Well it has been quite some time since my last post, and between the demands of a new job and 3 nights a week at a police academy, I have been sorely missing the simple joy of writing blog posts. I am happy to announce that I have completed my academy and am not-so-patiently waiting to get the required permission to take the peace officer's state certification test.
However that in not the thrust of this post, I recently found out that the Great State of Texas (Said as should be with the hand held over the heart) held a grant opportunity that was not advertised very well: The Feral Hog Abatement Grant Program. The thought behind the initiative was to give Texas counties money to help control the wild hog problem, but with only 40 counties out of 254 participating I don't see how this helps. It seems they may need some help with getting the word out... This program is set to give the highest scoring county $20,000; the second highest will be $15,000; the third highest will be $10,000; and the fourth & fifth highest will be $7,500 each. Please contact the The Texas Department of Agriculture and request this program be continued for another year. Why are hogs so reviled in rural areas? Read on.
Wild hogs, wild boars, razorbacks, pineywoods rooters, or woods hogs, what ever you want to call them according to the link above there is somewhere in the neighborhood of 2.6 million feral hogs in Texas causing some $500 million in damages to a host of items such as property or livestock and given the rate of reproduction I am sure these figures are outdated.
The rate of reproduction is simply amazing, a herd of wild hogs can double every 4 months. These hogs are usually weaned within 2-3 months of birth and sow (female hog) can start breading when she is 6 to 10 months old. At that age she can produce two litters containing 4-8 piglets every 12-15 months. The older sows can produce 10 -13 piglets every litter twice every 12-15 months and both young or old sows have a male-female ratio of roughly 1:1 in every litter. That's a lot of hogs!
What about natural predators, you may ask. Can you think of natural animal in Texas that would stand up to something as tall as 3 feet and will weigh in at around 100 to 130 pounds with 44 sharp teeth including tusks? Me either. Because many ancestors of these hogs were released for game hunting in the 1930's they lack natural predators to help with population control. So it is up to us to control the population. Fortunately, the state legislature has made it OK to hunt these vermin year round with out the need for a **hunting license. So do your part, if you see a herd of swine, shoot'em trap'em or what ever just help control'em. It appears that this problem is only going to get worse unless we do something drastic.
Finally, here is a very useful PDF that explains all this way better then I can.. http://icwdm.org/publications/pdf/feral%20pig/txferalhogs.pdf
Wild hogs, wild boars, razorbacks, pineywoods rooters, or woods hogs, what ever you want to call them according to the link above there is somewhere in the neighborhood of 2.6 million feral hogs in Texas causing some $500 million in damages to a host of items such as property or livestock and given the rate of reproduction I am sure these figures are outdated.
The rate of reproduction is simply amazing, a herd of wild hogs can double every 4 months. These hogs are usually weaned within 2-3 months of birth and sow (female hog) can start breading when she is 6 to 10 months old. At that age she can produce two litters containing 4-8 piglets every 12-15 months. The older sows can produce 10 -13 piglets every litter twice every 12-15 months and both young or old sows have a male-female ratio of roughly 1:1 in every litter. That's a lot of hogs!
What about natural predators, you may ask. Can you think of natural animal in Texas that would stand up to something as tall as 3 feet and will weigh in at around 100 to 130 pounds with 44 sharp teeth including tusks? Me either. Because many ancestors of these hogs were released for game hunting in the 1930's they lack natural predators to help with population control. So it is up to us to control the population. Fortunately, the state legislature has made it OK to hunt these vermin year round with out the need for a **hunting license. So do your part, if you see a herd of swine, shoot'em trap'em or what ever just help control'em. It appears that this problem is only going to get worse unless we do something drastic.
Finally, here is a very useful PDF that explains all this way better then I can.. http://icwdm.org/publications/pdf/feral%20pig/txferalhogs.pdf
** If they are on your property and are doing damage.
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