Evaluating the Effects of Plant Oils on Feral Hog Behavior and Populations at Cowden Plantation, Jackson, SC.

Abstract

Our research was conducted on Cowden Plantation, located along the Savannah River in Jackson, SC. In a previous study, it was hypothesized that feral hogs were being repelled by imitation catnip oil scent. This led to the question of whether that effect could be replicated and if other mint oils would have a similar effect. The primary purpose of this study was to observe the effects of a variety of mint oil extracts on the behaviors of the feral hog populations at ten locations on the Plantation. Feral hogs (Sus scrofa) were observed, via camera trapping, responding to the following oil extracts: Imitation Catnip Oil, Peppermint Oil, Eucalyptus Oil, Spearmint Oil, and Pure Catnip Oil. Cuddeback (IR and Black Flash) trail cameras were placed in open and forested habitats to monitor the species appearance and reaction using video clips. Scents were rotated every two weeks at each location, and all sites included two control weeks. A newly saturated scent tab was placed at each location in front of the cameras at the beginning of every week, and image cards were exchanged on those occasions. In summary, each camera went through a fourteen-week rotation with a different scent rotated every other week. Population densities were measured based on the number of images captured with scents compared to images captured without scents. Animal behavior was monitored through video and categorized into four different scent reaction groups: Smelled, Repelled, Rubbed Against, and Tasted. The most feral hog activity and behavioral responses occurred around the mint oils in both habitat areas. Most activity was captured when the ambient temperatures were warmer, and the oils were more aromatic. Funding Source: Center for Undergraduate Research and Scholarship and Department of Biological Sciences