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Wild and Feral Pigs

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https://hdl.handle.net/10217/100294
This digital collection includes presentations given at the 8th International Wildlife Ranching Symposium held in 2014 for the symposium theme: Wild and Feral Pigs.

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Browsing Wild and Feral Pigs by Author "Bodenchuk, Michael J., speaker"

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    Control methods for wild pigs in the U.S.: best management practices
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014-09) Bodenchuk, Michael J., speaker; Higginbotham, Billy, moderator; International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, producer
    Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are widespread throughout the continental United States and significant efforts have been initiated to contain population spread. Removal of wild pigs in the United States is currently limited to mechanical capture methods. The Texas Cooperative Wildlife Services program implements an integrated wild pig damage management program and has investigated all current removal methods. This presentation will discuss aerial shooting, cage and corral trapping, snaring, shooting (including night shooting) and the use of dogs as control methods. The relative costs for each method implemented will be discussed in the context of a large metapopulation where additional pigs are available to replace removed animals. Costs, represented on a per pig removed basis, are lowest for turbine helicopter aerial shooting ($18.27 per pig removed), piston helicopter aerial shooting ($21.11/pig) and night shooting ($25.06) followed closely by fixed-wing aerial shooting ($26.63/pig) and daytime shooting ($29.92 /pig). Corral trapping ($46.95/pig) was more expensive than aerial or night shooting, but cost less than snaring ($62.51/pig) or drop nets ($64.91/pig). The practical application of specific methods is critical to method selection. For example, while aerial shooting may be comparatively the most cost effective method costs will be much higher when small numbers of pigs are expected and flying may not be possible in many areas due to terrain and vegetative cover. Because wild pigs in Texas exist in a large meta-population, costs for control are exacerbated by source/sink population dynamics. The removal of wild pigs in such environments requires return visits which significantly increase costs.