Wild hogs, wild pigs, feral pigs, feral hogs, razorbacks—they go by many names, but one thing is certain, they cause a lot of property damage. What can you do to keep wild hogs from tearing up your yard? The first step has nothing to do with building a fence or calling animal control. Instead, you need to find out why the wild hogs are on your property in the first place.
Pigs aren’t native to the Americas. In the 1530s, the Spanish explorer, Hernando de Soto, brought the first pigs to the Americas, specifically to the southeastern US. The wild hogs you see running around today are descended from de Soto’s pigs and other pigs brought across the Atlantic Ocean by European explorers over the centuries.
Like any animal, the wild hog’s goal is to meet their basic need to eat. That basic need brings wild hogs onto your property, your neighborhood, your garden, your yard, or your farm. Wild hogs make their way into urban areas because these areas have easy access to food.
Wild hogs will eat just about anything, from trash to roots to insects to vegetables in your garden to fallen fruit under your fruit trees. Because they will eat anything, you need to thoroughly inspect your property. Do you notice signs of wild hogs tearing up the earth—a behavior called rooting—only in certain areas? If so, what's different about those areas?
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service visited a property with signs of rooting only underneath oak trees. This was a clue to researchers that wild hogs were tearing up the yard to eat acorns.
Beyond food, wild hogs may also use your property for shelter, either in your woods or marshes, where they can enjoy shade and cover. Wild hogs could also be attracted to your property as a water source and may be drinking out of a stream, pond, or creek that runs through your property.
Wild hogs will forage for food any time of day, but they come out at night primarily because they can go about their business undisturbed by humans. And because of this nocturnal behavior, Nite Guard Solar lights are your best bet.
You can also build a fence. However, this can be an expensive solution, especially if you live on a large property.
Read about how one Texas resident used Nite Guard Solar lights to keep wild hogs away: Keep Away Wild Boars: A Success Story.