Wild hog sightings continue at Towns County campground

HIAWASSEE, Ga. – Visitors at Chatuge Woods Campground, a 30-acre county operated tract located on the banks of Lake Chatuge, have reported a wild hog frequenting the area, and Towns County Commissioner Cliff Bradshaw wants area newcomers to be aware of the presence of the invasive species.

Bradshaw explained that the nuisance notoriously increases during the summer months due to wild hogs venturing down mountain slopes to secure an available food source. “There’s always more than one, but we’ve only seen one so far,” the commissioner told FetchYourNews, referring to the recent campground sighting. Bradshaw reported that the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has installed a trap in the area to capture the creature, and it will be returned to the wild if the catch proves successful.

The swine sighting follows FYN’s recent reports of Towns County Fire Chief-Coroner Harold Copeland receiving a $330 fine from the United States Forest Service for shooting a wild hog on federal land. While there is no hunting season for wild hogs on private property, the animals can only be eliminated with proper weaponry during open hunting seasons for other wildlife on national land.

Copeland received overwhelmimg community support as a result of FYN’s initial coverage.

“Feral swine were first brought to the United States in the 1500s by early explorers and settlers as a source of food,” the United States Department of Agriculture states on its website. “Repeated introductions occurred thereafter. The geographic range of this destructive species is rapidly expanding and its populations are increasing across the nation.”

A conservative estimate of the cost of wild pig damage to agriculture and the environment in the United States currently stands at $1.5 billion annually.

Towns County residents can report issues created by the wild hogs to DNR at 706-379-2040.