Wild Hogs in Southern Forests

Abstract A questionnaire seeking to identify locations of wild hog populations and problems associated with these animals was sent to 733 foresters, wildlife biologists, and land managers in 11 southeastern states. Forty-nine percent of the questionnaires were returned with usable information. Respondents reported on feral hog (Sus scrofa domesticus), European wild hog (S. scrofa cristatus), and hybrid populations which, combined, occupied 42,330 square miles of land. About 67 percent of this land was in Florida and Texas. Texas was the only state reported to have increasing hog populations. Respondents were primarily of the opinion that damage to plant systems was minor except in certain local areas. Competition with deer, turkey, and squirrels for food resources was believed to be an important influence by less than half of the respondents while about one-third rated turkey nest predation as important.