Wild Boar / Feral Hog
Sus scrofa · Suidae
No permit needed in most states — hunt them year-round, any method, and you're doing wildlife a favor.
Found & hunted in
Overview
Feral hogs are the most widespread and damaging invasive species in North America — descended from escaped domestic pigs and European wild boar introductions. They root up cropland, destroy native habitat, transmit disease, and outcompete native wildlife. In response, most states with established hog populations have eliminated season and bag limits — feral hogs can be hunted year-round with no permit required in states like Texas, Oklahoma, and Florida. Hunting hogs is action-packed and accessible, making it a popular entry point for new hunters.
Habitat
Feral swine (Sus scrofa) are perhaps the most ecologically adaptable large mammal in North America — an invasive species with the behavioral plasticity to exploit virtually every terrestrial habitat type on the continent.
Population
Feral swine populations in the United States are estimated at 6 to 9 million animals across 35+ states, with the heaviest concentrations in Texas (estimated 1.5 to 2 million animals), Florida (500,000+), and California (300,000 to 500,000).
Conservation
Wild boar and feral swine occupy a unique and contested position in North American wildlife management. USDA APHIS Wildlife Services leads the federal feral swine management program, investing approximately $20 million annually in damage management.
Diet
True omnivores — they eat roots, tubers, mast (acorns), fruits, invertebrates, eggs, carrion, small mammals, and agricultural crops. Their rooting behavior — using the snout to plow up soil for roots, tubers, and invertebrates — is their most ecologically damaging habit and also what reveals their presence to hunters.
Social Behavior
Hogs live in groups called sounders — typically a sow with her piglets and other related females. Mature boars are often solitary or join sounders only briefly to breed. Sounders communicate with grunts and squeals and can number 5–30 animals. They are most active at night but will move at dawn and dusk.
Breeding & Rut
Feral hogs can breed at 6 months and have no defined season — sows can produce multiple litters per year under ideal conditions. A single sow can produce 10–14 piglets annually. This extreme reproductive rate drives rapid population growth and makes them nearly impossible to eradicate.
Scouting
- →Hogs are primarily nocturnal in areas with significant hunting pressure. Start scouting with trail cameras at water sources, wallows, and known feed areas.
- →Locate wallows — shallow, muddy depressions filled with dark, stinky water where hogs cool themselves.
- →Rooting sign is highly visible and easy to read: areas of disturbed soil where hogs have used their snouts to excavate grubs, roots, and buried mast.
- →Hunt wind religiously. Hogs have relatively poor eyesight but their sense of smell is extraordinary.
- →Set up on agricultural field edges at last light — hogs feed heavily on corn, peanuts, and standing grain.
- →Hog calls can be extraordinarily effective, drawing hogs from surprising distances.
- →Monitor water sources with trail cameras through summer heat.
- →In areas with large private ranches, inquire about aerial survey information from landowners.
- →Study satellite imagery for rooting damage — large areas of disturbed soil visible from aerial view indicate high-density hog use.
Gear & Calibers
Hunting Tips
- →Hunt at night with thermal optics — hogs are primarily nocturnal and thermal imaging makes them bright targets in the dark.
- →Water and wallows are reliable daytime locations. Hogs wallow in mud to cool down and control parasites.
- →Spot hog rooting damage (plowed-up soil, damaged cropland) to locate active areas. Fresh rooting means hogs were there recently.
- →A .308, .30-06, or similar caliber is appropriate for boars. Shot placement behind the ear or shoulder — hogs are tough and poorly hit hogs can be dangerous.
- →Use a feeder (where legal) on a timer to pattern hogs for treestand hunting.
Stalking Tips
- →Hogs have poor eyesight but an exceptional nose. Move into the wind.
- →They're often noisy — rooting, grunting, and squealing. Use their sounds to locate and approach them.
Glassing Tips
- →In open country (TX brush, OK plains), glass food sources and water early morning. In timber, listen more than you glass.
Trophy Judging
- →Tusk length is the primary trophy criterion for wild boar. Lower cutters exceeding 3 inches from gum line to tip are considered exceptional.
- →Skull width and bone structure indicate age and genetics in boars.
- →Body mass in mature wild boar is an imperfect but useful trophy indicator.
- →Shoulder shields — the cartilaginous plates over the shoulders of mature boars — indicate age and breeding history.
- →Coat color in European wild boar tends toward grizzled gray-brown or reddish-brown in adults.
- →Photograph and measure before field dressing.
Field Care & Dressing
- →Always wear nitrile or latex gloves when handling feral hogs — brucellosis, pseudorabies, and leptospirosis are documented zoonotic pathogens.
- →Field dress promptly and cool aggressively — hogs have a thick layer of fat and hide that retains heat far longer than deer.
- →Boar hogs have strong musk glands in the fat layer. The best practice is to skin the carcass completely and trim all exterior fat before processing.
- →Avoid puncturing the bladder, intestines, or paunch.
- →Hog skulls for European mounts require thorough boiling or beetle-cleaning to remove tissue.
- →Wild hog meat must be cooked to an internal temperature of at least 160°F to eliminate trichinosis risk.
Things to Know
- →Check state regulations — most southern states have no season or bag limit, but some (CA, parts of OR) have more restrictions.
- →Hog meat is excellent table fare when handled correctly. Cool the carcass quickly — hogs run hot and meat quality deteriorates fast.
- →All hog meat must be cooked to 160°F (trichinosis risk). Many hunters have the meat processed and smoked.
- →Hogs can be dangerous when wounded or cornered. A mature boar with sharp cutters that gets to close range is a genuine threat.
Terminology
Records
No formal B&C category for feral hogs. SCI recognizes wild boar. Tusk measurement is lower tusk (cutter) length. Most feral hog hunting is not trophy-focused.