Tusk, Tusk: Missouri’s Smart Strategy Tames Feral Hog Trouble

Guys, looks like we've finally got some good news to share!  It's about some big problems that are happening out in the watersheds of rural Missouri.

Yes, we're talking about the Feral Hog Problem.  Now, before I get started, I will say it's not solved yet.  Not even close.  But progress is being made.

First, let's get everyone on board and up to speed.

The Dpeartment of Conservation has been dealing with this for a hot minute now.

So The Problem Is?

The feral hogs make babies quick. They start as early as six months old. And when they have two to three litters a year, with six to ten or so pigs in each litter? The population grows QUICK. They end up eating up crops and destroying woodlands, that kind of stuff. And since they're so smart (anybody who's worked on a farm with pigs will tell you that), they're super hard to trap. They scatter when they're scared, and that means they're just spreading out more piggies everywhere.

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According to the USDA, they roll around in pastures that have moist areas and hurt the crops. They root up ground in search of acorns, plant roots, earthworms and grubs. They tear up smaller trees by rubbing them. Kinda looks like this.

How Do They Stop Them?

Kevin Crider, the University of Missouri Extension educator on this problem, sent an email out about the progress of the Elimination Partnership, and when he did, he talked about what they're doing with the 600 odd "cooperators" who are working on their own land to help.

Currently, 21 drone operators scour the landscape from the skies. During nighttime operations, drones with heat-sensing cameras scout hogs on the ground. Trappers mark their locations with GPS points. During the day, a helicopter flies to those locations to destroy scouted hogs. Helicopter operations, which occur from December to March, are highly effective at feral hog removal.

They're using a lot of good tech, and it turns out... it's effective.  It's not eliminating the problem immediately, and we still have a long way to go, but it's working.

Okay, So What's the Progress Update?

Basically, Crider says the numbers are going in the right direction. Last year, they removed a little less than eight thousand feral hogs. This year, the official number was more like five thousand.  You might be thinking, "Huh?? They caught less, isn't that bad?"  Well, no. That's great news, because it means the population is shrinking.

“That is a 35% drop in hogs taken off of the landscape. The trajectory is totally in the direction we want to see things moving.”

So while we're literally not out of the woods yet (forgive the pun), but we're getting there.  Baby steps.  Baby piggie steps?  No.

If it keeps up like this, the feral hog situation could be much, much closer to under control in a few years.

Now What?

And in the  meantime, if you're still having difficulty on your land, you have resources.  They have tools to help you, literally.  They have equipment you can borrow to fix the damages the hogs do to your property.  You can read what the DNR has to say here. To report feral hog damage or receive assistance, call the Missouri Department of Conservation at 573-522-4115, Ext. 3296, or visit the department’s feral hogs webpage. You can also find information here.

Hoggingly yours,

Behka