Wild Hogs
Feral hogs are the bane of our existence here in Texas, especially for those who live in nice new suburban areas. They breed quickly and destroy plants, and they are a dangerous obstacle on the roads at night. But I can’t help but admire them for their survival skills and audacious personalities.
Because they have such a variety of color patterns, it is easy to see that many different individuals show up in our game camera videos. At maturity, they can be 36 inches at the shoulder, and weigh from 100 up to 400 pounds. The sows can have two litters a year, with up to 12 piglets per litter. Some videos show multiple generations and it is fun to try to figure out who might be related to whom!
For more about the history of feral hogs and their status, you can see this article from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
We have them here, but I’ve never seen one.
You could earn the gratitude of all of Texas if you would take a couple of ours. 🙂
Haha! I’m sure we have plenty. On our community Facebook page someone posted that he is available to shoot them if anyone wants the ones on their property killed.
I’ve been out driving Texas roads for the past three days, and I saw five dead hogs alongside the road. I presume the increasing number being struck and killed is due in part to the increase in their population. I don’t know how the problem is going to be solved, but we’d best hurry, before they take over the movie theaters and mall parking lots.
Where I live in Montgomery County, they seem to usually stay in the creeks and river bottoms, but this year with it being so wet, I saw a lot more evidence of them being on higher ground. But five on the road in three days is a lot! I would say I usually see just two over three months or so.
Maybe they could let them into the movie theaters when they close for the night, to eat up all the litter people leave behind! 🙂
Are they hunted? Is there a season? Edible? They look wiry and not appetizing.
Yes, they are hunted constantly! There are so many that all the usual rules are suspended for them — you do have to have a hunting license and permission to hunt on private property, but there is no season, and you can even shoot them at night.
Lots of people eat them, but I don’t.
Nothing surprising there. 🙂