People not familiar with this secretive creature usually have fear of it. The threat that there are ‘wild boar’ in the area is enough to keep most people away. However they are just feral pigs, believed to have been brought to the state by the Spanish in the 1500s. They usually aren’t dangerous and naturally fear man. The wild hog of Florida has a reputation for being destructive, as it forages, it destroys a wide area that is used by natural flora and fauna. Because it’s a invasive species, hunters are encouraged to take these animals whenever they feel the need. There is a trick for hunting these elusive animals in the swamps and marshes where these animals tend to live. In a swamp like the everglades it is difficult to move around, everglades air boat rides are probably the best way to get to where the wild hogs are.
The male hog which is called a boar can get to upwards of 200+ lbs, although there are stories of some much larger. Hogs use a variety of habitat types, though their need to wallow in the mud, restricts their range. They are dependent on water to satisfy this need to keep ticks, mites, sun etc. off them. They also like as little human disturbance as possible, so these two points determine why the swamps and marshes are where they tend to congregate.
If you would like to catch a glimpse of this creature, and don’t want to just walk around the forest, the more everglades air boat rides you take the greater the opportunity there is to see a wild hog. So head out to Wild Florida, the head water to the everglades, air boat rides there are throughout the day with night tours available.
