West Kentucky Star

Damage by wild hogs continues to grow in the South and beyond

John Parker Campbell describes the wild pigs on his Mississippi family farm as “a constant headache.”

Hogs will eat up corn and peanuts that have just been planted, damaging acres of crops in a night. Some years the hog damage is worse than others but it has been a problem since his father started farming in Copiah County in the 1990s.

The wild hog population has grown over the past 40 years, not just in Mississippi, but across the United States. In the 1980s they lived in 17 states, now they can be found in 35, including Kentucky and Tennessee in the Land Between the Lakes region.

Previously, it was thought they cost the U.S. $2 billion a year but new research indicates that number is actually over $3 billion.

In Mississippi, wild hogs create around $60 million to $80 million in damage every year, including eating crops and damaging property. Farmers, researchers, the state and the federal government are trying to fight the infestation, but it’s a never-ending battle for landowners.

“Farmers have enough stress as it is. They don’t need this modern-day locust,” said Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson

Campbell and his father use traps and have an electric fence around their property to keep the hogs out. The fence has been effective, although the feral pigs have broken through parts of it before. However, it was expensive to initially put up and costs thousands of dollars each year to maintain.

Wild pigs are not native to the United States. The first population was escaped livestock brought to the Americas by European settlers. Later, Eurasian boars were imported for hunting and joined the wild hog population. With no natural predators and plenty of land, water and food, their numbers have grown.

While some owners successfully deterred pigs by using electric fences, the only way to manage the larger population is by killing the hogs.

Mississippi was the first state to launch a statewide wild hog-control program in 2020. The program provides education and traps to landowners.

The program operates with a budget of $183,000 a year which mainly goes to staff salaries and maintenance of smart traps and cameras. The program has four application cycles with each cycle receiving between 35 and 40 applications.

There are a number of ways to reduce the pig population, including using traps, aerial gunning and poison. While wild hogs are considered nuisance animals and can be hunted year round, hunting is relatively ineffective at controlling the larger population.

Aerial gunning in Mississippi is only used by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It also has limited use as the pigs can easily run into the trees for cover, whereas in places like Texas, there is more open and flat land. While there is ongoing research into the use of poisons, including contraceptives, it’s challenging to make sure that other animals don’t eat them.

Trapping is one of the most common methods and is preferred as it requires less time and effort than other methods. A new study from Mississippi State University looked at the economic benefits of trapping.

The average landowner in the study had an estimated $20,000 in hog damages per year. It showed that reducing a local pig population can lead to less damage and $300-$4,000 in savings per pig the next year for land owners. But combating the wild hog problem is an expensive and constant battle.

The study involved intense, dedicated hog removal through Delta Wildlife, a conservation nonprofit.

Jody Acosta, Delta Wildlife’s nuisance-and invasive-species program manager, and his team set up and monitor traps around the Delta. While the team is experienced and knowledgeable, Acosta is clear that the job is not about the glory of hunting but about pest management.

Some of the trap doors will only close when a Delta Wildlife team member remotely pushes a button. So they work around the clock, often late at night, checking the live video feed of the traps. Once they successfully trap a group of pigs, a Delta Wildlife worker quickly makes their way to the trap so they can dispose of the pigs and reset the trap.

The study estimates that it would cost a land owner about $200 per pig if they outsourced every part of trapping. Strickland, one of the study’s authors, acknowledges that “it’s absolutely a big number” but says that the average landowner would likely pay less. Despite the initial sticker shock, Strickland said the study shows that pig removal results in a “positive return on investment” and that government programs are economically viable.

Long term, Strickland thinks it’s possible to reduce the wild pig population through a concerted effort and investment. He urges farmers and landowners to take wild pigs seriously even if there’s only a few on their property at the moment.

“The problem will only get worse and worse,” said Strickland.

(AP Photo Eric Gay)

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