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THE FERAL HOG in Oklahoma SECOND EDITION Russell Stevens

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THE FERAL HOG in Oklahoma SECOND EDITION Russell Stevens THE FERAL HOG in Oklahoma SECOND EDITION Russell Stevens Agricultural Division NF-WF-10-01 The Feral Hog in Oklahoma R.L. Stevens, Wildlife and Range Consultant The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Ardmore, Oklahoma All photos by R.L. Stevens except where noted. This publication is a creative work fully protected by all applicable copyright laws, as well as by misappropriation, trade secret, unfair competition, and other applicable laws. Except for appropriate use in critical reviews or works of scholarship, the reproduction or use of this work in any form or by any electronic, mechanical or other means now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying, digital imaging, and in any information storage and retrieval system is forbidden without express permission of the authors. The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Inc. Agricultural Division 2510 Sam Noble Parkway Ardmore, Oklahoma 73401 CIP Publisher Data 9780975430330 0975430335 SF397.83.O55 $b S84 2010 Stevens, Russell L. The feral hog in Oklahoma / $c by Russell L. Stevens. 2nd ed. Ardmore, Okla. : $b Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, $c 2010. 19 p. : $b ill. ; $c 28 cm. NF-WF-10-01 Includes bibliographical references. Feral swine $z Oklahoma. Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation. ISBN: 978-0-9754303-3-0 © 2010 Cover photo taken along Hickory Creek in Love Printed in the United States of America County Okla. by Russell Stevens, author. Table of Contents Introduction 1 History 1 Current Status and Distribution 2 Biological Characteristics 4 Description 4 Home Range, Reproduction and Activity Periods 6 Food Habits 6 Competition and Environmental Concerns 6 Habitat Preferences 7 Feral Hog Sign 8 Depredation and Disease 11 Depredation 11 Disease and Parasites 11 Methods of Control 13 Trapping 13 Hunting 16 Fencing 17 Toxicants 17 Predators 17 Summary 18 References 18 Organizations 18 Online Resources 18 Introduction Oklahomans have enjoyed or cursed feral hogs (Sus scrofa) in the southeastern and eastern parts of the state for several years. Oklahomans in many other areas of the state are following suit. At one time, do- mesticated hogs were managed as free ranging livestock in parts of the state. These domesticated hogs would often become feral and were hunted or trapped for meat. Managing domesticated hogs as free ranging livestock is not a common practice any more. However, feral hog populations remained and are spread- ing throughout the state. As feral hog populations have expanded, debate about the pros and cons of their presence has become more intense. Many landowners, especially farmers, cringe at the thought of feral hogs becoming established on Native to the southwest U.S., the javelina is often confused with the feral hog. Javelinas their property. Some hunters, on the other are hog-like in appearance, however, they are not closely related. (photo by Warren Lynn) hand, look forward to having them on their favorite hunting grounds. To some hunters, the feral hog represents a formi- History dable trophy worthy of paying money to hunt. To some landowners, the potential of leasing feral hog hunting rights makes Feral hogs are wild swine from domestic feral hog belongs to a different species, it a bit easier to accept the presence of the ancestry and belong to the family Suidae. genus and family than the javelina. animals. Regardless of landowners’ and There are three types of wild hogs found Ancestors of swine (Suidae family) date hunters’ opinions, feral hogs have proven in the United States: feral hogs, Eurasian to the Miocene. During the period when their ability to survive and procreate, and wild boar (Russian) and hybrids between the world was shifting and forming new will probably be around for a while. these two types. All of these types are the continents, the swine family was excluded same species. from the North American continent. It California, Florida and Texas have probably was not until the discovery of the highest numbers of feral hogs in the the continent by Europeans that swine U.S. Some of the Hawaiian Islands have found their way into what is now the substantial populations, and Oklahoma’s United States. Early explorers such as population is healthy and growing. De- Hernando Cortes and Hernando de Soto spite their widespread populations, feral brought over domesticated swine, but it hogs are not indigenous (native) to the was not until the 1930s that the Russian U.S. wild boar was introduced. Although the collared peccary or jave- lina (Tayassu tajacu) is vaguely similar Left: This scene can represent different in appearance to the feral hog, it is a things to different people. Some may be different animal. The javelina is native inspired to hunt, others may see an extra to the southwest U.S. and belongs to the source of income and yet others see family Tayassuidae. The identities of these economic and ecological disaster. animals are sometimes confused, but the The Feral Hog in Oklahoma | 1 Present Reported feral hogs in county from at least one agency Absent No reported feral hogs in county from all agencies Figure 1. Presence of feral hog in Oklahoma by county. 