State wants to tackle feral-hog problem without hunting

They are more than a nuisance. The Missouri Department of Conservation refers to them as “highly destructive and prolific pests.”

They are feral hogs, and their numbers are increasing dramatically in Southeast Missouri.

A group of feral hogs — referred to as a sounder — regularly leaves a path of destruction in its wake.

They often are nocturnal and will eat nearly anything with which they come in contact, including many species of native wildlife. The agency reports a sounder of 10 hogs easily can destroy 20 to 30 acres overnight, including crops.

Damage caused by hogs nationally is estimated to cost $1.5 billion a year.

“Feral hogs are a menace that must be eradicated in Missouri,” the agency says.

A landowner whose property borders Mingo Wildlife Refuge captured an image on a trail camera of one sounder in early March on his property that totaled 31 hogs.

“They rooted up land in some areas that are knee-deep to an adult,” the landowner said.

The feral hog — defined as any hog not identified by ear tags or other identification and is roaming freely on public or private land without the landowner’s permission — not only threatens property and crops, but the health of livestock, pets, and humans.

They are known to carry diseases that include swing brucellosis, pseudorabies, trichinosis and leptospirosis. While the domestic swine industry is not affected by the diseases, it’s estimated about 30 percent of the feral hog population is diseased.

The hogs are known to exist in 30 Missouri counties, including Stoddard.

Stoddard County conservation agent Mark Reed said the number of hogs in a sounder varies from just a couple to several sows, piglets, juvenile pigs and adult boars traveling together.

“They’re very mobile and intelligent animals,” Reed notes. “They eat a wide variety of foods, and when pressured by hunters, they simply relocate or avoid human activity.” 

The hogs also are more agile than one would expect. Wild pigs can run up to 30 miles per hour, are capable of jumping over fences less than 3 feet high and have “climbed” out of pig traps with walls five to six feet high.

The population of feral hogs rose in the 1990s when hog hunting for recreation gained popularity.

“Groups began raising and promoting European wild boar as a form of alternate agriculture and for hunting on captive facilities,” the agency stated. “It wasn’t long before many of these hogs escaped or were released intentionally on public land.”

The result is an ever-increasing number of the invasive animals.

Their rooting and wallowing behaviors contribute to soil erosion and reduced water quality. They damage crops and hay fields and destroy sensitive natural areas such as glades and springs.

Of significant importance is they destroy ground nesting birds, devouring birds and reptiles, amphibians and small animals — including small fawns. They feast on acorns, cutting down the food source greatly for deer, turkey and black bear, the agency noted.

The hogs also can display aggressive behavior and have been known to attack humans. They have four sharp tusks that grow continuously, often reaching five inches before they break or become worn from having been used to defend themselves.

“Wild hogs in Stoddard County have damaged corn and soybean fields,” Reed said. “They have a very real potential to be a serious threat to agricultural crops, clover and alfalfa fields, gardens and any other planted areas.”

Reed said, “Hogs have occurred south of Puxico and along the St. Francis River.

“All hogs that I’m aware of from that area were killed by landowners. A few hogs have been sighted in the Aid and Acorn Ridge areas. These hogs were also shot.”

What to do?

The Department of Conservation and the USDA are working with landowners to eliminate the wild hog problem, Reed said. Strange as it may sound, they discourage landowners and hunters from shooting the wild hogs. Rather, a phone line is available to report sightings so agents can work with landowners to trap and destroy the hogs.

“The best approach is to call us and let us help develop a strategy,” Reed said. “Killing most of a hog sounder is good, but any survivors left will simply repopulate the area. The only real solution is killing all the pigs.”

“Shooting one or two hogs scatters the sounder and makes trapping efforts aimed at destroying the whole group more difficult, because hogs become trap-shy and more wary of baited sites. Given their reproduction rate, removing one or two hogs does not help to reduce populations,” the agency stated.

According to Conservation Agent Mic Plunkett, the MDC traditionally uses corral traps to capture a sounder, but also uses one referred to as drop trap.

“A corral trap is a circular trap made of panels, and it has a gate that the hogs must enter. After entering, they feed to the back of the trap where, hopefully, one of them will push on a trip wire that closes the gate behind them.”

The drop trap was designed to catch hogs that become wary of entering a traditional corral trap, Plunkett said.

“To go a step further, there is a commercially available trap called a ‘Boar Buster,’” Plunkett said.

That device works with a trail camera that sends text images to a landowner’s phone when activity is detected.

“When that happens, you can remotely activate a second camera, which sends a live video feed,” he said.

Joe Jerek, the Department of Conservation’s Statewide News Services Coordinator, said once trapped, the hogs are destroyed — most often shot — and disposed of, often by burial in a nearby pit.

It is not the task of the agency to recommend whether the meat of a feral hog should be consumed.

“We leave that to the Department of Health and Senior Services,” Jerek said.

Some reports state the meat of a feral hog is suitable for human consumption, but only after thorough cooking. It is stressed people handling raw feral-hog meat should wash their hands with soap and hot water after coming in contact with the animal, as some diseases carried by the hogs are transferable to humans and pets. It also is highly recommended pets not be allowed to eat the raw meat.

The agency refers to the hogs’ growth rate as “alarming,” stating one sow can give birth to two litters of about six piglets twice each year.

That represents a population growth of about 166 percent annually.

Upon seeing any feral hog, call (573) 522-4115, ext. 3296.