There’s bacon in them thar hills!
What can grow five feet long, up to 400 pounds and is one of the most destructive invasive species in the U.S.?
Wild hogs are the correct answer! Wild hogs also called feral swine go by many names but are the same species as domesticated pigs found on farms.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, feral hogs cause approximately $2.5 billion in agricultural damages each year.
Since their introduction to the U.S. in the 1500’s, the feral swine population have expanded across more than three quarters of the country. According to the Department of Agriculture, their population has grown to more than 9 million.
We keep two traps out at all times on my parents’ farm. We’ve caught about 50-60 hogs in the last year, but still find new damage in the pasture or the yard every few days.
Not to mention more lawless immigration on the northern border
Seriously, how do you dispose of that many pigs?
We have someone local who traps for a living and sells the hogs to places in West and South Texas that stock hogs for paid hunts. They’re willing to take the ones we trap off our hands, since it’s free money as far as they’re concerned. We’ve had to shoot the occasional hog that was too smart for the trap, and we just bury those to keep them from stinking up the property.