2007. Recent evidence indicates that feral hogs are now present in every Oklahoma county. Current Status and Distribution Today, there are areas in the U.S. where distribution in Oklahoma. Like the white- More recent anecdotal evidence sug- the pure Russian wild boar (native to Eu- tailed deer, their secretive nature makes it gests that feral hogs are likely present in rope and Asia) can still be found due to difficult to obtain an accurate count. State- the remaining three counties. Based on importation for sport hunting purposes. wide distribution is easier to estimate, but respondent estimates, the feral hog popu- However, most feral hogs are from domes- is mostly limited to knowledge of their lation in Oklahoma was between 617,000 ticated swine. Feral hogs are wild, but are presence or absence in a particular county. and 1.4 million. The lowest agency esti- not a different species than domestic hogs During the summer of 2007, Noble Foun- mate of the number of feral hogs in Okla- or Russian boars. Webster’s dictionary de- dation wildlife and fisheries staff initi- homa was 430,000 and the highest was fines feral as having escaped from domes- ated a statewide survey to obtain a better 1.6 million. The average low and high tication and become wild. Hence, all feral estimate of the distribution and number estimate for all agencies was 617,000 hogs in the U.S. up until the 1930s were of feral hogs in Oklahoma. The survey and 1.4 million, respectively. Density es- from domestic stock. In a few areas where was conducted by wildlife and fisheries timates were assigned to mapping grids the Russian boar was imported for sport intern David Rempe. Agencies surveyed representing 20 square miles. These grids hunting, escapes have occurred resulting included the Oklahoma Department of did not follow river drainages where re- in feral/Russian crossbreeding. Wildlife Conservation, Natural Resources spondents indicated most feral hogs were The feral hog has been very successful Conservation Service, Oklahoma State located. With inherent mapping error in expanding its range and increasing in University Extension and Oklahoma De- taken into account, the estimated feral numbers. Its success can be attributed to partment of Agriculture Wildlife Services. hog population in Oklahoma was calcu- several factors: free ranging husbandry Representatives of each of these agencies lated to be 500,000 or less (Figure 2). methods, introduction and re-introduc- were contacted in every Oklahoma county Several variables influenced the estimat- tion of feral hogs by hunters, water de- and asked if feral hogs were present in ed year that a feral hog was first present velopment in arid areas, improved range the county. If they were, we asked them to in each county (Figure 3) including the condition through better livestock grazing estimate density based on three categories: absence of records for first observations, practices, the animal’s ability to adapt to abundant (less than 10 acres per hog), unreported first public sightings and a variety of situations and eat a variety of moderate (11-50 acres per hog) or sparse the respondent being new to a county. foods, and the hogs’ ability to reproduce (greater than 51 acres per hog). They were However, the earliest record of feral hogs rapidly. Feral hog populations also have also asked the year that feral hogs were in Oklahoma is from the south-central benefited from increased disease control first observed in the county. and southeastern portions of the state. It in the domestic livestock industry. Respondents indicated that feral hogs appears that feral hog populations have Historically, there are no accurate ac- were present in 74 of Oklahoma’s 77 been spreading across the state from the counts of feral hog numbers or their counties (Figure 1). southeast to the northwest. 2 | History Abundant 64+ feral hogs per square mile Moderate 13-58 feral hogs per square mile Sparse <13 feral hogs per square mile Figure 2. Estimated feral hog density in Oklahoma. 2007. Pre-1970 1970-1979 1980-1989 1990-1999 2000-2007 No feral hog Figure 3. Estimated year feral hogs first present by county. 2007. The Feral Hog in Oklahoma | 3 Biological Characteristics Determining distinguishing characteristics between all possible crosses of domestic, feral and Russian hogs can be difficult. Studies have been conducted using DNA, skull measurements, external body mea- surements, coat coloration patterns, bris- tles and other criteria, but definite deter- minants have not yet been developed for all possible crosses. Therefore, it should be noted that the following descriptions are general and relative. Description In general, a feral hog looks like its do- mestic counterpart.
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