Puxico, MO 63960
(573) 222-3589

Mingo National Wildlife Refuge Planning Intermittent Closures for Feral Hog Control

PUXICO, MISSOURI - The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) will be conducting a multiple-day aerial operation to control feral hogs on Mingo National Wildlife Refuge between January 16 and 22, 2025. 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 seven 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 January 16-22, 2025, 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 1.5 mile north of Puxico, MO on State Highway 51. For more information, contact (573) 222-3589 or email the refuge at mingo@fws.gov. Check our website, fws.gov/refuge/mingo, for refuge updates and be sure to check our refuge events tabs for upcoming events and observances!

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The National Wildlife Refuge System, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is the world's premier system of public lands and waters set aside to conserve America's fish, wildlife, and plants. Since President Theodore Roosevelt designated Florida's Pelican Island as the first wildlife refuge in 1903, the System has grown to more than 150 million acres, 570 national wildlife refuges and other units of the Refuge System, plus 38 wetland management districts. Visit www.fws.gov