How would you prefer to hunt SC feral hogs? By helicopter or a $500K contest
Would you rather shoot hogs from the air or engage in a hog hunting competition on the ground for a $500,000 prize pool?
If you live in the Palmetto State, you may soon be able to do both.
Hogs are wreaking havoc on South Carolina crops, land and property. Their population has remained stagnant, and lawmakers are proposing a few ideas to reduce the population.
One bill that has already passed in the House would allow the Department of Natural Resources to issue permits for hunting hogs by helicopter for protection, but not for sport. The hunting of feral hogs by helicopter would be restricted to areas of 500 acres or more. It’s already being done in Georgia, Texas and Louisiana. Breaking these rules could result in a misdemeanor.
Not only are feral hogs destructive to farming, they can also harm native species.
Sen. Chip Campsen, R-Charleston, said in an interview with The State while safety is always an issue when aerial hunting, he isn’t too concerned. He said the helicopter would fly low, and that he has seen it happen before with professionals, even near his property, and he is never concerned for his safety.
The bill moved out of full committee Wednesday and will be making its way to the Senate floor.
The committee also discussed the hog management program bill, which would propose using the revenue from the sale of antlered deer tags for the coyote and hog hunting program.
Brad Hutto, D-Orangeburg, suggested a competition splitting up the half million dollars in funds into prizes for the people who could kill the most hogs or coyotes.
Chales Ruth, DNR Big Game Program coordinator, said the department supports the bill, specifically because DNR intends on using the money to pay professional trappers to trap hogs on state forest land. The state already does this with coyotes, under a 2017 law that also allows research on coyote control. DNR proposed allowing hogs to be hunted through this initiative as well.
“I think we can all agree coyotes and hogs can be destructive,” Sen. Stephen Goldfinch, R-Georgetown said. “What I think the intent of this is, and the intent of the original management program was to knock them in the teeth.”
Ruth said hired professionals would have guidance and experience, hence, would be better for DNR to regulate versus the general public.
Hutto suggested taking the half million dollars, picking a month and saying whoever kills the most coyotes and hogs gets the money.
“Wouldn’t we get rid of more like that?” Hutto asked. Although an incentive program already is in place, Hutto said that incentive is not the same as competition.
Ruth, however, said bounty approaches simply don’t work.
“You haven’t tried one that big, though,” Hutto said. “You’re the expert and I respect that. I just suggest that, we may never win the war, but we will have a better chance of winning the battle if we get rid of more of them on private land.”
Ruth questioned how to administer or manage such a competition so that people weren’t lying or cheating to get the money. Hutto and the other senators suggested using time stamps on cell phones as proof.
The committee voted to carry the bill over.
