AL Feral Swine Hunting Guide

Also known as: Wild hog, feral hog, wild boar, Russian boar, razorback

The wild boar, also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is now one of the widest-ranging mammals in the world, as well as the most widespread suiform. It has been assessed as least concern on the IUCN Red List due to its wide range, high numbers, and adaptability to a diversity of habitats. It has become an invasive species in part of its introduced range. Wild boars probably originated in Southeast Asia during the Early Pleistocene and outcompeted other suid species as they spread throughout the Old World.

Life History

andamanensisBlyth, 1858[2]; aruensisRosenberg, 1878[2]; babiMiller, 1906[2]; ceramensisRosenberg, 1878[2]; enganus>Lyon, 1916[2]; floresianusJentink, 1905[2]; goramensisDe Beaux, 1924[2]; natunensisMiller, 1901[2]; nicobaricusMiller, 1902[2]; nigerFinsch, 1886[2]; papuensisLessonandGarnot, 1826[2]; scrophaGray, 1827[2][3]; ternatensisRolleston, 1877[2]; tuancusLyon, 1916[2] Thewild boar(Sus scrofa), also known as thewild swine,[4]common wild pig,[5]Eurasian wild pig,[6]or simplywild pig,[7]is asuidnative to much ofEurasiaandNorth Africa, and has been introduced tothe AmericasandOceania. The species is now one of the widest-ranging mammals in the world, as well as the most widespreadsuiform.[5]It has been assessed asleast concernon theIUCN Red Listdue to its wide range, high numbers, and adaptability to a diversity of habitats.[1]It has become aninvasive speciesin part of its introduced range. Wild boars probably originated inSoutheast Asiaduring theEarly Pleistocene[8]and outcompeted other suid species as they spread throughout theOld World.[9] As of 2005[update], up to 16subspeciesare recognized, which are divided into four regional groupings based on skull height andlacrimal bonelength.[2]The species lives in matriarchal societies consisting of interrelated females and their young (both male and female). Fully grown males are usually solitary outside thebreeding season.[10]Thewolfis the wild boar's main predator in most of its natural range except in theFar Eastand theLesser Sunda Islands, where it is replaced by thetigerandKomodo dragonrespectively.[11][12]The wild boar has a long history of association withhumans, having been the ancestor of mostdomestic pigbreeds and abig-game animalfor millennia. Boars have also re-hybridizedin recent decades withferal pigs; theseboar–pig hybridshave become a serious pest wild animal in theAmericasandAustralia. The wild boar is a bulky, massively built suid with short and relatively thin legs. The trunk is short and robust, while the hindquarters are comparatively underdeveloped. The region behind the shoulder blades rises into a hump and the neck is short and thick to the point of being nearly immobile. The animal's head is very large, taking up to one-third of the body's entire length.[4]The structure of the head is well suited for digging. The head acts as a plough, while the powerful neck muscles allow the animal to upturn considerable amounts of soil:[56]it is capable of digging 8–10 cm (3–4 in) into frozen ground and can upturn rocks weighing 40–50 kg (88–110 lb).[11]The eyes are small and deep-set and the ears long and broad. The species has well developedcanine teeth, which protrude from the mouths of adult males. The medial hooves are larger and more elongated than the lateral ones and are capable of quick movements.[4]The animal can run at a maximum speed of 40 km/h (25 mph) and jump at a height of 140–150 cm (55–59 in).[11] Sexual dimorphismis very pronounced in the species, with males being typically 5–10% larger and 20–30% heavier than females. Males also sport a mane running down the back, which is particularly apparent during autumn and winter.[57]The canine teeth are also much more prominent in males and grow throughout life. The upper canines are relatively short and grow sideways early in life, though they gradually curve upwards. The lower canines are much sharper and longer, with the exposed parts measuring 10–12 cm (3.9–4.7 in) in length. In the breeding period, males develop a coating ofsubcutaneous tissue, which may be 2–3 cm (0.79–1.18 in) thick, extending from the shoulder blades to the rump, thus protecting vital organs during fights. Males sport a roughly chicken egg–sized sac of unclear function near the opening of the penis that collects urine and emits a sharp odour.[4] Adult size and weight is largely determined by environmental factors; boars living in arid areas with little productivity tend to attain smaller sizes than their counterparts inhabiting areas with abundant food and water. In most ofEurope, males average 75–100 kg (165–220 lb) in weight, 75–80 cm (30–31 in) in shoulder height and 150 cm (59 in) in body length, whereas females average 60–80 kg (130–180 lb) in weight, 70 cm (28 in) in shoulder height and 140 cm (55 in) in body length. In Europe'sMediterranean regions, males may reach average weights as low as 50 kg (110 lb) and females 45 kg (99 lb), with shoulder heights of 63–65 cm (25–26 in). In the more productive areas ofEastern Europe, males average 110–130 kg (240–290 lb) in weight, 95 cm (37 in) in shoulder height and 160 cm (63 in) in body length, while females weigh 95 kg (209 lb), reach 85–90 cm (33–35 in) in shoulder height, and reach 145 cm (57 in) in body length. InWesternandCentral Europe, the largest males weigh 200 kg (440 lb) and females 120 kg (260 lb). In Northeastern Asia, large males can reachbrown bear-like sizes, weighing 270 kg (600 lb) and measuring 110–118 cm (43–46 in) in shoulder height. Some adult males inPrimorsky KraiandManchuriahave been recorded to weigh 300–350 kg (660–770 lb) and measure 125 cm (49 in) in shoulder height. Adults of this size are generally immune from wolf predation.