F.H.M. Feral Hogs - Missouri

Highway A descends to the valley at the base of Bell Mountain in Iron County, Missouri on May 3, 2016. Iron County is one of 20 in Missouri that has seen an explosion of the invasive feral hog population. Hunts, like the annual hunt on Bell Mountain have shown some success in controlling the population. However , it’s still unclear just how large of a population exists.

A hog rubs against a tree while a second uses its snout to root through the dirt for food in Crawford County on April 23, 2016. Feral hogs dig for worms, roots, and seeds but they will also scavenge on larger animal carcasses. The feral hogs in Missouri are decedents of either the Russian or European species.

Bare ground soaks up rainwater in Dade County on May 2, 2016. Feral hogs can tear through acres of land in a few days, leaving nothing but dirt, and rain can wash away the soil leading to accelerated erosion. Feral hogs compete with native Missouri species for resources and often drive other animals out of an area completely or they could face starvation.

Grass rises through a stagnate pool of rainwater and hog waste in Iron County on April 23, 2016. These pools are perfect breeding areas for mosquitoes that can carry their own diseases and viruses, such as the Zika Virus. Some of the feral hogs were released by people for sport hunting, while others moved in from southern states.

Two horses graze near a muddy pool created by feral hogs rooting for food in Iron County on April 23, 2016. Feral hogs can carry a myriad of diseases and they can be passed to other animals through contaminated water.

James Dixon wires a panel to the drop-gate on a hog trap in Dade County on May 2, 2016. Dixon said the Missouri Department of Conservation has dozens of different trap designs set up across the southern region of the state. The department is also proposing an regulation that would prevent hunting on public land.

A trail of corn leads under a drop-gate hog trap in Dade County Missouri on May 2, 2016. The Department of Conservation prefers to trap the animals rather than shooting them while they are loose. This prevents scattering the groups into separate, smaller populations, which are harder to remove.

A tripwire hangs above a pile of corn inside a hog trap in Dade County. The wire is placed in the back of the trap to ensure that the hog is all the way inside before the gate drops. This also increases the chance of catching multiple hogs at one time.

A male hog yawns, exposing its tusks in Crawford County on April 23, 2016. Male hogs are known as boars and can grow to over 500 pounds and can have razor-sharp, 18 inch tusks. Feral hogs are extremely intelligent and dangerous animals. They have been known to charge people who get too close.

The Katy Trail curves towards the Missouri River near Rocheport on April 29. Two feral hogs were killed in this area in 2013, but there haven’t been any sightings since. However, the hog populations are moving farther north as the winters get milder and the summer temperatures last longer. There are more frequent sightings one county to the south.

Feral Hogs - Final Report

This story was definitely a test of patience. There were several cancellations and many many miles spent on the road pursuing leads and trying to find the best places to photograph. It was around 1,300 miles that I put on my car while pursuing this assignment. One day was six hours of driving for my subject to say "let's do this next week." This wasn't what I wanted to hear, but I needed the subject for an important part of the story. Well, the "next week" never happened. The only thing that is missing from the story that I wanted is the hunters.

Even with missing the hunters, I think this story stands without them. I am happy with what I was able to get in the amount of time I had. This is definitely a story that is bigger than this one assignment and could easily turn into a year-long or longer project. This is a major issue and not a lot of people outside the affected areas seem to know anything about it. I didn't intend on working on an issue story for this assignment. However, that is what the assignment turned into.

Any assignment that has anything to do with the government are tricky. The USDA was absolutely ZERO help. I am not surprised by this at all though. I have seen enough documentaries on what they do to know not to expect too much. The Missouri Department of Conservation was very helpful once I got a hold of the right people. I was happy to work with them on this assignment.

My favorite part about this assignment was meeting Sue in Belleview. I met her on the first day I went to Iron County. After talking with her a little bit about my project she offered to help, but didn't "have much time." She ended up showing me around her property for a few hours and then showed me the inside of her house. I wanted to call Rita, my professor, and cancel the original assignment and do a story on Sue. She was funny, and had so many great stories and I wasn't even around her that long. I will definitely visit her again.

Another part of this process that I enjoyed was seeing a different part of Missouri. I had never been to that part of the state. It reminded me a lot of traveling through southern West Virgina. A lot of the little towns still had the old store fronts and main streets that seemed to fall out of the late 1800s, early 1900s. However, they had a very different feel than other rural main streets. They felt very "hillbilly." And I love that. That culture absolutely fascinates me. It's part of my heritage and I am proud of it.

There really isn't anything I would do differently with this assignment. There were a few snags, but nothing that could have been prevented given the circumstances. This assignment would have been more successful at a different time of year. My time frame was smack-dab in the middle of turkey season so no one was hunting hogs.

It's also a weird feeling. It hasn't quite hit me 100% yet. This is the last assignment that I will ever turn in for school. I know I still have my Master's project to do, but that's not really the same. I have been in school so long. I think I'm institutionalized. This assignment was a nice culmination of my career at Mizzou. Could it have been more successful? Yes. But overall, I am happy with the assignment, but I am more happy with process of doing the assignment. There are more stories than the photographs show, but that's for another time.

Progress Report - Feral Hogs - 4-27 NOTHING TO REPORT

Plans got changed, and nothing changed as far as what I had shot.