I'm surprised that few people recognize the primary reason for the feral hog population explosion over the last few decades.

We've always had ferals (domestic escapees, pigs from abandoned from homesteads, and interbreeds with imported Eurasians). But they became more prevalent in the 1980's (depending on your location) and around the 1990's their population really started to take off. Hmmm. . . what happened to cause this?

Blame (or credit) it on "The Greens". The Clean Water Act was passed in 1972. This act, and the regulations that were promulgated under it, began to have an impact several years later.

By the 1980's thousands of small municipalities across the nation which had been simply dumping their untreated sewage into the closest stream were beginning to upgrade their water treatment facilities under the "carrot and stick" approach. They were being forced to make progress in complying with standards regulating the quality of their sewage, and at the same time being offered Federal grants and low-interest loans to make the improvements. By the turn of the last Century most small towns had been in compliance with greatly upgraded sewage systems for a number of years.

So, what's this got to do with pigs? A lot. Swine are subject to almost all of the diseases that infect humans, particularly gastric diseases. When a feral hog would drink from a stream polluted with salmonella, e coli, or any number of other pathogens, the hog would often sicken and die. Deer, coyotes, etc., being of a different nature are much less susceptible.

So why do some areas have lots of hogs and others not so much? It's mostly because of the presence or absence of seed stock to begin with in the form of existing hog populations. And also why hogs seem to have spread to new areas. As populations of any wildlife species expand in a given area they tend to spread to adjacent areas where there is adequate habitat for them.

Wanna get rid of the hogs? Just pollute the hell out of their water sources. Of course, this is a little hard on the fish and other aquatic life, as well as the people who might otherwise want to use the water.

I think very few would say that cleaning up the rivers and streams was a bad idea, but as with any change in the environment, it may have unforeseen consequences.

Or, just year round corn flung out of feeders, little to no predators to eat the little ones and hunting pressure to push them to new areas.Also, reproductivity is heritable, those that reproduce the youngest and the most will create the generation of the future. I see this in the feral horse groups i monitor. Almost all our two year old fillies have foals these days, even in bad conditions.
In other words, everytime you kill a sow, all thats left are her progeny. If she was a late breeder, or had small litters, there will be fewer of her geins left in the pool. every time you kill one that is an early breeder, or one that has large litters, or on that has more than one litter a year, she will leave a large population behind. In the end you have inadvertently selected all the most prolific breeders.
If we behaved like predators on the other hand, we would kill up to 70 percent of the young before they ever had a chance to reproduce. thats what predators mainly eat. then you select for survivability which usualy includes having babies later in life as being pregnant at a very young age makes one more suceptable to being killed or having the young killed by predators.

Not suggesting you add predators, just my observations of nature.

The real reason feral pigs spread so fast is goose neck trailers! Thats how they get to new areas and other states! Want some thing to hunt that can take year round pressure, with today's land use, interduce pigs!

One day it will be common to hike the mountains of western states chasing elk...and come across hogs rooting around in an elk wallow. They travel a lot more than people realize and like what was said above...not much goes after them for a meal.

Maybe the wolves will take a liking to the hogs and take some pressure off of the elk and deer once the pigs get that far...lord knows the government will keep introducing more wolves.

... then again, Old Yeller was based in "Salt Licks, Texas" [sic], one might recall the semi-wild hogs from the story

and trophy fees for hogs - a two edged sword that -- got more people hunting, but the prices quickly got too high, and the land owner wants the most from his "investment" ..

more pigs means more money - raise the prices, more money, but fewer pigs killed.

Let's bring back crossbow hunting!

Every factor mentioned above except for clean water was existing pre-1980's. Some may be factors which augment hog numbers, but cannot be the primary impetus behind explosive population growth.

One contributing factor not mentioned is the natural tendency of hunters to shoot the largest boars in preference to smaller animals. One of the few effective predators of feral hogs are the large boars which will, given the opportunity, kill and eat the piglets. Take out a big boar and you've reduced the current population by one, and at the same time increased the survival rate of the young markedly.

When I was on a S Tx lease and "sold" hog hunts (remember jeffeosso?) I encouraged hunters to shoot a sow before a "trophy" boar. Got off the lease before we had a chance to see if it was having an impact, but I recall one evening when there were 3 of us in blinds and did a "How many pigs can you see?" survey--answer was 60+ and this was on a S Tx brush lease of 520 ac with no agricultural fields around so the hogs flocked to our corn feeders.

