1 / 44

Feral Hogs: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Feral Hogs: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly. Forestry on the Grow Conference 2014 Jaret Rushing CEA- Agri Calhoun County. Some acknowledgments. Dr. Rebecca McPeake Blake Sasse Clint Turnage. History. Early European Settlers de Soto Cortez BLOODLINE?. Bloodline.

bianca
Download Presentation

Feral Hogs: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Feral Hogs: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly Forestry on the Grow Conference 2014 Jaret Rushing CEA-Agri Calhoun County

  2. Some acknowledgments • Dr. Rebecca McPeake • Blake Sasse • Clint Turnage

  3. History Early European Settlers • de Soto • Cortez BLOODLINE?

  4. Bloodline

  5. Expansion in Arkansas • Settlers regularly let their hogs roam free until livestock fencing laws were implemented in AR in the mid 1900s • Fencing laws ignored in several parts of the state through the 1970s and 1980s. • Escapes of hogs kept as livestock in AR common through the 1970s • 1977 - estimated wild hogs found in 4% of AR and were considered to be declining • Movement and intentional release of hogs by hunters wishing to establish new populations believed common in last 30 years Blake Sasse, 2010

  6. Reproductive Characteristics • Gestation? • Triple-3 • Reproduction? • Reproductive rate (12-15 months) • Maturity (8 months old) • Litter Size? • Average (4-8 piglets)

  7. Houston, we have a problem!

  8. Do I have hogs on my land? Hogs can be very sneaky due to their nature so identifying them on your lands may take a little training and understanding. Feral hogs have the tendency to be nocturnal

  9. HOG SIGN

  10. Tracks

  11. Scat Hog scat Deer scat

  12. Wallows/Rubs • Feral hogs lack conventional sweat glands. • Wallows • “Sunburn”

  13. Wallows/Rubs Concern • Holes create back road hazards, break field equipment • Soil erosion & sedimentation • Fecal matter found in water supplies, swimming holes • Stunt or girdle trees • Compact soil around tree roots • Impede forest regeneration

  14. Other signs

  15. Feeding Characteristics • Opportunistically omnivorous • Feral hogs are primarily root and tuber feeders. • ONE OF THE MAJOR BY-PRODUCTS OF FEEDING FOR ROOTS AND TUBERS IS……? ROOTING

  16. Rooting can be anywhere and affect any type of land use technique Residential Farm roads Livestock/forage production Row crops Creek/stream banks Forest regeneration

  17. Kentucky livestock farmer

  18. Calhoun County, AR

  19. Other food sources • Roots • Grasses • Forbes • Mast • Insects • Dead Carcasses

  20. Agricultural Impacts • Destruction of crops and pasturelands • Transmittal of livestock diseases • Food safety issues (e.g., spinach)

  21. Other Concerns • Wildlife competition • Resources • Trespassing issues • Pets

  22. Specific wildlife competition issues • Direct competition with wildlife for limited food sources (e.g., acorns) • Competition for habitat and space • Consumption of some game species and species of concern • Spread of invasive plant species

  23. Potential benefits?

  24. Benefits? Hunting Raising for slaughter Food Monetary gain Viewing/aesthetics

  25. Hunting Impacts • Additional recreation opportunity • Food source • Expenditures for equipment & dogs • GPS receivers • ATVs • Hog dogs, collars, training equipment • Some receive income from selling “hog hunts”

  26. Public perception ?

  27. Arkansas Laws • ACT 1104 of 2013 • Feral hogs are deemed as a “public nuisance” species • Non-game nor domesticated livestock • Transportation in the state is illegal UNLESS; • Transporting to a terminal facility • Once captured by any means, removal (killing) on the spot

  28. Control • After maturity, feral hogs have very little natural predators • Prior to maturity, only several carnivores in Arkansas are predacious to feral hogs

  29. Control • Depends on your goal • Eradication – complete elimination • Population reduction • Must be significant and sustained • Hog populations that are reduced by up to 70% can return to pre-control levels in less than 3 years if anti-hog measures aren’t sustained • May have to determine some level of “acceptable” damage you’re willing to live with Sasse 2010

  30. Control Method • Hunting • Trapping • Castrating

  31. Trap Types

  32. PEN TRAPS

  33. The key to catching hogs in a trap is to have a good door system!

  34. Trap Doors – Rooter gate • Recommended option • Set to let hogs in until doors are triggered • “Rooter” option lets hogs continue to push into the trap • Multiple panels lets small hogs in without opening gate enough for others to get out • Expensive Blake Sasse, 2010 Protach

  35. Trap Doors – No Door • Cheapest option • Seems to catch as many as those with doors • Can also bend back one of the door panels and tie it to a trip wire so it slams shut when a hog hits it Blake Sasse, 2010

  36. Other door types • Guillotine/Slide • Swinging door • Electric/automated • AGFC example

  37. Bait • There are several different types of bait to use. • From personal experience “Buck Jam” is a great bait • Corn as well • The recipe is 150 lbs of corn, 8 lbs of sugar, 2-3 packets of yeast and 5-6 packets of strawberry jello.  We seal it in metal drums and let it ferment for about 4 weeks

  38. Other tips for trapping • Pre-bait • Bait around the outside of the pen • Utilize more than one trap type • Move traps continually • Utilize different bait types • Be creative, yet honest

  39. Creativity without honesty • Santa Cruz Islands • Fort Benning, Georgia

  40. Always remember…… If you’re trapping and doing the right thing, your neighbor might not be. So, try to work together!

  41. Questions?

More Related