Texas Counties Place a Bounty on Feral Hogs and the Competition is On
OutdoorHub Reporters 10.01.12
Beginning October 1, those wishing to help Texas eradicate an invasive feral hogs can do so for a $2 bounty on each tail. To encourage hunters to participate, many Texas counties have begun a competition to see which county can cull the most hogs. Counties also receive points toward that competition for the number of participants in an educational course about the animals.
The competition runs until December 31. Money will be paid out to participants via the Hog Out County Grant program and the Plum Creek Watershed Partnership will be hosting classes while serving meat from hogs harvested as part of the competition.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department estimates there are 1.5 million feral hogs roaming Texas. Most have been released by farmers. Pigs that have been released into the wild revert to feral hogs in a matter of months.
“It will get hairy, grow tusks and get aggressive. They’re so good at adapting, and with their scavenging nature, they can get by pretty much anywhere,” said Kristine Brown, a wildlife biologist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Mlive.com.
Find out more about Texas’ feral hog harvest competition and about how damaging they are to the area from the report by KXAN below.
At the end of the competition, the county with the most points receives $20,000 in state funds to implement a plan to reduce feral hog populations. Second and third place counties receive $15,000 and $10,000, respectively.
For more information on the grant program and for a list of locations collecting hog tails, click here.
