Wild Hog Removal

Wild hogs are dangerous, destructive animals that cause over $1.5 billion of damage to agricultural and environmental sites each year. Wild hogs are now found in 45 states, including a downtown Decatur neighborhood.

These animals are highly intelligent and can easily adapt to a variety of environments, from deserts to freezing winters.

Although they look very similar to domesticated pigs, wild hogs are well adapted to surviving outside in the elements. They have thick, coarse coats of dark brown or black hair, short pointed ears, and can grow tusks 5-6 inches long. Most wild hogs reach around 100 pounds as adults, with some as big as 500 pounds. Due to their thick hides and large muscles, wild hogs are very powerful and are capable of running and swimming.

Although wild hogs can live almost anywhere, they tend to prefer forests as their natural habitat. These omnivores will eat anything from nuts and acorns to fawns and newborn animals. Wild hogs like to live in areas with dirt, so they can dig muddy wallows to splash around in to keep cool and to ward off bothersome insects. Wild hogs are social creatures and tend to live in groups, called “sounders”. These groups usually rest during the day in dense vegetation and wait until dusk to venture out for food. Older adult hogs are more independent and typically range over an area of one to two square miles. They reserve social interactions for the mating season.