@wildlifer , where are they native to?
It was de rigueur back in the days of exploration to bring/ leave pigs since they are such successful breeders.
They were left on islands and anywhere the people who sailed expected to return. In the U.S. they are thought to have been brought from Spain and to have interbred with domestic pigs.
Iām sure @wildlifer can give you a more specific explanation.:yes:
Thanks!
They primarily come from domestic stock that was released or escaped, hence āferal.ā There have been additional intentional introductions of Russian & European wild boars by people who feel like they donāt have enough to shoot at. The two can interbreed. And people still move them around even though itās illegal.
The map from 2015 is sadly already out of date - I would be surprised if there are any counties in NC that donāt have them. But it still illustrates their spread. They are tough, prolific breeders & can eat anything that fits in their mouth - essentially a land version of Flathead Catfish, making them just as successful an invader as flatheads have been (Flatheads are native in Interior basins, but not here on the Atlantic slope where they are busy wreaking a fish holocaust since the mid-60s).
Hogs can have a lot of parasites but I donāt know if anything in particular was done with the ones I ate since I didnāt pay attention to those details, I was just there to eat. Iād have to ask around, but I suspect that information can be found from a reputable source via Google.
Did you read the NYT article? What do you think? Among other interesting bits,they believe people have purposefully contributed to the spread of the hogs to the North.
They have been found on the coasts with stomachs full of baby sea turtles. (Not the people, the hogs.) 
I was unaware feral pigs were such a big problem across the country. I have not seen any around here (Middle Tennessee) or heard of any. But its good to be informed of these things.
I did not yet. But I guarantee people have spread them, we see it all the time. I just wish we could harness all the effort they put in to it & get them to do something useful instead.
My other alternative is just going ahead & stocking tigers. I just havenāt managed to sell the agency on it yet. (kidding ā¦ mostly)
ETA - OK, I just read the NY TIMES article. A few comments:
Invasive species nearly ALWAYS impact an array of things, not just āone crop.ā That was an incorrect statement by someone with a very narrow perspective. Flathead Catfish have caused more economic damage in the US than any other invasive animal ever.
Wild pigs are not the same thing as feral hogs. The latter have a domestic origin. The distinction is important in resource management.
It is true that every time there is an effort to use hunting to control exotics, some jerks have to go spread them around some more. This is why we canāt have nice things . This is exactly the reason we havenāt done it in NC.
The lettuce thing is pretty ridiculous - while hogs do a lot of damage, every E. coli contamination report I have seen so far was either traced back to human waste or regular domestic livestock, usually cattle.
Ah, Hogzilla, whose legend will not die.
But the over arching message is accurate - while not the hogsā fault, these things are bad news, they will continue to spread, & there are consequences for all of us. Itās going to take some political willpower, which in turn requires noisy citizens, to garner the funding level needed to make a dent. Because just about every biologist out there in the field is already on board, has known about this for decades & would love to be able to at least slow down the carnage we see regularly.
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Iām going to assume part of the issue is there just simply are no predators to dispatch some of the feral pigs? Maybe a mountain lion would take on a pig - but I canāt think of any predator that could or would take on a large pig. Certainly not our cute little bob cats or black bears?
Now I have something else to worry about with my kitty cats being outside a lot of the time.
No it does not keep wild pigs out if they really want something on the otherside like a crop.
They know it is going to hurt. The back up and start squealing, then charge the fence, get through and eat to their hearts consent.
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Also confirmed farther west in Ontario. We are being warned they will take down a deerā¦seems obvious they will be aggressive toward livestock such as horses.
https://www.delhinewsrecord.com/news/local-news/feral-pigs-reported-in-norfolk-county
I read one reference that noted Spanish settlers as early the 1600ās were importing domestic porcine stock in their North American holdings. There was likely āleakageā from these activities. There were also references to some releasing of the type of boars used for hunting on the Continent (at this time Spain was THE major European power and controlled significant territory outside the Iberian Peninsula). Hunting was a major activity of the moneyed classes for sport and of the poorer classes for food.
Pigs were, and are, raised for meat as they are relatively cheap and easy to handle, require limited facilities, and come to market weight quickly if there is adequate feed. They are also VERY prolific, producing large litters. In earlier times not only were there apex predators loose in the Southern areas there was a very active hunting culture (we humans are, after all, THE apex predator on Earth).
I think you are very correct in your observations, assessment, and recommendations.
G.
My favorite story is of Hernando de Soto, who explored much of the south. For food he started out with 13 hogs, which quickly multiplied en route. He and his hogs marched through much of the south, leaving escapees behind as he went. Supposedly many of these wild hogs are peripherally descended from de Sotoās travels.
