by ogbohica on Apr 18, 2024 11:12:29 GMT -5
P.S. I will be voting yes on the amendment as well. Using science to guide hunting policy is the best combination for good management of our native game resources.
If FWC is going to use "science" were doomed... just ask the Bear hunters who kept hounds for many yrs and still dont have a Bear Season after Dr Eason made an incredible presentation!
Just substitute Deer for Bear
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Post by cyclist on Apr 18, 2024 11:20:58 GMT -5
P.S. I will be voting yes on the amendment as well. Using science to guide hunting policy is the best combination for good management of our native game resources. If FWC is going to use "science" were doomed... just ask the Bear hunters who kept hounds for many yrs and still dont have a Bear Season after Dr Eason made an incredible presentation! Just substitute Deer for Bear The bear issue is more complicated. We have genetically isolated populations which is not healthy. We should be concentrating on connecting the populations with corridors and conservation lands. All species and even hunters would benefit. We would have healthier populations, connected lands and end up with more hunting lands.
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Post by ogbohica on Apr 18, 2024 15:43:50 GMT -5
More lands, more quotas, more special opp's, more BS... Id rather kill a bear during a bear season
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Post by walkerdog on Apr 18, 2024 21:21:04 GMT -5
I wasn’t referring to the FWC’s use of science, though there was good science in the effort to reinstate bear hunting. Unfortunately, they chose a poor approach to managing the harvest and it cost them some credibility and us the season. They unfortunately have a lot more shackles that they have to deal with that make managing the harvest of game more difficult than it is for those on privately managed property where the flexibility in using science to guide management is much greater.
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Post by ogbohica on Apr 19, 2024 7:19:44 GMT -5
Anything to piss Charles O Neal off im voting for... they're spending a lot of money to oppose this new Bill.... he's the anti christ of hunting in Florida.
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Post by pinman on Apr 19, 2024 20:19:39 GMT -5
A Constitutional Amendment guaranteeing Floridians right to hunt and fish will be nice. I will probably vote for it. But years down the line it may look like "we are giving you 2 whole days to Deer hunt so we are abiding by the amendment". Its better than the alternative but is far from Valhalla.
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Post by meateater on Apr 22, 2024 8:59:16 GMT -5
A Constitutional Amendment guaranteeing Floridians right to hunt and fish will be nice. I will probably vote for it. But years down the line it may look like "we are giving you 2 whole days to Deer hunt so we are abiding by the amendment". Its better than the alternative but is far from Valhalla. kinda like the favorite fwc line, florida has over 6 million acres of public land. now tell us how much of that can be hunted without a quota you may or may not get picked for every 2 or 4 years. public land my ass.
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