As winter approaches in Texas, residents are seeing an uptick in feral hog sightings, and experts say cooler temps spell trouble for gardens, yards, and local fauna. According to Cole Murphy, field supervisor at Lone Star Trapping, these invasive creatures, which can cause around $1.5 billion in yearly damages, are searching for food more aggressively with the drop in temperature and less cover from vegetation, as reported by the Houston Chronicle.
The colder weather not only causes these hogs to forage into human territories, it also alters their eating patterns to adapt to the changes. "All of the trees are starting to drop its acorns and pecans into people’s yards and that’s kind of changing their travel patterns," Murphy said, expanding on the shift in the hogs' habits during this time of year. Edward Dickey, owner of Texas Wild Hog Control, backed up Murphy's claim, suggesting the frigid conditions drive the hogs out of their traditional areas to find alternative food sources, "When it starts cooling off, their metabolism is what changes," Dickey explained in an interview with Chron.com, further noting the animals' increased need for energy to maintain body heat.
Strategies for dealing with the feral hog problem include employing professional trappers like Bubba Ortiz of Ortiz Game Management, who creates specialized steel box traps designed to contain the robust creatures without the chance of escape, standing one's ground if confronted by a territorial hog, and taking preventative measures to make properties less attractive to these invasive animals.
Yet, it's not just about setting a trap—intelligence among these animals can make them difficult to capture, as they might avoid traps they recognize as such, causing issues for those attempting to control their population by themselves, "People who set their own traps where the hog has to hit a trigger, tripwire or pressure plate, and kind of becomes their own executioner, those can be set off by a deer, raccoon, foxes, possums, coyotes," Ortiz detailed in a statement obtained by the Houston Chronicle.
While Dickey suggests countering the problem with patience and expert intervention, "A professional trapper will capture the whole sounder, or family group," Dickey told Chron.com. The danger posed by feral hogs can't be understated. Armed with razor-sharp tusks that can inflict serious harm, these creatures remain a growing concern for communities across Texas. As their population, estimated at 2.6 million in the state, continues to swell, the colder months will likely see more of these unexpected and unwelcome visitors rooting around urban and suburban territories.
