Feral Hog Food Habits

Feral hog food types vary greatly depending on the location and time of year. Wild pigs, however, will eat anything from grain to carrion (dead carcas). Hogs may feed on underground vegetation during periods of wet weather or in areas near streams and underground springs. Acorns or other mast, when available, make up a good portion of their diet.

Wild pigs gather in oak forests when acorns fall, and their movements will generally not be as great during this period. In the winters of poor mast years, wild pigs greatly increase their range and ingest greater quantities of underground plant material, herbaceous plants, and invertebrates. Stomach analyses indicate that wild hogs ingest flesh from vertebrates, but the extent to which animals are taken as prey or carrion is unknown. Wild pigs are capable of preying on lambs, as well as goat kids, calves, and exotic game. They also consume grass and grass seeds, so these animals are generalist and quite oportunistic.