WILD BOAR (feral hogs)!

by Denny L. Vasquez

When many of us think about wild boar, we think of one thing, Russian Boars. After all, the pictures in the ads in the hunting magazines feature a fierce looking, huge tusked, heavy bodied boar; the perfect example of a “Russian” or European boar. The mystique of these creatures is further enhanced by the stories told about Russian boars being the toughest of the swine family to hunt. It seems that stories abound about what these formidable animals have done to earn their reputation. When you look for something exciting to do between hunting seasons, these tough animals can be just the thing to provide a little excitement and challenge to a boring part of the hunting year.

My research conducted while preparing for a recent hunt has indicated that outside of a few high fenced game preserves, there are almost no pure Russian or European boars in the wilds of North America today. Over the years, most of the strains of these boars that were imported into North America have intermixed with wild feral hogs. And like most of their fellow Americans, while it is true that many of these hogs do have some Russian characteristics, they are no longer pure Russians. Several game biologists from around the country verified this fact for me.

The hogs that you will find rapidly populating the countryside are members of the Suidae genus. They are omnivorous mammals having thick, stout bodies with a bristled skin. Other characteristics are a long broad nose or snout, poor eyesight, long straight tails, cleft hooves and they can be found in a wide variety of colors, such as red, black, brown, yellow, white and any combination there of; even though many of the original European boars were either solid black or brown and had black legs and ears.

The different breeds of hogs that are encountered today, both in the wild or on the farm, are descendants of either the European wild boar, Suidae Scrofa, or a crossbreed of this and the Asiatic wild boar, Suidae Indicus. Some of the nicknames that these nocturnal feeders have earned are “Razorback” and “Piney Woods Rooter”. I can’t print the more colorful ones that are often applied when a farmer comes across his field after a night time visit from a herd of wild swine.

The first true wild European boars, as opposed to domesticated swine turned feral, that were originally imported into this country came from the Ural Mountains area of Russia; hence, the name Russian boars. A retired sea captain imported 14 head into a rail fenced enclosure atop Hooper’s Bald in North Carolina in 1912. The offspring of this original group have since been sold all over the US. For example, in the 1930’s, Leroy Denman of the San Antonio Loan & Trust Company stocked the St. Charles Peninsula, near Austwell, Texas with them. This area is now known as the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge and is the wintering grounds to the world’s remaining population of whooping cranes. Also, the offspring of many of these pigs are now free ranging in the Los Padres National Forest, Santa Lucia Range, Sierra de Salinas Range and the Gahilan Range of California, after being introduced into the area by Randolph Hearst in the 1920’s.

On average, an adult European wild boar will weight between 150 to 350 pounds, field dressed, and measure up to 40 inches high at the shoulders, as opposed to domesticated swine turned feral which have been rumored to have reached weights in excess of 700 pounds. Sows of the same age and condition will weight less and reach a height of around 30 inches at the shoulders. A domesticated boar turned feral that is the result of several generations in the wild will have smaller ears than his domesticated counterpart. The ears will be covered in silky black hair and will either stand straight up or be slanted slightly backward as opposed to a domesticated boar’s ears that often appear to be floppy or droopy.

In wintertime a coat of dense fur covers a boar along the ears, neck and shoulders and forms the “hog shield” which serves as sort of armor during the mating ritual fights. The rest of the body is covered with “guard” hairs that are 3 to 5 inches long and have split ends. These split ends are usually silver or golden in color and give the boar a tan or grayish-white appearance when viewed from a distance. Piglets are striped from birth to about 2 months of age and will have light colored longitudinal lines on a tan or reddish background.

Most of a European wild boar’s weight is in his front end, as evidenced by massive shoulders, while his rear end can appear to be small enough to be out of proportion with his body. There is also a noticeable downward slope from the top of the shoulders to the root of the tail. A domesticated boar turned feral will usually have a body shape consistent with his farm yard cousins, somewhat resembling a bloated torpedo.

