The Scary Truth About Louisiana Growing Feral Hog Population

I have lived in north Bossier Parish near Bellevue for nearly thirty years and though I was well aware that feral hogs were problematic for scores of other residents, they had never really been a problem on our place.

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That dynamic all changed over the course of the past couple years as our area is preparing for several new neighborhoods and much of the acreage that was available for these hogs to forage from has been completely cleared and sent those hogs in search of new feeding grounds.

They have obviously found exactly what they were looking for in our property.

If you've never seen the destruction these brutes can do to a formerly well-manicured lawn, what you're seeing all took place in one single night.

For those who have never experienced the countless thousands of dollars in damage that a small sounder (group) of hogs can inflict on a piece of ground, these pictures are a great reflection, but there are some areas hit in Louisiana that have gotten it much worse.

And while lots of people are quick to think that these feral hogs are problems for only those who live out in the woods, or rural areas, they've recently proved to be a huge issue for Green Oaks High School in Caddo Parish.

According to a study from the LSU Ag Center, feral hogs are responsible for an estimated $91.1 million in damage to agricultural and timber lands each year. That same study shows that hog damage costs landowners $66.2 million in crop losses and $24.9 million in other expenses annually.

And the sad part, the problem is only getting worse! The LDWF published an article that highlighted several disturbing facts:

Feral hogs are the most reproductively efficient large mammal on Earth
They can adapt to survive in nearly any environment.
Statisticians have estimated that due to the feral hog’s high reproductive rate, 70 to 75% of the population must be harvested EACH YEAR to control the population.
In Louisiana, hunter harvest numbers are less than half that so populations are growing.
Feral hogs are found in all 64 parishes in Louisiana, and Louisiana’s feral hog population is currently estimated at 700,000.

I bring this up to point out to those who think they might be completely immune to Louisiana's growing issue with these prolific piggies, many experts have stated that "it's not IF you'll have a hog problem, it's WHEN and HOW BAD it will be when it hits."