Wild hogs have been recorded in all 46 South Carolina counties. They are opportunistic feeders, and while not often thought of as predators, they certainly are; they are ominvores, eating both plants and animals, and they will eat anything from grubs to plant roots to live birds and mammals. Their keen sense of smell draws them to birthing areas of other animals, including domestic animals, where they will eat newborns and the placenta.
Wild hogs are commonly considered the most-destructive animals in the state due to the extensive damage they cause to farm crops and homeowner’s gardens and property. It’s easy to see why the hog population is so difficult to keep in check.
According to SCDNR biologist Charles Ruth, female wild hogs produce litters of up to a dozen piglets every six months.
“By the time one female is a year old, she’s having her second litter, and all the females from her first litter are already having litters of their own,” he said.
While everyone’s first inclination is to shoot every hog they see, Ruth said that’s not really the best way to control wild hogs.
“Once you start pressuring them, they get harder and harder to see. Obviously, if you’re out on the farm and you see a wild hog and you have a way to kill it, then kill it, but beyond that you want to start trapping,” Ruth said.
Trapping is the preferred method because it doesn’t involve gun blasts that will alert hogs of danger. This passive approach is even more effective when coupled with bringing in hunters with dogs, according to Ruth.
“Have somebody that has good dogs come in and catch and kill these animals,” he said.
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