Wild hogs are common in Florida, and they can be a nuisance, tearing up millions of dollars in property, carrying diseases and wreaking havoc on roadways.

But a new effort with hog repellant is underway to tame the animals, without trying to catch them.

Jim Venaleck and John Hayhurst are retired park rangers from Ohio, who have had a career full of dealing with wildlife.

Now they have brought their own experiment to the Sunshine State, specifically Brevard County, to possibly tackle the ongoing issue of wild hogs.

"The hogs for us were an extra bonus,” Venaleck said. “We first starting developing this to deter white tail deer."

Recently the pair began working on a way to curb that invasive deer species, whose density can threaten forests.

They thought their trial could translate to Florida's hog problem.

Wild hogs can weigh hundreds of pounds, tear up property and s run in traffic, darting in front of cars.

They enlisted the help of AAA Wildlife Trapper James Dean, an expert on catching the dangerous beasts.

“This could help farmers, commercial, individuals, homeowners. This is huge,” Dean said.

The deterrent is an all-natural material in granular form, biodegradable and safe for pets.

The test site consists of a large home and 17-acre property in Palm Bay, recently dug up by wild hogs.

Two traps were set up -- one with the deterrent and one without.

The team also set up game cameras in the overnight hours, and what they discovered confirmed their hopes.

"Actually catch the pigs going right up to the treated trap, sticking their snout in there and backing away, and going to the trap that is untreated," Dean said.

The property owners gave the team free reign for their experiments, which have already been going on for more than a week.

The rangers said they are pleased with the results so far.

"It appears the treated areas that we are working with, the hogs aren't going anywhere near them," Venaleck said.

In fact, the trapper ran dogs on the property, and found no trace of hogs.

One day, could hog repellant be sold? After tests, it doesn’t seem like a wild idea after all.