Feral hogs have always been problem for ranchers, farmers
Feral hogs have always been problem for ranchers, farmers
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IF YOU GO
South Texas Farm and Ranch Show 2009
WHERE: Annex 1 and 2
WHAT: Feral Hogs in Texas: What's legal, what's not
TIME: 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday
SPEAKER: Jim Cathey, associate professor and Extension Wildlife ...
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IF YOU GO
South Texas Farm and Ranch Show 2009
WHERE: Annex 1 and 2
WHAT: Feral Hogs in Texas: What's legal, what's not
TIME: 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday
SPEAKER: Jim Cathey, associate professor and Extension Wildlife Specialist Texas Agrilife Extension
UNDERSTANDING FERAL HOGS
Jim Cathey, associate professor and Extension Wildlife Specialist, will speak about feral hog biology, management options, legalities and disease at the South Texas Farm and Ranch Show.
Nearly $52 million worth of damage is seen at ranches and farms across Texas because of the wild animals, according to a 2006-2007 feral hog abatement project released by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service in May 2008.
A pilot project on the population of feral hogs is not yet available, but the number is high because female feral hogs reproduce at an early age and are capable of having two liters per year, he said.
Cathey will also stress sanitary precaution for hunters because of diseases like swine brucellosis and pseudo rabies.
"Ranchers are doing a really good job at trapping," he said. "I don't know how sustained their trapping methods are, but they'd have to be pretty intense to lower the population."
There are a couple of laws that should be highlighted for ranchers and farmers when dealing with feral pigs, Cathey said.
ILLEGAL
No toxins can be used to poison feral pigs.
Hunters are allowed to use a spotlight at night, but Cathey recommends getting in contact with the local game warden to let them know it's feral hog hunting. Warden's may think it is deer hunting, which is illegal.
If a feral hog is going to damage crops or hurt cattle, the landowner or landowner agent is allowed to shoot the pig without a hunting license, but it is illegal to shoot a feral hog for trophy or for meat without a hunting license.
LEGAL
There is no bag limit.
There is no closed season for hunting feral hogs because they are exotic species.
Charles White has set traps, hired hunters and has even changed his cattle's feeding time just to deter feral hogs from damaging the ranch and farmland at Welder Ranch outside Bloomington.
White, general manager of the ranch, said the feral hog damage seen throughout the ranch and many other Texas ranches has always been a problem.
"They're really intelligent animals," said White, as he explained how one of the many trigger-traps throughout the ranch and farm worked.
However with the recent drought and methods used to daunt the pigs over the past couple of years, the feral hog population has lessened on the ranching part, he said.
The hogs have been detrimental to the feed on the ranching aspect but have been more harmful for the farmers and their corn fields, he said.
The traps, hunters and methods used by the ranchers and farmers also help hold back the hogs, he said.
The traps were purchased in the mid-90s and have significantly lowered the population, he said.
In one particular year, about 1,600 hogs were trapped between two ranches on the land. The hogs were slaughtered for consumption.
"That helped us slow down the numbers," he said. "We still have a lot of hogs."
Many of the traps are used by the farmers but can only help so much, White said.
Some of the 40- to 150-pound hogs have figured out the wrought-ironed barred cube is a trap, he said.
"You're going to catch a lot of hogs in it, but you're not going to catch a lot of smart ones," he said.
Corn is soaked in water overnight to entice the hogs into the traps, he said.
The hogs favor of the corn is also the reason White switched from corn silage feed for his cattle to a protein cake feed.
White could not estimate how much profit was lost to the feral hogs, but said they had realized one-third of the feed was going to the hogs.
Along with changing the feed a couple of years ago, White also alternates between feeding times so that the hogs won't become creatures of habit and expect the food to be available at a certain time.
"We change their feeding period at different times to alleviate the hogs from being there standing there waiting for us," he said.
Profit damage for the ranch and nutritional damage for the cattle is not the only thing that suffers from the feral hogs, he said.
A toll is taken on landscaping, especially during periods of rain, he said.
The dry land has been both beneficial and detrimental to the success of the ranches and farms, White said.
"The drought has been a big help for us because we don't see any landscape damaged," he said.
Dry ground makes it hard for hogs to root up the mud and grass. Recent rains have helped the crop, but have also made it easier for hogs to tear up the soil and ruin the crop.
In the past, White said he has seen the corn damaged by hogs to the point where it looked as though a tornado went through it.
As White drove around the rough terrain, he pointed to a two-foot burrow that ran under a wired fence.
"You can smell the hogs," he said, pointing at fresh tracks made during the hog's nightly rummage through the farmland.
Near by, a utility pole layered with creosote to protect its bark from damage, was thinned around the bottom to half its size.
The hogs will rub against the pole to rid themselves of lice, he said.
"Now it's starting to become a dangerous deal," he said. "What if a smaller cow can push on it and break it in half? It's less than half the diameter of what it was."
Much of the damage to the landscape and crop is done when farmers and ranchers aren't around, he said.
