In the early 1900s, few ranchers would have expected feral hogs to be the chief wildlife damage concern facing their descendants — they were more concerned with wolves, bears, coyotes and mountain lions.
Nevertheless, it seems that many Texan can find some way in which feral hogs negatively impact their lives, from the urban golf course to the rangelands of West Texas. Suffice it to say, however, agricultural producers have traditionally borne the brunt of the “feral hog invasion,” and still do today.
When living with the day-to-day work of managing one’s own operation, it can seem like feral hogs became a crisis overnight. The reality is that the problem of feral hogs has been around for some time but increased at an alarming rate in the last 20-30 years. Most folks wonder “what happened?” The answer is simple — a perfect storm. In the late 1900s, a combination of natural increases along with folks moving feral hogs to new areas to improve huntable populations contributed to an accelerating population across a larger area of Texas. Today, feral hogs are officially present in all but El Paso County, and their more than 3 million strong army produces in excess of $150 million a year in damages to Texas farms and ranches.
In the midst of this, a growing number of agencies, private companies and other entities are waging a war against feral hogs, galvanized into one army in the form of the National Wild Pig Task Force. From those who invent and evaluate new tools, to those who spend their careers removing feral hogs at the end of a gun barrel, there is an increasing investment in the army fighting the feral hog wars, and the technology to arm them. These technologies span from traps, traditional and high-tech, to aerial and night-vision operations, and soon—chemical control options.
Nevertheless, not one of these approaches will ever be enough on its own to fix the problem. Folks must set themselves on an approach to managing feral hogs that recognizes two points:
- Eradication is the goal, but managing damage is critical.
- We have to use an integrated pest management, IPM, approach.
The changing landscape and ever-increasing number of feral hogs means that Texans must work smarter — and harder — to start driving these invaders back before they act as the vehicle to introduce a true catastrophe to Texas agriculture.
The simple answer is that there is no quick fix or silver bullet for feral hogs, and the threat changes daily. Just like the weather in Texas, if you think feral hogs aren’t a problem for you, wait and that will change. True, lasting impacts will require an integrated approach in terms of tools and widespread coverage to include almost every parcel of land in Texas. That doesn’t mean a person ought to give up hope when their neighbors don’t control feral hogs, and their tool kit is limited. Every feral hog removed is a benefit to Texas.
– by John Tomeček, Ph.D., assistant professor, Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service wildlife specialist, Thrall
