A Landowner's Guide for Wild Pig Management Practical Methods for Wild Pig Control

Wild pigs are not native to the Americas. They were first introduced to the United States in the 1500s by the Spanish explorer Hernando DeSoto, who traveled extensively throughout the Southeast.

Because pigs are highly adaptable and capable of fending for themselves, they were a popular livestock species for early explorers and settlers. In the centuries following European exploration and colonization of the eastern United States, settlers, farmers, and some Native Americans continued to promote the spread of pigs by using free-range livestock management practices. In the early 1900s, Eurasian or Russian wild boar were introduced into portions of the United States for hunting purposes. As a result of cross-breeding with wild domestic stock, many hybrid populations now exist throughout the wild pig’s range. 

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