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.