The Differences in Types of Wild Hogs

Over the past few hundred years, the wild boar has gradually become one of America’s most sought-after big game. They began as an inductive sport from wealthy landowners but eventually broke free from hunting grounds and scattered across the nation.

Now, they are hunted for sport and prepared as succulent dishes across North America and even the world. Asians are massive eaters of pork and Italy considers their meat a delicacy. However, the purpose of this post is to educate you on the different names of this feral hog.

So, what is the difference between the various nomenclatures of this beast? Are there any comparisons at all between wild boar, feral swine, feral pig, or wild hog? Continue reading below to find out.

Wild Boar Historic Facts

The original wild hog was not wild, and was called a “Russian Boar”. It had long hair and protruding tusks. The first ones in the United States were brought in the 1500s and domesticated. It was after they escaped the hunting grounds that they became known as “wild hogs” or Sus Scrofa.

It was in the 19th century that Eurasian Wild Boars were brought to the U.S. They had straight hair with a dark brown and black color and weighed around 100 to 200 pounds. These new boars mated with existing Russian boars and created a hybrid species (Sus scrofa domesticus , which weighed anywhere from 75 to 250 pounds. Some were even been found to weigh an excess of 500 pounds.

Current Species of the Wild Hog

Crossbreeding has developed the pig to be a much larger animal. A normal pig can weigh between 300 – 700 pounds, while a domestic-bred pig can be bigger than 1000 pounds and reach almost 7 feet long. The many types of pigs are known to live in different habitats. Like the red river hogs of Africa, the pig deer of Indonesia, and the warty pigs of the Philippines.

Hunting Wild Boars

So, there were no large differences in the older pigs (except for their size) but hunting them does largely differ depending on the country. In Europe, they are hunted as a communal effort to push them to a point where they become vulnerable and easily taken down. Or they are hunted in elevated stands and picked off one by one.

It’s quite different in The States. It’s basically open territory due to their predatory and destructive nature. Hunting practices include trapping, poisoning, chasing with dogs, elevated stands, and even from helicopters.

The Difference in the Various Names of Wild Swine

In short, A boar is an uncastrated male domestic pig, but it also means a wild pig of any gender. A hog often means a domestic pig that weighs more than 120 lbs. (54 kilograms). Pigs are also called swine. Therefore, there are differences between a hog and a pig, but it also depends on who is naming them.

So, what is the difference between the various types of wild pigs? The most common usage is either “wild” or “feral”. Wild signifies a pig that has always lived in the wild. Never domesticated or cross-bred. They remain native to their birth country. Feral means a pig that was domesticated and turned wild.

The difference also lies in their classification by law. Feral pigs are classified as vermin meaning they are legal to kill in any area, in any amount. They are thought to be exterminated, not hunted. Wild boars are under hunting laws and each county has its own restriction of how and when they can be hunted. ^{[1] [2]}