Missouri’s statewide effort to decrease its feral hog population is working, according to new data released by the Missouri Feral Hog Elimination Partnership. In 2022, 6,289 wild hogs were eliminated across Missouri. Experts point out this is about 3,000 fewer hogs than in 2021, the second year in a row of fewer hogs removed, despite more hours and greater efficiency of aerial operations, more acres scouted, 48 full-time trapper positions across the state, and additional landowner recruitment.
In 2020, 12,635 hogs were removed. A year later in 2021, 9,857 hogs were eliminated. The 2022 tally of 6,289 hogs removed suggests feral hog populations are decreasing, which is consistent with trapper reports and landowner contacts, says Megan Crane, cooperative feral hog outreach educator at University of Missouri Extension.
Wild Pig Elimination Methods are Working in Missouri
“Last year, we also partnered with biologists in Arkansas and Oklahoma to eliminate hogs along the border, which resulted in the removal of an additional 185 hogs,” Crane says.
In addition, the Missouri Feral Hog Elimination Partnership hired four outreach educators through the University of Missouri to work with local organizations and landowners to tackle an education campaign to spread awareness of the severity of the issue, the losses suffered by landowners and farmers, the disease potential, the wildlife impacts, and the difference that elimination efforts are having, she explains.
“Overall, it has been a net positive,” Crane points out. “Another exciting impact of the partnership has been the allocation of funds to place equipment into Soil and Water Conservation districts in counties that are particularly hard hit by hogs. The equipment, machinery such as cultipackers, harrows and disks, are free for landowners to use if they have suffered feral hog damage.”
The Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program survey has been another positive move forward, she adds. The survey involves contacting landowners and determining damages, losses and whether issues are ongoing.
“Landowner responses have been overwhelmingly positive, and most landowners reported that they have not seen hogs or hog signs,” Crane says.
Feral hogs are primarily found in the southern portion of Missouri, within at least 27 counties. Feral hogs are most concerning in the Ozark region of the state, which covers south-central and southeastern Missouri. Efforts made by the Partnership since 2016 have resulted in a 64.9% decrease in the number of feral swine-occupied water sheds in the state of Missouri, according to the 2022 Missouri Feral Hog Report.
How are Aerial Operations Helping Reduce the Feral Hog Population?
Feral swine population removal efforts using aerial operations on both public and private lands resulted in the removal of 1,612 wild hogs in 2022. Of the total hogs removed, 1,427 were removed from Missouri, while 81 were removed from the Arkansas border and 104 were removed from the Oklahoma border. The Partnership utilized eight UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems, or drones) and staff trained for night operations in the state.
“This technology has been instrumental in increasing the efficiency of scouting operations, night removals, targeting of lone boars, and increasing overall aerial operations efficiency. Due to reductions of the feral hog population in 2022 and the cost of operating the aircraft, the partnership adopted a new strategy to make aerial operations as efficient as possible,” the report notes.
Staff on the ground utilize systematic baiting to identify areas where hogs remain on the landscape prior to aerial operations, passing these data points along to UAS operators. Operators locate the sounders prior to aerial operations and then again locate them the day the helicopter is deployed in the area. The real time location of the hogs is sent to the aircraft conducting aerial operations and the hogs are removed. Additional UAS teams simultaneously locate targets for the helicopter to move to throughout the day.
An example of the damage wild hogs create - rooting up newly planted corn. Photo by USDA.
Feral Hogs are an Invasive Pest Nightmare
Wild pig populations cause widespread property and crop damage and can spread disease to domesticated swine. With the threat of African swine fear (ASF) looming, the U.S. pork industry has boosted efforts to lower the population of wild pigs across the country.
“African swine fever is a highly contagious and deadly disease for swine. While it has not currently been found in the U.S., there have been confirmed cases in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. We are particularly concerned with ASF because if it gains a foothold in the U.S., it would spell a catastrophe for the pork industry.”
Pigs are a nightmare because they not only cause damage to personal property and agricultural operations, but the ecological damage caused by hogs is just as significant and extensive.
“Hogs damage trees, sensitive waterways, eat native flora and fauna, and threaten many of the ground nesting birds that are already being closely watched for population declines, such as wild turkey, northern bobwhite quail, and many of our grassland species such as eastern meadowlarks,” Crane says. “Missouri’s rich herpetofauna is also threatened by hog damage, particularly by wallowing behaviors.”
Some people illegally release hogs in order to sell opportunities to hunt them, Missouri Department of Conservation officials say. They’ve also conducted genetic analysis which shows humans are moving the animals between different parts of the state. In 2020, for instance, MDC said that nearly 1 in every 6 of the hogs appears to have been moved in its lifetime.
More from Farm Journal’s PORK:
Feral Swine: USDA Monitors World’s Worst Invasive Alien Species
North Dakota Pig Attack Confirmed To Be An Escaped Domestic Pig
Hunters Shoot Feral Pigs from Helicopters in Texas
The Wild Hog Knows No Fear: True Stories of One of Ag’s Biggest Threats
How is the U.S. Managing the Feral Hog Population?
Monster-Sized Wild Pigs are on the Rise in Canada
Two States Make it Easier for Hunters to Kill Wild Pigs
