If you believe a true wild sow will have more than 5 piglets a litter, you absolutely don’t know what you’re talking about period.
No wild sow has ever produced more than 10 pigs a year but will reliably produce exactly that. And I’ll guarantee you I know more about the topic than the average person. I killed 600 plus a year from the late 70’s to 2013 in 4 countries and on 2 continents, to say it was my passion is an understatement. I’ve watched them in very large enclosures for years where they were commercially raised for hunting and meat production in the US and Canada. If you can’t feed them all they want to eat and get more than 5 piglets, it ain’t happening in the woods foraging. Ive seen small numbers of tame hogs put large enclosures to cross breed in a effort to increase production and keep wild characteristics decrease in litter size over time and sows they produce will almost always start at 5 per litter.

Hunting and trapping can reduce the numbers on a property quickly and in some cases on a few properties I’ve seen it make hogs move on for long periods of time. In locations where they can avoid people on large properties, like western Jefferson County where terrain and unhuntable locations allow them to breed in mass avoiding people, food pressure will push them right back regardless.
Me and others on here were part of killing 610 on 1500 acres in 2010 plus ever how many were killed we didn’t know about and January 1 2011 still had 103 standing in one field on that property. In areas like that, nothing will ever make a difference. I killed 840 (traps, dogs and shooting) on 2 properties in sumpter co in 2005 and even though pigs were still prevalent around those 2 properties, they rarely were seen in the areas I had put constant pressure on them for the next two years. Enough food and little pressure made other areas more comfortable to them.

Are you saying they'll produce 5 on average across the board?......I know around here its not uncommon to see sows with pretty big litters.....

I’m saying for an absolute fact that wild sows will have 5 per litter twice a year period

Tame sows turned loose might have a larger litter once or twice but they’ll stop after awhile. Lots of weaning size pigs traveling with one sow isn’t uncommon but litters larger than five don’t happen.

He is spot on. A lot of folks believe they have 3 litters a year with 10-12 born at a time. Thats not true.

Good to hear from someone that knows and isn't from the "I'm a biologist give me the grant money" group. Thanks for your input.

I’ll also say as much as I enjoyed hunting hogs for 45 years, I wouldn’t have a problem with eradicating them and have always been against transporting and releasing them. I think anyone who does that should go to prison. The damage they do ain’t worth the sport they provide

I’ll have to pay closer attention ….Maybe its not common but I know I seen a sow last year that had more than 5…..She had a wad of little piglets smaller than a football following along behind her….She dang near run over us in some open hardwoods so I got a real good look at them. I would imagine its heavily based on food availability and pig density, correct??.....I wonder how much corn is impacting their reproduction?

The fact remains, hunting hogs is way more fun than deer hunting for some of us. I'd much rather put in a 10 mile day in rough country hunting pigs than freeze my nuts off getting fat sitting in a shoot house "hunting" deer. I don't transport or release pigs and get sick of the "experts" telling me to keep paying taxes on public land, licenses, taxes on firearms/ammo but to stay out because only they can provide the answer to the problem of the demons of the woods. All the while they make rules that inhibit hog hunters such as their precious WMA rules, no night hunts on public land, etc. On top of that, the "experts" gave us legal corn baiting because its really all about the money. Never mind that can only worsen the hog problem in some areas.

Hunting something creates the incentive for conservation……That’s one of the most basic principles and arguments for promoting a specie…..I don’t think the goal is to keep them around. Hunting them is why we have such a problem now. We’re either going to keep them or get rid of them…..If the goal is get rid of them then the solution is poison them and shut down pig hunting. That will most likely hurt the feelings of some people but that’s the correct move if that’s the outcome you want. You’re making this very point by protesting that you don’t have anywhere to hunt pigs and you want for there to be such.

Goodluck getting rid of them without poison 🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣

https://feralhogs.extension.org/feral-hog-reproductive-biology/

I have no hate for an animal that has been here longer than most of y’all’s linage 🤣😂🤣 And thats a fact, they are more native than most of you.

Good point.

Native…..non-native……..most of that just depends on how far back in time you take it……Humans are non-native if you go back far enough……All we need to decide at this point is do we want them around or don’t we?.....The rest of that is just labels.

I'm for managing them like any other wildlife. They have been here since the 1500s, as JL mentioned.

They cause less damage than the human species 😂🤣😂🤣😂

I say lets get rid of trailer park trash and negros first 🤣😂🤣

I’ve been in these discussions over many bottles of beer where my ranch is. You read hardtime stories of old days and they talk about how honey and feral hogs saved their a$$

I’m looking foward to that new 3lb species of invasive crawfish 🤣😂🤣😂 if you ain’t heard about it, look it up !

Average human only here for about 70 years, I suggest y’all buy more seasoning and beer and eat well !

The subject is about as stupid as liberals and climate change ! 🤣😂🤣😂

I've trapped several sows in the last few yrs that had 10 plus pigs with them. Not saying that's the norm though. Trapped 18 in a trap with 4 sows and 3 of the 4 were pregnant again according to the guy that cleaned them. He even said one had 12 in her.

[quote=CrappieMan]I've trapped several sows in the last few yrs that had 10 plus pigs with them. Not saying that's the norm though. Trapped 18 in a trap with 4 sows and 3 of the 4 were pregnant again according to the guy that cleaned them. He even said one had 12 in her. [/quote

Ive seen a lotta pure bred duroc and Hampshire hogs in the woods roaming free, that don’t make them wild.

These are wild hogs but I don't claim to be a hog expert lol. I just try and exterminate all i see

Even those tame sows recently freed will start having smaller litter really quickly

I’ve got a buddy who ownes one of the original high fence operations in the country, he started releasing small numbers of tame sows into a hunting enclosure in an effort to have more pigs and reduce the cost of restocking. By this time most of his stock came from Canada to have long nose big hair Eurasian characteristics, they had 1 maybe 2 big litters and dropped off sharply and that’s with “forage finds” heavily provided as in unlimited food sources to grow them out faster. Now, after 45 years of trying to keep the Eurasian look, they just stock with farm pigs. Most people don’t know the difference and most of the ones who do, don’t care