Hi Ray
Some people do say the urine thing works – and yes, male – something to do with the testosterone. I would be inclined to put it around the boundary of your garden rather than just the feeding area. But the more gardens the hogs have access to the better so that they can forage for natural food. What we feed them is only meant to be supplementary. But even if you stopped feeding, I would definitely not stop putting water out. It’s harder for the hogs to find water than to find wild food.
The worry about feeding stations is that the hogs may develop a false sense of security around them. Whereas if they are foraging more generally they might be more alert. But it’s good that there is good cover near the feeding areas.
I believe badgers are becoming more common in urban/suburban areas. You might be lucky and the badger might just be passing through looking for a new home – if, for instance it’s previous home has been disturbed. But the traffic or non-traffic may have contributed. Usually when badgers move into an area hogs vote with their feet and move out. So if they are still visiting they might know something you don’t! Fingers crossed either the urine is working or the badger has moved on.
Good luck.
