Wild hogs recently struck again in San Antonio's outer subdivisions. Residents reported that the animals tore up yards in a neighborhood about three miles south of SeaWorld on the far West Side.
Home security cameras caught them in the act.
John Tomecek, a professor and wildlife specialist with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, said he thinks he knows why they're so active now.
As vegetation in unincorporated areas of the county turns more and more brown and stops growing all together this winter, there is less food for wild hogs to forage on.
A long-term drought has them also looking for water. Tomecek said that search draws them out of open pastures or wooded areas and into nearby subdivisions.
Tomecek, who in 2021 led a national wild hog task force to combat the environmental and property damage caused by them, said water especially is a huge draw for the animals.
"Water drives a lot of it because they've got a pretty high water requirement, so in times when it's been raining here, there, and everywhere, they're spread out pretty well. In drought limes, they actually cluster in pretty hard to water."
Well-watered, well-fertilized yards and flower beds in subdivisions are like a salad bar to a wild hog, who love to plow them up to munch on roots, acorns, and insects (the video above shows them at work in February 2023).
Tomecek explained that hogs love environments where there are a lot of calories to eat but not a lot of calories burned to get to them. Tomecek said hogs can ward off starvation better than a lot of other wildlife.
"I have seen native wildlife looking pretty bad," he said. "I have seen native wildlife starving. I have never seen a pig starve."
How can a homeowner protect a yard from hogs that strike late at night or in the early morning hour? Tomecek said only one obstacle can really do the trick.
"You know, the most effective thing is fencing, to be honest with you," he said. "If you've got good stout fences, you can keep them out."
He said before you go to war against hogs, check with local law enforcement and check with your HOA on what you can and can't do to get rid of the porky pests.
"Once you figure out what you can do legally, then it's a matter of finding someone who can come and do it," Tomecek explained. "So, you may not be able to trap and shoot them in a neighborhood because discharging firearms is tricky. You may be able to trap them and have someone carry them away on a trailer to an approved buying facility."
At the facility, the hogs will end up in the hands of professional meat producers to be made into certified USDA meat for human consumption.
Tomecek said a lot of products consumers could buy — automated lights, noisemakers, and even sprinklers — only work until the hog figures out there's a pattern to them and gets used to them.
He also said going one on one to shoo off a hog can backfire — sometimes dangerously.
"You know, if you've got coyotes or something in your neighborhood, it's okay to chase them off, scare them off," he explained, "but with pigs, after you do that a while, they may discover that you don't hurt them, and you may in fact find that they are no longer amused by your behavior, and it can create some risk for folks."
Those risks include injuries from a hog charge and, in some rare cases, death.
Hogs can be even more dangerous if they feel trapped. Sows with piglets can be very dangerous when it comes to defending their offspring. They can also have sharp tusks with which to injure their prey.
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service reports there are nearly 2 million hogs across Texas, first brought here by Spanish colonial settlers as a food source hundreds of years ago.
