Let’s put it this way: I’m not sure if it’s possible to get sick of good barbecue, but one hunter may eventually find out for all of us.
The 17-second video posted on Facebook on June 28 by S&R Outfitters showed a fine American engaging in a form of community service while also exercising his Second Amendment rights and pulling off quite a feat of marksmanship. In this case, he’s hunting feral hogs, and with one shot, he fells three of them at once.
It’s an impressive bit of shooting and a lot of meat for the freezer (and smoker), no doubt about it, but America actually will be needing a lot more shots like that.
You see, feral hogs aren’t the friendly pigs from your children’s favorite stories, like Piglet and Wilbur. In fact, they have inundated the southern United States and can rip stuff up so thoroughly, they make William Tecumseh Sherman’s “March to the Sea” look tamer than a Buckingham Palace tea party.
How bad is the feral hog issue? There are at least 6 million feral hogs spread across the country, according to AgBull.com, and they inflict at least $1.6 billion in damage upon America’s farmers each year, according to AgDaily.com. Farmers aren’t the only ones taking hits; ranchers lose livestock, and the hogs also prey upon game bird nests and baby wildlife – wreaking all sorts of havoc on the land.
There are higher estimates of the total damage done and just how many of them are out there. What’s worse: The United States hasn’t ever really gotten ahead of the problem, which dates back to the introduction of these critters when Christopher Columbus was exploring.
While the population of feral hogs is primarily in Texas (with at least three million) and Oklahoma (at least 1.5 million), these days, the hogs are in as many as 42 states, according to National Geographic.
There is also a bit of a math problem: While feral hogs are the second-most popular big game in the country, hunting takes out only about 24% of the population – and to keep the population in check, you need to take out more than three times as many, National Geographic reported.
So, Americans, celebrate the feat of marksmanship, but we may need a lot more of it. We also may just end up being sick of barbecue when it’s all said and done.
(DCNF)