Best advice I have heard on matters such as this was at Kerr Wildlife Management Area when we were being briefed on "legal" deer---the biologist said "If there are two spikes in sight, shoot the long spike first, but don't let the other one get away." I don't agree with that approach on spikes, but for sure on feral hogs--shoot the big sow first, but don't let the rest of them get away.

Shoot the sows ... and they taste better!

I certainly do remember .. and the funny looks on everyone's face with i didn't open that pig's belly, and all of the offal fell cleanly into the bucket!

quote:

When I was on a S Tx lease and "sold" hog hunts

There a lot of the problem.

Can't sell hog hunts with no hogs.

quote:

Originally posted by p dog shooter:

quote:

When I was on a S Tx lease and "sold" hog hunts

There a lot of the problem.

Can't sell hog hunts with no hogs.

His package price was quite reasonable. In fact was model. Had a great time. Saw and shot pigs. It was awesome.

His approach was part of the solution. Very reasonable price and shoot all the pigs you want.

That is how we solve this.

Not the 50 to 200 per pig plus weight charge

I hunted a ranch for $100.00 a day all the hogs and other varmints you could shoot.

No feeders no guides, here are the property lines. Kill as many as you want.

Just spot and stalk or opportunity.

Had great fun shot a lot of hogs brought back a lot of meat.

Used many different rifles and handguns in lots of different calibers.

I am not against paying a reasonable price.

But don't complain about hog numbers and the damage they do.

Then charge high prices per per hog.

When we were kids in the 60s, if we saw a feral pig track, we would hunt it till we killed it! There were none to be seen. They free ranged pigs in east Texas and some in the hill country, but not here, We do not have the mast crop to feed them out. Someone rounded all of them up and sold them. Not much stayed free! When the pork mega factories opened in the midwest the price of pork dropped so low a lot of the farmers around here could not afford to feed theirs any more and opened the gate. Coon, coyote and fox hunting with dogs died when city people started moving to the country, Treated their land like their backyard in town. Better not set foot on it! Soon hog dogging was welcome. More pigs more opportunity to hunt with dogs! There you go!

We're relatively new to this problem and don't kid yourself it is a big problem. Pigs are hardy, adapt relatively easy and have a high reproduction rate. Cold, snow covered Canada ? They call them Russian boars, hardly like Texas. Ours mostly come from when our government, in all their wisdom, decided wild boar farming was a good way for farmers to diversify. Anyone who knows pigs, knows they are very difficult to contain. The inevitable happened and we have pockets of them, very difficult to eradicate.

Grizz

I thought the problem was federal pigs. Mostly Democrats. Be Well, Packy.

Stonecreek--

Interesting thoughts but I forwarded your comments to a buddy who is both a veterinarian and has a PhD in Wildlife Disease and he says he doesn't buy into your basic premise (cleaning up the water).

Without some science-based studies that have been peer-reviewed and published in legitimate scientific journals (and I've done no research on this), I don't think your hypothesis holds water.

interesting is that those that complain about hog hunting prices seem to not see the difference between farmers that are impacted by feral hogs (complaining) and those that sell hunts. Two completley different cirmstances.

quote:

Originally posted by eny:
interesting is that those that complain about hog hunting prices seem to not see the difference between farmers that are impacted by feral hogs (complaining) and those that sell hunts. Two completley different cirmstances.

Unless it is a high fence hog operation. Their hog travel and infect other areas.

I also seen hunt sellers complain about hog numbers/the damage they do.

I also seen land owners complain about hogs and refuse to let them be hunted unless you pay them to hunt.

It is not just one way or another.

quote:

Originally posted by eny:
interesting is that those that complain about hog hunting prices seem to not see the difference between farmers that are impacted by feral hogs (complaining) and those that sell hunts. Two completley different cirmstances.

hmm, who do you think is complaining? I explain *A* point of view as to *A* reason for the population increasing. I don't complain about prices, i either pay (after negotiation) or don't -

Central California was one place where European boars were introduced - accidentally. With lots of oak mast, mild climate, and mostly hilly country they thrived. The mountain lions benefited. Used to be legal to hunt year round and hog hunting became very popular. As rural lands changed hands it reduced access, further favoring the hog population. There are some large hogs in California.

