Florida also has a wild hog problem:
“Although they are a popular target for hunters, wild hogs are coming into conflict with people and wildlife,” Giuliano said. “Farmers are not happy when feral hogs root up their fields, and health officials say the animals carry diseases that could affect wildlife, live- stock and people.”
Giuliano, who conducts research
on the animals with George Tanner, a professor in the UF wildlife ecology and conservation department, said hogs can also host many diseases and parasites, including hog cholera, psuedorabies, brucellosis, tuberculosis, salmonellosis, anthrax, ticks, fleas, lice and various flukes and worms.
“Wild hogs, which usually weigh 100 to 200 pounds, are dangerous,” Giuliano said. “Although they prefer
to run and escape danger, they can be aggressive when they’re injured or cor- nered. They can move with great speed and can cause serious injury with their tusks.”
Acorns are their favorite food, but they will eat almost anything, including dead animals, and it seems like they’re always looking for opportunities, he said. When natural foods are scarce or inaccessible, hogs will forage on almost any agricultural crop and livestock feed. They will also feed on tree seeds and seedlings, causing significant damage
in forests, groves and plantations. In Florida and the Southeast, this may be a problem in regenerating long-leaf pine forests.
In addition to the effects of consum- ing, knocking down and trampling large
amounts of native vegetation and crops, the rooting behavior of wild hogs causes significant damage, Giuliano said. Rooting — digging for foods below the surface of the ground — destabilizes
the soil surface, uprooting or weakening native vegetation, damaging lawns and causing erosion. Their wallowing behav- ior destroys small ponds and stream banks, which may affect water quality. They also prey upon ground-nesting wildlife, including sea turtles.
“Wild hogs compete for food with other game animals such as deer, turkeys and squirrels, and they may consume the nests and young of many reptiles, ground-nesting birds and mammals,” he said. “With their fine sense of smell, wild hogs can find and consume young domestic livestock, including poultry, lambs and goats. Millions of dollars are spent each year to prevent damage from hogs.”
Tanner said it may be possible to limit further population expansion by hunting, various trapping methods and exclusion.
http://www.research.ufl.edu/publications/explore/v10n3/pdfs/Extracts-HogWild.pdf
Marjorie Rawlings Kinnan never mentioned these problems! She lived in a Gainesville swamp (Cross Creek) and complained about mosquitos!
A wonderful museum by the way. I’d love to live at Cross Creek.
On private property with landowner permission, wild pigs may be trapped and hunted year round using any legal to own rifle, shotgun, crossbow, bow or pistol. There is no size or bag limit, and you may harvest either sex. Also, no hunting license is required. A gun and light at night permit is not required to take wild hogs with a gun and light on private lands with landowner permission.
http://myfwc.com/hunting/by-species/wild-hog/