Mingo National Wildlife Refuge Planning Intermittent Closures for Feral Hog Control 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Inspection and Health Service (APHIS) will be conducting a multiple-day aerial operation to control feral hogs on Mingo National Wildlife Refuge between February 9 and February 13, 2021. This management action will involve a helicopter flying over the refuge with APHIS personnel targeting and shooting feral hogs. For public safety, the entire refuge will be closed to public entry intermittently, with all roads entering the refuge closed. This closure includes all access to the refuge including vehicle, foot, bicycle, and horseback.

The refuge will be closed for periods over the five days; however, because of numerous circumstances (weather conditions, etc.), the actual closure date(s) have not yet been determined. If planning to visit Mingo National Wildlife Refuge February 9-13, 2021, please check our website fws.gov/refuge/mingo for updates on this activity. You can also call the refuge office at 573-222-3589 to get an update on the timing of the closure(s).

This refuge management operation, paired with a larger eradication plan utilizing multiple tools, will substantially decrease the feral hog population on the refuge. Feral hogs are a non-native species that can proliferate quickly and negatively impact the native plants and animals of the refuge. Feral hogs are opportunistic feeders and will forage on the eggs of ground nesting birds and will even eat reptiles, amphibians, and small mammals. They also compete with native species like deer and turkey for important food sources such as acorns. Their rooting and wallowing behavior heavily alter the native habitats of the refuge, thus impacting the refuge’s primary missions of protecting bottomland hardwood forest habitat and serving as an inviolate sanctuary for migratory waterfowl.

Mingo National Wildlife Refuge is located one mile north of Puxico, MO on State Highway 51. For more information contact 573-222-3589 or visit us online at fws.gov/refuge/mingo.