GREEN BAY (NBC 26) -- While most hunters are hoping to bring home a "30-point" buck during gun deer season, there's another animal the DNR is asking hunters to take aim at in the woods.
The DNR is targeting feral pigs this season. While feral pigs are not as big of a problem in northeast Wisconsin as they are in southern states, the DNR wants to keep that population under control. Not only do feral pigs damage crops and farmland, but they also carry diseases and parasites.
Feral pigs are big, course-haired pigs with longer snouts, and different from a domestic pig you might typically think of on a farm. However, domestic pigs can become the source of a feral pig population if they escape from their habitat.
The DNR says about a month ago, a farmer in Oconto County had some pigs escape. An image of the pigs was captured in a picture from a trail camera in October.
“If you're in a very remote area, which is what sometimes happens with these feral pigs because they move off and they're in wild country, there's no potential connection to an owner, we would seize that opportunity to take that animal off the landscape,” explained Jeff Pritzl, Wildlife Supervisor for the DNR.
If you do happen to see a feral pig this weekend, Pritzl asks that hunters use common sense when determining if it is feral or an escaped animal. You can shoot a feral pig on your property without a hunting license, but if you're anywhere else you need a small game, sport or patron license. If you see one this weekend, the DNR asks you to let them know so they can make sure there's not a bigger problem.
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