Hogs gone wild

Rancher Epimeno Atkinson knows the frustration of trying to control the feral hog problem on the 1,500 acres where he raises cattle east of Rio Hondo.

"You can catch a lot of them in traps, but you can't get rid of them," he said. "If you use poison, you will also kill a lot of game, maybe 60 percent of the deer."

Two million feral hogs, half the number that live in the entire United States, call Texas home, according to the Texas Cooperative Extension.

Though it's hard to say how many feral hogs live in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, the population is sizeable. At least that's the opinion of Chris Lena, wildlife information specialist with Texas Parks & Wildlife.

"The South Texas population is about as dense as you can get it," he said. "There's plenty of brush for them to hide in and you will see them by day or night. In other areas, you will see them almost entirely at night because of hunting pressure."

Feral hogs can also switch from being the hunted to being the hunter. Although attacks on humans are rare, they do occur.

"In a natural state, feral hogs will prefer to run and escape danger, and are not considered dangerous," according to Texas Parks & Wildlife.

"Extreme caution should be maintained when tracking wounded animals, trapping animals or encountering females with young. Their razor sharp tusks combined with their lightning speed can cause serious injury."

In addition, feral hogs have been known to injure or even kill hunting dogs, according to the Texas Cooperative Extension.

Feral hogs are either Russian boars, domesticated pigs gone wild or a combination of the two.

In different regions they may be called wild boars, razorbacks, pineywoods rooters or woods hogs. Whatever the name, they have two things in common - they breed like rabbits and eat just about anything.

According to a report by the Texas Cooperative Extension - Wildlife Services, if unchecked, the population can double every four months. Females breed at 8 to 10 months old and produce up to 13 piglets.

Their reproductive prowess is even reflected in a joke: If a sow has a litter of six, you can expect eight to survive.

They can have three litters a year, noted Lena. Feral hogs can live up to eight years. Adults weigh 100 to 400 pounds.

They have poor eyesight, but excellent hearing and sense of smell. They are also considered one of the most intelligent wild animals.

Feral hogs are omnivorous, meaning they eat meat and plants. They have a particular fondness for acorns and agricultural crops, which puts them at odds with farmers.

"They are very opportunistic feeders," Lena said.

Atkinson knows firsthand the damage they can cause.

"They are a very bad problem," he said. "They dig too many holes in the pasture and when I'm mowing I have to mow in first gear."

They also have a reputation for turning waterholes into mud holes with their wallowing. True to their roots, feral hogs love nothing better than a good mud bath.

Atkinson does what he can to control them.

"If I have a gun, I will kill some to eat," he said. "I will cook them as stew, barbecue them or put them on a grill. They make good ribs.

"The biggest I've killed was about 400 pounds, but a male that big - you can't eat it because it will stink," Atkinson said.

Generally, however, their meat is considered very tasty and leaner than farm-raised hogs.

Other than humans, feral hogs have few natural enemies. Most Valley predators are just too small to kill an adult one. Alligators are the exception, but there are too few of them to make a difference.

"I've only seen a wild animal kill a hog once, and that was about 10 years ago," Atkinson said. "I saw a couple of coyotes jump a pig that was about 4 months old."

As bad as the feral hog problem is, there is a positive side.

Some ranchers have opened their property to hunting. A four-day, three-night hunting package at one Texas ranch costs $1,550.

A bill introduced in the Texas Legislature earlier this year would allow aerial hunting. The Texas Humane Legislation Network and Humane Society of the United States opposed the bill, however.

One last thing to remember about feral hogs: Hunting them requires a valid Texas hunting license.