[58]Such giants are rare in modern times, as past overhunting has prevented animals from attaining their full growth.[4] The winter coat consists of long, coarse bristles underlaid with short brown downy fur. The length of these bristles varies along the body, with the shortest being around the face and limbs and the longest running along the back. These back bristles form the aforementioned mane prominent in males and stand erect when the animal is agitated. Colour is highly variable; specimens aroundLake Balkhashare very lightly coloured, and can even be white, while some boars fromBelarusand Ussuriland can be black. Some subspecies sport a light-coloured patch running backward from the corners of the mouth. Coat colour also varies with age, with piglets having light brown or rusty-brown fur with pale bands extending from the flanks and back.[4] The wild boar produces a number of different sounds which are divided into three categories: Contact calls: Grunting noises which differ in intensity according to the situation.[59]Adult males are usually silent, while females frequently grunt and piglets whine.[4]When feeding, boars express their contentment through purring. Studies have shown that piglets imitate the sounds of their mother, thus different litters may have unique vocalisations.[59]; Alarm calls: Warning cries emitted in response to threats.[59]When frightened, boars make loud huffingukh! ukh!sounds or emit screeches transcribed asgu-gu-gu.[4]; Combat calls: High-pitched, piercing cries.[59] Its sense ofsmellis very well developed to the point that the animal is used for drug detection in Germany.[60]Itshearingis also acute, though itseyesightis comparatively weak,[4]lackingcolor vision[60]and being unable to recognise a standing human 10–15 metres (33–49 ft) away.[11] Pigs are one of four known mammalian taxa which possess mutations in thenicotinic acetylcholine receptorthat protect against snake venom.Mongooses,honey badgers,hedgehogs, and pigs all have modifications to the receptor pocket which prevents thesnake venomα-neurotoxinfrom binding. These represent four separate, independent mutations.[61] The wild boar is a highly versatileomnivore, whose diversity in choice of food is comparable to that ofhumans.[56]Its foods can be divided into four categories: Rhizomes,roots,tubersandbulbs, all of which it digs up throughout the year.[4]; Nuts,berriesandseeds, which it digs up from under the snow when necessary and consumes when ripened.[4]; Leaves,bark, twigs andshoots, along withgarbage.[4]; In warm periods, it eatsearthworms,insects,mollusks,fish,rodents,insectivores,bird eggs,lizards,snakes,frogsandcarrion.[4] A 50 kg (110 lb) boar needs around 4,000–4,500caloriesof food per day, though this required amount increases during winter and pregnancy,[56]with the majority of its diet consisting of food items dug from the ground, like underground plant material and burrowing animals.[4]Acornsandbeechnutsare invariably its most important food items intemperate zones,[70]as they are rich in thecarbohydratesnecessary for the buildup of fat reserves needed to survive lean periods.[56]In Western Europe, underground plant material favoured by boars includesbracken,willow herb, bulbs, meadow herb roots and bulbs and the bulbs of cultivated crops. Such food is favoured in early spring and summer, but may also be eaten in autumn and winter during beechnut and acorn crop failures. Should regular wild foods become scarce, boars will eat tree bark andfungi, as well as visit cultivatedpotatoandartichokefields.[4]Boar soil disturbance and foraging have been shown tofacilitateinvasiveplants.[71][72]Boars of thevittatussubspecies inUjung Kulon National Parkin Java differ from most other populations by their primarily frugivorous diet, which consists of 50 different fruit species, especiallyfigs, thus making them important seed dispersers.[5]The wild boar can consume numerous genera ofpoisonous plantswithout ill effect, includingAconitum,Anemone,Calla,Caltha,FerulaandPteridium.[11] Boars may occasionally prey on smallvertebrateslike newborndeerfawns,leporidsandgalliformchicks, as well as smallcalves,lambsand otherlivestock.[56]Boars inhabiting theVolga Deltaand near some lakes and rivers of Kazakhstan have been recorded to feed extensively on fish likecarpandCaspian roach. Boars in the former area also feed oncormorantandheronchicks,bivalved molluscs, trappedmuskratsand mice.[4]There is at least one record of a wild boar killing and eating abonnet macaquein southern India'sBandipur National Park, though this may have been a case ofintraguild predation, brought on byinterspecific competitionfor human handouts.[73]There is also at least one recorded case of a group of wild boar attacking, killing, and eating an adult, healthy female axis deer (Axis axis) as a pack.[74] Stable isotope analysis of fossil wild boar tooth enamel from the late Middle Pleistocene found in Thailand indicate that it fed on a versatile mixed vegetation.[75]

