THE CORN TREE

Behold the corn tree.  It was designed to increase the deer population because of a feeder hung high in the tree.  The feeder scatters corn abroad like magic.

Trail cameras are wonderful things that give us an eye into the deep woods.  The camera marks the date/time at the bottom of the picture so game can be patterned.

So the stage is set.  Let's see what lives in the woods.  (Hint: you will see why there were NO deer.)

Click on the picture to enlarge Petunia Pig.  She arrived and brought her friends with her.  A feral hog is a blend of domestic pigs which made friends with Russian wild boars, imported into this country years ago.  Petunia should not be confused with the noble Razorback.


The black-white picture was taken @night with an infrared flash to keep from spooking the game.  Notice spotty Petunia to the left of the tree.

This wild hog eats ANYTHING.  They like grubs, roots, plants, acorns, snakes, mice, and insects...and even eat small livestock (like a calf or fawn).  They weigh 150-500 pounds and can be aggressive.  Pigs have a great sense of smell and poor eyesight.

The hog population in the U.S. is over 4 billion and they are in 39 states.  Pigs live 6-8 years and the sow can reproduce when she's only 6 months old.  That gives her the potential to produce 1,000 little piggies in her lifetime.

Feral hogs are completely a nuisance when they show up. That's a farmer's opinion because they trample vegetation and make "wallows" and holes where they have dug for food.  That's a hunter's opinion because hogs run off the deer.  And that's the opinion of the Game and Fish Commission, who encourages the shooting of the destructive wild pig by putting no limit or season on them.

But the corn tree had more than just visitors from the pigsty.

Check out Curious Georgette and her cub.  They are black bears who came by and caused the hogs to flee.

"ARE YOU LOOKING AT ME?"

And another black bear arrives with a reddish coat....

And an interesting black bear with a skunkish coat....

It didn't take Curious Georgette long to MacGyver the situation.  She's smart.  

Up she goes...

....and down comes the feeder.  

Bears win.

sWhen the bears were full and left, someone must have yelled "SOOIE!"

You swine better lift those little heads!  Time's up fellas.

That brown thing in the background is not warm and fuzzy.

Gone in a second.  Check out the time stamp on the picture...compared to the one above.

Aggravated hunter returns to refill the container and surveys damage.

He'll have fun later when he downloads the pics to the computer and pieces together the action.

Sunday afternoon he returns to the crime scene and helps the Game and Fish Commission.  

Pigs 0, Mike 3.