Feral Hog populations in the United States have been increasing steadily since their introduction over two centuries ago.

Feral hogs (Sus Scrofa) are free ranging domestic swine that have lived in the wild for many generations. Some populations may have bred with strains of Russian wild boar from Europe that were imported into various regions of the U.S. during the 1930's as game animals. Feral hog populations have increased for several reasons including prolific breeding capability, improved range management practices, agricultural irrigation, predator reduction, and their introduction into various regions for sport. There is a saying amongst farmers and ranchers throughout the country, "If you don’t have feral hogs on your property you soon will."

Feral hogs are omnivorous and opportunistic feeders. They may reach weights of up to 400 pounds and use their snouts to till the soil for food.  Their diets include grasses, forbs, roots, and tubers, soft and hard mast, including grapes, plums, prickly pears, mesquite, acorns, and persimmons. Other food sources may include mushrooms, carrion, and insects. Small mammals and their young may also be consumed. This includes nesting ground birds such as quail and their eggs. Agricultural crops such as corn, peanuts, oats, milo, wheat, and soybeans are also on the menu.

Feral hogs do not have specially adapted nocturnal eyes, but they are primarily active at night. They will bed down in the heat of the day and forage at night. During the day, they require a covered canopy for shade and favor soil conditions that will allow them to burrow to access available moisture. Feral hogs have very poor eyesight, but use their powerful sense of smell to detect food and potential predators. They are very agile and can move very quickly through difficult terrain when flushed. Feral hog home ranges can vary from 0.5 to 19 square miles. Their population numbers are difficult to estimate because they expose themselves primarily when feeding at night, and limit their movement during the day.

There is much to be learned regarding the effects of feral hog rooting and foraging on the landscape. On the negative side feral hogs compete for resources with native species, promote soil erosion in riparian landscapes, disrupt and alter vegetation communities, consume ground nesting birds, and spread disease.

Positive aspects of their activity may include the effect their rooting patterns have on the soil and seed beds, which may result in more diverse plant communities in some landscapes.

Because of the uncertainty that feral hog activity has on the environment and because of their increasing populations it is important to identify natural regions that may be sensitive to their activity. Once introduced into an area this habitat generalist is next to impossible to eradicate.