Status, Trends & Threats

Managing wild boar is a pressing task in both native and invasive contexts as they can be disruptive to other systems when not addressed. Wild boar find their success through adaptation of daily patterns to circumvent threats. They avoid human contact through nocturnal lifestyles, despite the fact that they are not evolutionarily predisposed, and alter their diets substantially based on what is available.[152]These "adaptive generalists", can survive in a variety of landscapes, making the prediction of their movement patterns and any potential close contact areas crucial to limiting damage.[153]All of these qualities make them equally difficult to manage or limit. Within Central Europe, the native habitat of the wild boar, there has been a push to re-evaluate interactions between wild boar and humans, with the priority of fostering positive engagement. Negative media and public perception of wild boar as "crop raiders" have made those living alongside them less willing to accept the economic damages of their behaviors, as wild boar are seen as pests. This media tone impacts management policy, with every 10 negative articles increasing wild boar policy activity by 6.7%.[154]Contrary to this portrayal, wild boar, when managed well within their natural environments, can be a crucial part of forest ecosystems. Defining the limits of proper management is difficult, but the exclusion of wild boar from rare environments is generally agreed upon, as when not properly managed, they can damage agricultural ventures and harm vulnerable plant life.[155]These damages are estimated at $800 million yearly in environmental and financial costs for the United States alone.[155]The breadth of this damage is due to prior inattention and lack of management tactics for extended lengths of time.[154]Managing wild boar is a complex task, as it involves coordinating a combination of crop harvest techniques, fencing, toxic bait, corrals, and hunting. The most common tactic employed by private land owners in the United States is recreational hunting; however, this is generally not as effective on its own.[156]Management strategies are most successful when they take into account reproduction, dispersion, and the differences between ideal resources for males and females.[153] Wild boars are causing soil disturbance that, among other problems, globally results in annual carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to that of ~1.1 million passenger vehicles (4.9 Mt, 0.01% of all GHG emissions as of 2022), implying that as of 2021, hunted boar meat – unlike other meat products – has beneficial effects on the environment[157][158]even though the effect would diminish if boars are introduced for meat production, so consistently retaining small populations of boars may be preferable.

Hunting Season

No closed season. May be taken year-round on private land with landowner permission. Night hunting allowed with restrictions. Check ADCNR regulations for WMA specific seasons.

References

• Alabama — Feral Swine