Press Release
Texas Hog Hunters Association
March 2, 2017


This afternoon, State District Judge Jan Soifer issued a temporary restraining order enjoining Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller and the Texas Department of Agriculture from implementing the “emergency rule” that they had issued to try to facilitate the use of rat poison across Texas lands for feral hogs. Specifically, Judge Soifer’s Order stated in part that Defendants Sid Miller and the Department “did not follow the requirements of the Texas Administrative Procedure Act . . . and so therefore the rule is invalid.”

The Plaintiff in the case was Wild Boar Meats, L.L.C, a feral-hog processing business headquartered in Hubbard, Texas. The Texas Hog Hunters Association (THHA) and the Environmental Defense Fund also intervened in the case on the side of Wild Boar Meats.

Eydin Hanson, Vice President of THHA, said “15,000 members and supporters of THHA have signed a petition against this ill-advised rule. Spreading rat poison across Texas lands would hurt Texas hunters, Texas hunting-supply businesses, Texas feral-hog meat processing businesses, Texas ranchers, and the Texas environment. We are very grateful that Judge Soifer ruled in our favor. We hope that Commissioner Miller will now follow the law and allow public comment and careful consideration before proposing use of any poison on feral hogs. The emergency rule would have damaged feral-hog control in Texas rather than helping it. We urge all Texans to contact their elected representatives to make sure that Texas lands are not poisoned in this manner.”

That is good news Bobby, Thanks for posting it.

Yes, Feral Hogs, no matter what state they are in, are an ecological nightmare or will be as they become better established in an area.

Some form of management program will eventually be established, and at some point chemical control may be the answer, but that point hasn't been reached and broadcasting poison, attempting to effect hogs only, leaves too many open doors for secondary poisoning of non target species.

I am by no means an expert on hogs, but to the best of my knowledge, there is NO hog specific food item, they will eat anything.

The situation presents no easy answers/solutions.

Crazyhorse--not only will they eat anything, I saw some behavior yesterday that surprised me. Had a boar in the cage trap, about 120-130 lbs. He was a bit agitated and was "charging" me and when he'd hit the wire, the feeder on top of the trap would drop a few kernels of corn---and he would stop woofing at me and eat the corn, then hit the cage again and repeat. A .22 LR behind the ear stopped that however--

Damn!
I had just invested in rat poison futures.

M

quote:

Crazyhorse--not only will they eat anything, I saw some behavior yesterday that surprised me. Had a boar in the cage trap, about 120-130 lbs. He was a bit agitated and was "charging" me and when he'd hit the wire, the feeder on top of the trap would drop a few kernels of corn---and he would stop woofing at me and eat the corn, then hit the cage again and repeat. A .22 LR behind the ear stopped that however--

That does not surprize me one bit. My best guess is too many folks, really do not have all that much actual/real time experience with hogs, and what they will/won't, can/cannot do!

They are probably, the most intelligent/adaptable species, next to humans, on this pkanet.

A bunch of whining hunters, almost none who have any skin in the game, meaning they own land with hog problems.

I am not whining, and the hogs are damaging some of the land my boss owns and I work on.

I think the big deal to most folks was the idea of using poison.

Not all that long back experimentation in the eastern U.S., in areas overpopulated with white tails, was conducted trying to develop a contraceptive that could be used in some form of pelleted feed, that would be deer specific only, with no collateral damage.effects to non target species.

I can also remember a few years back when there was a program under way dropping baits laced with rabies vaccine for coyotes. I participated in a management hunt for feral hogs/coyotes on the Chaparral WMA on the Dimmit/LaSalle county line. The purpose of the hunt was to try and determine if and how many hogs were eating the coyote baits. If I remember correctly the way it was determined was by cross sectioning a tooth from any pigs killed and the rings inside the tooth would have a purple coloration due to a trace of tetracycline that had been mixed in with the rabies vaccine, it worked the same on the coyotes.

I feel that people would be more receptive of a state wide control program using chemical means if it was more species specific, with minimal secondary affects on non-target species.

I do not know about anyone else, personally I do not mind having hogs in the environment as they do add to a hunt, but unless or until some form of actually successful management technique is developed, and that may never happen. Unless or until it does, the only option I see and people will find fault with that, would be state or county bounties per head with a "Bonus" for breeding age females.

Regardless of what stance a person takes toward feral hogs, the reality that cannot be denied, is that they are an ecological nightmare and while they can be fun/exciting to hunt, they are causing millions of dollars of damage on properties all across the state and land owners simply cannot recoup the money required to try and fix their land as long as there are pigs in the numbers that there are.

Some questions. I thought I read that the poison had to be in a feeder with a lid on it that hogs had to learn to operate? what is the success rate on trapping? Does TX have state paid trappers like we do out west?

quote:

Some questions.

I thought I read that the poison had to be in a feeder with a lid on it that hogs had to learn to operate?

The "Possible" problem some individuals are looking at is Secondary poisoning of Non-Target species. No one knows for sure the residual effects on species such as vultures that eat the dead pigs. How long will the Warfarin still be effective after the death of the pig. Vultures are Federally protected, if dead vultures begin turning up in the areas where the pigs have been poisoned, what will have reaqlly been accomplished? Basically it is the "Possible" concept of collateral damage to a species that is not causing a problem.

what is the success rate on trapping?

Trapping is the most reliable/effective method, problem is, and this addresses your last question, is that trapping operations in Texas are carried out by private individuals, that are selling the animals they catch to buyers that are selling to a few commercial operations. One of the problems right now, at least in this part of Texas is that the buyers are not paying what they were a few months ago. Prices from the buyers dropped from .50 per pound with bonuses paid for pigs over 100 pounds and 200 pounds, now the price is around .25 a pound, No Bonuses. Trappers can not make enough to cover gas and bait.

Does TX have state paid trappers like we do out west?

Even if we did have State paid trappers, one problem as has been pointed out in a round about way, not all land owners are being affected in the same ways as some of their neighbors and because of that, not all land owners are that interested in a program to completely eradicate hogs.

It is a State wide problem, but getting ALL Texans on the same page concerning how to address the problem, I am afraid is going to be the Far Side of impossible!

CHC:

If you had done any homework on it, you would know that warfarin has no significant effect on birds.

All the tear jerking concern over possible environmental damage by warfarin overlooks the fact that hogs do an enormous amount of damage to the environment, adding vast quatities of e coli to water, etc etc.

Are birds the ONLY thing that scavenge on dead hogs?

You do understand environmentalists are involved in the fight to stop the program.

That equates to a dead turkey buzzard being found within half a mile of a dead hog carcass, will be blamed on the poisoning.

You want to poison hogs on your property, Do It.

I am not against ANYONE working out a management program to reduce hog numbers, but the mere mention of poison of any kind being used in an UNCONTROLLED manner is not only going to alienate landowners and hunters, but also environmentalists.

The mistake Miller made in proposing this program rests solely on the idea to a lot of folks of using poison as the control agent.

If your so mad about the issue, circulate your own petition supporting Miller's Proposal and present it to the Judge presiding over the case.

Unfortunately in our Modern World, Farmers/Ranchers and Private Landowners are not viewed all that favorably anyway. Publicizing the idea that a state agency and Farmers/Ranchers and Private Landowners are proposing to simply distribute rat poison into the wild in an effort to eradicate wild hogs, and the reaction that I figured would happen did.

People that have no skin in the game, do have their voices and the Freedom To disagree, and regardless of what you, me or Sid Miller think, if enough people voice their disagreement, our elected officials in Austin are going to notice and they are going to do something to allow themselves breathing room.

quote:

Originally posted by Crazyhorseconsulting:
Are birds the ONLY thing that scavenge on dead hogs?

Try to stay on topic. You are the one who asked about buzzards.

You do understand environmentalists are involved in the fight to stop the program.

