Tennessee

This is the E-Mail I recived from twra to the letter I sent.

Mr. Taylor,

My name is Chuck Yoest. I'm the wild hog coordinator for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. I'm responding to your email regarding the removal of hogs by use of dogs.

Thank you very much for your email. We are always interested in hearing from the public regarding our management programs.

Wild hogs present a challenge like no other. Fortunately, we have many other states to learn from. Other states (i.e. Texas) have shown that sport hunting of wild hogs is not an effective control method. Simply put, we believe that it will be a mistake to do what has failed in the past.

There is a lot at stake here. I'm a farmer and this subject is very near and dear to me. I'm also an avid sportsmen. I have viewed this management approach from every angle and it’s our best option. It will be counterproductive to do what has already failed in other states. Kansas is one of the only states that has made progress in regards to wild hogs. Therefore, we are mimicking their approach as much as possible.

This isn't an attack on dog hunting. This is an attack on a non native species that creates more destruction than it creates recreational opportunities.

I agree that hog dog hunting can be useful in a controlled setting (i.e. high fence hunting preserve), but it’s not practical as a statewide approach to eliminate wild hogs. The TWRA believes that prohibiting illegal transportation and translocation of wild hogs along with increased trapping efforts will control wild hogs.

The experimental area that you referred to is just that. It is in place to show us whether or not hog dog hunting is an effective control method in TN. Your correct that it could change, but that is true for all regulations. However, if hog dog hunting eliminates populations within the experimental area, then it only adds to your argument. Therefore, I suggest you give these changes some time to play out and reconsider them once we have results from our experimental area.

Again, thank you for your comments. Believe me, they are important to us and effect our decision making.

Chuck Yoest

Big Game Coordinator

Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency

P.O. Box 40747

Nashville, TN 37204

Office (615) 781-6615