Saline Springs Conservation Information



You Can Kill Feral Hogs at Rudolf Bennett CA, If You Can Find Them!

Last week a concerned citizen made a call to the Columbia Regional office wanting to know if he could kill wild hogs on the Rudolf Bennett Conservation Area. The answer is yes and pretty please! The man further reported that he had seen two adult and two smaller “wild hogs” near the conservation area. This is not the first report of feral hogs in northeast Howard County. A few years ago MDC staff received reports of another wild hog that turned out to be a tame pig that had gotten loose. MDC staff has not been able to determine if this latest report can be substantiated as feral hogs or another case of a domestic hog that escaped captivity. None the less, it should be noted that you DO NOT want feral hogs running around in Howard County. Feral hogs cause concern for native wildlife, agricultural producers and can cause unwanted diseases in commercial hog operations, in fact the feral hog problem is so important to Missouri’s natural resources that the governor has formed a Feral Hog Task force made up of several agencies to help stop the spread of feral hogs. For more information please see the Missouri Conservationist article below written by Rex Martensen….

FERAL HOGS:

BAD FOR MISSOURI

Feral hogs are a growing concern for Missourians and are now established in more than 20 counties of the state.

INTRO

Usually, when the subject of feral hogs is brought up, I get two questions; “Do we have them in Missouri?” and, “Are they a problem?”

The answer to both questions is, “Yes!”

Right now we know that feral hogs are established in over 20 of Missouri’s 114 counties. The infested counties are predominantly in the southern half of the state with at least one pocket of pigs north of the Missouri River. Feral hogs in Missouri are not exactly late-breaking news since a few counties in the south central and southwest Ozarks have had free roaming hogs for a number of years. Those populations were small, isolated and kept in check by hunters and local hog trappers.

It wasn’t until the 1990s that the feral hog situation in Missouri began to change. Hog hunting as a form of recreation began gaining in popularity and the intentional release of hogs on public land spread feral hog populations to new areas. Since feral hogs are very adaptable and prolific it didn’t take long until their numbers started growing at an alarming rate and we started getting damage complaints from private landowners.

THE PROBLEMS WITH FERAL HOGS

WILDLIFE CONCERNS

Feral hogs cause a wide variety of problems and are a serious concern for private landowners, fish and wildlife managers, and nature enthusiasts of all kinds. They are very destructive to sensitive natural areas like glades, fens and springs. Their tendency to wallow in wet areas can literally destroy these types of important habitats. The rooting and feeding behavior of feral hogs also contribute to soil erosion and reduced water quality.

Since they are omnivorous, eating both plants and animals, they can feed on reptiles and amphibians, and have been known to kill and feed on deer fawns. They also consume the eggs of any ground nesting birds they may find. Basically anything that lives on the ground is a potential meal for a feral hog.

Feral hogs also forage heavily on acorns. Many wildlife species in the Ozarks depend on the availability of acorns as their main food source. Any acorns consumed by feral hogs come at the expense of Missouri’s native wildlife.

AGRICULTURE CONCERNS

Feral hogs are also a major concern to Missouri's agriculture community. They damage and destroy row crops; root-up hay and pasture land; and damage tree plantings and other types of agriculture.

One of the biggest threats to agriculture is the potential transfer of disease from infected feral hogs to domestic swine herds. Feral hogs in other states are known to carry diseases such as swine brucellosis and pseudorabies. Both of these diseases cause abortions in sows and high mortality in piglets. Brucellosis can be contracted by humans where it is known as undulate fever. Pseudorabies is not transferable to humans and is not related to rabies.

Missouri’s domestic swine are considered disease free and a good source for safe, healthy pork products. However an outbreak of swine brucellosis or pseudorabies from feral hogs into domestic swine could severely cripple Missouri’s pork industry creating a negative economic impact that would affect the entire state.

DISEASE

Aside from domestic swine the spread of disease to people, pets and other livestock is another concern. Feral hogs have been documented in various studies to carry a total of 30 significant viral and bacterial diseases and 37 parasites.

Feral hogs in Missouri are currently being tested for pseudorabies, brucellosis, tularemia and classical swine fever. Inexpensive blood test kits are available to hunters and are being utilized by government personnel to collect blood samples.

We are fortunate not to have had an outbreak or serious issues with diseases from feral hogs; however four cases of pseudorabies and brucellosis have been discovered in feral hogs in Missouri. In at least two of those cases infected feral hogs were brought into the state for the purpose of hunting. Quick action from the Missouri Department of Agriculture helped stop the spread of these diseased animals. Fortunately, infected hogs in Missouri have been isolated enough that eradication efforts were successful in removing the threat. Other states have not been as fortunate.

ERADICATION

Feral hogs are not classified as wildlife therefore they are not under the control of the Missouri Department of Conservation. They also escape the regulations of the Missouri Department of Agriculture because they are not owned nor confined. Feral hogs are simply considered an invasive, exotic species. This has complicated feral hog control and eradication efforts.

State and federal agencies such as the MO Dept. of Conservation, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, US Forest Service, and US Army Corps of Engineers are active in the eradication of feral hogs on their respective properties and adjoining landowners. The US Department of Agriculture / Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA/APHIS) - Wildlife Services staff are assisting those efforts as well as helping private landowners eradicate hogs.

Hunters have also played an important role in helping control Missouri’s feral hog numbers. Without their participation, Missouri would be dealing with significantly larger numbers of feral hogs than what we are dealing with today; however, hunting alone has not proven to be a sufficient tool to eradicate feral hogs.

