Wild boars soon to be fair game in state

In response to a recent state Supreme Court ruling, the Pa. Game Commission is developing regulations to allow for the incidental taking of wild boars during certain hunting seasons.

Boars are classified as an invasive species by the state. Any that are roaming Pennsylvania have escaped or been released.

"Wild boars may weigh more than 400 pounds and are very prolific; they can produce litters of 8 to 12 young and can have two litters per year," said Game Commission Executive Director Carl Roe. "They are extremely destructive to crops, wildlife habitat and the environment, and they are a danger to wildlife and domestic animals and a threat to the pork industry, especially since they are carriers of diseases and parasites."

Breeding populations are believed to exist in only Bedford and Cambria counties, where pregnant females and young have recently been seen and killed. Montgomery and Warren counties have unconfirmed sightings of young and/or pregnant sows.

Wild boars were not considered "wildlife" prior to the court's ruling, so hunters had been permitted to take them at will. Now, however, boars are protected and may not be killed until the Game Commission takes action to allow such action.

Meanwhile, Roe reported, federal and state agencies plan to collect samples of any boars captured or killed in the state to study them for disease and other characteristics.