Feral Pigs

Time to hunt PA PigsAre there feral pigs in Pennsylvania?
Check Vol. 02 No. 04 of Pennsylvania Outdoor News. PON is reporting around 200 hogs have been released from those hunting preserves in Cambria and Bedford Counties over the past six years. The PGC admits it is not permitted to manage the feral pigs. They simply don’t fall under the definition of game or wildlife. This means there are no regulations dealing with seasons or bag limits. Not even the prohibition against Sunday hunting would apply to a hog hunt. You can bait them. You can hunt them at night. There just isn’t any regulations or laws dealing with them yet.

This forum has some discussion about wild hogs in PA.

This fellow remembers a hog release many years ago in Sullivan County.

Whose ready for a little winter hoggin’?

OTB’s linkfest is the ham!

50 Comments on “Feral Pigs

  1. If they didn’t compete with the turkeys and squirrels for food, I would support an official introduction of European boars. I wonder if they would survive the deeper snow.

  2. Wild turkey…YUCK!!! Squirrels…Too small!!!! Wild pork chops….YUMMY!!!!

  3. When the time comes to get rid of the pigs in Cambria and Bedford counties, let the game commission apply their deer management program to the management of the pigs.

  4. i recently been hearing alot about hogs in bedford or huntington and been wanting to gom up and try to hunt them. the thing in no one wants to help me find an area to try to find them in and the game commision don’t want involved. please try to help me pinpooint an area to try to hunt them.

  5. i would like to try to find these loose boar in Bedford or Huntington .Please help me pinpoint them ;thanks

  6. I would like to get a look at some of the tracks and wallows in that area myself. We have the dogs, and know how to make
    a good run at catching a few. Any help would be most appreciated. We travel 12-18 hours just to get a chance to hunt them.
    It would be a blessing to have them right here at home.

    Mike Mills

    laststandambulldogs@yahoo.com

  7. any one looking to have feral pigs removed, please contact us
    also looking for any reports of hogs on public property in pa.

  8. There are plenty of pigs to hunt in Bedford County… There are kills reported everyweek… The terain is some of the steepest and toughest.. No place for a porkchop to be playing… So if you smoke or can’t run 10 miles call George above. He knows how to road hunt them..

  9. I want to come out to hunt some hogs and would like to know some areas to go to and see hogs. roadhunt to
    locate would be fine, one or two of the party would like to bow hunt the area as well.
    could you give me some general directions, road names and so forth to get me on the right track to get some
    wild chops for the freezer.

  10. Are there any restrictions on bringing hogs from Texas. Health department?
    transporting across state lines? I am over run with them down here. Is there a market for them in Pennsylvania?

  11. I live in pa. and was wondering if anyone could tell me where is the best place to hunt these hogs, I promise not to tell and plus there is plenty for all and we can really use themeat..Thank you

  12. Question if they are not governed by the Pa GC what the firearm laws on them.
    Say im out plinking with my .223 one sunday afternoon and i run in to one can i shoot it
    with a semi Auto?

  13. I dont know if you can ship them hogs but if you can ship them to PA i would be interested in buying some.

  14. Let’s get out and Kill as many as possible. Game commission won’t/can’t do anything. These animals carry diseases that will affect our Bear population. I wonder how long it will take our coyote population to learn how tasty suckling pigs really are?

  15. Bill,

    It is definatly a good idea to keep these animals in check. Because they have NO natural predators, and to count on predation to keep them in check is
    is useless. As for the coyotes eating the babies, they can only hope not to be eaten themselves.. boar are great parents, and will deffend theres
    and others in the groups babies to the death. You would be hard pressed to find an animal in PA that can take a baby from a solid group of older
    sows…lol YOu are correct in the fact that the carry diseases, rabies, hoof mouth, ecoli, on vegtables, and fruits they may get into. We need
    to keep them in check for sure, because they also compete with deer, and turkeys for feed, and they will always bully there way to the best feed.

    Mike

  16. Im looking for a place for a place to hunt pigs . If anyone has some and wants to get rid of them call me at 717-632-9896 THANKS !!!

