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Maverick said
Chuck said I don’t see a reason for me to shoot something that just stands there and lets you shoot it.
I take exception to that statement. In the USA the feral hog problem being one main point. They cause something like $2.5 Billion in agricultural damage every year. They also damage property, historic sites, wetlands, waterways, and ecosystems. You could argue that they won’t exactly just stand there and let you shoot them, but some will.
Another fine example is feral armadillos. Huge problem with them damaging property and vehicles, etc. Last year I stopped counting after the 27th one I shot. My father stopping counting at his 47th. My friend killed something like 30+. This was all on the same 200 acre piece of property. One evening I shot 8 in a 15 minute stretch. All together we probably killed 150+ armadillos. They will just stand there and let you shoot them. Got all mine with a modern Browning S.S. 1885 in 22 Hornet. You’d think we would have wiped them out and I’m not sure we’ve made a dent. I saw 4 yesterday while scouting for whitetail deer.
Sincerely,
Maverick
Not my point. I was talking about buffaloes. Game animals and feral animals are a different story.
Maverick said
Another fine example is feral armadillos. Huge problem with them damaging property and vehicles, etc. Last year I stopped counting after the 27th one I shot. My father stopping counting at his 47th. My friend killed something like 30+. This was all on the same 200 acre piece of property. One evening I shot 8 in a 15 minute stretch. All together we probably killed 150+ armadillos. They will just stand there and let you shoot them. Got all mine with a modern Browning S.S. 1885 in 22 Hornet. You’d think we would have wiped them out and I’m not sure we’ve made a dent. I saw 4 yesterday while scouting for whitetail deer.
I believe all armadillos are “feral,” unless someone has begun domesticating them. I once lived in armadillo country, but never heard of them damaging property or vehicles. How have they damaged your property or vehicles, may I ask? They are excellent eating–the meat is fine grained, something like young goat–than which there is NOTHING better! They were called “Hoover Hogs” during the Depression, by folks, I suppose, unacquainted with goats, which my father raised.
Back in the mid 80’s a relative came up to visit from Texas. We were on our way to go out for dinner I was driving and I hit a pot hole and my relative yelled out. “Armadillo!” Living in New England at that time it had to be explained to me ….
Rob
clarence said I believe all armadillos are “feral,” unless someone has begun domesticating them. I once lived in armadillo country, but never heard of them damaging property or vehicles. How have they damaged your property or vehicles, may I ask? They are excellent eating–the meat is fine grained, something like young goat–than which there is NOTHING better! They were called “Hoover Hogs” during the Depression, by folks, I suppose, unacquainted with goats, which my father raised.
They’re feral in North and Central America, hard to believe that a breeding pair walked all the way from Brazil to get here. And yes they damage our property all the time. Plenty of car bumpers, radiators, fans, battery trays, and oil pans tore up by armadillos. They’ve killed several fruit trees in our orchards and acorn trees by burying around the roots. They’ve bored under the house and destroyed plumbing lines. They’ve bored under a/c lines and broken them. Have you priced Freon lately? They love to kill my wife’s flowers in her flower bed. All while looking for water and worms. On a drought year you really get to noticing them running around.
I’ve never eaten armadillo and don’t plan too. For three reasons, #1 They carry Leprosy, #2 I once had a cajun friend that ate armadillo all the time until one day he went to feed it to his dog and the dog would not it. So in his words, “If a dog won’t eat It, I ain’t eating it.” #3 I’m just not that hungry, and I’ve eaten squirrel brains!
Chuck said
Not my point. I was talking about buffaloes. Game animals and feral animals are a different story.
Well I think it all depends on your perspective. I think as long as it is legal and comes from a proper conservation standpoint, I don’t see a problem with it.
Buffaloes are native to Africa, so I think how each country handles them should be up to them. Now take Australia, my understanding is that feral buffaloes are a huge problem destroying wetlands, etc. I think don’t anyone there has any problems wanting them gone.
Sincerely,
Maverick
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They’re feral in North and Central America, hard to believe that a breeding pair walked all the way from Brazil to get here. Maverick said
Before any animal can be called “feral,” it must first have been domesticated, then escaped to survive on its own without human intervention, such as feral hogs, cats, & horses. But all wild animals expand their ranges if the conditions are favorable, such as the Possoms & Cardinals now found all over the Northeast, though they were once exclusive to the South; but that doesn’t make them “feral.” Lyme disease was unheard of this area 30 yrs ago, now it’s rampant.
