(Photo Source: Paul Markel)

Hunting is an admirable recreation and a tradition in the United States of America. However, hunting is not liberty.

Paul takes a moment to consider the difference between recreation and civic duty. For too often these concepts are confused.

Our SWAT Fuel Warrior of the Week has a question about defending yourself against aggressive animals.

Contrary to popular belief, lawful defense against a vicious dog is not that much different than that of a human attacker.

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From www.studentofthegun.com/blog/Hunting:

Most recently I was able to take an excursion to North Central Texas to engage some of the toughest creatures in North America, the feral hog. Our new friends at DRT Ammo had arranged a Swine Safari where we would test their ammunition on these stubborn creatures.

These “200 pound rats” as my friend Mike Morgan likes to call them, are intelligent, resourceful and do a tremendous about of damage. Wild or feral hogs are tough, mean, and if you get too close, their razor sharp tusks can put a serious hurt on you.

These creatures are a non-native species and are taking over large areas of the Republic. Texas wildlife officials have estimated that the population increased from 1.5 million in 1990 to over 3 million in 2010. Conservative estimates in 2012 counted at least 2.6 million. Regardless, there is one thing for certain; Texas has a lot of wild hogs and the population needs to be thinned out.

As for the hunting experience, in the Lone Star State you can kill hogs night and day, 24 hours/7 days a week. There are no caliber restrictions and you can indeed use suppressed rifles. Spot-lighting, night-vision, and thermal imagery are all a go. As we’ve discussed before on this forum, you can hunt them from helicopters as well.