Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Hogs & Deer Co-existing

For those of you who have feral hogs, how does your deer population regard them? I know in some places (Texas) the deer don't have much choice but to live with it. Around here, the pigs have really come on the scene in the last 10 years, and the deer have always avoided them. I can't remember all the times I've been watching deer only to have them spook and run when pigs have gotten near. When pigs start showing up on your game cameras, deer photos go down, often way down.

This year is the first year I've got deer on camera with big pigs, eating together. Several times, this buck has come in while a pair of boars (permanent residents of that spot) have already been feeding. They eyeball each other occasionally, but tend to settle down and eat within 20-30 feet of each other. Perhaps the older/wiser deer are beginning to regard the pigs as more of a nuisance and less of a threat? On this camera and others, does and young bucks will come in a few minutes after pigs leave, but they never share space with them while feeding.

Usually but not always the deer will leave when a big hog shows up. I have watched big hogs chase fawns several times, one of the reasons I kill them as often as possible. Sucks when hogs take over a feeder and along with raccoons eat all the corn.