But evidently a new super-race of fearless Armadillos have evolved in your area, if they’re doing all that damage. Something must be diff in their behavior or they wouldn’t have been made the official “State Animal” of Texas. None of the many tractors, trucks, trailers, other eqpt, on our family’s ranch were ever harmed by Armadillos, nor sheds or other outbuildings.
I was joking about them walking all the way from Brazil. Some idiot brought them here to the states. Why you would introduce them in Florida of all places makes no sense.
The Government of the State of Louisiana classifies them “feral” and an “outlaw quadruped”, so its official! You are not allowed to own them, transport them live, etc. You can hunt “take” them year round and on private property can take them at night with a spotlight.
Regarding Texas, its only the state mammal because in 1995 no one had the heart to let down a bunch of elementary school children.
But evidently a new super-race of fearless Armadillos have evolved in your area, if they’re doing all that damage.
Its something in the water! Ours have fangs!
Maverick
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Maverick said
I was joking about them walking all the way from Brazil. Some idiot brought them here to the states. Why you would introduce them in Florida of all places makes no sense.
Can’t image why you’d doubt Armadillos couldn’t have moved everywhere they are now on their own four feet, when countless other species, like possums, have done the same, in this country & all over the world. Coyotes never occurred naturally in the East, because their mortal enemies, wolves, kept them away, but with wolves long gone, they are now all over the East Coast, including some suburban neighborhoods. How did they get here? On their own four feet. Whitetail deer now inhabit ranges that at the time of Lewis & Clark were occupied only by Mule Deer, & nobody transported them there.
Maverick said
Well I think it all depends on your perspective. I think as long as it is legal and comes from a proper conservation standpoint, I don’t see a problem with it.
Buffaloes are native to Africa, so I think how each country handles them should be up to them. Now take Australia, my understanding is that feral buffaloes are a huge problem destroying wetlands, etc. I think don’t anyone there has any problems wanting them gone.
Sincerely,
Maverick
American Bison are not from anywhere else. They are endemic to North America and were killed off to almost extinction. I’ve had a couple of chances to shoot one legally. But I really wouldn’t know what to do with it. I am not against legal hunting of one but it is not much of a sport shooting something that just stands there and lets someone shoot it. They can be very dangerous though. A good friend has a herd and tells stories about just trying to feed them. They can mess up a pickup like you wouldn’t believe. My sister has participated in a round up in Utah. At the Great Salt Lake they have a herd they move during the year. Riders on horseback move the herd. The horse and rider are no match for an angry buffalo.
Except they didn’t get here own their own four feet. Florida is a prime example, a breeding pair either escaped or was let loose from a zoo as far back as the 1920s. Just look at the Anaconda problem there.
Same goes for Whitetail deer, they’ve been moved around and introduced and re-introduced all over the place. My home state is good example, in Louisiana up until the very late 1950s and early 1960s there were no deer to speak of. Everyone wiped them out during the great depression. In the 1950s LDWF had restocking efforts of deer imported from Wisconsin and Texas. They stocked deer in 42 of the 64 parishes of the state.
The folks in North Carolina in the 1980s had the bright idea to introduce coyotes to the Northeast for “Sport”.
I just wish they could do with Bob White Quail what they did for the Turkeys.
Sincerely,
Maverick
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American Bison were hear 1000’s of years BC. They once ranged from Alaska to the Gulf of Mexico and all the way across the US.
November 7, 2015
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A bit more than a century ago we had elk in Texas and possibly a need for the 45-90 but those days are gone. The term I prefer to use for the problem critters and plants is “invasive species”. It describes organisms that were introduced from other areas. Whether flora or fauna it’s generally a bad situation. When left to her own devices Mother Nature does a pretty good job keeping things in balance. When we introduce a species or kill one off things get out of balance. As usual I’ve oversimplified the situation but it’s easier for me to understand it that way.
Mike
It could be worse….bet these Paleo-indians back in the day wish they had a 45-90 
Imagine what these guys could do to a yard—yikes.
Courtesy of National Geographic
1892takedown @sbcglobal.net ......NRA Endowment Life Member.....WACA Member
"God is great.....beer is good.....and people are crazy"... Billy Currington
Maverick said
The folks in North Carolina in the 1980s had the bright idea to introduce coyotes to the Northeast for “Sport”.
