Wild Boar Hunting: The Race To Save Your Land

Sous Scrofa

“Wild hogs,” “wild boar,” and “wild pigs” are all terms used to describe the Sous Scrofa. 

Wild Boar has been wreaking havoc in Florida since the 1500s. They are believed to have been brought to America by Spanish explorer Hernando DeSoto. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), wild boar can be found in all 67 counties of Florida.  

 The Importance of Wild Boar Herd Management

Wild boar are known for their rapid reproduction and especially for causing serious damage to agriculture and land in general. It is important that landowners effectively manage their herd numbers because they can spiral out of control quickly.

Wild boars are known to carry over 20 diseases. Their diseases can spread to the rest of the herd and even to other animals. You can help prevent the disease’s spread by actively participating in herd management.

Lifestyle

According to the Encyclopedia of Life (EOL), wild boars are of the least concern when it comes to their conservation status. 

Wild boar can reproduce and have offspring up to twice per year. Compared to many other land-dwelling animals, these pigs have a rather short gestation period of about 120 days. The average amount of piglets in each litter is 6-8, but many times there are more. Piglets become fertile at about 5 months of age. This combination makes for a busy lifetime of reproduction. They will overpopulate and destroy your land if their numbers are not managed properly. 

Wild boars are omnivores, which means that they eat just about anything edible. While their main diet consists of roots, nuts, acorns, and palmetto masts, they also eat invertebrates and amphibians. They are also very attracted to the smell of corn. Corn is the main attractant that hunters use to bait wild hogs. 

Hunting, Trapping, and Finally to the Dinner Table

Hunting and trapping are instrumental in managing wild hog populations. Without population control, these beasts cause significant damage to any area that has food available to them. Wild boars disturb the soil in search of food and leave the ground looking like it was just plowed by a tractor. This causes damage to ditches, roads, fence lines, forest undergrowth, and more. 

Hunting these pigs is a lot of fun for hunters, farmers, and landowners. Since FWC has designated them as nuisance animals, there are not very many rules and regulations regarding them. The FWC website lists the rules associated with hunting/trapping them.

There are several methods of hunting boar. At Hunters Envy, we like to utilize a spot-and-stalk method of hunting. Since the boar do not have great vision, we are able to sneak up on them for an up close and personal harvest. The boar have good hearing, but they have an excellent sense of smell. It is important that we take that into consideration for a successful harvest.

Wild boar are eaten by millions of people each year. They are not fatty pigs like you see at the fair. They are more muscular than you would think. A common misconception about cooking wild boar is that you get to eat bacon. Since there is not very much fat on a wild boar, bacon is not likely to fill your freezer. Check out one of our previous blogs for our favorite wild boar recipes.

One way that Hunters Envy manages the herd number is by wild boar hunting. Check out our website for information on your next wild boar hunt. We hope to see you at the ranch soon for a fun day of wild boar hunting.