By JACK M. WILLIS
Journal Correspondent

They tell a tale of a fellow who found a piglet wandering around on the side of the road, apparently lost off from his littermates. The guy took him home and made a pet out of him, not unlike Arnold Ziffle of Green Acres fame. The new foster father found out the pig loved to eat apples, and since he had an orchard, when the apples started getting ripe, he built the pig a V shaped platform the pet pig could lie down in. With a handle attached in the center, he could hoist the pig up so he could eat apples directly off the tree instead of having to root around on the ground and get all dirty.

His grouchy neighbor noted this activity the day he got the hoist rigged up, and strolled over to see just exactly what was going on. As the pig caretaker looked proudly up at his Chester White pet noisily and contently munching on his first apple, he asked his neighbor what he thought about the situation. The neighbor snorted and barked that he thought it was a waste of time. To which the pig fancier replied, "Time ain't nothing to a pig!"

This is apparently the case on about 1260 acres of land Harmon Chandler owns on the southwestern edge of the Shreveport city limits, which is overrun with feral hogs. It is suspect as to how the hogs got on the property, but Harmon figures that an old black man who lived just east of his land "accidentally" turned loose some of about 150 hogs and pigs he used to raise on his property, before it was annexed into the Shreveport City Limits and they subsequently strayed. The annexation brought on the umbrella of the City Stock Law, hence Harmon Chandler acquired some unwanted "free loaders" some years back, and they're multiplying in numbers faster than he'd like. These hogs are just as wild as any of their ancestors ever were, and as far as they're concerned - Time marches on, and they're not concerned about a stock law.

This particular tract of land was purchased by Harmon's father in 1939 as an investment, and has been managed for years by a professional forestry firm from Shreveport. David Lassiter, a graduate forester, as is his wife, currently looks after the property. Lassiter was born and reared in Jena.

Portions of this preserve, and that best defines it, in years past was in cultivation, but Chandler at the urging of his forest manager decided to plant the cleared portion in loblolly pines. Therein lies the problem.

There is an abundance of grasses and wild legumes on the property, which form grass nuts and/or legumes underneath the plant. The hogs love to root these up in season and the newly planted pine trees become the casualties of the intense rooting. They have rooted up about 80 acres of loblolly pines planted a couple of years ago and done about 5% to 10% damage to about 300 more acres.

In 1994, Chandler planted about 14 acres in sunflowers and milo as enticement for dove hunting. When these plants began getting ripe, the hogs discovered them and wiped out both crops in a few short nights.

In attempting to exterminate the hogs, they've baited them, shot them from deer stands accounting for eight head, and used hog traps and hauling off about 28 head. But this evidently has not even dented the swine population. In taking a sweeping four-mile tour of Chandler's property in his four-wheel drive pickup, we rode over acres and acres of fresh hog rooting. Being a former duck hunter on Catahoula Lake, I know what hog rooting is.

As stated previously, the land is an investment, and has also seen several harvestings of timber through the years. It boasts a large 14-acre pond, and a 25-acre small lake, that was enhanced in size by beavers. A full time trapper is in the process of clearing them out. However, the Chandler family wants to retain a small otter population that is maintaining habitat along Boggy Bayou, which meanders through a portion of the tract. The two bodies of water are used for waterfowl hunting, and mourning doves frequent the property, becoming fair game in the early fall.

The property is co-owned by Chandler and his two sisters, Ms. Georgia Ann Lamb and Ms. Betsy Peatros. His wife also has an interest in the property. Incidentally, his wife Renae was selected as Learning Tree Educator of 2002 and was featured in a recent issue of Piney Woods Journal.

As a result, the Louisiana Forestry Association will be sending her to the National Convention in Charlotte, South Carolina this summer.

This should be considered as a clarion call for all the hog dog owners in the reach of this magazine to get together and aid Harmon Chandler in ridding himself, and several neighbors of an expensive nuisance and aggravation, and help him maintain his reforesting goals. All told, the hogs are currently ranging over about 3800 acres. So round up them dawgs, get the blowing horns, load the horses and head out for Shreveport!

Harmon Chandler may be contacted @318-869-1906, Or at jhc1935@att.net

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