FAQ

Feral hogs (particularly boars) may travel as much as 15 miles or up to 70,000 acers in search of adequate food and/or water. Wild pigs are creatures of habit and will use the same bedding/resting areas and feeding areas as long as the food source remains available. However, they are capable of moving great distances to find food.

They can kill calves and lambs, and adult livestock are vulnerable to predation while giving birth. In addition, feral swine degrade pasture grasses; eat, contaminate, and destroy livestock feed; and damage farm property, such as fences, water systems, irrigation ditches, troughs, and levees. They actively hunt and consume small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and insects. They compete for important resources such as food, water, and habitat, often displacing other wildlife. Additionally, wildlife are vulnerable to many of the diseases and parasites feral swine carry.

The average litter consists of 4–6 piglets, with the maximum being 10–12.
Sows usually have 1 litter per year although 2 litters per year is possible, and young may be born at any time of the year. Swine gestation is 115 days. Litter size depends upon the age of the sow, nutritional intake, and time of year. Breading age can start at 6 months old with wild hogs and pigs.

Feral hogs can reproduce at an alarming rate. Females can reproduce approximately 4-7 piglets or more per litter and can have up to 2 litters within 15 months. Young hogs become sexually mature in about 6-9 months. Before you know it your hog population will grow out of control very quickly! To put things into perspective you would have to remove 75% of the current population to keep the hog numbers the same from year to year.

Wild boars are tough animals that can thrive in a wide variety of environments.

Their main needs in habitat for survival are:

A) A nearby water source and 

B) Thick vegetation for shelter. You will find wild hogs in swamplands, one of their preferred habitats, wooded areas, and open agricultural areas – a great food source.

Wild pigs like to sleep in well protected areas like thick underbrush.

Wild hogs first line of defence is their sense of smell. This is extremely well developed, they can pick up odors from several miles away. They also use their sense of smell to detect food such as roots underground.

You have heard of domesticated pigs being used to smell out truffles underground for this exact reason.

Secondly wild hogs have a good sense of hearing however not in the same category as a deer. A wild pigs eyesight is not their strongest sense.

Undisturbed wild hogs typically live for around 8 to 12 years. Unfortunately, long term scientific research on this is not conclusive as local factors such as food, climate, water, habitat and hunting pressure will impact a wild pigs lifespan.

Feral hogs are a living wrecking machine to environmental and agricultural properties. They cause damage to the environment by rooting up the ground looking for food. Feral hogs will destroy crops and pastures as well as habitat for native plants and animals. Feral hogs are widely considered to be the most destructive invasive species in the United States causing approximately 2.5 billion in damages annually.

Texas-

  • Wild hogs consume and trample crops such as hay, corn, peanuts, small grains, vegetables, watermelons, soybeans, cotton, and others. They damage pasture by rooting and digging.
  • Feral hogs can damage fences, roads and cause serious damage to dikes.
  • Wild hogs can also have an impact on livestock:
    • They can prey on lambs, goats, newborn cattle, poultry, & exotic game.
    • Predation on young animals usually occurs on calving or lambing grounds, may be attracted to afterbirth. They kill prey by biting and crushing skull or neck.
  • Wild hogs can cause forestry and reforestation problems. Hardwood and pine seedlings (especially longleaf) are very susceptible to pig damage through consumption, rooting and trampling.
  • Wild hogs cause damage in suburban communties. Yards, landscape and ornamental plants can be destroyed. They also cause damage to gardens and can cause considerable damage to golf courses.
  • Feral hogs carry disease that affect human beings, livestock and wildlife.
  • Known Feral Swine Diseases and Risks:
    • Pseudorabies
    • Swine Brucellosis
    • Classic Swine Fever
    • African Swine Fever
    • Foot-and-Mouth Disease
    • PRRS
    • Circovirus
    • Influenza Virus
    • Trichinosis
    • Toxoplasmosis

Feral hogs can carry and transmit a multitude of diseases to animals and humans. Three diseases that cause the most concern are brucellosis, pseudorabies, and tularemia. When handling hogs it is also to use latex gloves to avoid possibly contracting any of the diseases that hogs may carry. In order to prevent the spread of such diseases it is very important that you quickly get your hog population under control.

Before making their presence felt in the US, pigs had been domesticated in Europe, Asia and Africa for thousands of years.

Wild boars were first introduced into the United States in the 1500s by Spanish explorers as a source of food.

Later, during the 1900’s Russian or Eurasian boar was brought into the US for the objective of establishing a hunting population. Texas population is mostly from 1500 to 1800 Settlers bringing over pigs for food.  These pigs were free ranged, and some became what we have now. 

Some other common names include:-

  • Russian boar
  • Wild hog
  • Feral pig
  • Russian razorback
  • Feral swine
  • Piney woods rooter
  • Boar – male
  • Sow -female
  • Piglet / runter – juvenile
  • Sounders – group of females and young pigs

Texas-

Wild hogs directly compete with native wildlife for food and they can negatively impact natural ecosystems. Hogs present problems related to land, wildlife, and timber management. They can cause significant damage to agriculture and pose disease risks to humans, as well as, domestic livestock. Wild hogs are extremely difficult to control once they become established. It is now illegal to release hogs into the wild or to remove a live hog from the wild without a permit in Texas.

Negative Impacts

  • Impacting of rooting by damaging root systems that kill native plants
  • Destruction of plant & animal communities by trampling of plant materials and soil compaction
  • Increase in soil erosion
  • Decreased water quality – Effects most pronounced in wetland areas
  • Destruction of rare & endangered plant communities in TX Heritage Preserves
  • Depredation to threatened sea turtle nests on Coast of Texas

Anything!

​Well not quite but they are very opportunistic when it comes to food. They will chow down on both animals (carcasses are a favorite) and plant life.

Vegetation is eaten directly from the plants as well as being dug out of soft ground and mud.

Yes. Wild boars will learn very quickly when new food sources become available. Where it is and how to get it. They will move out of an area as soon as there is increased hunting pressure. 

Do not underestimate the wild pig brain!

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