Over the last few years, I have observed that large dominant boars seem to have established territory around a automatic corn feeder and protect it against smaller hogs. When the big guy is killed, it seems a new mixed group of smaller hogs show up very quickly.
Has anyone else noticed this? Or, is my observation just the normal ebb & flow of populations?
All of the big guys I have killed were loners, just wondering about their territorial habits.

Have had a crowd of 3 150-ish boars habitually at my local spot since the end of January. Gradually their numbers went down--2, then 1, and Monday night I killed a solo. Will remain to be seen if more show up, but they always have and I'm betting they always will until they build a neighborhood on the property at some point in the future.

More than one time I have seen a big boar protect a piece of property not just a feeder! Kill him off and for awhile the lessor pigs show up. Right now I am having sounders show up during the day and a big boar at night. The sounders are random during the day, frustrating! 96% of what I kill at night under feeder lights are boars. Sows learn fast and avoid the lights, boars straggle in for sex and get greedy!

Just an observation.... on the pig population where we hunt west of Pearsall.
Tons of sows and their babies--- we see them all day long but the bigger boars must have gone nocturnal.
I have also noticed the sows with piglets are the first to become aware of any danger and scram followed by their kids. Lee

The best evidence of "large dominate boars" is the pictures from the trail cameras or a dead one beside the road. I don't classify a boar as large or dominate until he has obvious tusks, and of course cantaloupe balls.

I can't recall getting a trail camera picture of one in the daytime, and haven't captured a picture of one in a long time.

Maybe four years ago, I got some night pictures when two such boars were at the feeder at the same time. They appeared to give each other some room.

Mostly, the boars I see appear to be rather tolerant. Occasionally one will set things straight with a large dominate sow, but that's over in a flash, and they continue to eat the corn together.

I have noticed on the pictures a bunch of smaller hogs and pigs taking notice of something approaching, alarm with all ears and eyes pointing in the same direction, then they leave in a rush. The next thing to show up are two or three (probably brothers, certainly pals) large boars, but with their tusks not yet fully developed.

I think the hogs around here don't live long enough to become the large dominant boar loaner. There are some river bottoms and swamps and large tracts of natural forest, oaks and such nearby. I think the really big boars live there. Occasionally I see some tracks of an obviously large hog traveling alone.

I don't know for sure, but maybe this is an example of a "large dominate boar":

This big boar comes to the feeder most regular and hangs around for a long time. He seems friendly towards the sows and piglets. During the time period this picture was taken, there were three sows with piglets, but only one boar - him. There's another big black one, but I don't get pictures of him often and never when this big spotted one is present. I don't think this guy is very old, just large.

This picture is his first appearance for the evening:



This big guy came in after everyone else left:
(the camera is crooked because the piglets messed with it)_



Here is a picture of the three sows and some of the piglets:





Just for fun, I include this picture of the only little guy who has stripes. He's growing fast - like a pig.

I don't think a boar has to have large tusks to be dominate.

I shot some very big ones in Texas that were pushing a lot of the others around.

They had tusks but really not that long of ones.

quote:

I don't think a boar has to have large tusks to be dominate.

That's true, until a bigger one enters the scene. It's probably a lot like it is with bucks too. I've seen some eight pointers intimidate larger bucks. They have different temperaments. Some are more aggressive than others.

They are always pushing each other around, even within sounders, but that's different from fear. I have seen the sequence of pictures where the smaller hogs, a sounder which includes medium size boars, just leave, with the corn on the ground, and a few seconds later a big boar shows up.

IMO, the dominate boars don't just push around, they dominate and the lesser boars fear them.

Twice, since January, I've been out in the yard after dark and heard hogs squealing back in the woods, more than 100 yds away. I figure it's two boars sorting things out.

Sure looks like you have a pig factory
going there. Half the hogs in your
pix are wet sows, the rest pups.

George

On my place, Many times a single boar will stake out a feeder and there will be no other pigs there except him. When he is shot other pigs will come around until another boar stakes the feeder out.