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Stop the unwanted feeding of wild pigs

The wild pig population here in Texas has been a growing concern for many years. Pigs are quick to breed; most females are developed and can start carrying a liter at six months of age. When you add a litter size of six to eight piglets with half being female it is not hard to figure out the wild pig population can get out of control fast. 

As a mobile slaughter unit for Texas, we travel to many parts of the state. We see first hand the damage these wild pigs cause to property. Their rooting can destroy fields and wipe out gardens in hours with sounders up to thirty pigs; it doesn't take long for the armies of pigs to cause plenty of havoc.  

Land ownership is changing here in Texas. Property sizes are getting smaller, the ranches that once were hundreds of acres  are now being divided to smaller five to twenty five acres ranchettes for homesteads. This is great. I enjoy seeing people coming back to rural settings. They are bringing new commerce to many of the small Texas towns. People are getting back to knowing where their food comes from and taking interest in how it is being raised. But this is also benefiting wild pigs as well. 

Now instead of having one landowner that could put in place a pig management  for this property, there are twenty to thirty land owners. It can be a bit of a challenge to get thirty people to agree on anything, but I think we can all agree on the importance of a wild pig management program. I don't think it takes us all but if every landowner will take some small steps the wild pig population can be held in check. 

One of the best things every Texas landowner can do to help control the wild pig population is to stop the unwanted feeding of wild pigs.  I have included a video from Texas Ag Extension on how to build a feed pen around a game feeder.  Just about every property we go to in Texas with a mobile processing unit, we see game feeders. Of course, part of the reason is to have rural property to see natural wildlife. But would you believe that I have never seen one with hog panels around it?  

We are on site processing cows, pigs, goats and sheep four to five days out of the week and see game feeders all the time, never not once have I seen one with panels around it. 80% of corn that is broadcasted to feed wildlife goes to wild pigs. They will dominate the feeders have no problem running off other wildlife. Placing panels around those feeders to change that. Deer and other wildlife have no problem jumping over to eat, so the feeder will still have the desired effect of attracting wildlife but now we are not feeding the pigs. 

If your neighbors have had sufficient damage to his property by wild pigs many times they will call in a trapper to remove the pigs. By having your game feeders pen off, you are helping trappers by not supplying that food source to distract their efforts. In the long run you're really helping yourself, if you can get them trapped before the damage is on your property. 

The biggest advantage by not feeding the wild pigs is it does make it harder for them to stay in a condition for breeding. A lack of nutrition will affect their reproductive rates.  Don't stop with game feeders, look at all food sources that wild pigs could get a bite to eat. Like gardens. I have even heard of landowners paneling off water sources like ponds. Wild pigs do carry some diseases and they want to make their property as unattractive to wild pigs as possible.  

I like the metal wire hog panels that are used in the video below because they last for years and years and are easy to set up, but one could use wooden pallets. The advantage of pallets is that you could come across some for free and they will have the same effect. But you will have to continue doing maintenance checking for bad boards often. I could see this working around gardens and compost piles, but maybe not for game feeders for deer. 

I personally have been using hog panels around my game feeders for years. The deer love it. They don't have to compete against the pigs for food. Basically, I just want to make my property as unattractive to wild pigs as possible.

-Jim Loos
Cearbhall Home Slaughter

(Licensed Custom ExemptTexas Mobile Slaughter Unit)
(830) 263-2200