• Posts
    • Bowhunting Articles
    • Bowhunting Gear
    • Bowhunting News
  • Videos
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Cooking Wild Game
Friday, July 1, 2022
  • Login
Bowhunting.Net
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
Bowhunting.Net
No Result
View All Result
Home Bowhunting Posts

Invasive Feral Hogs Threaten Habitat, Wildlife, Agriculture, Health

Dennis Treadwell by Dennis Treadwell
July 16, 2017
in Bowhunting Posts
0 0
0
0
SHARES
0
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Wild-Hog-630x315

Whether hunted by Jeep or helicopter, with AR-15s or spears, feral hogs are no new game to American sportsmen. However, after decades of spread throughout the U.S. this invasive species continues to menace private landowners and public agencies. Research in the state of Michigan is quantifying just how destructive feral hogs can be to habitat, wildlife, agriculture, and even human health.

Feral hogs, swine or Russian boar, are a prolific invasive species, reaching reproductive maturity at a young age. Hogs farrow multiple times a year in large litters and have a high natural survival with little impact of predation. They can also endure extremely high levels of harvest, and although this bacon may be fun to hunt, the damage these tasty pigs cause is serious business.

Feral Hog Map_GrowingAlabama.com_April2016_RampagingRadioactiveWildboarsCausingHavoc

The Michigan DNR has now determined that free-ranging feral hogs occur in 76 of 83 counties, in a state that’s a long way from Texas, one of the most severely impacted states, and other southern hot beds. The new invasives are a threat to Michigan’s billion-dollar wildlife and $300 million domestic swine industries.

Feral hogs also negatively impact forest regeneration, compete with native species, can prey on some, such as ground nesting birds, and cause serious erosion problems. The total cost and scale of ecological and economic damage across the U.S. is unknown, but it must be astronomical.

Feral Hog Shutterstock

A top priority for research is disease monitoring and control. Feral hogs are known reservoirs and potential amplifiers of viral and bacterial disease. At least 37 of these parasites can affect humans, livestock, and wildlife. The presence of this disease vector is a risk to Michigan’s disease-free status domestic livestock herds and further complicates the issue of eradicating bovine tuberculosis in deer.

This project is a partnership between the Michigan DNR, SCI-Michigan Involvement Committee, US Department of Agriculture-Wildlife Services, Michigan State University, University of Michigan-Flint, and the Michigan Pork Producers. Together, the work will quantify feral swine space and resource use, disease status, and potential for transmission, and develop and evaluate effective lethal removal techniques and strategies with the ultimate goal of eradicating the species.

scif

The SCI Michigan and NOVI Chapters have supported this research, doubled by SCI Foundation’s matching grant program. You can learn more about SCI Foundation’s 2016 matching grant projects here on the First for Wildlife blog.

 

Tags: Safari Club InternationalWild Hogs
Previous Post

More July 2nd Week Pics

Next Post

Gear Review: Rocky Venator Apparel

Next Post
Whitetail Deer Pictures in July by Robert Hoague

Gear Review: Rocky Venator Apparel

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

  • BROADHEAD SALE!
  • Maco Shark Bowhunt
  • Bowfishing Big Carp with Tim Wells & Family
  • Bowhunting Double On Saskatchewan Bearhunt
  • How To Identify Poison Ivy, Poison Oak or Poison Sumac
  • How We Started Hunting!
  • SusieQ: Venison Sausage Meatballs
  • Venison Hot Dog Chili
  • Bowhunting Articles
  • Bowhunting Videos
  • Deer
  • Bowhunting Gear
  • Wild Turkey
  • Cooking Wild Game
  • Wild Turkey Bowhunters Blog
  • Straight Shot Blog

© 2022 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.

No Result
View All Result
  • Bowhunting Articles
  • Bowhunting Videos
  • Deer
  • Bowhunting Gear
  • Wild Turkey
  • Cooking Wild Game
  • Wild Turkey Bowhunters Blog
  • Straight Shot Blog

© 2022 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn