Hunting For The Right Angle

The US Forest Service, in conjunction with a number of other government agencies and environmental groups, has produced a new video to teach hunters and anglers about invasive species prevention. Featuring stories about the ways that hunters and anglers interact with the environment, "Defending Favorite Places" is filled with examples of the way invasive species impact the environment. It also presents several good tips to prevent the spread of invasive species, for example, cleaning off your clothes, vehicle and equipment to remove any invasive species hitchhikers. Also worth noting is a recommendation to report invasive species (or any plant or animal that seems out of place!), and record its location, especially if you're armed with a GPS unit. As one of the anglers noted, if you are a "regular" at a fishing site or hunting area, you're going to be the first one to notice when some new plant or animal shows up.

You can download "Defending Favorite Places" in full-length or mini versions to show to your favorite group of outdoor enthusiasts, or enquire about the DVD version by contacting:

USDA Forest Service San Dimas Technology & Development Center 444 East Bonita Avenue San Dimas, CA 91773 909-599-1267

Hunt-and-Peck

The Outdoors Blog has a post and pic of two wild boars (Sus scrofa, feral pigs) recently taken by hunters in Central New York. The New York Department of Environmental Conservation (NYDEC) is also in the midst of a cooperative effort with other agencies to remove the animals from Central NY, but notes that hunters taking out single hogs from a pack will cause the rest to scatter, making rounding them up even tougher for the DEC. The post has contact into in case you've seen (or hunted) a pig in that area and want to report it.

Hogs Gone Wild!

Back in April 2007, the ISW reported that feral hog (Sus scrofa) populations in Pennsylvania were on the rise due to the import and subsequent escape of the animals for the purposes of hunting. Now comes word from the Morning Call that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has responded by officially declaring feral hogs to be "wildlife."

Before this ruling, feral hogs, along with any other animals brought onto hunting reserves, were simply considered to be private property. Now they are subject to the state's Game and Wildlife Code, though the immediate effect of the ruling is not entirely clear. At this point Pennsylvania officials aren't really sure of the extent that the hogs were being imported into the state, since the hunting reserves were not being monitored. Whether regulations will be put in place to limit the import of feral hogs or to prevent their escape into the wild remains to be seen. Also, whereas any escaped hogs in Pennsylvania used to be able to be shot on sight, the new ruling means that the animals are now protected from hunting...until the Game Commission sets up an official hunting season. A draft plan for a feral hog hunting season should be out by the end of January.