Here in Arizona we have javelina and it is classed as a game animal so I am not allowed to to control the numbers on my property...

quote:

Originally posted by jeffeosso:

quote:

Originally posted by eny:
interesting is that those that complain about hog hunting prices seem to not see the difference between farmers that are impacted by feral hogs (complaining) and those that sell hunts. Two completley different cirmstances.

hmm, who do you think is complaining? I explain *A* point of view as to *A* reason for the population increasing. I don't complain about prices, i either pay (after negotiation) or don't -

Was just a general observation from my travels and reading on internet . some want to have hogs to hunt, some want all hogs gone.

quote:

Originally posted by dustoffer:
Stonecreek--

Interesting thoughts but I forwarded your comments to a buddy who is both a veterinarian and has a PhD in Wildlife Disease and he says he doesn't buy into your basic premise (cleaning up the water).

Without some science-based studies that have been peer-reviewed and published in legitimate scientific journals (and I've done no research on this), I don't think your hypothesis holds water.

I'd be interested in why you and your friend don't think this to be a valid hypothesis. Just saying "I don't think it holds water" isn't a very strong evidentiary argument (although it is a modestly clever pun, considering the elements of the hypothesis).

The only evidence I have is correlation, not causation. However, the correlation is strong, and the fundamentals which might support causation are also solid. That's not to say that the hypothesis might not be flawed, but evidence pointing out whatever flaws it may have should be reviewed before discarding such hypothesis.

Thousands of years ago primitive man figured out that if you feed pigs - they will reproduce better. Yet many folks, who spend significant quantities of money and time consistently dumping out quality pig feed, claim they have no idea why their ranches are overrun with pigs. Sounds like a typical use for some government “pork” study money. The thesis could be: “If you dump lots of corn out on your lease will you have more pigs to complain about?”

I’ve made a good portion of my living from guided pig hunts so I don’t fault land owners, outfitters or ranch managers for making money off of pig hunting. But to complain about the number of pigs - when you are running a large scale feeding operation - is about as ignorant as me complaining about having too much money in my account because I keep depositing checks from my hunters….

SC: While I’ve read scientific studies about feral pigs from throughout the world, I don’t know your specific area. I guess it’s possible reducing the amount of exposure to untreated water could have made a difference in your area, but I’ve sure never read any mention of that being a factor for the feral and wild pig populations studied around the world. In the past 30 years I’ve leased many ranches to guide on in a pretty wide radius of a couple counties of the Central Coast of California. About the only place I haven’t observed large fluctuations (up or down) in the pig populations are areas close enough to the few little cities where pigs could have been around sewage treatment facilities. Maybe your area is different, but as soon as you leave our few small cities around here everyone is on septic systems. So for the past 100 +/- years there has generally been no surface effluent (apart from our politicians).
In my lifetime the main observation I’ve made in our area is that the pig populations fluctuate the most from farming practices. Running feeders and dumping feed on the ground for the pigs hasn’t been legal here for decades… so that isn’t done much. But areas of grain and vegetable farming cause very quick population booms. Those areas go down in pig population when the crops change (to vineyards) and no longer produce the significant extra feeding opportunities for the pigs. Native mast areas (oak woodlands) typically hold much more stable populations… because the food source is more consistent year over year. But maybe someone could buy truckloads of acorns to dump on the ground in those areas and then they too could complain about their “magical pig population explosion”.
Predators definitely play a role also. Those piglets are pretty easy pickings for coyotes and a few other predators, but in my observation predation isn't nearly as important as quality food availability for the nursing sows and piglets.
Available drinking water can play a role too in studies around the world, but at least in our area the ranches have been pretty well set up for cattle for many decades so even in drought times the pigs still have plenty of consistently supplied troughs to drink from. (I believe lack of drinking water is a large cause of warthog population reductions during drought periods). Locally we'll see pig numbers plummet during drought times, but that's due more to the lack of quality feed than a lack of drinking water. I guess if untreated water used to be one of the main drinking sources for pigs in your area years ago you could have a point, but I can't picture that being a factor out on larger tracts of land away from municipalities.

Good post Kyler:

My biggest question about this discussion is:

since pigs/hogs wallow in whatever water they find.

How long is that prime clear water going to last??

George

quote:

Originally posted by p dog shooter:

I also seen land owners complain about hogs and refuse to let them be hunted unless you pay them to hunt.
.

As a land a landowner and avid hog hunter, I totally get why landowners won’t let people on. Liability and wrecking the place .

