After years of research aimed at finding an effective way to control exploding populations of feral hogs, a patent has been issued for a bait developed by scientists with the Louisiana State University AgCenter and LSU Department of Chemistry.

The bait uses sodium nitrite, which is lethal to feral swine, the culprits behind millions of dollars in damage to agricultural fields and forestlands in Louisiana and across the country. But the bait has minimal impact on the environment and nontarget species. With a consistency similar to gummy bears, it is shaped into golf ball-sized spheres, tastes fishy and even glows under blacklight.

The patent was issued Aug. 8 to LSU with the inventors listed as Glen Gentry, an animal scientist and director of the LSU AgCenter Bob R. Jones-Idlewild Research Station in Clinton; John Pojman, an LSU chemistry professor; and Baylen Thompson, a former graduate student who worked under Pojman.

“This is a milestone for us,” Gentry said.

The bait has been in the works for several years. Scientists began looking for a solution as problems with feral hogs grew in rural areas.

In Louisiana alone, the feral hog population has doubled in the past decade, with their numbers currently estimated at about 1 million. They travel in packs and are known for rooting up fields in search of food. AgCenter experts have determined they cause about $91 million in damage every year in the state.

The hogs have a rapid reproductive rate that has complicated population control efforts. A sow can have two litters of about six piglets yearly, outpacing the number of hogs that can be removed from the landscape through hunting and trapping.

The bait offers a more effective control method with the bonus of being humane, Gentry said. Within three hours of consuming the bait, hogs become sleepy and die.

Sodium nitrite is an ideal toxicant, he said, because it is deadly to swine and eventually breaks down into compounds that do not harm other species or pose environmental concerns.

Pojman and his students were instrumental in adjusting the pH of the bait matrix to stabilize the sodium nitrite, slowing down the conversion to nonlethal compounds so hogs have enough time to consume the bait.

It took many tries over the years to develop a bait that worked and that hogs would be willing to eat. Gentry and his team tried various ingredients to entice the hogs before landing on dehydrated fish.

The rubbery texture is critical, as it helps ensure the bait doesn’t fall apart when hogs bite into it. That limits the amount of scraps on the ground and helps protect nontarget species. Fluorescence is added into the matrix to make it easy for users to see whether any pieces are left behind by shining a blacklight.

The scientists are now focusing on conducting additional field trials and studies on shelf life. They also are looking for the best ways to deliver the bait, with possible solutions including burying the bait so hogs can root it up or releasing it from a feeder using a cellphone.

“All of this is required before it can be approved by the EPA and released to the public,” Gentry said.

Stakeholders were instrumental in providing funding for the bait research. Among them are Ann Reiley Jones, the Irene W. and C.B. Pennington Foundation, the Bob R. Jones Wildlife Research Institute, the Louisiana Soybean and Grain Research and Promotion Board, the Louisiana Rice Research and Promotion Board, the Louisiana Legislature and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

And, some more of the story--

Comments from a veterinarian friend with PhD in wildlife disease—and note at the end of the article that there will still have the EPA hurdle to get over.

We’ll, they’ve been working on this for quite awhile. I’d like to hear about “sub lethal” doses ingested, metabolism into other compounds, potential for impact on humans eating previously exposed/but not killed animals. Would like to see list of “non-target” species exposed to varying amounts of the bait rodents, meso predators, reptiles, etc., etc.
Will warning signs be required on properties using the bait?
If a patent has been granted one would hope all such questions have been answered to the satisfaction of those granting the patent.​

And more:

About this feral hog poison. I (not me) talked to a Distinguished LSU professor friend of mine who is retired from teaching Veterinary Medicine at LSU, Dr. Marge Gill.

She was able to contact Dr. Lacour, one of the founders of this product, and he told her a minimum of 3-5 years. USDA bait will be registered for State and Federal Employees only. LSU Bait will be for use by Commercial and Agricultural applicators. EPA is the huge HOLD UP!!!!!!!


Lots of anger on TexasBowhunter on the thread about this--ignorance, denial, "not on my place", etc.

Sodium Nitrite has been tried in other forms before and failed! There are just too many nontarget animals here that it will KILL! Fish based pellets in a "special" feeder was the answer before. A feeder that only pigs could access and would not tear up was over $500. Then it was found piglets would take mouths full of pellets and walk off. They dropped most and went back for more. Lots of nontargets died! Other states have tried different approaches and they have all failed! Hunting pigs has become a multi million dollar sport only second to whitetail deer. Pigs are a lead in for young hunters because it is year round with no limits. Without new young hunters Texas Parks and wildlife will become a State funded damage control!