  17. Hey everyone,
    Writing to you from Hawaii, where we have more pigs than can be possibly controlled. I am moving to Pa this spring, and was wondering about the status of the pigs in PA, and I found this site. About importing from texas, don’t…. if they are out there already, you will have more than you want shortly. They cause a lot of damage to farms, but the hunting is great!!! We dont have any regulations here either, or any that are enforced, so it is nonstop action. I have taken a 250 lb boar from my kitchen window with a 22 250…. The meat is the best in around, we smoke meat and make sausages. I dont think cyotes will have a chance controlling pigs, so you all will have to do your best. We use cur dogs, and a bull to bay them up then grab a hold of them, we don’t use guns out of courtesy for the dogs. ( knives are the traditional way to hunt over here) Pigs are my favorite animal to hunt, and I cant wait to move and check out the PA boars…..I m sure there just as fun as the polynesian boars, but bigger ( more domestic blood). Anyone want recipes? But, not to ramble on, you need to be carefull about introduction, you guys have other game to consider, they will be affecting the habitat and food supply of deer, bears, and so forth, not to mention the diseases someone mentioned. That is somthing I would hate to see happen. It is up to people like us to take care, and controll the population. Remeber You are their only predator, and you got to do your job! Happy Hunting.

    Billy

  18. Heard they are hunting hogs in Bradford County – anyone have a specific location or know who to contact, I would appreciate the info.

  19. Tussey Mountian(actually a ridge) from north of Everett PA down to the Maryland Border, that’s the only information I can will give you guys regarding locations(you’ll have to work as hard as I did to actually pinpoint them) Hogs seem to hold high and tight during the day and venture down to farms late evening. happy hunting

  20. BOB, SEND ME AN EMAIL @ FATHERJIM@AOL.COM RE:BRADFORD COUNTY. I WANT TO HUNT THEM BUT I NEED A PARTNER AND I GOT SOME RELIABLE INFO VERIFIED BY TWO SOURCES. THESE GUYS SHOT 4 LAST WEEK!!!!

  21. Hey, i’ve hunted the pigs on Tussy mountain on farms where they said they have seen them but I never had any luck. Hunting for them is alot harder than you think.

  22. Josh,

    It is very hard hunting up there, those hogs are like mountain goats.. not like the slow hogs from down south..lol Its much harder hunting hogs in PA than anywhere down south for sure.

    Mike

  23. You can import wild boars into PA, but they have to be tested for diseases before coming it and have a veterinarian look at them also. This is teh same for all pigs, wild or domestic.

  24. I was on my travels home from work on the second shift, when all of sudden two very large pigs with tusks entered my path. WOW, What a sight. I didn’t know Pa. had wild pigs !! The first pig crossed the road, I stopped the car in amazement and awe, then the second pig ran into the side of my car. He was huge, my car rocked when he hit it, I was amazed!! I knew there was a nearby Pig Farm so I turned around went to his house to alert him that his pigs were getting out, that is when he told me, ” What you just seen was wild pigs,they try to get to my feeders “. I would have loved to talked to him more about it but it was midnight and I just got him out of bed and I could also tell he didn’t like the wild pigs..
    This incident was in Butler County. Again, I was awestruck.. How do these animals survive the winter? The two pigs I encountered were very healthy..

  25. You can hunt these pigs but they’re intelligent, fast, and there’s not as many as you think.

    Estimates of pigs killed last deer season run from 200 to 300 depending on who is reporting the numbers. The reason for such a high number is the area was saturated with hunters during deer season. They hunted that area for 2 reasons: First, they had a chance of shooting 1 of the 3 legal bucks in State Games Lands #97 last year. Second, they had a chance of shooting a few pigs. It’s the pigs that attracted the hunters, not the deer.

    It’s common knowledge current policies of the Pennsylvania State Game Commission eliminated nearly all deer in the local area and other most other areas across the state. Consequently, hunters united across the state: They’ve complained orally and in writing, they’ve paid for independent deer surveys, they vehemently condemmed game commission policies, and they challenged those policies in court. This is indisputable evidence the Pennsylvania State Game Commission has a real image and management problem.

    On the positive side, hunters can find good deer hunting to the states adjacent to Pennsylvania. New York and Ohio have huntable deer populations as does Maryland and West Virginia. Yes, out-of-state licenses are expensive but still a better deal than what you get in Pennsylvania.

    For hunters who can’t afford out-of-state deer hunting, feral pigs are a real gift. Currently, no license is required, you can hunt all year, and harassment abilities of the game commission officials are limited.

    The pigs are here to stay. So, come on down, hunt game lands 97, stay off private land, donate your license fee to a good cause, and enjoy yourself.

    If you see a fat guy running up and down the mountain in seemingly random patterns, that’s Hog Hunter Ken who has posted on this site. He is not lost nor demented nor stung by a bee. He has his own unique way of hunting pigs. Wave to him and say Hi.