āThe spectacle of armored Spanish cavalry, lance in hand, with sturdy Spanish infantryā¦followed by a baggage-train of chained Indian slaves, carefully herding their squealing swine through the alligator-infested swamps of Florida, driving them through forests, carrying them in canoes across the Mississippi, over the plains, and south and west and then east again until the final feast of pork along the Mississippi, is unique in the annals of exploration anywhere. It must have been astonishing to see and equally astonishing to hear!ā America as Seen by Its First Explorers, John Bakeless, p. 47.
I doubt all wild pigs are from spanish in 1600s. People see images of domestic pigs and donāt realize they have tusks periodically filed down, size and adult behavior etc. I didnāt realize they were also a problem as feral in Canada.
There are still farm deaths due to domestic pigs reported in the last decade. One in which all they found were the farmers dentures after the herd ate him, on top of which it was reported the herd may have intentionally knocked him down.
Then again, I also remember reading and watching Old Yeller, lol.
Nope. I respect that they are smart and a great food source, but canāt really say Iām a fan of pigs or bacon.
Pigs can damage crops and create huge problems for farmers. At least in South Louisiana some wild Russian hogs were intentionally released with domesticated hogs so that locals could hunt them. Kind of backfired.
Domesticated hogs go feral very quickly and survive well on their own.
I have eaten wild hogs several times but have been told the flavor depends on the age of the animal and the diet.
I have no idea how they will ever be controlled. Having raised pigs I can say that they reproduce quickly and babies are completely mobile (able to run) a few minutes after being born. Sows are extremely protective of their babies.
Also, pigs can grow quite large if a good source of nutrition is available. Adults due really well in the cold but can have issues with heat especially if they active during the hot part of the day. Mostly in the warmer months they move around at night (at least in the South).
Not having grown up where there were pigs, I was stunned at the size of domestic hogs when I first saw them. They were raised in woods and pastures but fed grains as well. They were enormous. :yes:
The photos and video Iāve seen of wild/feral hogs show they are not as large and most definitely not as sociable as the domestic pigs that I have met.
Soā¦ if one were to dispatch wild hogs, which would you use? Shotgun, rifle or pistol? I have a feeling calling the neighbor or a/c here isnāt going to get results fast enough. Iām next to hundreds of acres thatās going to be wheat in a couple monthsā¦
You hunt deer with shotguns and rifles so likely one of those. In our state deer start with bow season, then muzzle loader, then rifle. In order of hardest to kill with due to skill to easiest. Nuisance animals have a bigger āseasonā and fewer restrictions on weapons.
Donāt know what you use to hunt them as a hunter, but for vermin control, that is when everyone around here bought AR 15ās, the best gun to control feral hogs by shooting.
You donāt have to worry with disposal, other feral hogs clean it all and there is nothing left.
Shooting helps disturb them.
Is what game wardens recommend, along with trapping.
Donāt let them make themselves at home, keep them moving.
We mostly trap them. Any gun will work for short distances.
Most here call those that want the meat. They take care of everything.
They say they make excellent barbecue and any extra is sausages.
Would not know, never tried any feral hog meat.
I assume it may be an acquired taste.
We just received a notice from the Department of Natural Resources about a new TX feral hog control program they were starting.
You may want to check with them, located in your local USDA Farm Service Agency in your area.
Bet you have some locals that will tell you what works best where you are.
āBet you have some locals that will tell you what works best where you areā¦ā
Yeah, it was the locals that told me to call him personally and heād come over and shoot any that came by. Yes, turns out he lives < .5 mile from my place but stillā¦ I want my own way to dispatch them if theyāre disturbing my livestock.
I did see 2 carcasses in that wheat field the other day. Gone now.
Domestic hogs will grow about as long as youāre willing to feed them. A boar lasted a couple of years before they got so big they could not breed a young (and much smaller sow) without causing injury. We were a very small scale operation and didnāt do any AI as the real commercial operators do. They select their breeding stock for its ability to quickly and efficiently turn feed into meat.
These are an invasive species that causes a LOT of damage. Eradication is the only, long term solution. Thatās where money and strategy should be directed.
As to methods, I know some folks who use AR style rifles in .223 and are quite happy with the results. Others prefer the same style weapon with a .308 round (much more powerful). A handgun of .357 Mag. or larger will do the job quite nicely but you have to be close. There was a TV program a while back about some mental defectives that made a sport of killing feral hogs with Bowie knives. Ron White would have had interesting things to say about THEM.
G.