I’ve searched “coyotes in NC” for any mention of this claim. It would have been illegal, of course, but that wouldn’t stop idiots from doing it. No mention of such an event could I find. Instead, I found this statement from the Nat Park Ser, corroborated by all the other references to the same subject :
” Coyotes were once found only in the mid-western portion of North America. But as Europeans settled across the country, the subsequent landscape changes, couple with the elimination of wolves, allowed the coyote to expand its range toward the eastern United States. By the 1980s coyotes started to appear in western North Carolina as a result of natural range expansion from our neighboring states. Coyotes are now established in all 100 counties of North Carolina and live in many towns and villages.” https://www.nps.gov/caha/learn/nature/coexisting-with-coyotes.htm
Except they didn’t get here own their own four feet. Florida is a prime example, a breeding pair either escaped or was let loose from a zoo as far back as the 1920s. Maverick said
This is factual. However, the 1920s event merely jump-started what would eventually have occurred without human intervention:
“Armadillos are not native to Florida. They were introduced into the Sunshine State on the east coast during the 1920s. A second population came into the Panhandle from southern Alabama during the 1960s. The groups eventually merged, as the armadillo population expanded.” https://www.wildsouthflorida.com/nine-banded.armadillo.html
TXGunNut said
A bit more than a century ago we had elk in Texas and possibly a need for the 45-90 but those days are gone.Mike
You can still whack an elk in west Texas with the old 45-90, reintroduced years ago on several large ranches. Considered an exotic now.
1892takedown @sbcglobal.net ......NRA Endowment Life Member.....WACA Member
"God is great.....beer is good.....and people are crazy"... Billy Currington
1892takedown said You can still whack an elk in west Texas with the old 45-90, reintroduced years ago on several large ranches. Considered an exotic now.
Not subject to state regs, like all the African & Indian imports? Hard to believe now, but elk were originally as much a prairie species as the bison. They “retreated” into the mountains to escape the bison’s fate.
North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
https://www.orangecountync.gov/DocumentCenter/View/877/Coyotes-PDF#:~:text=Until%20the%201980s%2C%20coyotes%20seen,Tennessee%2C%20Georgia%20and%20South%20Carolina.
Right side of the first page. I never said it was legal to do so or who done it.
While not a 45-90, I’ve used a 45-70 Gov. to do some damage to the old prairie wolf. I always seem to manage to get at least 1 coyote a year along with a bobcat.
Sincerely,
Maverick
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November 7, 2015
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1892takedown said
TXGunNut said
A bit more than a century ago we had elk in Texas and possibly a need for the 45-90 but those days are gone.
Mike
You can still whack an elk in west Texas with the old 45-90, reintroduced years ago on several large ranches. Considered an exotic now.
I’ve been reading about that, Chris. I don’t think we’ll ever be able to restore a sustainable Elk population in TX but they should do well in a controlled environment. I don’t have enough freezer space for an elk or the energy to process it. Mule deer are making further inroads in the Panhandle and they (TPWD) apparently have the hybrid situation in hand. I remember when they said “no such thing”. If Axis deer keep escaping I’d sure like to put one in the freezer someday. My brother’s deer lease is surrounded by high fence places and at least one has exotic (African plains game) critters but lease rules require checking for ear tags before shooting. Escaped exotics are livestock, apparently. I understand TPWD is monitoring the growing population of black bears in S TX, I always thought they would show up in E TX some day. Still nothing requiring a 45-90 but I’ll keep mine in case one of those giant armadillos tries to destroy my aerobic system.
Mike
Maverick said
North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commissionhttps://www.orangecountync.gov/DocumentCenter/View/877/Coyotes-PDF#:~:text=Until%20the%201980s%2C%20coyotes%20seen,Tennessee%2C%20Georgia%20and%20South%20Carolina.
Right side of the first page. I never said it was legal to do so or who done it.
I read about the illegal importation, but did you read this part of it: “However, by the 1980s, coyotes started to appear in western North Carolina. These coyotes were the result of natural range expansion from Tennessee, Georgia and South Carolina.” So as with the Fl ‘dillos, without human interference in the ecosystem, it was going to happen, because wild animals don’t respect state boundary lines.
While not a 45-90, I’ve used a 45-70 Gov. to do some damage to the old prairie wolf. I always seem to manage to get at least 1 coyote a year along with a bobcat.
Sincerely,
Maverick
Say, Mav……did you get much for that hide?
- Bill
WACA # 65205; life member, NRA; member, TGCA; member, TSRA; amateur preservationist
"I have seen wicked men and fools, a great many of both, and I believe they both get paid in the end, but the fools first." -- David Balfour, narrator and protagonist of the novel, Kidnapped, by Robert Louis Stevenson.
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