I know quite a bit about feral hogs as I've caught & kept a few and have hunted them & studied them for well over twenty yrs.
A few things I thought I'd pass along: Scientific name is Sus Scrofa, as mentioned they are of European/Russian descent.
Probably no such thing as 100% pure wild hog anymore since they have interbred everywhere with domestic/feral pigs.
True feral hogs will max out around 400 lbs but this size is quite rare in my experience. Most very large ferals are in the 300 lb range. If you see one in the wild that is 400 lbs plus, it most likely is still fairly domestic, meaning its probably someone's pig that got loose. An 800 -1100 lb hog running around in the wild rest assured is someones awoled pig, lol!
Pigs will and do eat anything, even other pigs on rare occasion. I've witnessed pigs first hand eating chickens.
Now one really important thing about feral pigs for all you chicken people who think a swarm of feral pigs is gonna get your chickens any moment! Feral pigs do not do very well on dry land. If the woods that surround you rarely if ever get wet/standing water, sloughs, etc... Don't worry! Feral hogs will if anything just be passing through until they find low lying wetter areas.
They need water, they love water to slop in & the wet slop they roll around in helps protect them from biting insects. Dry land is just not attractive to feral hogs.
As for eating feral hogs, now that's some good eating! Most are good even boar. Now when I'm hunting, I like the ones 100 lbs or less. A 60-80 lb hog IMO can't be beat for tablefare. Besides, it ain't no fun dragging a 300 lb pig out of the woods, no thank you.
Pigs are very intelligent, commonly it is stated they are smarter than most dogs. They have poor eye sight because they are mostly nocturnal. Their best sense is their sense of smell. There are not many land animals that can smell better than a pig.
Hope this helps!
...JP
A few things I thought I'd pass along: Scientific name is Sus Scrofa, as mentioned they are of European/Russian descent.
Probably no such thing as 100% pure wild hog anymore since they have interbred everywhere with domestic/feral pigs.
True feral hogs will max out around 400 lbs but this size is quite rare in my experience. Most very large ferals are in the 300 lb range. If you see one in the wild that is 400 lbs plus, it most likely is still fairly domestic, meaning its probably someone's pig that got loose. An 800 -1100 lb hog running around in the wild rest assured is someones awoled pig, lol!
Pigs will and do eat anything, even other pigs on rare occasion. I've witnessed pigs first hand eating chickens.
Now one really important thing about feral pigs for all you chicken people who think a swarm of feral pigs is gonna get your chickens any moment! Feral pigs do not do very well on dry land. If the woods that surround you rarely if ever get wet/standing water, sloughs, etc... Don't worry! Feral hogs will if anything just be passing through until they find low lying wetter areas.
They need water, they love water to slop in & the wet slop they roll around in helps protect them from biting insects. Dry land is just not attractive to feral hogs.
As for eating feral hogs, now that's some good eating! Most are good even boar. Now when I'm hunting, I like the ones 100 lbs or less. A 60-80 lb hog IMO can't be beat for tablefare. Besides, it ain't no fun dragging a 300 lb pig out of the woods, no thank you.
Pigs are very intelligent, commonly it is stated they are smarter than most dogs. They have poor eye sight because they are mostly nocturnal. Their best sense is their sense of smell. There are not many land animals that can smell better than a pig.
Hope this helps!
...JP
