Feral hog or javelina? Only one is a true Texas native animal, and yet the other has ties to Texas.
Spanish explorers were the first to introduce hogs in Texas more than 300 years ago. Hogs were used as a source of meat and lard for early settlers. Many of these hogs escaped or were released in the mid-1800s. Breeding and crossbreeding with European hogs quickly increased the hog population.
Today, Texas estimates 2.6 million wild hogs existing in 253 of the 254 counties.
These hogs have destroyed ecosystems by over-foraging, destabilizing soil and upsetting creek beds. All this destruction causes stress on protected and endangered species, not to mention feral hogs have threatened the agriculture business. Known to destroy crops, these hogs have estimated more than $52 million of annual crop damage in Texa
Hunters and trappers are killing at least 30 percent of the population annually in Texas, but that is not nearly enough. Biologists estimate at least 70 percent of the hogs in Texas will have to be killed each year to maintain the population. As hunters in the Lone Star State continue the tall task of reducing wild hog populations, one animal is increasingly caught in the crossfire: the javelina.
Rugged and wary but sociable with its own kind, the javelina is a true Texas native. Distant relatives to boars, hogs and hippos, javelinas are in the peccary family. These small and lean creatures stand only two feet tall and roughly weigh around 35-45 pounds.
If you’re going to tackle a feral pig you probably won’t get close enough to use a .45. We don’t shoot javelina as they pretty much just eat cactus. Remember the helicopter on the trailer that we saw on our ride? They were about to kill feral hogs from the air.
12-26-2023 | 07:15 PM
