EP:229 | The Wild Hog Dilemma with Dr. Steve Ditchkoff

This week we have Dr. Steve Ditchkoff from Auburn University on to discuss the latest on the exploding feral pig population. He’s studied wild pigs extensively during his career and thinks they are the smartest critters on the landscape. How come we rarely see many wild pig road kills? Did you know De Soto brought over the first pigs in the 1500’s, yet they never exploded until the last 40 years. Why? He explains and we also talk meat, diseases, trapping, their sudden spread and how some states are handling them a bit differently. Steve explains the hope that the new toxicants have for the future. We’ve been wanting to talk to Dr. Steve for a while, and he was well worth the wait. It’s an insightful discussion and one that Gamekeepers can learn from. Listen Learn and Enjoy.
Show Notes:
More on Dr. Stephen Ditchkoff: deerlab.auburn...
The Auburn Deer Lab: deerlab.auburn...
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[@dawn9869]

Toxicants are such a slippery slope. There has to be management of carcasses to prevent secondary poisoning from scavenging. You're talking about a significant number of native animals that could be harmed down the line. The other issue with the warfarin based bait is the pig/hog had to eat it at a high enough concentration to induce the adverse effects. That's hard to control and pigs are smart enough to start avoiding baits.