For the most part, I am against the widespread introduction of any chemicals or toxins into the environment -- no matter if they are approved or not.

History tells us that our government approved and promoted the use of DDT, and we all know how that panned out. Ditto for Agent Orange.

I will not allow sodium nitrite to be used to poison hogs on my property. Neighbors around here feel the same way.

Once a hog dies from it. Then when coyotes or vultures etc eat the dead. Will it kill them too as DDT, Strichnine and some others did back before EPA came along to outlaw the good stuff.

Over the years we have had many very effective poisons for things. Chlordane was a once every few years bug poison. It sure worked wonders on bugs. You Texans could have eliminated chiggers forever with that stuff. Best I found was a few drops of diesel #2 on boots & pant legs.

I saw the loss of magpies and crows where we used DDT & Strichnine. Damned near everything that ate the dead for a bunch of further feedings died too.

There's always a big payback when such things are used.

Besides the cost of such pellets. A rancher where we used to call coyotes and shoot prairie dogs spent $10,000 one spring to clean out the prairie dogs on his vast acreage just east of here. I have not talked to him since about the results.

Seems like he was paying $250 per 5 gallon bucket and had just bought 100 buckets of it.
He then had to toss a pellet down each hole by hand. He was looking at over 30,000 acres. That's one hell of a lot of walking.

George

This might not be the magic bullet, but if they can find a safe, effective and humane hog population control agent that doesn't harm the environment or other critters, then godspeed to them.
(I just hope I get to shoot an eater or two for the barbecue before this happens.)

Meat cure, nothing benign about the stuff. somebody here even was selling suicide kits using it.

https://www.webmd.com/first-ai...ium-nitrite-toxicity

Grizz

I am opposed to the use of poison to reduce hog populations. If a landowner has too many hogs, let hunters help.

Wild hog provides excellent meat. If I was forced to use poison on either hogs or deer, I would not miss venison.

We're all old enough here, does anybody else remember the old Remington Blue Rock and Winchester White Flyer clay targets, and the boxes that stated "Do not throw these where hogs feed, the pitch in them is toxic to hogs."? Or something like that.............

It's easy enough to kill hogs with a variety of poisons that are either safe for the environment or a bloody nightmare to all involved. The real problem is that nature hates a vacuum, and the replacement hogs won't be far behind. That and there is little incentive for ranchers to kill off the hogs that plague their neighbors. Too many state and federal money program now, and the occasional hunter willing to pay to shoot something that the rancher should be paying you to kill.

They litter and thats the problems bottom line.

The problem with any poison is the people using it! 1080 was a prime example. Change the poison but the problem stays the same. I have spent multiple hot days on a AVT, $350 on herbicide, and another $100 on surfactant and dye spraying huisache that the deer spread! I am maybe half way through! Who knows what other people spend! I like to hunt deer but I want way less of them! Nobody is talking about poisoning them!

I agree with that. I am opposed to poison as we really don't know what we are going to get in after results. I know they are a devastating force on agriculture, + one think that farmers would be more open to free hunting rather than make an addition profit by leasing; that being said, sad to say that there are a lot of slob hunters that ruin it for everyone else. And Relic6165, you are correct, I have forgotten that.

I am against poison, for a couple reasons. First being that human and swine share a pretty close biology -- so what happens if I shoot a hog loaded on on the poison, but not dead or "sick" yet? Second, I FOR hiring people to hunt the hogs, with digital nightvision and crossbows - call it a modern CCC project.

they are destroying property - which is bad, but it could be worse if humans where being sickened by diseases, if those could jump from host to host -

Randy, a while back I read a very instructive post by a rancher in the hog forum at the Texas Hunting Forums Web site.
He listed all the issues of safety, liability, damned idiots who don't know to leave open gates open and closed gates closed, etc. and just the general pain in the ass of endless phone calls, texts, emails and the unease of allowing armed strangers on your land, and I immediately grasped the reason for shooting/trespass fees or handing the issue over to an outfitter. I would like to think that if I owned a decent-sized property and had hog problems, I would allow hunting by VETTED hunters, but of course that vetting would take time and energy as well.
Still hope to shoot an eater one of these days -- after she cools down of course!

Bill,
you could go out hunting today take a 30# -- let it lay there for 1/2 and hour, finish you beer, flip it over, and it'll be ready to serve before your second beer!