Becoming High on the Hog

Tom LounsburyConservation & Wildlife Management, Hunting Stories & Adventures, Hunting Tips & Techniques

One of the most widespread mammals in the world is “Sus scrofa”, the pig, also known as swine or hog. Its presence has been known in the “New World” since Columbus introduced them to the Caribbean islands during his second voyage in 1493.  Hernando de Soto introduced them to what would become the continental United States in 1539, and during his 3-year expedition through what is now 14 states, pigs brought along as a steady food source, would often escape, and quickly adapted to the wild, and became what is known as “feral”. Wherever they explored or settled, the French would also bring in more pigs, as did American colonists and settlers. Yep, folks, pork has been a very popular commodity since way back when. Russian settlers introduced hogs on the west coast, including California, in the early 1700’s.

Free-range livestock practices, which were quite popular through history right up into the early 20th Century, and especially in southern states, would do much to spread wild hog numbers. From 1900 until the 1980’s, wild hog populations were primarily found in the southern tier of states, and in states on the west coast. What would add a distinct influence on the wild hog populations in North America was the introduction of Eurasian wild boars, which began in the 1890’s, as a big game animal for wealthy sportsmen. This was usually performed, but not always, on fenced-in hunting preserves, where frequent escapees would eventually readily interbreed with wild, aka feral, hogs, creating the unique hybrid which is widespread today.

Hogs don’t have the best eyesight, but they have very acute hearing, and their main asset is their amazing sense of smell, which allows them to find food, even when it is deeply underground (hogs have long been used to find truffles). Wild hogs are a destructive and prolific invasive species well known for rooting around, and a herd (known as a sounder) can play havoc overnight on a crop field and have it looking at daybreak like it had just been plowed under. Wild hogs are also hard on ground nesting birds and other wildlife, such as newborn fawns and rabbits. They can also carry diseases such as hog cholera which can be spread to domestic hogs.

Between 1989 and present, the number of states reporting the presence of wild hogs has more than doubled (it is now 45 states), and one suspected cause in the central part of the country, including Michigan, is the clandestine releases by wild hog enthusiasts, as well as escapees from fenced-in hunting preserves. I spend a lot of time outdoors in my neck-of-the-woods, as well as elsewhere in the state, and have yet to encounter a wild hog or notice the telltale trail sign or damage.

 However, when baiting was still allowed for deer hunting several years ago, a Thumb area deer hunter shot a wild hog raiding his bait pile, which was only a few miles from my home. I had a chance to check it out, and it was a large sow with grizzled, very long and dense hair, and its long snout and physical profile was very typical of a “Russian Boar”. It had no companions, and I sensed it was a solo escapee from a hunting preserve, which probably had traveled far. Being primarily nocturnal helped it from ever being noticed until it was seen raiding the bait pile.

 Folks often assume wild hogs can’t handle the cold, winter weather of northern states, but that isn’t the case at all. They are very well equipped to physically handle whatever Mother Nature throws at them, can even agilely jump over obstacles, not to mention easily swim across rivers. According to some hunters, the wild hog is the second most popular big animal in North America, just behind whitetail deer, and it has a strong following. Hunting wild hogs using dogs is extremely popular as well as hunting over bait or other food sources, and by other techniques, such as spot-and-stalk. Because they are considered an invasive species, there are usually few legal constraints and, in most states, it can be legally hunted at night using lights and any other night-shooting aids. In Texas, they can even be flushed out and shot from helicopters.

Florida is one of the top states where encountering wild hogs nearly everywhere you go is quite common, sometimes even in urban settings. After a busy summer on Mackinac Island, my sister Rosemary enjoys spending winters in her condo in Englewood, Florida. She is in a condo complex which is located right next to the Lemon Bay Conservancy and surrounded by typical “wild Florida” habitat teeming with wildlife. Just the other day she photographed a bobcat resting in the shade on her neighbor’s porch, and a coyote recently woke her by howling just below her bedroom window. Wild hogs have always been a common sight near the complex, but as of late they have begun venturing right in and destructively rooting around in everyone’s yard, with Rosemary’s backyard now looking like it has been completely churned up by a rototiller. None of the residents are very happy with the situation, and I do believe their only recourse is to hire a professional hog trapper who can effectively livetrap and remove matters.

John Shtogren is an award-winning outdoor writer who resides in Virginia and has been hunting wild hogs in various parts of the country for over 30 years. His new book, “High on Hogs”, is about fair chase boar hunting in the southeast, and he firmly believes the lack of legal constraints can often paint a blackeye on hunting in general, especially when viewed by the non-hunting public, which is often openly done on blogs, outdoor shows and especially social media. Shtogren brings up a good point about the fact that 5% of folks support hunting, while 5% doesn’t support hunting, with the remaining 90% being neutral, and matters can easily be influenced by some of the neutral side one way or another. He believes common sense and care must be always used when presenting a hunting scenario to the public.

“High on Hogs” is an informative and enjoyable read which covers every aspect of wild hog hunting including hunting arms and proper ammunition and even what parts of the country have the highest number of wild hogs. Shtogren also delves into the natural body armor which entails the dense fat/cartilage that develops around a mature hog’s ribcage and protects its vital organs from damage sustained from fights with other hogs or attacks from predators. It can also do a dandy job of deflecting bullets which are not properly constructed to effectively penetrate through the body armor. Also brought up is the fact wild hogs can be delicious to eat (I agree).

Current estimates are that nine million wild hogs in the US annually cause $1.5 billion in damage costs. It is clear wild hogs are here to stay, offering a challenging big game animal to hunt. Yep, folks, a fair chase hog hunt sure works for me!

High on Hogs by John A. Shtogren is readily available on Amazon.

Tom Lounsbury
Latest posts by Tom Lounsbury (see all)