Wild boars are a sight becoming more common every year for farmers in Saskatchewan. The boar population is increasing at a rapid rate, forcing some farmers to take matters into their own hands.
Cody Robins is a professional hunter, and usually, his forte is record breaking bucks. But in the last couple of years, Robins began noticing wild boars.
“The farmers, they’d say ‘Cody, if you see one of those wild boars or 10 of those wild boars, kill every one you possibly can,’” explained Robins.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, about 10 rural municipalities report boar sightings every year. But the University of Saskatchewan College of Agriculture believes there may be many more.
“At best, you’ll manage the situation,” explained Dr. Ryan Brook, with the College of Agriculture. “It’s really unlikely that you’ll see any major reductions or eradications from, sort of, a limited scale hunting effort.”
The Ministry of Agriculture says the best thing farmers can do is contact their local RM office.
“Anyone who sees feral wild boar, they can contact their local RM, which then contacts [the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities],” said Sherri Dobbs with the Ministry of Agriculture. “They send out a group of hunters and trappers come winter time, which is the easiest way, fastest way to hunt them, and they go and they control the individual pockets of them.”
The Ministry of Agriculture believes this method is more effective than individual hunters, who may scatter the herds across the province.
Wild boars are known to carry diseases, root up and even eat crops, and may harm livestock.
