Wet season means it may be 'raining' feral hogs

Might it be raining feral hogs this fall? "Raining" might be something of an over-statement, but the wet year could mean bigger litter sizes and more farranging herds, said Texas Cooperative Extension experts.

We can be sure that more water and increased food supplies for feral hogs, said Dr. Billy Higginbotham, Extension fisheries and wildlife specialist.

By conservative estimates, Texas has 1.5 to 2million feral hogs.

They root up crop land, pastures and landscapes, and compete with more desirable wildlife such as white-tailed deer for food.

"Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that an increase in available nutrition for feral hogs will have a similar effect as it does with domestic swine," he said.

Domestic hogs will produce larger litters when food supplies increase, said Dr. Jodi Sterle, Extension swine specialist.

"Pigs actually respond very quickly to increase feed resources," Sterle said. "(Depending upon conditions) they might have one to one-and-half more pigs per litter."

But with food resources that litter size might increase to nine or nine and a half.

"In domestic pigs, if you increase their energy (nutrition reserves) just prior to mating - we call that 'flushing' - they will actually ovulate more eggs," she said. Feral hogs typically have litters of four to six pigs, Higginbotham said.

Feral hogs tend to stay near water sources and where there is vegetation providing heavy cover.

But there's good news too. Along with the probable increase in feral hog numbers, the flush of vegetation from the wet spring and summer should favor other wildlife species, including white-tailed deer, Higginbotham said.