Guadalupe County Begins Feral Hog Bounty Program

feral_pigs_hunting_texas

Feral pigs would be valuable assets for landowners if we went back to the rules that applied until 30 years ago, which allowed feral pigs to be sold into the commercial food chain. Imagine getting $100 – $300 apiece and creating an additional annual revenue stream for the ranch while helping control their population.

Pretty soon, instead of paying eradication bounties, the counties would be taxing wild pigs as “personal property”.

Treating these free-ranging domestic animals as vermin is one of the amazing perversities of wildlife “management” and food “safety”.

NOTE: this article initially appeared on SAExpressNews.com on July 15, 2018. It was written by S.M. Shavey.

Attention feral hog hunters: Your opportunity to make a few bucks begins today.

Guadalupe County’s feral hog bounty, approved by county commissioners at the end of June, will allow hunters to turn in feral hog tails for $5 this summer.

“This program should serve as an incentive to area landowners to trap and harvest feral hogs on their properties,” Jeff Hanselka, county extension agent for natural resources, said in a statement.

Participants in the program can earn eligibility to win one of at least eight $500 vouchers for hog trapping equipment. The more that hunters participate in the bounty and educational programs, the more points they earn and the more likely they are to be selected as one of the winners, according to a statement from the county.

For hunters, the $5 payout is essentially expected to reimburse expenses, not foster a competition.

An estimated 3 million feral hogs live in Texas, contaminating creeks and rivers and harming agricultural production across the state.

Guadalupe County has taken a number of measures to limit the extent of havoc caused by the hogs within the county. The county has enough funds to pay for 2,000 tails, or $10,000. Half of that money is coming from the county, and the remaining half is part of a grant the county received from the Texas A&M Agrilife Service.

Author:
Ranching, wildlife management, finance, oil & gas, real estate development and management.
Comments
  • I have to say, I’m more than a little jealous of your ability to hunt feral pigs anytime you want. What a great resource for sport and food! I ate them extensively in Italy and must say they taste amazing.

    I am a little perplexed why they aren’t a more utilized species down your way?

    • Pig hunting is great sport and produces tasty, safe pork which is actually cleaner than what is sold from the factory pig producers.

      Factory pork producers have teamed up with regulators to pass regulations that keep free-range pigs off the market, in order to reduce competition. This is why wild pig numbers have exploded. The obvious solution is to undo those rules. To understand why this is not happening, just follow the money.

      Thanks for the comment.

  • A drop in the bucket. It will take a lot more to reduce the numbers. Open season on public lands and private with permission. Don’t get it? They want to eliminate the elk because they compete, somewhat with cattle while wild hogs are doing so much more destruction. It seems these “book learners” cannot think outside of the box.

    • Good points: Both examples show how these government agencies so often work against the purposes for which they were created.

      Thanks for writing.

  • There should be a list of Ranch owners who we can contact and reach out for the permission and scheduling of hunts.

    • A good idea: Information about public hunting would seem desirable. Specifics would be up to the county, perhaps TPWD, and, participating landowners.

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