As a trophy, boars rank with the best worldwide, and are judged based upon the length of their tusks. Except for the cape, which is used in head and shoulder mounts, a boar’s hide is of much lesser quality than most other game animals. The meat of a wild European boar, even a huge tusker, can be of gourmet quality and is so recognized all over the world. However, the meat of a large feral boar is almost inedible, unless the boar has at least 50% Suidae Scrofa blood in his veins.

Terrain makes little difference to a wild boar, whether it is along the coastal plains or the rocks and canyons of the hill country and lower elevations of the mountainous regions of the world. They do, however, tend to congregate in areas of dense vegetation that are often associated with watering sources, as opposed to more open areas; especially during daylight hours. Boars are omnivorous in their feeding habits, rooting up acres of ground in search of grubs, mushrooms, roots and tubers. Relished items include wild fruits and nuts, insects, snails and reptiles. Agricultural crops are not spared as they search out such items as corn, milo, rice, wheat, soybeans, peanuts, potatoes, watermelons and cantaloupes. They will also eat carrion until it gets ripe, then they will shun it.

Wild boars are also very adept at killing sheep, goats, fawns, quail, turkey and other small mammals. For this reason, they have been declared a predatory animal in some regions. Feral hogs will feed on a carcass until nothing but bones and hide remain, regardless of the smell, while true European wild boars will not. Both can subsist on a quart of water a day, but will drink a gallon per day if it is available. They quickly learn the location of every watering hole in their range and usually water every 12 hours. And like their domestic cousins, they like to wallow in the mud during the hotter weather; though they will usually water and wallow at night, as they are largely nocturnal in their habits.

Wild and feral boars are sexually mature at 8-10 months. They have a gestation period of 4 months or 114-120 days. A sow’s first litter is usually 4-6 striped piglets with subsequent litters having 5-10. Each litter is usually born with a 1:1 male to female ratio. Piglets will normally stay with the sow until she mates again, though they rarely have more than one litter a year. Even thought the average life expectancy is 4 to 5 years, tough old boars have been known to live 20 years, with a documented case on the YO ranch in Texas reaching 22 years of age.

Wild boars are usually hunted by 3 methods. The first method is to utilize a baited stand. This is the same principle as stand hunting for deer while using a feeder or black bear hunting while using a bait barrel. A likely place is chosen and a feeder or bait stand is set up to try and draw the hogs into shooting range. The only problem with this type of hunting is that it can get very boring and the hunter usually only gets one shot or at the most two shots before the hogs head out for the next county. Once you have shot a hog from a particular stand, then you might as well move to another, undisturbed area and start again.

The second method, and probably the most exciting, is to run the hogs to bay with a pack of specially trained hog dogs. This method can cover a lot of territory in a hurry. It is of utmost importance that the hunters and dog handlers stay fairly close to the dogs during the chase as you must be able to reach them quickly once the dogs have brought a hog to bay or several very bad things can happen; the worst of which is that a very expensive dog can get cut up really bad or even killed. The good thing about running hogs with dogs is that it gives you a chance to look the hog over before deciding if you really want to shoot it or not. A disadvantage of hunting with dogs is that the hunter has to be in really good shape to endure all of the running, climbing or crawling and still be steady enough to make a clean kill when called upon to do so.

The third and probably most popular method is to spotlight for them at night. Yes, it is legal to spotlight for non-game animals in most areas of the US at night. However, it is best that if you intend to use this method that you notify your local game warden of your intent prior to starting the hunt. A notification of this nature can save a lot of embarrassment later on. This method is popular because it tends to provide a lot of action. You come up on the hogs rather suddenly as you ride around in the back of a truck. Then the shooting is fast and furious because they will only stay in the open for a few seconds. There is no time to pick and choose your target. You simply shoot the first hog that presents itself. Another reason that this method is so popular is that it is not all that physically demanding.

Well, until next time, keep your powder dry, the wind in your face and the sun at your back.