Hogs in Harnett County
August 1, 2007
How they got there is unclear but there is feral hogs tearing things up. Farmers in the area around Lillington are working to eradicate the problem but as experts will tell you getting rid of feral hogs is nearly impossible. Farmers first noticed hog sign back in January but it’s just recently that they began trapping them. The hog is a smart creature and he’ll adapt so what worked on getting a few today may not work tomorrow. At the age of 10 months a hog is able to reproduce and basically the only real predator for a hog is man.
The wild pig is the most prolific large wild mammal in North America. Given adequate nutrition, a wild pig population can double in just 4 months. Feral hogs may begin to breed before 6 months of age, if they have a high-quality diet. Sows can produce 2 litters per year and young may be born at any time of the year.
Usually by the time people really start noticing feral hogs they have a pretty good head start and are difficult to get rid of. In North Carolina wild hogs found outside of the mountain counties are considered feral hogs and not regulated by NCWC. The ones found in the mountains are what the Wildlife Commission refer to as “Wild Boar” and they do have a set season.
I would caution people about being short sighted and not looking at all the ramifications releasing hogs into the wild will cause. As hunters we sometimes get excited about having something else to hunt however the damage to the land and the impact on native species can be devastating.
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They’re popping up everywhere. One of my brother’s friends down in Pender County has been seeing them on his deer lease. They killed a couple last year, but that didn’t get rid of them.
Personally, I’m a little amazed that they aren’t already all over the southeastern part of the state. I’m also a little surprised that the wild boar in Graham and Swain Counties (descendents of the eurasian wild boar planted in 1911) have stayed so relatively localized…compared to the way they’re spreading across California and Texas.
I’ll have to keep an eye on this. Might be one more thing for me to hunt when I come home for Christmas this year.
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I’d love to hunt these. I live in Winston-Salem and have tried, pretty much in vain, to find information on hunting pigs in NC close to where I live. If anyone has information ….
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