Rural Missouri is being plagued by a “dark force” according to one landowner: feral hogs.

Rural Ozark County landowner Mark Eisenmann told the Ozark County Times that feral hogs are overtaking the farmland in Ozark, leading landowners – fearful for both their safety and their crop – to join forces with the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) to “eradicate” feral hogs in the state.

At the heart of the extraordinary growth of the feral hog population is the sow, a female feral hog that has reproduced. The sow’s rapid breeding rate and innate protective behavior is a large contributing factor to the feral hog population.

On your next hunt, make sure you take full advantage of hog vulnerabilities. Here are just a few.

Keep your eyes on this one. As deer hunting approaches its final month in Alabama, Alabama’s Black Belt is already reporting one of its best seasons in years. Trophy bucks are being taken on a regular basis, and lodges in the region are reporting heavy traffic.

The feral hog has an arsenal of advantages with respect to behaviors and adaptability that make it challenging quarry for the hunter. To ensure success, the wise hunter needs to understand these advantages and use them against the hog.