HogSight · Field Sheet

The Sounder Field Sheet

One page, the numbers that matter: what a sounder is, how to count one from trail camera photos without fooling yourself, what the damage runs, and where the law and the money stand. Every figure has its source.

1 · Know what you're looking at

  • A sounder is a family group of related sows and their young, spanning two to three generations — anywhere from 2 to 50 animals — Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, "Coping with Feral Hogs" program.
  • Roughly 80% of yearling females stay with their natal group, so the group you photograph this month is mostly the group you'll photograph next month — Texas A&M AgriLife Extension.
  • A sow that leaves to farrow stays apart two to four weeks, then rejoins with her litter — a "missing" sow is often a returning one — Texas A&M AgriLife Extension (Billy Higginbotham).

2 · The counting rule

Never trust a single photo. A sounder almost never poses in frame all at once: animals hang back in the brush, juveniles disappear behind sows, night frames stack bodies into blobs. Work from a series — same site, several nights — and keep the highest simultaneous count per group as your floor, never your ceiling. The full method is in the counting guide.

3 · What the damage runs

  • $3.4 billion per year in damage to U.S. farms and ranches, with Texas accounting for an estimated $871 million — USDA.
  • A separate 2025 study puts Texas feral hog damage closer to $1.6 billion — American Farm Bureau Federation and Texas Farm Bureau, 2025.

4 · Texas legal quick facts

  • No closed season, no bag limit, no possession limit for feral hogs, as of 2026 — Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
  • Public land still requires a valid Texas hunting license — TPWD.
  • Transporting or releasing a live feral hog is unlawful unless compliant with Texas Animal Health Commission rules.

5 · Where the money stands

  • USDA FSCP, fiscal year 2026: an estimated $35 million, ~25 awards of $75,000 to $3 million. Applications close September 21, 2026. Eligible applicants are partner organizations — states, counties, tribes, universities, nonprofits — not individual landowners; the practical move is getting your county or association to apply — grants.gov, NOFO USDA-NRCS-NHQ-FSCP-26-NOFO0001453.
  • The House-passed 2026 Farm Bill (H.R. 7567, April 30, 2026) proposes $150 million for the USDA-APHIS Feral Swine Damage Management Program through FY2031 — Senate action pending.

Go further

Every figure on this sheet is developed in the HogSight guides — including sounder identification and how the FY2026 funding actually flows.

This sheet summarizes published sources; figures reflect what those sources reported at publication time. Content drafted with AI assistance and reviewed by the publisher before publication.