  26. Pig hunting is fun and there are a few around, you can actually get one if you can hike up and down the mountains of PA. I heard the Pa game comission is trying to get in on the pig action… I sure hope those tird balls never get a dime or any form of say on the pig hunting. Look at the PA deer hunting situation… I think every one will agree it is terible to go to the game lands walk miles and miles ner jump a deer or see many tracks.. I like the Pa game comissions stories on how they have became smarter and all that bull crap.. They must not eat either because there are no tracks in the snow.. Go figure the deer are now flying will be the next storie from the tird ball game comission.. Any way if you ever see a little white haired out of shape guy road hunting for pigs his name is George and he has no clue what is going on in the woods… But I beleive the poor guy about the deer because he hasn’t seen any along the road…

  27. The only thing that I could tell you about hunting hogs, I hunted them in Oklahoma for about 3 years, FIND WATER. You can track them from the water. Muddy holes are better than say an open river. They don’t like coming out during the day. Look on the sides of dry river beds in the brush. When walking through that stuff be careful you won’t see them until they you are right on top of them. But the golden rule for hunting them during the day is, walk through anything that makes you the most uncomfortable. Eg. Thorns, thick brush, etc. And if you are baiting them, Sour corn for about 4-5 days in a 5 gallon bucket. Dig a hole where you see prints, usually by a water hole. About 2 feet deep. Stick about 3/4 of the corn on there and cover it with Diesal fuel, Yes you heard me Diesal fuel- They LOVE IT! Cover the corn with the dirt, use the 1/4 left spread it over the dirt about 2 feet radius. Then pour some more diesal around. They’ll dig it up, but will get mixed with the dirt and they won’t get it all. And They’ll be back! Trust me Diesal! Shoot me an email if you need anymore ideas Tonywnj@hotmail.com. Have fun and make sure that you have a tree to “Curious George” it in. Cause they don’t like getting shot at! And carry a side arm.

  28. That baiting thing is great stuff.. I bet the state would love to catch you doing the Diesel fuel thing… lol I know a hog hunter named George and he has a Diesel car.. The air conditioner works once in a while to. WE could use our West Virginia credit card and get the bait out of his tank. Problem is he sits in it along roads to watch for hogs.. Maybe we could catch him sleeping and get his bait ..

  29. Anyone seeing hogs? It appears they are on the move, and not as visible as before? Maybe the mushroom hunters are scaring them out of there old haunts, not sure.

    Any help would be most appreciated, we are willing to share the little infomation we have.

    mmills_abs@yahoo.com

    Mike

  30. Here is your update:
    Pigs have been sighted again, but Mike here… Nursing that gimped leg of his or maybe his prize hog dog as sleeping on the truck seat making it imposible to drive..

    KW

  31. I only need one dog, and one leg to hunt hogs. I use one dog to find hogs, and one dog to find the truck.. .lol

    Mike

  32. There is an APB out on George has anyone spotted him sleeping in his VW while hog hunting? Rumors are flying about him raising a pack of minature dashhounds to pull his dog sled on a pig hunt.

  33. Update : George has been spoted in some alternative night clubs in the ocean City area. He has told some he is hunting Hawgs.

  34. ok, back in town. Yes, i’m raising mini-wiener dogs.

    Who is this guy called Larry Long Hauler?? Are you fortunate enough to know me?

    Ken, how is my 200-wiener-dog sled coming along? Is it done yet??? and where are all the pigs????

  35. Good to hear from you George, The pigs went flying with the dogs.. Everywhere pigs and dogs flying everywhere. The 200 lb weiner dog is waiting for a dashhound snack.. LOL
    he could eat 3 and floss with the other one… Great to hear your out of Ocean city. and back to a normal life.. Rumor had it that you went to the beach and the coastguard tried to drag you back out to sea.. That Larry long hauler guy must know you pretty good.

  36. I live in Columbus oh. We are low on excitment here would like to help rid Ohio farmers of hog problem- have gun will travel. How much would the license be in Penn. state to hunt hogs?

  37. No license required, bring snakeboots, gps, and a first aid kit..lol

    A gun is optional, its too thick to get a shot off..lol

    Mike

  38. Update on George, he is shopping for a set of walkie talkies. He likes the Barbie and Ken walkie talkies from walmart and the pink fits in well with his drag outfit. He says he can talk around the globe on them. To all you guys in Nova Scotia be on the lookout for George up there he might try picking you up. He is a little white haired guy late 50’s to early 60’s always out of breath and could be in a Green VW Jeddi or a Bronze jag.. He has a traveling companion of unknown origin!

