Kudos On Hog Fight

I just finished reading Chester Moore’s article about hog sanctuaries in Texas. Thank you as we are fighting the same fight in Missouri. There has been 79,000 acres banned since 2016 and the hog population has exploded. Close to 1.5 million acres of Mark Twain National Forest could be closed and it will be federal wildlife crime to kill a hog there. Over two million acres will protect hogs from hunters 365 days a year.

Allen Morris

Thanks for having the guts to say what few have said. And that is there are sanctuaries created for hogs to breed, and that these states banning hog hunting are missing the boat. I agree that putting a ban on moving live hogs is enough. Why stop hunters from killing hogs? Makes no sense. Thanks for covering this important story.

Scott Kasey

Banning killing hogs to stop their population growth makes zero sense. Something is very wrong and I support 100 percent your stance on the hog issue.

Geoff Jackson

Four-Year-Old Fan

Sara Beyer sent in this photo of her son, four-year-old Everett. She tells us that Texas Fish & Game is Everett’s favorite magazine. His mom said he loves to look at all the pictures and even sleeps with it by his side at night.

Double Dipping

I enjoyed your article about Double Dipping.

I can verify catching the same bass twice.  Years ago I was tagging bass I caught in my pond to weigh them and measure their length to monitor their growth. After tagging a bass, I kept fishing and about 15 minutes later on the other side of the pond, I caught the same bass.

Seems unlikely, but I guess sometimes they do not learn their lesson.

David Kaspar

Hunter-Conservationists

Your column on hunter-conservationists was probably the best thing I have ever read on the topic. I have followed your work for a long time and know that you genuinely care about wildlife, even animals and fish you don’t plan to catch or kill.

The examples you used show the model of North American conservation works. I realize you have limited space in a column but I would like to know what you think some of the mistakes that are being made in our conservation model and how we might do better.

Blake Picard

Editor: Thanks for the kind words. Your question is a really good one. No system is perfect except for the one God initially created. We have managed to mess that up big time although we do better in America in comparison to anywhere on the globe. I would say the overall biggest problem we have had is connecting the importance of habitat health to wildlife abundance, and it is something I am seeing in a big way with my Turkey Revolution project. People understand bag limits and limited access to hunting certain species, but there in general is a disconnect with habitat. We have got to stop buying the lies that because there are more trees now than when Lewis & Clark conducted their expedition that somehow that is good. Forest management in many ways has been abysmal for wildlife and we have totally transformed the forests to something that is not natural. I think if we can look as close at habitat as we do species bag limits, etc. we will have a bright future for wildlife.

 

Email your comments to: editor@fishgame.com

 

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