WHAT`S IN YOUR LOGGING CONTRACT? MANAGING WILD PIGS

CONGRESSMAN TOM REED:
FLA INTERVIEW WITH PROPERTY
RIGHTS ADVOCATE
WHAT’S IN YOUR
LOGGING CONTRACT?
L A N D OWN E R
PROMOTING PRIVATE FORESTS
MANAGING WILD PIGS
WHERE HAVE THE LANDOWNER
PRESIDENTS GONE?
MAY/JUNE 2016 WWW.FORESTLANDOWNERS.COM
Hogging
the
Forest
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FOREST LANDOWNER
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Wild pigs reproduce
like rabbits and tear up
timberland. Here’s what
a forest landowner can
do to stop feral hogs –
or at least contain them.
By Mark D. Smith
W
hether you call them feral swine, wild
boar, feral hogs, or simply wild pigs,
these non-native animals are one of the
greatest wildlife management challenges facing forest
landowners and natural resource professionals.
First introduced to North America in the 1500s
by the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto, wild pig
populations have since expanded their range to at least
35 states with most of this expansion occurring in the
past 20 to 30 years. As the recreational hunting of wild
pigs grew in popularity during that period, so too did the
trend of capturing, transporting, and releasing wild pigs
into previously uninhabited areas to provide an additional
game species for hunting purposes. Although now an
illegal activity in just about every state, the damage is
done and now we’re left to deal with an animal epidemic
more challenging than any plant invasive species.
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(Left) Trent Smith changes out the memory card to a game camera positioned to record pigs entering the trap. Note the feeder in the trap that is
used to dispense bait each day, which saves the landowner time since the trap can go five or six days before re-baiting. (Center) This is a typical corral
style trap using recommended two-by-four inch mesh panels that are five-feet tall. The panels are placed to create a round corral that does not have
corners. With corners, pigs will pile up eventually get out.
S
o what’s the big deal, you might ask? Ask any
forest landowner who has dealt with wild pigs
and you’ll get an earful of frustration, anger,
and resignation. Not only do wild pigs compete with
recreationally important native wildlife such as deer and
turkey for food resources such as acorns, but pigs also
have been known to prey upon bird nests, reptiles and
amphibians, and other important plants and animals.
In some areas oak regeneration is substantially
impacted by acorn consumption while significant
damage to newly planted trees can occur due to
either direct consumption, rooting, or trampling of
young seedlings. Some species such as longleaf pine
are targeted by wild pigs due to the high level of
carbohydrates in the roots of newly planted trees.
And it’s not just the trees where wild pigs cause
problems. Pigs also consume food plot plantings such
as chufa, corn, and beans targeted for other preferred
wildlife species. Then there are the rooting and wallowing
activities of wild pigs that reduce water quality by
increasing turbidity and bacterial contamination.
These are just a few of the more common problems
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forest landowners face when wild pigs take residence.
Aside from the damage caused by pigs, what’s even
worse is that once they become established in the area,
they can become almost impossible to eradicate. Due to
their high rate of reproduction (breeding twice a year at
times with four to six piglets per litter on average) and
early maturation (short time to reach breeding age, in some
cases six months of age), populations can grow rapidly.
White-tailed deer, another fast-reproducing species,
create only one or two fawns per year. There is no other
wild free-ranging large mammal with the reproductive
ability of the wild pig. As such, a significant amount of
effort will be required to remove enough pigs to keep
the population in check or to eradicate it. Coupled with
their relatively secretive nature and amazing adaptability,
if you’re not careful in how you approach pig removal,
things can become challenging in quick order.
The obvious solution is to let the hunters take
care of the problem. If only it were so simple. Hunting
removes some pigs, but when the hunting becomes
challenging, as it often does with the elusive wild pig,
hunters go home. Hunting a high-density pig population
(Right) These pigs were caught in a corral trap. Note the variation in pelage color and pattern as well as sizes of pigs. These naturally occurring markings
help identify unique groups (sounders) of pigs, which enable the landowner to determine how many sounders are in the area and how many you
should be removing before concluding a trapping effort.
is enjoyable as hunters see and harvest a lot of pigs.
But as the population dwindles, the hunting becomes
gradually more difficult, ultimately surpassing the
point of enjoyment. The recreational hunter reaches
a point of diminishing returns and then quits well
before putting a significant dent in the population.
