HOG HUNTING STRATEGIES
Your Premier Source of Where and How To Hunt in Florida
The content for this web site has been provided both by professional writers and by individual consumers. The opinions expressed and readers' comments
do not necessarily represent those of Hog Hunting Strategies. To send a comment to the site editor or to report a problem, click here. All material by Hog
Hunting Strategies, all rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited without the written permission of the publisher. View our privacy policy.
Hog Hunting Strategies  P.O. Box 2852 Land O Lakes  FL  34639  USA
Hosting by Yahoo! Web Hosting
HISTORY
    Boar Hunting-
    History of the Beast of Kings
            
    The wild boar (Sus scrofa) is the wild ancestor of the domestic
    pig.  Currently wild boars are hunted both for their meat and to
    mitigate the damage they cause to crops and forests. A charging boar
    is considered exceptionally dangerous quarry, due to its thick hide
    and dense bones, thus making anything less than a "kill shot" a
    potentially deadly mistake. Hunters have reported being butted
    up into trees by boars that have already taken a glancing shot.

        Wild boar hunting has been around for thousands of years, from the Persians’ first
    attempt to slay these creatures, but it has really become known in the medieval times
    when royalty and rich people used to hunt boars as a way of entertaining themselves
    and their guests. Over the years wild boar hunting hasn’t lost any of its appeal and is
    now just as popular as it was in Elizabethan England, almost five hundred years ago.

       Wild boar hunting is neither for the faint of heart nor for solo hunters, because the
    boar can prove to be a vicious fighter that never surrenders without a fight. Despite its
    aggressive nature, this omnivore is tranquil if not threatened, and almost never
    deliberately attacks humans. The sole situation in which you are advised to stay as far
    as possible from a boar is when it has cubs (piglets) and they are beside their mother.
    She will do anything to protect her young from any danger they may be facing.

      Wild boar hunting seems to stay with us throughout the ages and it would seem to
    continue to be a part of our hunting sphere for years and years to come. Although
    hunting for boars has radically changed its ways in comparison to the way it used to be
    done centuries ago, it still keeps its essence, whether we comprehend it or not. After
    all, the beauty of something lies in what the naked eye cannot see and in what the mind
    can.

    Reference:  Wikipedia and Razvan Marian Jr.

    WILD HOGS in FLORIDA
    Florida's wild hogs ( Figure 1 ) are often referred to as feral hogs or swine and are of
    three general types. These include free-ranging swine that come from domesticated
    stock, Eurasian wild boar, and hybrids of the two. Although technically, feral refers to
    free-ranging animals from domesticated stock, all wild hogs are typically referred to as
    feral in Florida and all are considered the same species, Sus scrofa. Wild hogs are in the
    family Suidae (true wild pigs), none of which are native to the Americas. Although not
    found in Florida, the only native pig-like mammal found in the United States is the
    collared peccary or javelina (Tayassu tajacu; Figure 2 ). These are not true pigs, in the
    family Tayassuidae, and about half the size of typical wild hogs.











                                                              CREDITS: Photo by M.S. Smith.
    It is believed that hogs were first brought to Florida, and possibly the U.S., in 1539, when
    Hernando de Soto brought swine to provision a settlement he established at Charlotte
    Harbor in Lee County. However, it is possible that hogs had been brought to the same
    site in 1521 by Ponce de Leon during a brief visit. During the next 4 centuries, explorers
    and settlers brought pigs with them throughout Florida. Many of these animals were
    given to or stolen by Native Americans who expanded pig numbers and distribution in the
    State. Europeans and Native Americans alike often raised their swine in semi-wild
    conditions (at least until the mid-1900s when open range ended and it became illegal)
    where hogs were allowed to roam freely and only rounded up when needed. Many of these
    animals and those escaping from captivity established feral populations throughout
    Florida. These feral populations have been further supplemented through deliberate
    releases of hogs in many areas by private individuals and the Florida Fish and Wildlife
    Conservation Commission to improve hunting opportunities (although the State no
    longer does this).

    Eurasian wild boar were first released in the U.S. in New Hampshire in 1886. Boar were
    then released in New York (1900), North Carolina/Tennessee (1912), Texas (1919),
    Washington State (1981), and possibly other locations to provide a new, huntable big
    game species, and increase the sporting and trophy value of feral hogs through
    hybridization. Although most were released in enclosed areas, many escaped and readily
    hybridized with local feral hogs. A few Eurasian wild boar and many hybrids naturally
    dispersed to areas around release sites, including neighboring states. Hybrids have been
    trapped and moved to many parts of Florida by private individuals. In addition, the
    Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has trapped and released feral hogs
    and hybrids in many areas to control hog-related problems in some areas and improve
    hunting opportunities in others. There are not believed to be any free-ranging, pure
    Eurasian wild boar in Florida, only feral hogs and hybrids.

    Wild hogs are now found in every county in Florida and in at least 35 states and Canadian
    provinces, including most of the Southeast. Florida, second only to Texas, is estimated to
    have 500,000+ wild hogs in a relatively stable population, with 1 to 2 million in the
    Southeastern U.S. Some of the highest densities of hogs in Florida can be found north
    and west of Lake Okeechobee in areas with large forested tracts, dense understory
    vegetation, and limited public access. Hog numbers tend to be lower in areas with
    intensive agriculture and urbanization, and little water.

    William M. Giuliano and George W. Tanner
    University of Florida