No hog hunting planned by commissioners
Hunters chomping at the bit ready to hunt hogs on Grady County’s Tired Creek Lake property may as well put the gun back in the cabinet and the dogs back in the kennel.
Grady County commissioners met Tuesday night with Corporal Mike Binion of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Division to discuss a possible wild hog hunting day on the county’s 2,000 plus acres north of Cairo.
“I’ve never seen a wild hog out there, but I know there are some out there,” Cpl. Binion said.
However, both he and Grady County Commissioner Charles Norton expressed opinions that the “hog problem” on the Tired Creek property was no worse than other areas of the county.
“Who is fussing about hogs?” Binion asked commissioners.
Vice Chairman T.D. David then encouraged John Gainous, 1047 Cedar Spring Road, who first brought the matter up to commissioners to comment.
Gainous said that anyone who farms near the county property has a problem and he predicted it would become an even greater issue once the lake fills up.
“Sure, but how long is that going to take?” Cpl. Binion responded.
The game warden noted that hogs can legally be hunted day or night, but not on county property without the board’s authorization.
Binion also predicted if hog hunting was to be permitted by the county the participation would be very small.
Cpl. Binion said if the problem is as bad as some say then the county should permit one or two hog hunters to hunt on the county land. He advised against a large number of hunters being turned loose to hunt at one time.
Commissioner Norton, a former hog hunter himself, said more than likely any efforts to reduce the wild hog population on the county’s property would result in the moving of the hogs from one location to another.
“You might move them off somewhere else, but then it will be someone else’s problem,” Norton said.
Commissioner Norton said he had hunted hogs on the property in 1996 and he said that the “hog problem” is no worse than it was in 1996.
Norton did warn that wild hogs are dangerous animals.
After discussing the issue with the game warden, the board took no action.
