Smallscreen Reviews

Review: A&E 'American Hoggers,' Texas feral hog drama a wild ride

By April MacIntyre Oct 15, 2011, 22:05 GMT

Quite possibly the best docuseries since "Deadliest Catch", EP Thom Beers, a prolific teller of blue collar tales of hard work and occupational perils, has delivered my favorite new A&E series, “American Hoggers.”

"These hogs are the scourge of America..." - Jerry Campbell

"He (Rooster, hunting dog) has had more bitches than a Houston divorce lawyer..." - Jerry Campbell

This series is a real slice of hardcore Texas; sub-titles are used to decipher patriarch Jerry Campbell's bon mots and down-home wisdom about killing feral hogs, the "scourge" of the country and a true menace to ranchers and folks living out in the Texas plains and hills.

Working dogs, namely Campbell's stud elder dog Rooster and his progeny, are the heroes of the tale, as they bravely run after animals that can rip them open in a second. Rooster lost an eye to one, yet charges forth fearlessly.

This is a real-life series that follows the Campbell family and their struggle to rescue Texas residents and ranches from the devastating chaos caused by millions of invasive wild boars or feral hogs.

The 9-episode half-hour series premieres Wednesday, October 19 at 10PM ET/PT.

“American Hoggers” is the story of legendary hog hunter Jerry Campbell, 64; his son, Robert, 28; and daughter, Krystal, 23; as they respond to those threatened by feral hogs.

Located in the heart of Texas, the family dedicates itself to the front lines – riding horseback, driving a custom-rigged Jeep, using highly trained dogs - which in Campbell-speak is "dawwwgs" with GPS tracking systems and employing horse sense and experience to help those endangered by these ferocious wild "hawwwgs."

Half of the wild boar population in America lives on the Texas countryside. Their populations are growing exponentially into the millions, and they’re tearing up ranchland, devouring valuable crops and maiming or even killing livestock. They have insatiable appetites, the males can have six to eight inch canines, violent temperaments and can grow up to 400 pounds.

Feral hogs have caused over $50 million per year in damage to the state of Texas alone. Farms have had to shut down and families have been left scared to step outside their own homes.

Jerry is the go-to guy for his fellow Texans to call when it gets unbearable. He drives a custom off-road Jeep, daughter Krystal and her friend Leah saddle up the horses and Robert rounds up the hog-hunting dogs for jobs that cover every corner of central Texas.

Even airport officials have to call Jerry to clear the runways as the hogs fear nothing.

These mainly omnivorous nocturnal beasts have become one of the true North American invasive species dangers, as 39 out of 50 states have them, and four Canadian provinces too.

It is estimated there are over 2 million and counting wild boars loose in Texas alone, which is half of the entire feral hog population in North America. The department of Game and Fishing in Texas reports that feral hogs are edible for human consumption, and in the wild they are carriers of many diseases such as Swine Brucellosis, Pseudorabies, tuberculosis and Hog Cholera.

However, the TexasBoars.com website claims that these feral hogs or wild boars have a "shield", which is considered scar tissue that hardens and thickens with age. The shield, about an inch in thickness, covers the hog, beginning from the neck to the last rib.

The weight of fully matured feral hogs will vary from 200 pounds to over 700 pounds.
True Wild Boar or Russian Boar will weigh around 400 pounds when fully grown (4 - 5 years of age). The weight of the feral hog is determined by the domestic breed line of the animal.

Yeehaw!