A&E gets in on the hunt with “American Hoggers”

American Hoggers, a new show on A&E that premieres tonight, will introduce viewers to the Campbell family, led by Jerry Campbell, who guides his son Robert and daughter Krystal on hunts through harsh Texas terrain to find the wild boars that threaten local residents and ranchers.

But while the landscape may be primitive, their equipment is surely not. The Campbells drive a custom-rigged Jeep (when they’re not on horseback), and use highly trained dogs and GPS tracking systems to hunt the feral hogs, which are estimated to cause millions of dollars in damage annually in Texas alone. They can grow up to 400 pounds, and have insatiable appetites. Jerry Campbell knows what he’s up against, calling the hogs “the scourge of the West,” but he doesn’t let his fear show. His confidence comes from having done it so long. As he memorably says in the Oct. 19 series premiere, “I’ve been hunting hogs since Moby Dick was a sardine.”

American Hoggers premieres tonight at 10 on A&E.