Well, partner, reckon it’s a bit tricky to pin down the exact number of them wild hogs roammin’ ’round Florida. Them critters ain’t got no census takers, you see. But lemme tell ya, Florida’s got itself a hog problem, that’s for sure.

Seems like them wild hogs done found themselves a good home in the Sunshine State. Some estimates from a while back, ’round 2019, put the numbers at ’bout 1.5 million hogs, and they ain’t just sittin’ still neither. These hogs, they breed faster than jackrabbits on a spring day, and they spread like wildfire in them woods, swamps, and fields.

Now, why’s it such a big concern, you might ask? Well, them hogs, they root up the land like a bulldozer gone haywire, tearin’ up crops, diggin’ holes everywhere, and generally raisin’ a ruckus. Farmers ain’t too pleased ’bout that, let me tell ya. They gobble up plants, critters, and whatever else they can find, disturbin’ the natural balance of things.

State officials been tryin’ to tackle this hog dilemma for years. Huntin’ ’em down is one method, but it’s like tryin’ to empty the ocean with a teaspoon, I’ll tell ya that much. These hogs are smart, wily creatures, and they adapt faster than a raccoon in a garbage can. Trappin’, shootin’, and even usin’ dogs to track ’em down are some of the ways folks been tryin’ to keep their numbers in check.

So, while I can’t give ya an exact count of them wild hogs in Florida, I can surely say it’s a mess of ’em. And the battle between humans and hogs, well, it’s a showdown that’s gonna keep goin’ on for the foreseeable future, partner.