HORDES OF WILD PIGS.

Shannon News, 14 October 1924, Page 2

HORDES OF WILD PIGS.

WANGANUI RIVER FARMERS' PROBLEM. ■ A correspondent, writing to. the Wangamii Chronicle from Matahiw.i, on the Wanganui River, states that ' a vast amount 'Of damage has been Id'one in this district lately through the depredations of wild pigs. He 'states that the lambing started on ! ! August 10, and on the 14th he noticed a iamb,''apparently but a, lew hours old, lying dead and mutilated. The following day, at an early (hour, he I rode out to hunt the enemy, .uuck was with him, for. on entering the paddock ihe noticed, on a, small flat 200 yards distant, what, at a glance, . appeared to be a big yellow call'. It, :of course, was ia trjemehdous old boar, and there it. was, tearing at a newly-born iamb, whilst the ewe •bleated helplessly. He stalked the boar, but the wind being the wr°ng way it got scent and made off before (he- could get within tor''sure death" shot with his rifle. He then put dogs out to bait him; and at the third shot, it dropped; Subsequently he counted twenty larabs dead and ripped open by tins pig. But this, was only the start. He found lambs killed in . .evervj paddock,', and lor four weeks he? lhad been constantly hunting for wild pigs. Haying 2750 ewes lambing, 100 pigs following the ewes, about to. drop, was a serious menace. ' Goodness only knows what the percentage would be if the pigs were left at .liberty. To date he had killed 130 big pigs. Haying a splendid dog at finding them bis task was easy. With a good finding dog and two bailers or holders on,e could get the lot by systematically hunting eadh paddock. The paddocks in that particular country contain a lair amount of second growth or fern on shady faces. His best, day was a tally ! of 22,, comprising seven boars and ,15 sows' The sows,were the worst offenders. He is trying a few poisoned cows at present, and is interested for results. He bad a 2J mile bush boundary (bounding 7000 to 8000 acres of bush). Apart from pigs, they had a visit from "two Maori dogs immediately before lambing. They killed 22 six-tooth ewes. • He' stalked them (in : the act) very quietly and luckily grabbed the worst dog ( a half-bred oulidog) while his dogs held the other. 'He killed both on the sP.Qt'as humanely as possible with a matai batten. The run was a 3500 acre one with 8500 sheep, 40 miles up .the river. His neighbours were much troubled with pigs last lambing season, the two imediate neighbours Wiling o? 0 and 570 respectively*