Story originally printed in the Vernon Broadcaster or online at www.vernonbroadcaster.com
Published - Wednesday, January 05, 2005
Wild pigs could be a big nuisance
On a ridge top overlooking the Bad Axe river basin near Romance, Pat Bilskemper couldn't believe what he was seeing.
But there they were.
Two wild hogs were foraging in a field right in front of Bilskemper and his nephews Nate Trussoni and Justin Trussoni.
"It was really unbelievable," Bilskemper said. "I have been hunting up here close to 15 years and we have never seen anything that would make us think there was anything like this in our area."
Bilskemper said the Trussonis had planned to hunt coyotes on the ridgetop of a farm owned by Arnold Trussoni — the father of Nate and Justin. Somewhere between midnight and 1 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 28, the three had left Bilskemper's truck at the top of the road just as it entered an open field on top of the ridge.
The three walked near the field. As they cleared a knoll near a tree stand where they intended to try and call in coyotes they noticed something in the field ahead, two figures foraging for corn.
"They didn't look like coyote or deer," Bilskemper said.
Bilskemper said he had just read the article in the La Crosse Tribune about the wild hog that had been shot in Crawford County and he knew it was legal to shoot at the animals as long as you had a small game license. He called to the other two hunters that he thought the animals were hogs and they fired a couple of times at the pair.
"We knew when they ran they were hogs," Bilskemper said. "I knew right away, but you could definitely tell from the way they ran that they were hogs,"
The animals fled across the top of the ridge and the three hunters walked to where the animals had been and looked for signs of blood. No sign was found and the three discussed how Nate and Justin's father wouldn't believe what they had just seen.
"We still couldn't believe it," Bilskemper said.
The three knew they wouldn't have much chance of bagging a coyote with the commotion they had caused, so they decided to head back to the truck. As they reached the area on the ridge top just above the truck they saw two more figures heading their way along the wood line. They waited for the two figures to get closer and once they determined they were hogs the three opened fire. They hit one of two hogs several times and eventually brought it down. They thought they hit they other animal but an extensive search turned up nothing.
The three loaded the hog in the back of the pickup and headed back down the long winding road. When they got back to the farm they woke up Arnold saying, "you have to come look at this huge coyote we got."
Arnold Trussoni reluctantly got his shoes on and headed to the driveway. He said his first reaction had been "did you shoot some kind of wild dog cross?" But the reality of what the three hunters had stumbled on slowly sunk in.
‘We don't want them'
Arnold said his family just discussed the ramifications of the wild hogs in Crawford County. He said they had all agreed that if they ever saw the animals in they area they should be eliminated.
"We don't want them," Trussoni said. "I had a three-acre plot of corn on the ridge that was totally wiped out. I thought it was the neighbor's heifers that did it because they had gotten out, but it was way more damage than I think they could even do. It was more than even deer will do. We didn't even combine in some areas because it wasn't worth it. Now that I know they are here it makes me wonder if it was them."
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Biologist Kyle LaFond said the hogs, if they flourish, will be nothing but a nuisance.
"We don't want people to get the notion that somehow these animals would be a great sport for the area," LaFond said. "We don't want people thinking we should keep these animals around and look at them as a way to increase tourism or hunting in the state."
LaFond said he has seen the damage the hogs can do in his work with other states, mostly in the south that have dealt with the issue for many years.
"They can do tremendous damage to an area in a short period of time," LaFond said.
LaFond said he first began tracking the animals about 4-5 years ago when the DNR received its first reports of the animals. LaFond said he keeps a map of sittings and known harvests and updates it about every 3-4 months.
"We have 23 counties with sightings or known kills," LaFond said. "By far the most substantial problem is in Crawford County."
LaFond said an area along Hwy. 131 in Crawford County seems to be the highest concentration of sightings.
How did they get here?
LaFond has two theories about how the animals may have been introduced into Wisconsin.
One theory is that the animals were let loose after the failure of some game farms in the area.
The other theory, LaFond said, comes from wildlife experts in other states. That is the theory that people who want to poach trophy white-tailed deer purposely introduce wild hogs so they can be in the woods with the types of guns and ammunition that are used for white-tails. Since there are no regulations on hunting wild hogs hunters can be in the woods at anytime of the year and use wild hogs as an excuse to poach white-tails, LaFond said.
LaFond said there is a correlation between high populations of wild hogs and trophy white-tailed deer populations.
LaFond said no genetic testing has been done to determine the exact breeding stock from which the animals came from, but he said they are definitely a type wild hog common in other states.
Widespread problem
Numerous states including Texas, North and South Carolina, Arkansas, Missouri, Indiana, Florida, California and even Hawaii are struggling to control wild hog populations. The problem is not limited to the United States with New Zealand, Australia and numerous European and Asian countries reporting problems with wild hogs.
It is believed that the wild hog was introduced to the United States in 1890. The boars were apparently imported from Russian Wild Boar stock into New Hampshire and Vermont so they could be hunted for sport as they had been in Europe. The animals are commonly hunted with dogs in many parts of Europe.
LaFond said the DNR is concerned about the animals because they are very good at adapting and have a adaptable diet. The rate at which they can reproduce is also a concern, LaFond said. According to literature on the animals a female can reproduce as early as six months of age and can produce two to three litters of four to 12 piglets per litter. In our area the only predator might be coyotes, who could take some of the piglets if they are lucky enough to find them unguarded.
The mild winter weather could be another factor that has led to the spread of the local population, LaFond said.
"We really haven't had a significant snow cover in our area since 2000," LaFond said.
DNR considering options
LaFond said no research has been done on the habitat or feeding habits of the local population, but if they are like the animals found in other states they will likely be found in or near low lying areas and marshes.
The location of the Trusonni farm would fit that profile since it sits next to the Bad Axe River and has an abundant food source. The ridge-top corn fields are a short distance from the river bottoms and the animals could easily move back and forth between them.
LaFond said the DNR is aware the animals could become a problem for this part of the state as are local legislators. LaFond said recently retired Assemblyman DuWayne Johnsrud (R-Eastman) held hearings on the issue.
The DNR has considered hiring outside help or implementing a shooting program to totally eradicate the animals, but the department does not have the funds to finance such a program now, LaFond said.
Republican Lee Nerison of Viroqua, who was elected in November to replace Johnsrud, said the issue is an important one and he intends to look into it more. Nerison said since the Wisconsin Legislature is starting its two-year budget cycle it is the perfect time to see if the funds can be found to help local officials deal with the problem.
All stories copyright 2006 Vernon Broadcaster and other attributed sources.