That equates to a dead turkey buzzard being found within half a mile of a dead hog carcass, will be blamed on the poisoning.

[COLOR:RED]You do understand that with education, environmentalists can be shown that hogs do far more environmental damage than warfarin ever could. [/COLOR]

You want to poison hogs on your property, Do It.

Geesh, try to read if you're going to shoot off your mouth. I already stated emphatically that I am not going to poison hogs on my place.

I am not against ANYONE working out a management program to reduce hog numbers, but the mere mention of poison of any kind being used in an UNCONTROLLED manner is not only going to alienate landowners and hunters, but also environmentalists.

The mistake Miller made in proposing this program rests solely on the idea to a lot of folks of using poison as the control agent.

If your so mad about the issue, circulate your own petition supporting Miller's Proposal and present it to the Judge presiding over the case.

I'm not mad at all. I just hate stupidity and there is a lot of it related to this issue.
Unfortunately in our Modern World, Farmers/Ranchers and Private Landowners are not viewed all that favorably anyway. Publicizing the idea that a state agency and Farmers/Ranchers and Private Landowners are proposing to simply distribute rat poison into the wild in an effort to eradicate wild hogs, and the reaction that I figured would happen did.

People that have no skin in the game, do have their voices and the Freedom To disagree, and regardless of what you, me or Sid Miller think, if enough people voice their disagreement, our elected officials in Austin are going to notice and they are going to do something to allow themselves breathing room.

The idiots who are screaming the loudest about this need to step back, take a deep breath, and try to think about the issue. Think of it this way, warfarin is rat poison, but the woods and fields are full of rats. Warfarin is used by people to control rats around habitations, grain storage etc when their concentrations get high enough to cause excessive damage or they are in homes (one is way too many for my wife). Has the world or various animals that feed on dead rats fallen over dead because we poison rats (with 5x as much warfarin per given wt than Kaput). Of course not. It is a spot treatment resource.

The same thing works for hog poisoning. #1, it is likely to be a fairly expensive effort. #2, IMO, it can only work for hog control in limited areas, say around a corn field, peanuts, etc. Even then, the costs may not equal the gains. #3, warfarin kills by repeated exposure, once or ever twice doses that reach fatal levels OVER TIME, will not do any real harm to whatever consumes them, and the levels of exposure to kill hogs is lower than anything else around. Everyone should get a grip. The damn sky ain't falling.

Kaput has been approved by the EPA, hardly an agency which ignores environmental concerns.

Rumor has it that Texas A&M is using Sodium Nitrite to poison hogs and is near a commercial product. Maybe that will be better, maybe not.

Maybe it would not hurt if you got aq grip and understood, that what I am pointing out, is the arguments those wanting to prevent such a program from taking place.

I keep saying over and over and over again and maybe stupidity is preventing YOU from understanding that I AGREE something HAS to be done to keep the situation from getting worse.

What YOU keep missing, is that for many people, especially younger people, people that are supposedly more enlightened than Old Geezers like YOU and ME, concerning the environment, the mere HINT of a form of chemical control, I.E. POISON, is going to not only meet resistance from some hunters and some landowners, but also from EVERY Urban/Suburban Environmentalist-ECO-Freak in Texas and the nation.

What I get out of this is that a lot of people have a stake in the existence of an INVASIVE species they don't want to lose. Poison is nasty stuff and a double edged sword that can cut in unexpected place, should only be used as a last resort.

Grizz

quote:

What I get out of this is that a lot of people have a stake in the existence of an INVASIVE species they don't want to lose. Poison is nasty stuff and a double edged sword that can cut in unexpected place, should only be used as a last resort.

Contrary to what some may believe on here on this subject, more people whether they have skin in the game or not, whether they hunt pigs are not, would or do want to see some form of active management on the species, to reduce overall numbers.

Problem is, the situation is already out of control and there is no "Snap Of The Fingers/Wink Of The Eye" solution that will solve some of the issues.

