Bet you didn't know we had a wild pig problem here in Michigan. There is probably one in your back yard RIGHT NOW. Better go check.
Lansing - Officials from the Michigan Departments of Agriculture (MDA) and Natural Resources (DNR) today encouraged hunters with a valid hunting license of any type to shoot feral swine (free-ranging wild pigs) in 23 Michigan counties.
In states where feral swine have become established, they have caused crop damage, pose a serious threat to the health and welfare of the domestic swine, endanger humans, impact wildlife populations, and impact the environment by disrupting the ecosystem.
"We will take aggressive enforcement action to protect the health of legally imported swine used in hunting preserves and eliminate feral swine from the wild in Michigan," said State Veterinarian Steven Halstead. "Our goal is to safeguard the livestock industry as well as the environment from these unwelcome invaders."
"Hunters, as always, have to be certain of their targets before shooting," said Alan Marble, Bureau Chief of the DNR Law Enforcement Division. "Feral Swine are unfamiliar targets to most Michigan hunters, and sportspersons need to make sure they are shooting at hogs and not black bear, dogs, or any other animal."
Unfortunately the state does not provide pictures of these rampant wild swine, but if you can't tell a pig from a bear you probably shouldn't have a gun in your hand.
The state does provide free testing in case you were looking to make feral swine BBQ. Here are some handy tips on what to look for, but, alas, no recipes.
While there is no indication that these animals are carrying pseudorabies or any other disease, precautionary testing will be conducted. Feral swine may also transmit diseases such as brucellosis, bovine tuberculosis (TB) and trichinosis to people and other livestock.
A person field-dressing swine, especially in the Northeastern Lower Michigan TB area, should wear gloves. If the lungs, ribcage or internal organs from wild pigs look abnormal (multiple tan or yellow lumps), the meat should not be eaten. The carcass should, however, be removed from the environment and brought to a DNR field office to prevent disease transmission to other animals.
It is highly unlikely a person will contract bovine TB, brucellosis or trichinosis by eating thoroughly cooked meat of feral swine. These pathogens and parasites are very rarely found, as a precaution however, all meats, including that of feral swine, should be thoroughly cooked to an internal temperature of 170.6 degrees F.
And here you wanted to shoot doves...