Pig Eradication Plan Set For California Island

[Nor cal 64]

Let’s think about this for a minute. It stands to reason that the damage to the foliage will be remedied. And assuming all the hogs have been removed (remember how quickly they reproduce). One of the only food sources on the island is the endangered Island Kit Fox & a 2 mile flight due east to the mainland for the next best option. I will give you one guess what the Golden Eagle will choose to do….. This smells like a disaster.


Just a thought.

 

[bubba]

Do you think they will propose getting rid of the eagle's also? I wonder what their plan for that would be. I hope they planned this all the way through.

 

[Nor cal 64]

I don't think they did... Hogs are smart & they do swim. I see one of two things happening here. It will either go over buget or fail.

 

[jrifenbark]

Have rifle. Will travel. I'm in too.

 

[MrMullen]

According to California, which of these is it NOT going to do:

A) Give Mullen's tax dollars to Homeless
B) Give Mullen's tax dollars to Drug Addicts
C) Spend Mullen's tax dollars on killing wild hog instead of letting JHP's pay to hunt them
D) Just let Mullen keep his money and let him spend it how he wants too

Correct anwser, D!

 

[RIFLEMAN]

In a nutshell, the logic and biology behind the island management plan is this:

*Hogs initially attracted golden eagles to the islands with the presence of piglets. The absence of bald eagles allowed the goldens to take up permanent residence.
*Eagles found it much easier to eat the island fox who had no natural predators and therefore, no defense against the eagles.
*The removal of the hog will:
*discourage future colonization and population increase of golden eagles on the islands by taking away a prey source and,
*protect the vegetation that provides the island fox some measure of cover
*Aggressively encourage the re-introduction of the native bald eagle to the islands after DDT wiped them out several decades ago. Golden eagles and bald eagles do not typically inhabit the same exact range.

*Hogs won't swim from the mainland to the islands, period.

I was contacted about the possibility of being a contract hunter for a federal park in Central California early this year. The requirements of the federal government were:
*demonstrated success in harvesting hogs (large number of tags turned in per year).
*MUST use dogs to pursue hogs.
*pass a firearms proficiency test (to make sure I knew which end of the gun to aim I guess).

After the requirements were met, the formal bidding process kicked in. You simply had to turn in your bid and the lowest bidder won.

Most of the time, it's either pest control companies, people on the "inside" of the DFG or people on the "inside" of whatever organization needs the depredation work done who get the call. It seems to rarely get to the bidding process.

---RIFLEMAN

 

[1buba]

The problem is - the tree huggers want this thing back to "natural state." That means that they (tree huggers) would rather see the animals poisoned and burried than shot and used for protien (thanks Mr. Nuggent.

).

However, in the event that this works out - me, my wife and two daughters are in! Can someone start shopping for the best price on freezers?

steve

 

[Nor cal 64]

Let me understand this, the plan is to replace one eagle with another hoping that the bald eagle won’t find it easier to just eat the island fox rather than fish? I won’t go into the discussion of whether or not the golden eagle is a natural predator or whether this fox’s inability to adapt is the root cause of it making it on the endangered list in the first place.

I don’t think anyone was suggesting that hogs would swim the 2 miles or so from the mainland. My thought was this, wherever the hog proof fencing would terminate ( beach, cliff or crag), the hogs would find a way around it to safety of the other side. As presented, this plan doesn’t add up.

IMHO this scenario, or some version of it, is a more likely fit.
As you may or my not know, the majority of the people working for the NPS detest hunting. Their perception is that hunters are just a bunch of tobacco chewing rednecks and the thought of this satanic ritual of wholesale slaughter of defenseless animals occurring in their park is like acid in their mouths. They will however, “put up” with this for a few more years just to rid themselves, once and for all, of these pests that keep ripping up the landscape. This is the lesser of two evils in their mind, they won’t have to sit and listen to the gunfire ring out year after year, and their plants will be protected. I think the island fox is just a vehicle being used to get what they really want.

 

[RIFLEMAN]

Nor cal 64,

No, the bald eagle won’t eat the fox. The bald eagle lives mostly on fish and carrion. The fox and eagle lived on the island until the eagle's demise in the 50's or 60's.

