Wild Hog Tracks

TRACKING FERAL HOGS

Do you want to know if the damage to your property is from wild boars, sows, or piglets? Are you trying to be a better hunter? If so, you’ll need to be able to tell the difference between tracks made by pigs and tracks made by deer. The two look very similar, but a few slight differences allow a skillful eye to tell the difference.

DEER TRACK IN MUD

Deer tracks look like wild pig tracks because they both have hooves, with a distinctive split down the middle. We know this is a deer track because the shape of the hoof is teardrop shape and it’s slightly less broad than the track a sounder makes as it moves through a field or through the woods.

PIG TRACK IN MUD

You know you’re tracking a hog if you see a track that looks like this–almost like a hamburger or sandwich in a bun. The track is much broader and isn’t teardrop shape, and the center line that separates the hoof is also wider than the deer track.

Also keep in mind that pigs are social animals. They tend to travel together as a group, and will typically forage with other boars, sows and piglets typically in a larger group than you’ll see with deer. This means you’ll see a lot of tracks from bigger and smaller animals, clumped together in one area.

LEARN TO SPOT HOG DAMAGE

DOES YOUR YARD LOOK LIKE THIS?

Feral hogs forage for food in the top layer of topsoil, looking for surface worms and bugs. They also love to feast on crops, corn, and other vegetation. If you’re tracking wild pigs and you start to see damage like this, you’re definitely close to the rest of the sounder. If you’re not armed, you’ll want to proceed with caution. Wild hogs can get aggressive, and can kill you if you’re not careful.