Locations

• As of 2010, feral hogs have expanded their population throughout most of Louisiana with the highest numbers reported across the southeast. The feral swine population in the Lake Ophelia National Wildlife Refuge in central Louisiana is at a crisis level. Officials estimate one swine per 4 acres of habitat.
  
  

Description

• Feral hogs closely resemble domestic pigs, though some have longer legs and leaner, more compact bodies. Great color variations exist among feral hogs, including reds, blonds and browns, though a majority of feral hogs are black. Hair is coarser and tusks (which can grow up to 5 inches) are more pronounced than on domesticated swine.
  
  

Terms

• Louisiana state official publications usually refer to these animals as feral hogs. Some wild hogs are hybrids of non-native wild boar and domesticated pigs.
  
  

Impact

• In 2007, the LDWF formed the Feral Swine Control Committee (FSCC) to survey Louisiana’s feral hog populations. The committee focuses on collecting blood samples to detect diseases and research ways to control the population of feral hogs.
  
  Feral swine cause extensive damage to wildlife habitat, compete with native species like deer and turkey, destroy sugarcane, rice and corn crops and are, in the words of a LDWF document, “highly mobile disease reservoirs” that are known to carry at least 30 important viral and bacterial diseases. Research further suggests that hog populations in western Louisiana are contributing E. coli to water systems impacting freshwater mussels and insects. According to a 2009 estimate by LWDF, feral swine destroy 30 to 50 percent of grain crops planted on the Lake Ophelia National Wildlife Refuge.
  
  

Legality

• Though most wildlife management areas (WMAs) host a feral hog season from October to February, feral hogs may be taken during any legal hunting season in designated WMAs. There is usually no bag limit. Two exceptions are during turkey and the spring squirrel seasons, when hunters may not take hogs. Hunters must be licensed for the season in progress and use either guns or bow and arrows appropriate to the corresponding season. Hunters must display 400 square inches of "hunter’s orange.” Refer to the annual hunting regulations published by the LDWF for more information on legality and WMAs. There is a moratorium on nighttime hunting and poisoning feral hogs.
  
  Two special seasons exist for feral hogs in certain WMAs. Hunters may hunt with the aid of dogs “by-permit-only” in Attakapas, Bodcau, Boeuf, Dewey Wills, Jackson-Bienville, Pass a Loutre, Pearl River, Red River, Sabine and Three Rivers WMAs. The season is typically from February 1 to 28. This is the only time of the year dogs may be used to hunt feral pigs. Contact the Minden, Pineville, Hammond or Opelousas WMU offices for information on permits.
  
  The second is a special shotgun season from February 16 to March 31 in Atchafalaya Delta, Pass-a-Loutre, Pointe-aux-Chenes and Salvador WMAs. During these seasons, hunters may kill hogs with shotguns loaded with buckshot or slugs. During these seasons, feral hogs may not be transported live under any conditions.