TX Wildlife Services considering poison for feral hogs

[Cougfan2]

Saw this interesting article about Texas considering using poison to try to control the feral hog population. They acknowlege that even with hunting pressure, they are loosing the battle and are looking for other ways, including poison, to control the hog population.

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[The Quiet Man]

We lived in south Texas for a spell in the early 80's. There were feral hogs and exotics escaped from refuges/game ranches, and their offspring in huge numbers. They were thick enough to handgun hunt with little chance of getting skunked. They tore up fields and crops so the farmers welcomed pretty much anyone to help clean them out.

We actually had to watch out for them when deer or dove hunting because they got kind of testy if you bothered them. One of my friends shot a giant red hog that was long enough to hang onto the tailgate of his 8 foot pickup bed. That one was big enough to end up displayed in a taxidermy shop in Alice, TX. We never wanted for pork in those years.

 

[jordanvraptor]

Tell the Chinese that boiled feral hog liver is an aphrodisiac...

 

[A.I.P.]

It's far cheaper (and enviromentaly better) to pay a bounty on hogs! It also provides employment to those out of jobs!

 

[Bad Droid]

Why not make it affordable for out of state hunters. Sell reasonably priced hunting licenses with little or no limits. It would bring in hunters from neighboring states as well as their money. Maybe they already do that?

 

[The Quiet Man]

When we lived in Texas (1980's) , there was virtually no "public land" available for hunting. You pretty much had to know a landowner, or lease land for hunting anything. Leasing land for hunting was the norm. That makes it a little more difficult for out of state hunters to drop in for a long weekend, etc. Knowing where to find suitable hunting land was difficult, at least in pre-internet times. I don't know if any organized "pig hunts" are available these days or not. Any Texas folks around? Also, from what I read, prodigious hog populations are also found in neighboring states, so who would travel to hunt what you can find at home?

 

[Bad Droid]

Also, from what I read, prodigious hog populations are also found in neighboring states, so who would travel to hunt what you can find at home?

OK, how about any other state. But from what you wrote it sounds like the land is restricted so it wouldn't matter I guess.

 

[MarkAd]

Organized hunts are readily avialable in TX. Non resident tags are 300.00, getting to know ranchers in the area is the best way for hunting and there are no limits.
You can hunt with bows in the city limits of places like grapeview (Great Bass Pro shop there) and yes they do have hogs in the city limits.
Wild hogs are tough, smart and hard to hunt. You will want TWO skinning knives with you. Right now I am about to write a guy down in TX for working up a riding,hunting trip in the back country