sikamalc, I am very certain of my info. A good friend of mine had an invite and went down there with a 22-250. My friend saw a large one quite close, but was too frightened to pull the trigger. I am led to believe that when the boar at that location were hard to find this person "expanded" his boundaries to include neighboring properties, and with the use of night vision and sub-sonics, carried on regardless. The motivation was money as it was £1 a pound whole animal.
I have no doubt there are still a few Boar about on the Kent/East Sussex border. BUT nothing like there were a few years back.
Beckley wood was one of their main stongholds, an FC wood which was not on the main roads as such. This is bordered by Paul Mcartneys estate, which is a no go area, or at least was, back in the day.
Beckley was regularly shot by two people, one of whom was/is an FC ranger. After some trouble, the shooting rights for pidgeon shooting was let out to the KWA. I have no idea who shoots it now if anyone, but it has been clear felled quite a bit, I hear, and as I said the area was open to poaching.
Derek Harman, (no relation to me, and the author of the book Wild Boar in the UK, the story so far) showed me around the wood some years back, and at that time he was taking TV crews into Beckley and showing them Boar. At this time, which would have been about 18 years ago, Derek estimated around 400 locally. However, as I understand it they are much reduced in numbers now as they have been over shot in many areas. I have not spoken to Derek for sometime. I have NEVER seen one on the Romney Marsh, and that's after some 13 years of living here.
I am not doubting your word, but the population was over shot from the get go, in my opinion, and there are no where near the numbers there once was. Even the town of Rye used to celebrate Wild Boar return. Not anymore, as their numbers are so low.
