$1 Million to Control Feral Hogs in Texas

Some of you saw the news release yesterday announcing that for the FY 2008-2009 biennium, Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) was appropriated $1 million for a two-year grant program to fund a long-term statewide feral hog abatement strategy. Texas is home to nearly 2 million feral hogs, the largest feral hog population in the U.S., most of which reside in East Texas. Their numbers are continuing to increase because of their high reproductive potential and the lack of natural predators. In 2006-2007, TDA funded a pilot study through Texas A&M University and Texas Tech University to assess feral hog damage to crops, evaluate current control efforts, and measure economic impact. The results were then distributed to landowners and the general public through workshops and field days. The specifics of how the additional $1 million received by TDA will be spent in FY '08-09 has not been determined or released. However, it is likely that most of this money will be used by Texas AgriLife Extension's Wildlife Services unit to implement strategies for controlling and reducing feral hog populations. During the pilot study, Extension personnel selected landowners/ranchers to participate in the eradication portion of the study. To my knowledge, there is still no formal application process for local landowners who wish to have assistance with feral hog removal. However, if you would like more information on the next 2 years of the feral hog abatement project, contact Michael Bodenchuk with the Texas AgriLife Extension's Wildlife Services at (210) 472-5451.

For more information on the feral hog ecology, economic and ecologic impacts, control methods, etc. I recommend the following websites.
http://feralhog.tamu.edu/
http://wildlife.tamu.edu/publications/B6149FeralHogs_low.pdf
http://wild-wonderings.blogspot.com/2008/03/feral-hog-facts.html
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_bk_w7000_0195.pdf