Hogs are not native to Texas. In fact, they are not even native to the United States. As such, all hogs found in Texas are the results of either escaped and released domestic hogs. These domestic hogs gone wild are referred to as “feral.” Although they can be fun to hunt, feral hogs cause large [...]
Described as being as prolific as cockroaches, destructive as rats, and as surly as badgers, wild (feral) hogs are the bane of ranchers and farmers, but they’re a boon for hunters. Nearly three million of these dirt slingin’ critters roam free in Texas, rooting up pastures, wallowing in creek beds, and gorging themselves on [...]
I was locking a pipe-rail gate behind R.L. Loving’s pickup truck, when the woman walked through her patio door, into her backyard, shielded her eyes with a hand and stared intently across the bayou at us. “This could go either way,” R.L. said.
In the back of his truck squatted a large cage made of heavy-gauge [...]
Feral hogs should be controlled by shooting and live trapping whenever possible. The greatest success usually occurs during the winter when feral hogs are forced to travel more to find food. In addition to rooting up pastures, feral hogs compete directly with white-tailed deer, turkey and most other wildlife species that rely heavily on acorns [...]
Remember the 1,100-pound “wild” hog the 11-year old Alabama boy bagged with his trusty pistol? Well, this story needed a little more rooting around to get to the truth. In reality, every once in a while somebody kills a really big hog, enters it into a contest and its registers roughly 300 to 400 pounds, [...]
Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) include both feral (domestic animals that have escaped captivity) hogs and what people commonly refer to as “wild boar,” a native to Eurasia but introduced to North America to interbreed with feral hogs. Feral hogs include first-generation escapees as well as all subsequent production, which comprises the overwhelming bulk of the U.S. free-ranging [...]
Feral hogs can inhabit a variety of habitats, from coastal marshes to rough-country mountain ranges. These wild hogs prefer cover of dense brush or marsh vegetation, but will venture out into open fields under the cover of darkness. Hogs are generally restricted to areas below snowline and above freezing temperatures during the winter.
