New Berlin, Wis. –-(Ammoland.com)- In an effort to help suppress the exploding feral pig population that is literally ripping apart Texas farmland, rocker-sportsman Ted Nugent and Brian “Pig Man” Quaca took to the skies to eradicate nearly 500 wild pigs via an aerial management program.
The high-octane special is an episode of “Pig Man: The Series,” which kicks off an entire night of wild hog stories and adventures, dubbed “Aporkalypse: 2013,” beginning at 8pm on Sunday, August 25. Follow the story on Twitter using #Aporkalypse2013.
“Let’s be clear, this is NOT sport hunting. It’s a management program approved by Texas law to help ranchers control the populations of feral hogs,” Brian “Pig Man” Quaca states immediately in the show. “Aerial depredation pig hunts in Texas are highly regulated and the pilots do not take chances. They gave us an on-the-ground safety talk and we only took a shot when they cleared us.”
In 2012 Sportsman Channel aired the first-ever ”Aporkalypse” TV special presenting how hunters and wildlife managers are using helicopters to shoot hordes of wild pigs, which have become a destructive, and dangerous, invasive species in some areas. That special episode of “Pig Man: The Series,” hosted by swine control authority and hunter Quaca, and guest-starring Nugent, was the #1 show in its time period for M18-34.*
Based on the success of 2012’s single episode, Sportsman Channel expanded “Aporkalypse” to a full night covering the subject of the pig epidemic, hunting, and management tactics. The night starts with back-to-back “Pig Man: The Series” episodes: the first captures the helicopter eradication; and the second episode features Quaca demonstrating his pig stopping expertise with a bow and arrow.
“Aporkalypse 2013” continues after that with special wild hog episodes of MeatEater, Travelin’ Hunter, Territories Wild and Gun It! with Benny Spies continuing at 9 pm ET/PT.
“Feral” means a domesticated hog that has escaped and has adapted to the wild. They have excellent hearing and sense of smell, along with razor sharp tusks. According to the Texas Cooperative Extension article, “Feral Hogs in Texas,” the creatures are very prolific; the sow can start breeding at eight months and can produce two litters in one year. In addition to the billions of dollars of damage they inflict, feral hogs are known to carry up to 27 different diseases.
“Two-thirds of the feral hog population has to be killed just to maintain their numbers. They are fervent breeders and we’ve found, for the money, aerial control is the most effective for feral hog management,” said Clayton Wolf, Director of Wildlife for the Texas Parks and Wildlife. “We are reaching out to Texans asking them not to be too conservative with their harvests. We are encouraging them to coop with their neighbors, share costs, and join forces. Working together is the only way we can gain the upper hand on this exploding, nuisance and dangerous problem.”
Ted Nugent is happy to lend a hand in a return aerial engagement with Quaca:
“We have pork on the run, get the gun!” Nugent exclaims during the show.
- To get an inside look into the Aporkalypse 2013, visit http://www.thesportsmanchannel.com/Aporkalypse2013/.
- Follow the conversation on Twitter at #Aporkalypse2013
- And at Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/sportsmanchannel
- To learn more about Pig Man: The Series visit, http://www.pigmantv.com/
*Note: #1 show, Nielsen live+7 coverage area rating, 10-10:30PM 8/26/12, mid-sized networks defined as those with <79MM UE.
About Sportsman Channel:
Launched in 2003, Sportsman Channel, and Sportsman HD, is the only television and digital media company fully devoted to sportsmen in the United States, delivering entertaining and educational programming focused exclusively on hunting, shooting and fishing activities. Sportsman Channel reaches more than 32 million U.S. television households and is available in HD. Visit www.thesportsmanchannel.com, follow on Twitter, @SPORTSMANchnl (twitter.com/SPORTSMANchnl) and Like on Facebook, facebook.com/sportsmanchannel .