Recent estimates indicate that more than 5 million wild hogs call the United States "home." Of these 5 million feral pigs, more than 1.5 million of them reside in nearly 100% of Texas' 254 counties.
In some cases, these hogs were once domestic hogs released for hunting purposes or escaped. With each new litter, the animal's domestic characteristics fade and get overridden by survival skills and traits.
How To Identify Feral Hogs
Distinguishing a feral hog from a domestic hog can be somewhat tricky. In many cases, they appear the same. However, domestic hogs often have a wider variety of coat patterns and colors.
Fully mature wild boars can reach a shoulder height of up to three feet and weigh anywhere between one hundred to over four hundred pounds! Generally, males tend to be larger than females. Wild hogs of European descent tend to have longer snouts and legs, and their head is much larger when compared to the total proportion of their body.
Ways That Hog Removal Protects Texas
Feral hogs are problematic invasive species that can harm the ecosystem's natural resources and threaten the ability of humans to make use of these resources.
Curbs Environmental Damage - USDA revealed that wild hogs are responsible for $1.5 billion of annual damages in the US.
Due to their feeding habits, feral hogs cause considerable damage to woodland and wetland habitats, crops, levees, livestock habitats, right of ways, and golf courses.
Anytime there is a disruption in the environment, this can cause imbalances with lasting repercussions.
Protects Livestock And Native Species - Feral hogs have an incredible sense of smell - it's their most robust sense. They can detect smells and odors from five to seven miles away and up to twenty-five feet underground!
When traveling in sounders, no potential food source is safe. Wild pigs sniff out access to acorns, pecan truffles, and domestic crops such as peanuts, soybeans, corn, potatoes, milo, wheat, rice, canteloupe, and watermelon.
And while most wild pigs don't attack other animals, the eggs found in the ground-nests of killdeer, quail, wild turkeys, and pheasants are always welcome snacks for these animals with voracious appetites.
Not surprisingly, this has negatively impacted quail population counts, as they've been on the decline. An overall loss of habitat, limited availability of suitable nesting cover, and food supply shortage all play a factor in their population decline.
Professional hog trapping plays a critical role in protecting the environment and the interests of all species in Texas.
If you suspect that you have feral hog activity occurring on your property, the hog control experts at Lone Star Trapping can help you to gain greater control of your property. Please get in touch for more information.