One More Hog!

 My hog trappers had a ~200 pound boar in a trap this morning.  The first catch in months.  The trappers were on the verge of taking a break in trapping on my place.  And wait for better pickings.

They have taken more than 200 hogs/pigs off my place in the about two years that they have been trapping here.  I think that they have been trapping the Menke place for near a year.  Maybe 20-30 there.

But, the hogs have left their marks!  All the hazardous rooted up areas are now grown over.  That offers surprises to mower and tractor drivers.  The rootings are hazardous enough that it is conceivable they could result in a tractor rollover if hit at a poor angle and too high a speed.  More likely, I guess, that a tractor driver could be thrown off the tractor.

Some clarification for readers lucky enough not to live in a hog infested area. 

Feral hogs are mostly escaped domestic hogs and have been with us for centuries.  I'm not sure why but the population seems to have increased in the past ~30 years.  The joke is that female hogs are born pregnant.  They CAN produce an astonishing number of offspring in 12 months.  Hundreds.

About 10 years ago, Texas completed the last segment of the toll road, SH130, that is meant as an eastern alternative to IH35 between Seguin and Georgetown.  To attact traffic, the last segment, from Sequin to Lockhart, had the speed limit set to 85mph; the highest in the state.  Right through hog habitat.  Millions of dollars worth of vehicle damage have been incurred on that section.  As far as I know, no human fatalities

The threat to farm property is well known and the state has explored many options for hog control.  There is no limit on how, how many, season, or time of day as to when the hogs may be killed.  Something like squirrels and coyotes.  Other than "open season", the most persistent control measure has been the state making grants to counties in order to offer $5 bounties on hog tails.  So, if someone gets a hog, the tail is cut off and placed in the freeze for future redemption.  The $5 is insufficient to stimulate inefficient harvesting methods such as trapping.  I imagine it might take $100/tail to really get the hogs cleaned up.  I am fortunate enough to have found trappers that do it for recreation rather than profit.  The $5 bounties are sporadic.  A grant may last a few months, then will not be funded for a few months.

Personally, I have gotten only around 10 hogs over ~5 years.  Mostly with snares set on hog paths that cross fences but also a few in traps.  The traps being cages with trap doors.  So, generally no injury to hogs in the traps.  Few snared hogs survive to being found.  Live snared hogs can not be handled; they must be shot.

Possum Trap

https://photos.app.goo.gl/abrUHitEWX8MSRYs8

 Perhaps 10+ years ago, I set up a compost container near my front walk through gate.  A ~4' length of 24" corrugated steel culvert pipe standing on end.  I carry my kitchen rotable debris to the container.  These days, coffee grounds, avocado seed and shells, banana peels, food that has gone bad in the kitchen, caught mouse bodies.  Most meat products, such as chicken carcasses, go in the yard and get taken care of by wandering nocturnal wildlife.  The idea was that I would add another compost culvert when the first one was filled.  I was surprised that I was unable to fill the container; it rots down faster than I add to it.  In the 10+ years it has been in use, depth is 12" or less.

Yesterday morning, I noticed a possum trapped in the compost culvert.  Apparently unable to scale the ~3 vertical feet of culvert.  I placed a hoe in the the culvert which allowed the possum to climb the handle and escape.  Then, later in the day, I removed the hoe.  This morning, I was surprised to find the possum again trapped.  I regretted not taking some photos of his first trapping.  I will not let that opportunity get away from me again.  See here soon, the photos.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Rvt86BTCFJDdaC4s8

Soon after the above photos, the possum had freed himself.  I will again remove the hoe and give him opportunity to trap himself again.

The shorter culvert sections are planters.  And serve other purposes.  Recently, I have been planting pineapple tops in those planters.  Out of ~8 for this season, one (pictured) has survived.  I've been peeing on it; the only moisture it has gotten.  Correction:  I have TWO surviving pineapple tops.  One in each of two planters.  One surviving with no supplemental moisture.

Until the hard freezes of the past two years, the planters had been overflowing with two varieties of spineless cactus.  The freezes killed all cactus in the planters, but the parts spilling to the ground had rooted and survived.  I have been moving leaves from the survivors back to the planters. 

"Back to the Earth" homeowners tend to buy or build compost bins that are short lived and are a maintenance problem.  Not to mention very expensive.  Much in contrast to my scheme.  The mind boggles at the cost of such compost.

8/13/22

After an absence of several days, this morning I found the possum sleeping in the compost bin.  I dumped some kitchen junk on top of him.  I'll get prepared to take a photo before I put the hoe back in.

