Published: May 22, 2008 02:45 pm         

Wild boars are looking for an expensive meal at the Brae

Heatherhurst Golf Course backs up to Catoosa Wildlife Management Area. In many ways, that's a good thing, but not when it comes to wild boar and feral hogs foraging on the golf course. They come in at night and dig for acorns and the like, damaging fairways and greens.

The wild boars and feral hogs exist side-by-side now at Catoosa Wildlife Management Area, and the species have mixed. Catoosa was stocked with the boars in the mid 1960s as an addition to the big game hunting attraction. The feral hogs have been illegally stocked on Catoosa by hunters.

"The wild boars visited us six times on holes 15 and 16 over two months," reports Mark Knaebel, golf course superintendent at Heatherhurst. "They go into yards and the golf course looking for earth worms, acorns, and white grubs, and really do a lot of damage. We get questioned a lot about the damage, and a lot of people walk the cart paths in the morning and see the damage. Residents aren't sure what dug up their yard. We just want to let everybody know what's going on."

Steve Kraft, director of golf at Fairfield Glade Community Club, which owns Heatherhurst Golf Course, states, "They come along the creek beds. We're pretty exposed in the area that backs up to Catoosa. They've been a real issue for us lately. We've heard from some people who have seen them that it's a small group of hogs. We're just trying to deal with it the best way we can."

According to Knaebel, "They come up those wet hollows and follow the creeks and eventually find their way to these golf holes. In those areas, we've built some hog fences in a U shape, and then we put an electric fence inside to discourage the hogs from coming onto the course. The turf quality isn't what it should be for months as it reroots and grows after they've been there."

Knabel estimates about 50 hours of labor times several workers plus the cost of the fences, which means the club spent at least $5,000 to $6,000, just this winter.

Kraft gives a lot of credit to the POETS Golf League for organizing a clean-up crew when the hogs hit the Brae last fall. "I'd like to thank them," said Kraft. "We spent a lot of man hours; it would have just been a whole lot more if they hadn't stepped up."

Casey Mullins, a state wildlife biologist, says the club does have depredation permits from the WMA to capture the hogs in portable traps. The hogs are shot in the traps and the wild meat is given away. The hogs are not a protected species off the WMA and can be shot if they are damaging private property. Fairfield Glade has a no-hunting policy, however, and residents are not allowed to shoot the hogs.

Knaebel does want residents to call each and every time they receive a visit from the marauding foragers, so he can keep track of how often they are in the Glade. You may reach him at his office 484-3762; cell 510-7139; or e-mail mknaebel@fairfieldglade.cc.

For the future, Knaebel is considering proposing a five-mile hog fence between Fairfield Glade and Catoosa WMA, to discourage the wild boars and hogs. The cost of the fence has not been determined at this time, but he feels it would certainly be worth it.

"Right now, we've got $5,000 to $6,000 into this thing, but if the hogs were to get on a green and tear it up and take it out of play, that's what we're trying to avoid. It would immediately go to $30,000 probably and then that hole might be out of play too, which would make the course less desirable for a period of time."