Unfortunately Feral Hogs and Fire Ants are both ecological anomalies that may not or can managed and the only options are eradication. Eradication of ANY living organism can or will have a negative impact on other elements of the environment.

Where the divisions occur when setting up a management plan for any species of plant/animal/fish/bird involves the "Long Term" effects on the environment and other species within that environment.

Throw in the concept, especially in Texas, where something like 97% of the land is Privately owned, without 100% participation among ALL landowners, management efforts will be severely impacted and ineffective.

That is why I feel a statewide bounty along with county bounties on breeding age females, regardless of whether trapped or shot, would be a more realistic approach.

Trapped or shot, the animals can still be consumed by humans, or the counties could build land fills and bury unwanted carcasses, I just believe attack ing segment of the population that has the most impact/potential to increase or decrease actual numbers is a better alternative. JMFO!

quote:

Originally posted by Crazyhorseconsulting:
That is good news Bobby, Thanks for posting it.

Yes, Feral Hogs, no matter what state they are in, are an ecological nightmare or will be as they become better established in an area.

Some form of management program will eventually be established, and at some point chemical control may be the answer, but that point hasn't been reached and broadcasting poison, attempting to effect hogs only, leaves too many open doors for secondary poisoning of non target species.

I am by no means an expert on hogs, but to the best of my knowledge, there is NO hog specific food item, they will eat anything.

The situation presents no easy answers/solutions.

Maybe you should be baiting on your trap and skeet fields... As I recall, the pitch used to make clay targets is toxic to piggies.

I recently had the ability to set thru a portion of seminar on wild hogs and their impact on the environment. The seminar was held at the Farm & Ranch Expo. in Wichita Falls and was directed toward land owners, not hunters.

The various methods of control were discussed, including the use of Warfarin and Nitrous Oxide.

The biologist giving the seminar covered the various methods people are using in an attempt to control/reduce overall numbers.

The landowners I know that were at the seminar and I talked to afterwards, had reservations concerning the whole poisoning concept. These are folks that are second and third generation Ranchers/Farmers in this area, most of them still working places that have been in their family over 100 years.

On point the biologist made was that with the Warfarin, pigs have to eat a fairly specific amount, about 5 pounds of the bait, and death occurs from 3 to 16 days later.

One of the interesting Game Cam videos he showed during his presentation concerned the question as to whether hogs can actually jump.

The video was of an approximately 130 pound sow in a trap pen with 4v foot sides and no top. In the video the sow made a couple of runs around the trap and then took a run across the trap and cleared that 4 foot panel. Not as graceful as a white tail, but did clear it.

I have been in the pesticide development biz for 20+years.I have worked with warfarin based multi-feed baits for rodent control. I also own with my brother about 4400 ac we inherited, that he makes a living on that has hogs. That bait is not the solution, it will have palatability problems, and the nature of the bait, the consumption it takes will make it pretty expensive to control--if you have a significant number of hogs(and they eat it--or should say if) problem is food is a choice..and if the other choice is better, the bait does not get consumed. I could go into baits, compounds that might work better--but I'm typing on an IPad and don't feel like it..I guess the one thing I did like what happened, is Sid Miller was shut down...he might be the worst Guy we have had in there for sometime...makes Rick Perry look like a Rhodes scholar.

The only sure big management is hunt and big predators

quote:

Originally posted by 505ED:
I have been in the pesticide development biz for 20+years.I have worked with warfarin based multi-feed baits for rodent control. I also own with my brother about 4400 ac we inherited, that he makes a living on that has hogs. That bait is not the solution, it will have palatability problems, and the nature of the bait, the consumption it takes will make it pretty expensive to control--if you have a significant number of hogs(and they eat it--or should say if) problem is food is a choice..and if the other choice is better, the bait does not get consumed. I could go into baits, compounds that might work better--but I'm typing on an IPad and don't feel like it..I guess the one thing I did like what happened, is Sid Miller was shut down...he might be the worst Guy we have had in there for sometime...makes Rick Perry look like a Rhodes scholar.

Well-stated...and I agree completely.