Image: wild_hog_mi

A federal judge has given ranchers in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula one year to eliminate feral hogs on their property before facing penalties. (Photo by David Kalosson)

High-fenced ranches in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula have one year to get rid of feral hogs before facing state enforcement.

According to Gear Junkie, a federal ruling gives ranches until July 29, 2026, to eliminate pigs that meet the DNR’s criteria for invasive species. After the deadline, the state can enforce the ban without further notice or legal delays.

A legal battle over Russian boars, once considered a prize species for high-fence hunting, has continued for years.

Claiming the swine are a major ecological threat, Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) first banned Russian hogs in 2010 under its Invasive Species Order. The DNR said the pigs can be identified by physical traits like curly tails, dark coloration, and long snouts.

Ranchers argued the guidelines were vague and unfairly targeted heritage pig breeds raised for sport hunting or farming.

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The USDA estimates that feral hogs cause more than $1.5 billion in damages each year throughout the U.S. by rooting up the soil, destroying crops, competing with native wildlife, and spreading diseases like pseudorabies and swine brucellosis

The Michigan DNR says feral pigs are prolific breeders, and escapees from hunting preserves have been documented in several counties. The agency claims that stopping the spread of the wild hogs is necessary for protecting ecosystems and agriculture.

Rocker and avid hunter Ted Nugent testified before Michigan lawmakers, saying he’d been sued over pigs that were neither feral nor invasive, and claimed the entire system was flawed.

“There’s no such thing as a Russian boar,” he told the House Government Operations Committee.

During the hearing, lawmakers offered evidence of a DNR sting operation on Nugent’s ranch during which undercover agents were paid to shoot pigs on his fenced property to test whether they met the invasive threshold.

The pigs were declared domestic, not feral, clearing Nugent. But other farmers have been forced to remove animals or face penalties after similar operations.

Nugent and Republican lawmakers say the DNR’s tactics are heavy-handed while calling for investigative oversight and demanding transparency on genetic testing protocols.

Since the state began enforcement, the number of hunting preserves raising pigs in Michigan has declined sharply, with lawmakers from rural districts saying that fewer than a half-dozen ranches still operate today, down from more than 70 a decade ago.

After the 2026 deadline, ranchers who fail to remove their pigs could face legal penalties including fines, the seizure of animals, or permanent closure.