Hogs go nocturnal quickly when they feel pressure . Conventional methods won’t make a dent in the population.

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:

quote:

Originally posted by p dog shooter:

I also seen land owners complain about hogs and refuse to let them be hunted unless you pay them to hunt.
.

As a landowner and avid hog hunter, I totally get why landowners won’t let people on. Liability and wrecking the place .

Hogs go nocturnal quickly when they feel pressure . Conventional methods won’t make a dent in the population.

As a land owner I understand the problems involved with letting people use ones lands.

But there are ways to over come them. Resumes, simple back ground checks, liability forms, cash bonds, sign in sheets.

If you can not come up with a way to protect oneself and ones property your not trying.

It comes down to you simple to not want anybody else on it.

Some states have very good laws protecting land owners when they allow others to recreate on their property.

I guess if you just waiting for the hogs to come to a feeder and not actually hunting them having them go nocturnal is a problem.

Or you just want them to yourself and do not want to eliminate them.

I tell people the truth when they asked for permission to hunt my property I don't make up silly excuses.

I never had problems with the people who have asked or I have given permission to.

It is always the ones the don't ask and sneak in.

quote:

Originally posted by p dog shooter:

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:

quote:

Originally posted by p dog shooter:

I also seen land owners complain about hogs and refuse to let them be hunted unless you pay them to hunt.
.

As a landowner and avid hog hunter, I totally get why landowners won’t let people on. Liability and wrecking the place .

Hogs go nocturnal quickly when they feel pressure . Conventional methods won’t make a dent in the population.

As a land owner I understand the problems involved with letting people use ones lands.

But there are ways to over come them. Resumes, simple back ground checks, liability forms, cash bonds, sign in sheets.

If you can not come up with a way to protect oneself and ones property your not trying.

It comes down to you simple to not want anybody else on it.

Some states have very good laws protecting land owners when they allow others to recreate on their property.

I guess if you just waiting for the hogs to come to a feeder and not actually hunting them having them go nocturnal is a problem.

Or you just want them to yourself and do not want to eliminate them.

I tell people the truth when they asked for permission to hunt my property I don't make up silly excuses.

I never had problems with the people who have asked or I have given permission to.

It is always the ones the don't ask and sneak in.

I’ll say it again. If hogs have too much pressure on them, they go nocturnal quickly . I have seen it over and over . It doesn’t matter how you do it . At some point , they will only move in the dark with too much pressure .

Having spent the last 12 years hunting France, Romania and Portugal for wild pigs (not high fence) I can tell you the one thing we are missing here are the driven hunts. We kill a lot of females on these. Usaully done once or twice a year on a property. It does drive the deer out of the area for a while.they are as much a social get together as a hunt. Better than golf Most trophy boar are killed in the moonlight.

quote:

’ll say it again. If hogs have too much pressure on them, they go nocturnal quickly . I have seen it over and over . It doesn’t matter how you do it . At some point , they will only move in the dark with too much pressure

Very true but if you actually hunt them, go after them, instead of waiting them to come to you it dose not matter.

They are still there go kill them. Still hunt, Track them down, organize drives, run them with hounds.

They might leave after you pressure them but isn't that the goal is to get rid of them on your property.

If they don't leave so what find them and kill them.

Buy night vision use it.

There are ways to kill them if one has the desire to do it.

quote:

Originally posted by eny:
Having spent the last 12 years hunting France, Romania and Portugal for wild pigs (not high fence) I can tell you the one thing we are missing here are the driven hunts. We kill a lot of females on these. Usaully done once or twice a year on a property. It does drive the deer out of the area for a while.they are as much a social get together as a hunt. Better than golf Most trophy boar are killed in the moonlight.

If you are managing your land for deer, how do you think the deer will react to drives?

Some places might be able to have drives. Others are so thick and swampy that a drive is impossible. I have large area that are under water and/or are so thick one cannot stand up.

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:

quote:

Originally posted by eny:
Having spent the last 12 years hunting France, Romania and Portugal for wild pigs (not high fence) I can tell you the one thing we are missing here are the driven hunts. We kill a lot of females on these. Usaully done once or twice a year on a property. It does drive the deer out of the area for a while.they are as much a social get together as a hunt. Better than golf Most trophy boar are killed in the moonlight.

If you are managing your land for deer, how do you think the deer will react to drives?

Some places might be able to have drives. Others are so thick and swampy that a drive is impossible. I have large area that are under water and/or are so thick one cannot stand up.

