Oral presentation submissions are encouraged and will be reviewed for acceptance by an independent committee.  Presentations will be scheduled for 20 minutes, including time for questions and answers.  Only presentations in Microsoft PowerPoint will be supported. Please be concise yet thorough in your presentation, including research results, proven management techniques, experimental management programs, and recommendations.

Poster presentations are another option for displaying research and management programs.  Posters will be mounted on large, standing easels and should summarize study objectives, procedures, results, and implications. Posters will be displayed in a prominent conference area, making them visible to all participants.  Poster presenters are encouraged to remain by their poster to answer questions during all mid-session breaks.  Poster dimensions should not exceed 4’ x 4’.  Easel, poster board, and pins will be available for mounting.

Each submitted and accepted abstract will be printed in the conference program, available at the event and on the website in PDF form.  The abstract submission deadline for both oral and poster presentations is December 1, 2025.

Please format your abstract using Microsoft Word, 12-point font, and single spacing.  Please email your abstract to Mark Smith, mds0007@auburn.edu, by December 1, 2025.

Within 1-2 days you should receive confirmation of the receipt of your abstract.

Presenters will be notified of their acceptance by December 15 to ensure sufficient time for travel and other arrangements.  If you have any questions, please contact Mark Smith.

Please follow the example below when formatting abstracts:

10/09/2025

Mark D. Smith
College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment, Auburn University
3301 Forestry, Wildlife and Environment Building
602 Duncan Drive
Auburn University, AL  36849
Email: mds0007@auburn.edu
Phone: (334) 844-8099

ORAL PRESENTATION (specify either oral or poster)

Effects of opportunistic shooting on trap visitation by wild pigs

Lindsey M. Phillips, College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment, 3301 Forestry, Wildlife and Environment Building, Auburn University, AL 36849, USA

Mark D. Smith, College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment, 3301 Forestry, Wildlife and Environment Building, Auburn University, AL 36849, USA, mds0007@auburn.edu

Dana K. Johnson, USDA Wildlife Services-Alabama, 602 Duncan Drive, Auburn University, AL  36849, USA

ABSTRACT: Although lethal removal by trapping is oftentimes the most cost- and time-effective means for removing wild pigs (Sus scrofa), many landowners and natural resource professionals implement non-trapping techniques such as opportunistic shooting to further enhance removal rates. However, these non-trapping techniques (hereafter disturbance) may alter the behavior of wild pigs leading to reduced trapping success. Our objective was to provide a preliminary assessment of the effects of disturbance on wild pig visitation to traps. During the summer of 2012, we monitored trap visitation of wild pigs using game cameras at 18 corral traps on 6 study sites in Alabama. We conditioned 3-4 sounders at each study site to freely enter and leave traps and used game cameras to monitor trap visits.  We then implemented combinations of disturbance for 3-5 days on 3 study sites while continually monitoring pig visitation to traps on all 6 study sites.  We monitored trap visitation of 16 sounders and 8 boars and 10 sounders and 8 boars on treatment and control sites, respectively.  Overall, we applied 39 hours of indirect disturbance and 3 hours of direct disturbance, including the discharge of 112 cracker shells and 63 high-powered rifle rounds on treatment sites.  We used a Before-After-Control-Impact (BACI) design to test for interaction effects among the visitation metrics between treatment and control sites before and after disturbance. Total number of days (P=0.349) and total number of visits (P=0.130) 1-week before and after disturbance on treatment and control sites did not differ; however, total visit duration differed before and after disturbance on treatment and control sites (P=0.038), demonstrating a change in pig behavior in response to disturbance.  Within the context of one year of data, we suggest non-trapping techniques be implemented cautiously and strategically when conducting wild pig removal, as these techniques may reduce overall trapping success.