Hunter's Digest: Is Your Turkey Party Crashed?

If you've ever heard of or had to deal with hogs, then there is no doubt you've heard mostly negative things about their presence, and well.....their overall existence. I for one have just previously encountered a wild hog population for the first time, and on one of my properties. This discovery brought to mind the fact that I have heard so much negative about the adverse effects that a hog population may have on other animals....especially turkeys.

The most common reason people have for assuming that hogs are the party crasher of the animal world, is because hogs seem to directly compete with deer. Deer and hogs inhabit the same types of areas and do bump heads often and mostly because hogs seem to uproot and destroy the same food sources that are so important to deer. Hogs are not commonly known as browsers but will eat some of the same food plot grasses that are planted every year for deer. Agricultural fields provide great food sources for deer, even though the deer are unwanted in most cases, but, taking the farmer out of the equation and making it deer vs hog, we see that hogs can truly destroy an agricultural field in no time at all. This alone is not always the case. Hogs are not just destroying the food source for the deer, but they can become very aggressive and territorial towards them. Hogs are flat out no good for deer, thus, they have given themselves a bad rep in the animal world.
                                                                                                                   
A hog is very opportunistic. Anything that is dubbed food by a hog will be eaten when they come across it. Hogs will eat acorns, but will not make it a point to seek them out unless it is the only source of food that is available to them. This is very rare being that hogs can pretty much make a meal out of anything. They eat all types of vegetation, including seeds, nuts, bark, other plant material and grass, even though they are not browsers. Hogs are relentless as they will eat baby animals and other easy meals such as snakes, lizards, birds, and birds eggs...which brings to mind nest predation of turkeys.

Though some people may have seen a turkey nest where a hog had snouted it out, it is not to say that hogs are definite nest predators. Like I said before, hogs are opportunistic, and based on the rest of their diet, why wouldn't they eat a turkey egg.? Turkey biologist, Lovett Williams, had this to say:

"I've worked with wild turkeys for many years in Florida and have examined more than 300 turkey nests in wild hog country, but I've never seen evidence of a hog destroying a turkey nest. No doubt, a hog will eat a turkey egg if it finds one, but I don't think hogs are serious nest predators, as is sometimes claimed."

It seems people automatically get their hopes destroyed when they find hog sign while scouting for turkeys. This is a common misconception. Hogs DO eat some of the same foods that turkeys relish, however, they DO NOT compete. Even better, turkeys can thrive off of plenty more food items that hogs don't eat. So, if you are out scouting for turkeys and find hog sign....DON'T FREAK OUT! Take advantage of the situation and when life hands you hogs.....make bacon!