The Feral Hog in Oklahoma: Competition & Environmental Concerns

Competition & Environmental Concerns
Feral hog food preferences can hardly be mentioned without the issue of competition coming up. The potential for feral hog competition with native wildlife for food, cover, water or space is always a concern for landowners and managers. There is documentation of potential competition for food with deer, turkey, waterfowl, squirrels, raccoons, opossums, foxes, bobcats, javelinas, bears, sandhill cranes and chipmunks. You may not be concerned with all of these species but they are listed to emphasize the diverse diet of the feral hog. Competition for food is usually seasonal. For instance, in south-central Oklahoma and north-central Texas, competition for acorns between feral hogs, white-tailed deer and turkey may be most severe in the fall and winter.

Riparian areas and associated plants can be severely altered or destroyed by feral hog activity.

Depending on the intended use or ecological status of pastures or meadows, rooting such as this can be an advantage or disadvantage to the landowner or manager.

There have been many reports regarding the effects feral hogs have on vegetative communities as a result of feeding and/or rooting. These effects can change soil properties such as water and mineral cycles. Rooting, if severe enough, can also alter plant community successional sequences. The effect these activities have on the vegetation varies from positive to negative depending on the area and type of vegetation.

Positive effects may include increased quality of seed beds, increased water infiltration, shift in plant succession toward increased diversity, accelerated decomposition of organic matter and increased mixing of soil horizons. Negative effects may include soil erosion, consumption of native seed crops, consumption of threatened or endangered species, altered plant succession in monocultures or native rangeland and reduction of overall species diversity.