2016 Feral Hog Workshop

On January 28, a Feral Hog Workshop was hosted by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Tyler County at the Tyler County Nutrition Center. More than 50 people came out to hear the latest news and techniques concerning feral hog control. Dr. Billy Higginbotham, a professor and Wildlife and Fisheries Specialist for AgriLife Extension, gave the largest portion of presentations. Dr. Higginbotham showed examples of trap types and explained the history of wild pigs in Texas. Dr. Higginbotham also talked about the future of wild pig control and what we could expect in the future, in regards to control methods. His presentation was well received and lots of follow up questions were answered. In addition to the presentation by Dr. Higginbotham, Texas Animal Health Commission personnel, Clint Sturrock, Dwayne Easley, and Charles Woods were on hand to explain the risks of handling wild hogs and the options open to the public about what to do when wild pigs are captured. If done within 7 days of trapping wild hogs can be sold to buying stations which are regulated by Texas Animal Health Commission. They also highlighted the fact that releasing hogs after capture can hold a fine. The evening ended with Texas Game Warden, assigned to Tyler County, Brandon Moseley discussing the law about wild pigs. Game Warden Moseley answered questions about who needs a hunting license when hunting pigs and discussed that feral hogs can be hunted in a variety of ways and they do not have a hunting season. Overall the evening was a great success and lots of good information was provided to concerned producers. Door prizes for this evening were provided by TYCO Feed, Havis Feed and KLJ Services. If you would like more information about this event or subject or would like to speak to someone about an upcoming extension event please don’t hesitate to contact the Tyler County AgriLife Extension Office at 201 Veteran’s Way, Woodville TX, or by phone at (409)-283-8284 and Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent Jacob Spivey or Family and Consumer Science Agent Kelly Jobe will be glad to help you.