Control Wild Hogs to Prevent Crop Damage

Wild hogs are a nuisance to farmers, timberland owners and even subdivision residents.  With recent rains, wild hogs are expanding their ranges and looking for new feeding areas.  The time to control wild hogs on the farm is before the crop is in.  Basically, it is harder to trap the hogs when they have an “all you can eat buffet” on the outside of the trap.  If you see wild hog tracks and signs around your farm, start planning for control before you experience any crop damage.  There are companies who remove wild hogs from your property using corral traps and hunting.

A combination of trapping and hunting is usually required in fields.  Corral traps should be large enough (25-35 foot in diameter) to allow the whole sounder (group of female wild hogs and their young) to enter and move around.  Hogs will need to be conditioned to the trap by baiting the trap and allowing the hogs to feed in the trap for a few days.  Once the sounder is conditioned to entering the trap, the trap can be set either through trip wires or remote.  Using trip wires reduces the success rate.  Using a remote in combination with a game camera increases the success rate.  Loner boar hogs and trap sour sows can be shot or hunted with dogs.

In Florida, wild hogs may be hunted year round on private land (with permission of the landowner) and at night with no permit required.  Hogs may be trapped year round.  Trapped hogs can be shot on site with no permit required, or transported which requires individuals to register with The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services as a Feral Swine Dealer.  Wild hogs cannot be trapped and released onto public land.  Trapped wild hogs can be transported to slaughter, to private lands, or to an approved Feral Swine Holding Facility.  For more information on Wild Hogs, go to: Wild Hogs in Florida: Ecology and Management and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Hog Hunting website.