Feral pigs
Feral pigs
Anybody have any experience with feral pigs?
Last week I noticed a torn up area in our back pasture, under some trees. I thought maybe the horses had done it but there were no hoofprints in the dirt. The dirt was pretty well plowed up, it looked like a rototiller jad been in there.
Then a few days later there was another similar area in the back, but not withing the pasture, so I know the horses didn't tear up the ground. Again, it was under some trees.
The torn up areas are roughly 30 feet across. No prints anywhere, except for one that might be a small deer, although the points are not sharp.
There is a creek and a slough nearby, so plenty of water. The cover is too thick to get in there to look for wallows.
I'm in north central Ohio and the closest report of a *possible* pig sighting is about 90 miles south. That guy has pics but the DNR still isn't sure if it's pigs on his place or not :roll:
Is there any other animal that will plow up the ground like that? We have lots of deer but have beeb here 25+ years and have never seen anything like this before.
TIA
Last week I noticed a torn up area in our back pasture, under some trees. I thought maybe the horses had done it but there were no hoofprints in the dirt. The dirt was pretty well plowed up, it looked like a rototiller jad been in there.
Then a few days later there was another similar area in the back, but not withing the pasture, so I know the horses didn't tear up the ground. Again, it was under some trees.
The torn up areas are roughly 30 feet across. No prints anywhere, except for one that might be a small deer, although the points are not sharp.
There is a creek and a slough nearby, so plenty of water. The cover is too thick to get in there to look for wallows.
I'm in north central Ohio and the closest report of a *possible* pig sighting is about 90 miles south. That guy has pics but the DNR still isn't sure if it's pigs on his place or not :roll:
Is there any other animal that will plow up the ground like that? We have lots of deer but have beeb here 25+ years and have never seen anything like this before.
TIA
Feral pigs
Can you post a picture? Based on what you describe it sounds like hogs.
Feral pigs
you got hogs. Feral swine distribution map of ohio. Notixe that littlw blue spot in north central ohio.
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- RoostersMom
- GDF Junkie
- Posts: 1754
- Joined: Wed Feb 09, 2011 2:42 pm
- Location: North Central Missouri
Re: Feral pigs
I sure hope not. They are the scourge of the earth. Nothing good about 'em. I bet your DNR would know (and would like to know about any sightings). If you take pics, be sure to include something for them to measure scale (like if you ever have pics of animal tracks, put a coffee can or a dollar bill next to the tracks so they can get an idea of scale).
Re: Feral pigs
This is the track I found. Saw one similar in the muddy creek bed
Re: Feral pigs
The torn up area, 3-4 days old
Re: Feral pigs
Sorry, forgot to mention that track is about 1 1/2 - 2 inches. The deer tracks we normally see are larger. This year's fawns' are still pretty small.
Feral pigs
Looks like hogs.
- GSP4ME
- Rank: Senior Hunter
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- Joined: Fri Jan 24, 2014 12:39 pm
- Location: OKC by way of North Carolina
Re: Feral pigs
You've got hogs. I'd commence the trapping/shooting now. It doesn't take long before they turn into a real problem. And you definitely need to let the wildlife folks for your area know what you've found. Do you have any game cameras you could set up?
They are way too smart and reproduce way too quickly and abundantly to ever be seen as anything other than a problem animal. It wont be long before everyone will be able to say they've got hogs on their property.
They are way too smart and reproduce way too quickly and abundantly to ever be seen as anything other than a problem animal. It wont be long before everyone will be able to say they've got hogs on their property.
Re: Feral pigs
Thanks for your input, everyone.
I called the DOW but it seems like the personell fir my region are all having a long weekend :roll: Hopefully they'll give me a call back and we can verify pigs/not-pigs.
The area in the photo was freshened up by whatever is digging there over the last day or so. Ugh.
Country living, LOL!
I called the DOW but it seems like the personell fir my region are all having a long weekend :roll: Hopefully they'll give me a call back and we can verify pigs/not-pigs.
The area in the photo was freshened up by whatever is digging there over the last day or so. Ugh.
Country living, LOL!
Re: Feral pigs
Turkeys can tear up the ground also.
If it is pigs, it may not be 'wild' pigs. You may check around, somebody's pigs may have gotten out.
If it is pigs, it may not be 'wild' pigs. You may check around, somebody's pigs may have gotten out.
Re: Feral pigs
Now that is good to know! Turkeys would be much more welcome. They're pretty common in the general area but we haven't seen any close by for years.
Hey, all, I really appreciate your input. Thanks much...
Hey, all, I really appreciate your input. Thanks much...
Feral pigs
You got hogs
Re: Feral pigs
You may have hogs, but that track doesn't look like a hog to me. The damaged area also doesn't look like hog damage. Hog tracks are more rounded at the front, and their snouts do a lot more damage than that.
Re: Feral pigs
The game warden might come out later today to take a look. We have lots of deer so maybe that is a deer track. When the area was first dug up and soft I could find no tracks except that one. That's why it's kind of a mystery. Even squirrels leave something.
In the past few weeks my horses do not want to be in that back pasture at all. Previously they would stay back there for sometimes over a week, and we wouldn't see them unless we went looking for them. So that adds a level of weirdness. Also, when the dogs went trhough the dug up area, they went a little bit nuts, got really excited, like it was something they hadn't smelled before.
We'll see....I will let y'all know what the DOW guy says if he shows up.
In the past few weeks my horses do not want to be in that back pasture at all. Previously they would stay back there for sometimes over a week, and we wouldn't see them unless we went looking for them. So that adds a level of weirdness. Also, when the dogs went trhough the dug up area, they went a little bit nuts, got really excited, like it was something they hadn't smelled before.
We'll see....I will let y'all know what the DOW guy says if he shows up.
Re: Feral pigs
DOW guy said based on the disrupted area, but without any positive ID like tracks or scat, it's "probably" a pig of the escapee variety. Yay. Not!
Re: Feral pigs
I raise a few pigs for my family, and smaller pigs can be escape artists. I have had pigs that could get out, and then by feeding time be back in the pen. I'm certain that most of my neighbors do not realize that I have pigs. I'm not hiding it, but I don't regularly talk to all of my neighbors. I would recommend asking around a little. Someone may be looking for their pigs, and you may be able to help by telling them where you have been seeing signs.
Re: Feral pigs
Thanks for the kind offer, but my boys have dibs, if we don't hear anything from the sheriff or from a notice at the feed mill. No reports of missing porcines so far.