Nestled between the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers, the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area is home to numerous wildlife species that attract hunters and tourists each year. One species, though, the invasive feral pig, is under the gun again as state and federal officials attempt to eradicate these pests from the landscape.
Officials with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, U.S. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and U.S. Forest Service began helicopter flights and bait trapping in mid-January to put a dent in the population. Aerial flights to locate the pigs this year included sharpshooters. Sightings from the skies also help wildlife specialists on the ground place baited traps so the pigs could be euthanized. Trapping began in 2014 with minimal success but has increased each year. About 70 pigs were killed during 2018, a number that increased to 736 in 2024.
Kentucky prohibited hunting for feral pigs in 2024. Trapping and aerial surveillance in winter when foliage is not as dense is more effective in eliminating larger numbers of feral swine.
