FLORIDA’S WILD PIGS TEARING UP GOLF COURSES
Have you heard about wild boars (or pigs) running around
Florida’s hinterland? This article says there are over ½ million of them in Florida
– apparently a perfect environment for feral (wild) boars: http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/DyeHard/story?id=827155&page=1#.UWK5bZNg-bM.
I’m seeing quite the damage to golf courses from foraging bands of pigs. They
will virtually roto-till patches of fairway from a few square feet to several
square yards. I'm told they are digging for worms or grubs that are found within four to six
inches from the surface.
Damage to golf courses by wild pigs can be sudden and extensive.
The image here shows part of a golf green torn to shreds by pigs on an overnight
forage. We were chasing them continually when I was managing a 27-hole golf
course east of I-75 in Sarasota County, Florida.
Our crew would report a 60-square foot dig on a fairway that
was not there the day before. We placed traps and hunted them with bows. One of
our employees was an expert with bow and hunted them daily. A bow makes no noise so he could kill several in a pack before they realized the danger and ran off. A gun only gave him one chance, because the 'bang' sent the pack running, which he said would take them non-stop for miles. One summer he told
us he had over 200 kills. He called them good eating, but they had a wild
flavor most of us don’t like. Those he trapped he took home and fattened them
up.
About a dozen years ago I was doing some work at a golf
course called Turtle Hill, in Meunster, Texas. The entire course perimeter was
fenced with electric wire - set at about ten inches in height. The owner was
protecting the course from boars he said were tearing his golf course to
pieces.
If anyone has any comments or have successful preventative
measures to keep feral boars from tearing up a golf course please comment here.
One solution I suggested is to make sure there are no grubs in greens and
fairways to attract foraging boars and pigs.
One thing I believe: There are few businesses out there that
address as many different issues as a golf course. Even wild pigs!
Mike
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