A bit later:  Added two photos to the above album.  He climbed the hoe handle, stuck his head above the rim, then went back down.  I waited about 15 minutes to get that photo.  I pulled the hoe back out and may try again later.

8/19/22

I found the dead possum in the compost bin.  Since I released him at least twice, I can work up no guilt.  I did find another, apparent possum, skull in the compost bin.  So, that one apparently is not the first possum to find his end trapped in the culvert.

Buzzard reproduction

 https://photos.app.goo.gl/wQSQhoxhkw8HKSs39

 Now, there are two.  The second hatched today (6/29) between mid morning and late afternoon.

A few days ago, I found a buzzard had been making a mess of my south field PV equipment room, formerly a greenhouse.  I found two eggs on the ground inside the greenhouse and moved them outside.  Then, blocked the two doors into the room.  The momma is non aggressive but can almost always be found at the eggs; she just hops off when I arrive.

 6/30/2021

Chicks appear about the same as yesterday, above.

Donna and  Ray offer that they seem to be "Black Vultures" rather than the more common "Turkey Vultures":

https://txtbba.tamu.edu/species-accounts/black-vulture

 https://txtbba.tamu.edu/species-accounts/turkey-vulture/

 

7/5/2021

Nothing much to report. They've grown a bit.

 7/15/2012

Progress!  Both chicks standing outside the nest area on their feet, holding out their wings.  I was a bit worried since I had seen a loose hound dog roaming around this morning.  A dump job, likely.  Collar but no tags.

It may be that buzzards are not considered "fair game".  A few years ago, I found a dead buzzard near a vegetable field and nothing would touch it.  For your random dead animals, they get cleaned up in a day or two.  The buzzard laid there for months.

 7/23/2012  Missing chicks

I took a couple of photos and added to album 7/21 but did not post here.  Today, I drove by and was surprised to find no chicks.  The adult is usually either absent or on the ground near the chicks.  Today, the adult was perched up off the ground which is unusual.  She flew off but there were no chicks in the area.  Either "something bad" has happened or the chicks are wandering somewhere.  I'll check on them several times tomorrow and report.

9/12/2012

After an absence of near two months, during which I suspected the worst, the near grown chicks reappeared!

The whole area under that shed shows evidence of buzzard presence/activity.    The two chicks are quite timid, preferring to hide than fight or flee.   "Mildred! Be VERY still.  I don't think he sees us." I sure wish I knew what they were doing for the past two months.

9/13/2021

This morning, the chicks remain huddled up in their protected place, lumber and stuff leaning against a barn wall.  Near their hatching spot.  Still maintaining a very low profile.  No evidence of adults.

Caught pigs

https://photos.app.goo.gl/CEqRRkMgHHoA3kKd6

You probably can't count, but there should be 8 pigs and a smallish (150-200 lb) sow.  It is most unusual to be able to catch that many in one batch with such a small trap.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/CEqRRkMgHHoA3kKd6

7/5/2020

Hog trappers report ANOTHER sow with six pigs in a single catch!

8/1/2020

This hog trapping is going better than expected!

Most recent count is 37 or 38.   Of course, 16 of those were in the above reported two multiple catches.

He is working my two traps and about three of his own.

His cameras show a thriving turkey population.

Fawn

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Qr3rd15h75PbxCY39

Semi-Spectacular Hog Excavations

https://photos.app.goo.gl/VpKJjvXZXpquR1of8

Those of you who do not yet have hogs may wonder what all the buzz is about.

These types of rootings are all over my place.  These are about the worst I've seen.  Note depths of more than a foot.  These holes will eventually become obscured by vegetation.  An unsuspecting tractor driver might find himself thrown off and perhaps run over.

Note that the hogs decided the ground was drier than desired and opened a faucet to remedy.

Hanging Together

Longhorns, Cattle Egrets, and Turkey.  It is the Turkey that is unusual to find associating with the other two.
You will likely have to access the higher resolutions to see the Turkey.

6/25/19
It looks like it is time for me to give up trying to get photos posted.  They are hung up in my phone and not uploading to cloud.

Anyway, just use your imagination.  I believe the wild Turkeys just happened to be in the same area as the Longhorns at the time I went by; that is, I don't believe they were socializing as the egrets and cattle do.   I do see a flock of turkeys almost every time I go to that area.  Sometimes, you will see an egret riding on the back of a cow.  Presumably picking off ticks or other insects.

This is the first year I've noticed multiple turkey males/gobblers in one flock.  They are easy to identify because they spread their tail feathers.

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cattle_egret

It is interesting to note that the spread of Cattle Egrets across the globe is fairly recent.  I believe Cattle Egrets are near the most wide spread of species.