Yes, the drives move the deer for a bit, hence most driven hunts after deer season. As to thick cover, lots of dogs (hundreds) and beaters ( the people behind dogs) moving back and forth through an area will get a lot of pigs moving. No its not like the high fence hunts you see with hundreds of pigs running by, but a few here and there mostly sneaking away from the dogs. the older boars usually slp behind beaters and dogs but the sounders generally panic and move out ahead.

quote:

If you are managing your land for deer, how do you think the deer will react to drives?

We do a lot of deer drives.

If one leaves a property rest a few days the deer move back into it.

That is unless we shoot them.

Greed may have a lot to do with the propagation of feral hogs, at least in Tennessee. I saw the results of a study in Tennessee that showed the feral hog population spreading slowly from a few pockets. Then people discovered that hunters were willing to pay to hunt hogs. Game "farms" started popping up across the State with populations of "imported" feral hogs. Hogs escaped and produced breeding populations in areas of the State that hadn't previously had feral hogs. Now they are all over.

At the 7:40 mark of this Australian video they talk about the problem in the State of Tennessee. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t22hkF0A6h8

This article alludes to the problem also https://www.tn.gov/twra/wildli.../large/wild-hog.html

It is well known that hog trappers in Texas sell their live hogs to "hunting operations" in various parts of the State.

We can be our own worst enemy when trying to control hog populations.

In Texas it was caused by the termination of the screw worm fly for both the hogs, Javalina and deer populations, add to that the pigs litter, deer have one or two, Javalina litter, but easy prey for coyotes, bobcats, Lions..

Ray, the screw worm eradication took place in the 1960's. The feral hog population explosion in Texas didn't begin until the 1980's. Although the elimination of screw worms undoubtedly contributes to the overall survival rate of all wild mammalians, it doesn't correlate closely with the expansion of feral hog range and populations. And, the impact of screw worm elimination would have been limited to the more southern states where screw worm infestations occurred, not to the other vast areas of the country where hog populations have also blossomed.

well I sure shot a lot of infested hogs in the 50s 60s 70s and 80s with sores and worms, they were not a problem early on btw, what happened was unforseen I suppose...

Before you have infestation or population explosion you have to have a source, We had number of hogs back then on certain ranches and on my kinfolks Texas ranches, and on two of my leased ranches. the hogs in the low fenced areas travel long circles, just like today they come an go. The deer population has done the same thing as have the Javalina population and that is primarily the erad of the fly and those animals stick around on the same ranch or within a 8 to 10 mile area whereas hogs can be found a 100 miles away the next day.....

Good weather can kick things up because of good feed is another and the warm texas climate is also a factor in the breeding season..

Just my view dealing with it over the years..the way to control it is for a bunch of rancher to get together and that process is a little complicated but it worked on coyotes for all but the outer circle, the coyotes got killed before the got to the inter ranches with sheep and it went on form there, it beat the hell out of live trapping and neutering that didn't even get off the ground. Worked great with flys and the cattle and sheep ranchers were grateful to no end. The screw worm killed indescrimintely including the hogs, dogs and cats, so when the erad took place it also helped the decline of hog deaths for sure so I don't understand your thinking of when it the erad program began, makes no difference....Having litters as opposed to singles or twins makes a big difference..I guess we see things a little different on this subject, I think anyway, not real sure.

I dont disagree with you on the "explosion", but just saying it had to have a source to do so and that is where it started...Im only talking about Texas, mostly the lower Rio Grande Valley and that has spread to a lot of West Texas and North into Oklahoma as the screw worm fly no longer exist from a practical standpoint, and if it shows up boxes are dropped in that area even today...A lot of that explosion was folks trapping and salting ranches in the middle of the night or on the home place to add to income....I suppose their are many other reasons behind it and no real effort to prevent it now that they are worth hunting fees to hunt them, and that alone will keep the statue qua in Texas and a few other states, its become a business...Deer, Javalina, are ranch income, now the hog is being commercialized..BTW trapping of hogs is a source of income to some ranchers that were smart enough to get in the wild hog business, sell at the sale barn and have paying hunters. Hope I painted the big picture.some buyers buy at the sale and salt the land to take hunters for cash..the are doing that in Idaho and it could easily get out of hand, it did in Texas/

Thats the way I see it from a hands on view anyway..right or wrong thats my story and Im sticking with it