Home Range and Habitat Use of Feral Hogs (Sus scrofa) on Lowndes County WMA, Alabama

This study was conducted on Lowndes County Wildlife Management Area (WMA), Alabama to assess the survival, home ranges, and habitat preferences of feral pigs during high and low hunting pressure seasons. For the study, two six-month seasons were defined (high pressure hunting or low pressure hunting) based on the number of hunters that entered the woods on the WMA. We collared twenty-four pigs to determine home range and habitat use from 1 February 2005-31 January 2006 on Lowndes County WMA. Seventeen collared pigs had an average home range of 403.6 + 65.6 ha in the low pressure season, and 11 pigs had an average home range of 278.6 + 64.5 ha during the high pressure season. Season had a significant effect on home range size (P = 0.039) and core range size (P = 0.018). The test for group effect randomization indicated that the pigs did not choose their habitats (home range or core range) randomly (P < 0.0001). The type of season had a significant effect on habitat use (P = 0.027). Sex (P = 0.062) and age (P = 0.84) did not have any significant effects on pig habitat preference. During the low pressure season, the collared pigs preferred wetland and shrub/scrub habitats; whereas, they preferred pine forests and shrub/scrub habitats during the high pressure season.