Help me understand , why is semi automatic in a rifle so important to gun owners here?

[Eleanors38]

137. In areas where feral hogs are over-running the landscape, AR-15s are the choice

For discerning eradicators in-the-know. The aim of these eradicators is to kill as many of the animals as possible (or the farmer/rancher will hire/permit another group), and getting off as many rounds as possible into a sounder of hogs is the objective. Mind you, this is really more about eradication than hunting, but even deer hunters increasingly come prepared for hogs as they are likely to be encountered opportunistically. As coyotes populations increase, the use of med. cal. semi-autos will increase.

You can Google hog hunting videos to get an idea of these practices. Further, there are outfitters one can pay for the "opportunity" to eradicate hogs, but the outfit itself answers to the land-owner in terms of hogs killed. Take a look at the weaponry. It is usually semi-auto, even the more "benign" walnut-stocked rifles are usually semi-auto.