The golden eagle is not a natural predator of the fox because:
*It did not prey on the fox before and during the evolution of the fox. Therefore, the fox did not evolve any characteristics to withstand the predation of the eagle.
*The eagle did not migrate to the islands under natural circumstances. The existence of the pigs, brought by man, and the absence of bald eagles, removed by man, are believed to be the causes.

I do not think that it is fair to expect the fox to adapt quickly to golden eagles or canine distemper. Like ALL island life, the fox's development in isolation makes them especially sensitive to things that did not develop on that island alongside them.

I now understand the point of the hogs' swimming capabilities. I am not disputing the foolhardiness of the fenceline. I was part of a CNN story in January about a 31 mile fencing effort that was nothing more than field fence (4"x4") squares and barbwire. This exact fencing scheme is the same as the one used by ranchers in the country I hunt in. The hogs have no problem getting through.

I cannot comment on the NPS position on hunting. But The Nature Conservancy, the other influential organization in this program, is not officially against hunting.

 

[bighorn67]

Count me in on the "erradication agent" idea.

Dave

 

[Bill W]

I regularly fish/dive on Santa Cruz island and have hunted and camped on it as well.

In the first place, the island is 21 miles (at its closest point) from the mainland. At its farthest point it is thirty plus from the mainland. Not two miles. NO hog is going to swim that I can assure you.

They have already started the bald eagle re-introductiion. They eat fish not hogs or foxes.

Bill

 

[Hawghunter]

I'm in. Have gun, bow, and trapping knoweledge.
Rifleman said that you need to show a high number of pig tags turned in to get considered for an eradication project. What if everyone here at Jesses made a note on their tags when we turned them in. It would seem that combined we would have a huge number of turned in tags. Also many of us use dogs.
Another thought: Could we get permission to take problem porkers from the Sant Anna Riverbed. This could be a way to get into that private property, if we could remove the problem hogs for free for the farmers.

Just a thought,
Mark

 

[BOHNTR]

Bill W:

I don't agree with hiring the government hunters, however, your statement that the bald eagles DO NOT eat foxes and/or piglets is not true. I bowhunt the Island often in exchange for work details near the headquarters. I have seen the eagles scoop up both foxes and piglets. The piglets are more frequent however. Still no reason to eradicate in my opinion, but wanted to set the record straight as far as predation.

 

[Speckmisser]

Dang!!!

Is this the energizer topic or what?

I name thee... Lazarus.

 

[red dog]

The facts as I know them.
90 percent of Santa cruz Island is owned by the Nature conservancy [ a group of people based in great britain ]
they filed for and recieved a depradation permit by the california dept. of fish and game. I believe they.."the nat. consrv" paid for the erradication.
the dept. of fish and game did get them to allow about 150 hunters to go to the Island 12 hunters at a time each group stayed three days and where allowed to bring back all the pig a 60 quart cooler could carry.
The hunters where drawn randomly. where flown over to the Island by small plane. They where only allowed 50 pound of gear including rifle or bow and had one heck of a good time.

I do not agree with the erradication. but I will say that the Island Is over run with pigs and that the damage that they do is very obvious.

the fish and game has introduced bald eagles to the Island in an attempt to remove the golen eagles.

 

[JOE MACK]

You also might want to look into selling the critters to some of the hunting ranches in the state. How about throwing a bunch of the piggies in the channel and charging to fish for great whites?

It's a wonder the liberals haven't learned about the proposed slaughter and raised a fuss. Could use catch dogs and rope, then to a holding pen, and transport. Add some to the bid for processing and the meat could go to a charity. Just my ramblins'.

 

[TwoTone]

This sounds to good to be true!

I would also like to volunteer me and my bow for this most noble cause.

 

[Walrus]

Count me in. I'll use my "String Gun". Even make up some more arrows.

 

[mjohns2]

What the state should do, and I don't know if this is "legal", is to allow a small managable group to hunt there everyday for a fee. The fee's money will go for the charter to and from the island and make the state money. It will be a win / win for the state. I know I'd pay 200 for the trip.

 

[Kickaha]

mjohns2,

Because your plan makes sense, it will never be done.

Same thing with the hogs in the Santa Ana River basin. They could start taking control of the situation NOW by issuing special primitive weapons (or bows only) to hunt that area. Only allow a certain number of hunters in at a time. Charge a fee for it. Make money for the state. Get rid of a growing problem.

But what they're going to end up doing is let the problem get out of hand and then hire contract hunters/trappers to take care of the problem.