Tips To Drive Away Wild Boars From Your Garden

Last updated on October 30th, 2023 at 06:27 pm

The wild boar population is increasing. Therefore, it can easily happen that you encounter wild boars in your own garden. But there are helpful ways to keep wild boars out of your garden in an animal-friendly way. Our guide presents eight practical tips to keep wild boars out of your garden.

Wild boars can be a significant nuisance in gardens, as they can cause extensive damage by rooting for food and trampling plants. Here are some tips to help drive away wild boars from your garden:

1. Fencing: A sturdy fence is one of the most effective methods to keep wild boars out of your garden. Use a fence that is at least 4-5 feet tall and bury it at least a foot underground to prevent boars from digging under it. Electric fencing can also be a deterrent.
2. Motion-Activated Lights and Sounds: Wild boars are often deterred by sudden bright lights and loud noises. Installing motion-activated lights or sound devices can startle them and drive them away.
3. Repellents: There are commercial repellents available that can deter wild boars. These can be in the form of sprays, granules, or electronic repellent devices. Be sure to follow the product instructions carefully.
4. Secure Compost and Trash: Wild boars are attracted to food scraps, so make sure your compost pile and trash bins are securely covered. Avoid putting meat or dairy products in your compost.
5. Clean Up Fallen Fruits: Wild boars are drawn to fruit trees and will eat fallen fruit. Keep your garden clean by promptly removing fallen fruit.
6. Avoid Attracting Other Wildlife: Be mindful of other wildlife attracted to your garden, such as deer and raccoons, as they can also attract wild boars. Take steps to deter or manage these animals to reduce the likelihood of boar visits.
7. Habitat Modification: Eliminate any potential hiding spots in your garden, such as dense vegetation or piles of brush. This reduces the attractiveness of your garden to boars.
8. Harvest Crops Promptly: Harvest fruits and vegetables as soon as they are ripe to prevent boars from finding a food source in your garden.
9. Use Dogs: Trained dogs, such as livestock guardian dogs, can be effective at deterring wild boars. Their presence alone can discourage boars from entering your property.
10. Consult Local Authorities: If wild boar infestations are a significant problem in your area, consider contacting local authorities or wildlife agencies for advice and possible assistance.

It’s important to check local regulations and restrictions before using certain deterrent methods, as some measures may be subject to legal limitations. Additionally, it may be more effective to use a combination of these methods to deter wild boars from your garden and protect your plants.

Tip #1: Remove food sources

You have a compost pile or garbage cans in your garden? This magically attracts wild boars. Because they find tasty food leftovers in it. You should not dispose of kitchen waste on the compost for the time being. Free-standing garbage cans should be well closed. However, some wild boars can knock the garbage cans over and eat from them. So either place the garbage cans against a house wall or build a small wooden fence around them. Also, fruit trees, beeches and oaks attract hungry wild boars. If these trees are in your yard, remove beechnuts, acorns and fallen fruit from the ground. When the wild pigs can’t find anything edible in your meadow, they will retreat.

Tip #2: Scare them away with scent

Even for wild boars there are smells that they do not like at all. You stick small wooden sticks into the ground around your field. Then apply the repellent to cloth rags that you attach to the stakes. You can leave a few meters of space between the stakes. Because such a repellent smells very strong. Since we humans also perceive the stench, you should wear gloves when applying it. Otherwise you will not get rid of the smell for a long time. This method is only recommended if you live in a remote area, have no neighbors and do not stay near the stinking rags yourself.

Tip #3: Use acoustic wild boar deterrent

You should also not use the acoustic wild boar deterrent in inhabited areas. However, if you want to protect a large garden or your agricultural land from wild boars, it can be the ideal option. Basically, the acoustic wild boar deterrent is a device that consists of one or more speakers. These emit warning calls and signal the wild boars to stay away from the area. The feral hogs mistake the artificially generated sound signal for an alarm indicating danger.

Tip #4: Use ultrasonic dispersers

It is also supposedly possible to use ultrasound to repel wild animals such as feral hogs. Ultrasonic devices emit sound waves that are inaudible to our human ear. However, the animals perceive them and find them unpleasant, so they stay away.

Tip #5: Scare them away with bright lights.

You can also try to scare away the wild boars with bright light sources. Motion detectors, whose light comes on as soon as the bristly animals come near, are also suitable for this purpose. However, this method of scaring them away is based on the assumption that the clever animals will quickly realize that nothing will happen if the light is on and they are not in danger. Therefore, the protective effect will probably not last long.

NOTE:

Tip #6: Use game repellent to spoil the wild boars’ appetite

In principle, wild pigs are omnivores and therefore not picky about their food sources. Nevertheless, there is something that even voracious wild boars won’t eat. Wildrepell refers to pellets that leave an unpleasant taste in the wild boars’ mouths. Wildrepell is non-toxic, natural and therefore harmless to the animals. However, after “eating” wildrepell, the wild boars associate your garden with a negative experience. Since they want to avoid this taste, they will not visit your garden in the future. Dogs or cats will also not bear any harm from eating the wild repellents. However, heavy rain can wash away some pellets. Therefore, you should re-spread Wildrepells as needed after the rain.

Tip #7: Fence garden and farmland

Wild pigs are powerfully built and will quickly rivet down a simple fence made of wood or barbed wire. If wild pigs appear in your garden every year, you should install a concrete fence or a fence made of gabions. For agricultural areas, an electric fence is suitable. The amperage in electric fencing is harmless to wild pigs. They get scared when they touch the fence and turn away. The height of the electric fence is important. Span it at three different heights. Ideal heights are 20, 40 and 60 inches off the ground. This way, piglets can’t crawl under the fence, nor can their mother sow jump the fence.

Tip #8: Inform the nature conservation authority

You’ve already tried all these tips for chasing away feral pigs, but every once in a while a wild boar still strays into your yard? If you can’t manage to chase the wild boar away from your garden, you can inform the nature conservation authority. Conservation experts will take a close look at your property and may be able to identify gaps in your wild boar defense. They will give you further advice on how to optimize your wild boar defense. If the authority takes action itself, it will only use means that are appropriate for nature and animals.

• Checklist for driving away wild boars
• Remove food sources such as food scraps or beechnuts from the garden
• Use prodding means or acoustic warning signals
• Install an electric fence or a similar sturdy fence
• If necessary, contact the wildlife agency