The Bradley County Commission unanimously passed a resolution Monday afternoon that created a season for boar or wild hog hunting with dogs. Currently, boar hunting is allowed, but not with the help of hunting dogs.
The resolution came in response to an increasing boar problem, not only in Bradley County but also in the surrounding counties. The animals were recently reclassified by the state as a pest.
Vice Chairman Adam Lowe said, "We've see an increase in (boar) activity in other counties. They said it's a big, big problem, costing them thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars in damage." In addition to property damage, wild boar are also known to carry diseases.
Vice Chairman Lowe said the resolution would "allow private property owners to use whatever means they need to protect their crops." He said, "For sport, it would restablish a hunting season for the use of dogs." He explained that having a specific season would help protect the dogs from getting injured during other seasons while out in the field. Hunters of other game would know to watch out for the dogs during the established season.
He said, "The current hunting methods without the use of dogs are leaving them not hunted at all."
In the past 15 years, wild boar have gone from being present in 15 Tennessee counties to having a population in 85 counties.