  39. Has anyone seen any hogs latly? I was hoping the weather would put them near some water and, bottom areas?

    Mike

  40. Hello everyone, I’m from Rhode Island, and soon heading to Pa, to Hunt Wild Boar
    I own a website, I’m hoping to have all the Pa, Boar Hunting info on this site soon.
    Right now it’s just parked…has some interesting things though. I’d like to get all the Hunting Lodges, Farms, and ranche’s in PA on this site.It’s going to take a lot
    of time, anyway here it is.

    http://HuntWildBoar.Com

  41. Seems to me that George and Ken use this board as a place to whine that they dont see any deer and then blame it on the Game Comission. Well, I am here to tell you that excellent hunting is to be found all over the state. I hunt in northern Butler county during the rifle season, and in Chester and Montgomery counties during the bow and flintlock seasons. I am also a member of a QDMA hunting club in Edgecomb County in North Carolina and have been for over 3 years. And the game comission is right ……. when deer get older they get smarter. Stinky humans walking all over the game lands during rifle season push the deer off the game lands and into the private land surrounding it. And its funny how you say you walk miles and miles and no tracks……the reason you do that is an obvious indication you did very little to no pre-season scouting. You 2 seem to be like all the other lazy hunters I have encountered all over PA…….you expect herds of deer to run by you so you throw a clip full of lead at them. I have been hunting PA deer since 1980 and never have I seen the amount of large racked deer as I have during the past 4 seasons. I saw 20 different bucks last year alone, including a 160-class 10pt shot about 75yrds from me opening day of gun by a 12 yr old!!!! That boy wasnt walking around……he was sticking tight in his stand at 10:30am!! And I had to pass on a 150 class 8pt on the last saturday of gun season because I was hunting with my bow and he was facing me at 40 yds…not a good shot for a bow. All the whiny wannabe hunters in PA pushed out the best man we had…..Gary Alt. The people that truly understand nature and the concept of a carrying capacity realize that the forests were basically biological deserts, due to the over browsing of deer. They destroy the understory of the forest and then there is no place for them to hide and no sustenance for all the other creatures supposed to be in the woods. If you would like to see an example of this, go to Valley Forge National Park right off of old exit 24 on the PA turnpike. They have high fenced areas in the woods that deer cant get into and you want to know what? There is a beautiful thicket growing in these areas and all around them there is nothing but leaves from the trees ….usually to the extent that you can look 200 yds through the woods completely unobstructed. And George, look were you hunt in SGL 97, thats rugged country full of large tracts of old forest, not a prime area for heavy concentrations of deer. With no human influence at all it may support 3-5 deer per square mile!!!!! And I am sure you will say that there used to be more deer where you hunted…..ever think of hunting somewhere else and finding deer? Geezuz man! Knock on a few doors and politely ask for permission to hunt on private land….it also helps if you hunt with a bow since more private landowners are amenable to bow hunting. Oh yeah and you could actually hunt the rut……the best time to see huge normally nocturnal bucks being stupid and wandering around. Keep on whining about the game commission, I could care less what guys like you say, because 10% of hunters take 90% of the large bucks……and its basically because they HUNT HARDER and HUNT SMARTER.

  42. Steve,

    It’s More like poach more and act dumber.
    Your a fine example of the PGC “hunt farther in- no wait, hunt with a bow, no wait, hunt where you’ve never hunted before, no wait hunt with a muzzle loader, no wait, hunt with a cross bow, no you must just be a bad hunter.”
    You sound like your in the same ranks as Alt [edited].

  43. would like to know where the hogs are in bradford tioga ounties pa

  44. Steve, your just a notch above the best of the bullshitters… For one you know nothing about SGL 97 for sure you are very correct about it being rough terrain but very wrong about it having ever had deer… That gameland is in the heart of what was the best deerhunting in PA. period.. you and garry need to go smke some more crack and blow smoke up each other butts.. You sound like someone with ties to the game commision and 2 have been in the woods very little.. like much of our game comission… “There is a deer behind every tree”

  45. I am new to this sight, hell I’m new to hunting in PA Born and raised in AZ where your lucky to get drawn for a Mule deer tag once every three years I have never hunted anything bigger than jackrabbits,dove and quail well ok Javalina but most ppl in PA dont know what they are.
    Taking the hunting class as required this Feb I got a new 30.06 for xmas compliments of my wife.
    I guess my questions are all my inlaws hunt and they know the areas I guess but for the most part year after year return empty handed(they hunt Tioga county) so I’m looking for any such information or good advice becouse I am afraid to be taught wrong. Also a good place to pig hunt as Im dying to use my new 30.06 and love pig.
    Any help or info would be greatly appreacted
    thanks guys

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