Trapping and Snaring are the most common and effective methods for catching hogs. By using corral type traps with a one way door multiple hogs can be caught at one time. If trapping is not an option then baiting and shooting as hogs come to feed is also effective. Because feral hogs are often active at night this method is enhanced when night vision equipment is employed by state and federal employees.

Another control method involves using a “Judas pig”, or a pig that betrays the others. By catching and placing a radio transmitter on a juvenile pig and releasing it back to the wild it gives away the location of other hogs and eradication efforts can then be focused on the whole group. Specially trained bay dogs are sometimes used to catch the Judas pig and its comrades. Bay dogs can also be effective for removing small pockets of hogs or hogs that are “trap shy”.

Aerial gunning (shooting pigs from a helicopter) has also proven to be very effective under the right circumstances. USDA / APHIS-Wildlife Services have used this method extensively in Kansas and Texas. The Missouri Department of Conservation has successfully used this technique to a much lesser degree

These aggressive and seemingly extreme methods must be used to effectively reduce feral hog numbers. Because of their reproductive potential research has indicated that 70% of a feral hog population must be removed annually to keep it from growing.

HUNTING

Another question that I often get is, “Where can I go to hunt feral hogs?”

My answer is, “Texas, Oklahoma or Arkansas!”

I do encourage killing feral hogs at every opportunity but hunting for them exclusively in Missouri is difficult at best and not recommended. Populations are typically scattered over large expanses of rugged Ozark real estate transecting public and private land. Finding them is likened unto finding that proverbial “needle in a hay stack”.

Private landowners who have feral hogs tend to take care of the problem themselves or enlist the help of USDA / APHIS – Wildlife Services. Some local hunters, who live in hog country, are having success killing feral hogs as they have a better chance of knowing where the hogs are from day to day. Other, non-local hunters are opportunistically killing hogs while hunting deer or other species of wildlife.

Regulations governing the take of feral hogs are liberal to non-existent. During most of the year no permit is required and any legal hunting method is allowed. There are some restrictions during the firearms deer and turkey seasons and details can be found in the Wildlife Code or at the Missouri Department of Conservation’s web site. This liberal regulation approach was designed to make it easy for hunters to kill hogs when the opportunity presented itself and to aid eradication efforts. While these liberal regulations minimize restrictions on shooting feral hogs it has, unfortunately, created law enforcement issues that sometimes complicate the protection of our native wildlife species.

ILLEGAL RELEASE OF FERAL HOGS

With all of the negative affects associated with feral hogs it seems elementary that everyone would support their complete eradication. Unfortunately some individuals have contributed to the spread of feral hogs by intentionally releasing them for the purpose of recreational hunting.

While some might argue the recreational value of hunting feral hogs in Missouri the detrimental effects of feral hogs far out weigh and benefits. Releasing feral hogs is illegal and should be reported directly to law enforcement agencies or by calling the Operation Game Thief Hotline at: 1-800-392-1111.

CLOSING COMMENTS

Feral hogs are bad for Missouri and steps need to be taken to eradicate them from both public and private land. The seriousness that these animals pose to Missouri has even caught the attention of our Governor. To help elevate awareness of the impacts of feral hogs Governor Blunt, in the fall of 2007, formed a special task force calling for an action plan to address the feral hog problem in Missouri. This task force was a collection of state and federal agencies, and private groups who represent a wide variety of resource, agricultural and citizen interests.

The Governor’s Feral Hog Task Force agrees that a statewide, cooperative effort between various governmental and non-governmental agencies, private landowners and Missouri citizens is necessary to control feral hogs in the state. Key members of the public, legislators and the judiciary need to be informed of the consequences of feral hogs so appropriate decisions can be made. Current laws and penalties need to be reviewed to evaluate their effectiveness at stopping feral hog releases. Public land managers and private landowners need to work cooperatively at eradicating feral hogs from their respective properties. Funding sources need to be identified and pursued to support direct feral hog control efforts. Disease monitoring needs to be continued and prompt reporting of feral hogs needs to be encouraged to help eradications efforts. To report feral hogs or request blood test kits call the Missouri Department of Conservation at 573-751-4115 or USDA at 573-449-3033

Make no mistake; Feral hogs are everyone’s problem and feral hog control will be an ongoing process that will take long term dedication. With wide support for feral hog eradication we can make a better Missouri for wildlife, agriculture and all citizens across the state.

SIDE BAR SUGGESTIONS

GOVERNOR’S TASK FORCE

The Governor created a Feral Hog Task Force to help address the concerns surrounding feral hogs. This task force was a collection of state and federal agencies, and private groups who represent a wide variety of resource, agricultural and citizen interests. Members of this special task force included:

Missouri Department of Agriculture, Co-chair

Missouri Department of Conservation, Co-chair

Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services

Missouri Department of Natural Resources

Conservation Federation of Missouri

MFA Incorporated

Missouri Farm Bureau

Missouri Forest Products Association

Missouri Pork Association

U.S. Department of Agriculture-Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

WHAT IS A FERAL HOG

A feral hog is basically any hog that is not marked to show ownership and roaming freely upon the landscape. These feral hogs can be domestic hogs or, Eurasian or Russian type hogs that have escaped captivity or been intentionally released. Missouri’s feral hogs are usually solid black but can be red, spotted or, black and white depending on how much domestic hog is mixed in them. They tend to have longer hair, straight tails and long tusks.

WHERE DID THEY COME FROM

Missouri’s feral hogs have originated from a variety of sources including escapes from “on-the-ground” hog operations, released pets (pot bellied pigs), and accidental escapes from licensed shooting preserves that offer hog hunts. Today most hog operators are considered commercial and keep all of their hogs in confinement buildings.

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