Forest Service eyes ban on hog hunting on Mark Twain Forest land

News-Leader

There are numerous large tracts that make up the Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri

It's currently legal to shoot feral hogs in the Mark Twain National Forest, among the last public lands on Missouri where feral hog hunting is allowed.

But that might soon change.

The U.S. Forest Service announced Friday that it will be taking public comments on a proposal to ban hunting of feral hogs in Mark Twain National Forest, an area in Missouri that covers about 1.5 million acres.

The plan would follow the Missouri Department of Conservation's policy that prohibits hog hunting on its lands. Hogs can still be hunted on private land in Missouri.

MDC once urged hunters to shoot destructive feral hogs on sight, but now is focused on strategic trapping of entire herds, or sounders, as the best way to eradicate them from the landscape.

Forest Service spokesman Cody Norris said the Forest Service has worked with MDC on trapping hogs in Mark Twain Forest land. It also works with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to shoot feral hogs from helicopters during the winter, when lack of leaves makes hogs more visible.

More than 9,300 feral hogs like these caught in a trap were killed in Missouri in 2018, according to MDC.

"Feral hogs are extremely destructive, and we want to protect the natural resources that we have and also help protect landowners who are our neighbors next to Mark Twain forest," Norris said. "We get reports of feral hogs tearing up their yards and fields, and they wonder what the Forest Service is doing about it."

More:State says feral hogs are a nuisance. A Nixa rep says they should be dinner, too.

According to a Forest Service news release, there are feral swine problems in 37 Missouri counties, most of which fall within the Mark Twain National Forest.

Conservation agencies do not consider feral hogs to be game animals or even wildlife. They say they destroy agricultural crops, hay fields and wildlife habitat while reducing water quality, and contribute to soil erosion and the destruction of sensitive natural areas such as forests, glades, fens, and springs.

The Missouri Department of Conservation is trying to eradicate destructive feral hogs from the Missouri landscape.

Mark Twain National Forest proposes to ban the taking, pursuit or release of feral swine on the forest based on a request made by MDC, and as part of the Missouri Feral Hog Partnership.

“The Forest Service supports the elimination of feral swine as an essential step in the conservation of our public lands and to ease the enormous financial burden this invasive species puts on Missouri farmers and other private landowners,” said Mark Twain Forest Supervisor Sherri Schwenke.

“Shooting one or two swine scatters the sounder; and it makes trapping efforts to catch the entire group more difficult, because swine become trap-shy and more wary of baited sites.”

Feral hogs (shown here in a trap) damage wildlife habitats, compete with and prey upon native wildlife, destroy natural areas and agricultural land, pollute ponds and streams, and spread diseases, according to MDC.

The Forest Service will consider public comments to determine if the proposal should be implemented as presented, implemented with modifications, or rejected.

Norris said it's not a foregone conclusion that the Forest Service will implement the ban.

"Forest supervisors will consider the social impacts versus the environmental impacts," he said. "It's going to be tricky to weigh what people desire with what's actually going on in our forests. How do we do the greatest good for the greatest number of people over the long term?"

For more information, and to view the proposed Forest Closure Order, visit http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/mtnf/feralswine.

"We are hoping to have a decision a couple weeks after the comment period ends," Norris said. "There isn’t an exact date set for the decision though."

A grassy area torn up by feral hogs over winter at the Council Bluff Recreation Area in Mark Twain National Forest.

People can submit comments via email or through regular mail during the 60-day comment period. The comment period begins May 24, and comments must be received or postmarked no later than July 23, 2019 for consideration.

Send comments via email to SM.FS.MTFeralSwine@usda.gov or to the mailing address is at: Forest Supervisor; ATTN: Feral Swine Comment; Mark Twain National Forest; 401 Fairgrounds Road; Rolla, MO 65401.

The Mark Twain National Forest will host a public open house for those who wish to provide comments in person.

The open house is from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. June 18, 2019, at the Signature Event Center, 1701 Martin Springs Drive, in Rolla.

More:Some hunters skeptical of Missouri Conservation Department's plan to eradicate wild hogs