MELBOURNE, Fla. – James Dean, owner of AAA Wildlife Removal in Melbourne, said he caught a 400-pound wild hog on Friday, a day before he caught a 250-pound pig.
Dean said he's never seen a hog larger than the one he caught on Friday. He had been hunting the hog for more than a week and had to use a three-man crew and dogs to capture the beast.
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He believes the overpopulation problem is getting bigger.
Wild pigs can reproduce twice a year, with as many as 14 in a litter.
Dean said the biggest concern from residents and business owners is the damage the hogs leave behind. He said they uproot landscaping and could cause thousands of dollars in damage.
Dean said he wishes the hunting laws for wild hog were more lenient than they are now.
On private property with landowner permission, wild pigs may be hunted year round. No hunting license is required. On wildlife management areas, WMAs, hogs may be taken during most hunting seasons, except spring turkey. Also, a hunting license is needed, as well as management area permit and any other necessary permits to hunt wild pigs on WMAs.
Dean said he caught about 600 wild hogs in Brevard County last year, hundreds more than the year before.
In the past month, he took 31 hogs in the Suntree area, including 12 hogs from the Sawgrass Key at Suntree community near Interstate 95.