Proceedings of the Vertebrate Pest Conference

In the United States, costs of wild pig damage to natural resources and control exceed $1.5 billion annually. Aerial gunning from helicopters can rapidly reduce wild pig populations, and understanding wild pig behavioral response to aerial gunning may offer insight into control measures to enhance efficacy of removal campaigns. We used camera trapping to quantify wild pig detection rates and activity patterns during four periods (Before, During, After, and Long After i.e., approximately one month after cessation) associated with a helicopter aerial gunning campaign that took place only during daylight hours. Relative to Before aerial gunning, daytime wild pig detection rates among study periods were similar but nighttime detection rates declined During, After, and Long After gunning. However, wild pig detection rates within closed canopy forests increased During and After the campaign relative to Before, suggesting that aerial gunning increased wild pig preference for overhead cover. There were nuanced differences in wild pig activity patterns among study periods, likely because pigs were largely nocturnal before the study began. Despite these differences, ground-based hunting efforts just before dawn and after dusk within closed canopy forests may increase pig removals during aerial gunning campaigns by reducing ‘safe times’ and ‘safe places.’