A brief history of feral hogs in Crawford

By Steve Van Kooten

While Wisconsin and the rest of the country seem to be embroiled in a contentious political, economic and social environment, Crawford County residents can find relief that feral pigs are not on their list of worries.

Over the past 40 years, the proliferation of feral hog populations has dramatically increased throughout the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the University of Georgia. 

In 1982, fewer than 10 states had more than 20 percent of their counties affected by the animals.

 But by 2023, more than half of states had more than 20 percent of their counties affected by feral pigs.

Some of those states, like Florida and California, reported between 80 and 100 percent of their counties had feral hog populations.

Feral hogs’ spread north and west across the continental United States, they has caused approximately $2.5 billion in damages, according to the USDA. They are a far cry from the strips of bacon on the local diner’s menu.

A feral hog isn’t simply an at-large pig. Daniel Goltz, a wildlife biologist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Bureau of Wildlife Management, said an escaped pig—an at-large animal—is different than a feral hog. The DNR categorizes a feral animal as a domesticated animal that has escaped and reproduced in the wild. 

Despite the havoc they have caused throughout the country, Goltz said feral pigs are not an established problem in Wisconsin. At least not anymore. In fact, Crawford County had a significant population of feral hogs in Wisconsin less than fifteen years ago.

“When I moved to Wisconsin in 2008, there was still a possibility of finding a few feral pigs in Crawford County, specifically in Bell Center,” Goltz said. Around the turn of the century, pigs were illegally released for sports hunting purposes, and those animals reproduced for several years. “I think that [Bell Center] was ground zero for where those pigs had been released.”

“Twenty years ago, there were many feral pigs on the landscape locally. It’s better now than it was 20 years ago, but there’s still a chance.”

Goltz added that there was a sighting “a few years ago” in Boscobel.

Dennis Peloquin, staff wildlife biologist for the USDA Wildlife Services, said that the USDA and DNR collaborated on “a lot of active swine trapping” between 2010 and 2015, when the last established feral hog population in Wisconsin was eradicated.

Even though Wisconsin isn’t wallowing in large populations of feral hogs, Peloquin said there could still be a solitary feral animal in the state’s wilderness. Most local “feral” hog have been previously domesticated animals that escaped captivity from “small farm hobbyists.”

Environmental impact

Goltz observed the environmental impact feral hogs had on Hawaii. “They are really destructive. In Hawaii, feral pigs left holes in the landscape, which collect water. Then, when it rained, it became a habitat for mosquitoes to breed and reproduce.” 

He noted that the mosquito population then passed swine-born diseases to native animals on the islands.

The DNR’s website stated feral hogs can transmit diseases, including pseudorabies, brucellosis and tuberculosis, to people and livestock.

Peloquin said hogs can cause significant agricultural damage by rooting for food, which upturns dirt and causes bank erosion, and an open seedbed for invasive plants to establish in woodlands. Wild pig behavior can also lead to contaminated ground water sources. Crop damage and loss is another significant impact; pigs can return to remote areas throughout the growing season, damaging acres of crops.

“For all intents and purposes, damage from feral hogs is comparable to the damage free-range swine or escaped pigs cause,” said Peloquin. The difference, he said, is that escaped or domesticated animals take time to adapt to the wild environment and are typically less cautious of humans. He added a few sounders of unfettered swine (12–28 members) can cause “acres of damage” in a short period of time.

Swine are also opportunistic animals that will “eat anything,” including acorns, mushrooms, eggs from ground nesting birds and small animals, according to Peloquin.

Goltz said some breeds of pig are highly adaptable, even to harsh climates with cold temperatures. 

Peloquin added that breeds like Eurasian and Russian boars would do better in the wild than a typical farm breed.

“If you let out a bright pink farm pig like a Yorkshire hog, those won’t do well,” Peloquin said, though, if given “a few generations,” those animals could possibly adapt to the environment as well.

Prevention and reporting

The USDA and the University of Georgia stated there were six feral hog sightings in Wisconsin in 2023. Three of those sightings were in Crawford County — with one each in Jackson, Clark, and Eau Claire counties. None of these reports have been confirmed as actual feral animals.

“If the public is not reporting them properly, they’re not going to get investigated or addressed for removal,” said Peloquin. According to the DNR’s website, feral hogs are classified as a harmful, invasive species in Wisconsin under Invasive Species Rule, and a harmful, wild animal under Captive Wildlife Rules. 

Because of their classification as harmful, there are no seasonal hunting restrictions, and while hunters are legally required to have a small game license to harvest wild pigs if they are not the landowner.

“As a harmful, wild animal, most importantly, we’d like them off the landscape,” Peloquin said.

Peloquin added that property owners can remove pigs at any time. “If they are [observed], you can remove them at will from your own property.”

Two factors have helped Wisconsin maintain control of its wild swine population—cold weather and an avid hunting culture. In regard to the latter, Peloquin said that reporting feral hog sightings was an important step to ensuring those checks and balances remained effective. 

“That really is our full-time goal: to make sure a population of swine on the landscape don’t [sic] become a breeding” population, he said.

For further information or to contact the DNR about feral hogs, the Wisconsin DNR maintains a feral pig hunting webpage at https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/hunt/feralpig.