Wild Hogs Frustrate Farmers

There's a pig problem in Baldwin County.

Wild hogs are roaming the backwoods and swamps near Silverhill, killing pets, destroying crops and making life miserable for farmers. Local farmer Dick Higbee has had enough.

"Those hogs get aggressive and dangerous," says Higbee. "They've already killed two of my dogs and have damaged my pecan crop. My neighbors have lost their corn and peanut crops to the pigs."

The wild hogs have gotten so bad, wildlife trapper Gary Casper was called in to help. Casper, best known for hunting and trapping alligators, says there are more than 1,000 wild hogs in Baldwin County.

"It all started a few years ago when a local farmer illegally released about 100 pigs out onto his land," says Casper. "The farmer passed away and the hogs had to fend for themselves. They've multiplied and have since spread out across the county."

Casper has already trapped and killed more than a dozen wild hogs on Higbee's farm.

"They can be dangerous," says Casper. "If you get one cornered around a sow or some little pigs, they'll fight. We're doing everything we can to help the problem. Farmers now are even carrying weapons in their trucks and if they see one, they'll shoot it."