Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire A New Toxin for Feral Hogs

For all the talk about trying to eradicate feral hogs way to much money is being made on them in places they hunt them that the ranchers really don't want them gone.

You would think so. But that would involve a legitimate business. They take real capital, hard work and planning.
Not near as appealing as all those "free" hogs that much of the state lottery, low rent mentality dreams of.
And around here there are a lot of those.

Ranchers do.

Guys that have a place to sell hunts and lodging to city slickers don't.

In my part of the world hogs do a lot of damage to golf courses, high end real estate,and such to make them a friendly non-game animal. If you could have a dead hog zone thru poison effect then not killing every one would be an option. One local course has a below ground anchored net wire fence around its entire perimeter with snares set in any dig under. They still have a problem because of drainage ways etc. but the cost is just part of their overhead.

Texas will always have hog problems.




Travis

Agreed.

But, it ain't just Texas.

I think Birdwatcher found some references going back to the early 1800's, where people were complaining about too many hogs in East Texas.

They were referencing the women.




Dave

I know damn good and well they were'nt referencing TN then.

It also affirms Texans have been bitching since Texans were invented.





Travis

That's because they starved all the bears out.

I would like to help out by sending some timber wolves.
We have more than we need.

At the local hog buyer a #200 pound hog will bring a $100 bill. There is also a $7.50 bounty going on right now so there is plenty incentive to get rid of them. The only problem is that's easier said than done.

Oh c'mon Barry - NM declared eradication of feral hogs 2 years ago!

I really believe that!

Don't you?

Someone ought to remind the hogs of that!

Actually, I wrote a cooperative eradication plan for feral hogs in the Lincoln Natl. Forest that was adopted by the USFS, and it was on a longer term plan than a couple of years...

Big Ranches here in N.TX are getting together and contracting outfits with Helicopters for Hog Eradication.
The Helicopters have 2 shooters, one with a shotgun and buckshot, and the other shooter using a Class 3 AR auto. TP&W requires a State Permit / License to do so.
You can pay for a ride along and to shoot for the small sum of $800 per hour. Nugent used to come to this area often and pay to shoot.

One problem with using sodium nitrite is that the hogs don't like it because it's so salty they won't eat a lethal dose and are likely to vomit - which other animals will eat. It's also unstable and will degrade if you add syrup or other sweeteners. The biologist at Kerr said they are working on a time release capsule that they hope will let it get further in the hogs system before it makes them sick.

Also, they are working on a feeder with voice recognition so it will only open for hogs.

That local hog buyer will only buy LIVE hogs, not dead ones. Live ones gotta be trapped, or caught by hand with dogs. Can't collect a bounty - which is also not guaranteed, we don't have one in our area - AND sell the hog. $7.50 won't pay for corn (bait) and ammo. Not much incentive there? When there were no stock laws in East Texas (in my youth), running hogs in the woods could produce a profit. When regulations took away that market, there was no incentive to harvest them - thus the overpopulation of East Texas by feral hogs.

Just a note, but I just learned why sodium nitrate isn't being used to poison hogs effectively yet. They won't eat it if they taste it. Scientists are trying to figure out a way to micro-encapsulate it where they can't...FWIW.

Looks like they are starting to get into some cold country.