Thus rarely will you be able to hunt a wild pig
population into submission except in areas with small
isolated populations. This despite the fact that in many
states pigs are considered nuisance animals and have
no bag limits, no closed season, and few restrictions
on how they may be killed (can be shot over bait,
can be shot at night usually under permit, etc.). Yet
we still have out-of-control pig populations in these
same states. Hunting alone is just not enough.
So why don’t states institute a bounty system to
create incentives for hunters to kill more pigs? The
financial incentive will, indeed, entice more hunters
to spend more time in the field killing pigs. This is a
logical suggestion frequently offered. However, as with
many other previous bounty systems, it won’t work.
That’s because there always are unscrupulous people
who will find a way to cheat the system. Suppose one state
implemented a bounty system requiring hunters to turn in
pigtails as proof of kill. Without question, that state would
receive a lot of pigtails, not only from within its boundaries
but also pigtails from neighboring states and from
domestic swine slaughterhouses from across the country.
Aside from the damage
caused by pigs, what’s even
worse is that once they become
established in the area, they can
become almost impossible to eradicate.
This brings us back to the question of what forest
landowners are to do if they have pigs. Unfortunately, the
burden of managing wild pigs falls upon the shoulders of
the landowner. In most cases, an intensive, premeditated
removal program using trapping as the primary method is
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Pigs consume food plot plantings and
target longleaf pine due the high level
of carbohydrates in the roots of newly
planted trees. Here is an example of
how repeated rubbing from pigs can
injure a tree.
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required to reduce the damage
caused by pigs and in some
cases eradicate the population.
Trapping is the most
effective means from both a cost
and time standpoint to remove
large numbers of pigs, especially
in forested environments,
because you can run multiple
traps simultaneously. Large
corral-style traps using three
or four welded wire panels 16
feet in length work best and
are easy to construct. Avoid
box or cage traps as they don’t
permit non-target species, such
as deer or bears, to escape out
the top of the trap if captured.
Other important pieces of
equipment include game cameras
and feed dispensers. Positioned to
record pig activity at the trap, camera
images provide a wealth of information
such as how many pigs are using the
trap (compare this number to those
you captured and don’t stop trapping
until you’ve captured them all), arrival
and departure times, and how well the
pigs have been conditioned to the trap.
A feeder with a timer is invaluable in
keeping bait in the trap and minimizing
the frequency in which revisits to the
trap need to be made. And if you really
want to go high tech, several companies
produce monitoring systems that allow
you to close the trap door based on camera
images of what’s in your trap that are
received in near real-time and sent directly
to your smart phone. This technology is
expensive on the front end, but will save
significant time and effort each year in not
having to revisit a trap until pigs are captured.
Once captured, pigs should be
quickly euthanized with a .22 gunshot to
the brain cavity and the carcass should
be properly disposed. In most states it
is illegal to transport live wild pigs to
a holding pen to “feed them out” or to
In many states wild pigs are considered nuisance animals and have no bag limits, no closed season, and few restrictions on how they may be killed.
Scott Jones, Executive Director of FLA (left) and FLA regional vice president Troy Harris display wild pigs they harvested near Columbus, Ga.
Trapping is the most
effective means from both
a cost and time standpoint
gloves since pigs can host several diseases transmissible to
humans. Before consuming wild pigs, make sure the meat is
cooked to an internal temperature of at least 145 degrees.
There are several online resources that provide information
for managing wild pigs including information on trapping and
to remove large numbers of
other control techniques. A comprehensive resource is
pigs, especially in forested
as a free PDF download from Alabama Cooperative Extension
environments, because you can
run multiple traps simultaneously.
your local slaughterhouse. They must be killed onsite
and processed accordingly if they are to be consumed.
Wild pigs make great table fare whether on the grill or
processed into sausage, hams, or even bacon. One thing to
remember whenever handling wild pigs, such as during field
dressing and butchering, is to wear latex, rubber, or nitrile
“A Landowner’s Guide for Wild Pig Management” available
and Mississippi State Extension that serves as a good
starting point for unbiased science-based information.
Because laws vary greatly among states, it’s important before
undertaking any wild pig control activities to consult with your
local conservation officer regarding legal means for controlling pigs
in your area or for any special permits that might be required.
Mark D. Smith is Associate Professor/Extension Specialist,
Alabama Cooperative Extension System, School of Forestry
and Wildlife Sciences, Auburn University.
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