Fighting The Feral Hog Invasion: Texas Agriculture Commissioner’s Bait Solution

Texas has a wide arrange of animals that make it such a diverse place to live but one animal in particular has been wreaking havoc on farmers since the early 80's.

Oink!

Every year since 1982 feral hogs in the state of Texas have caused severe damage to crops grown by farmers and ranchers. The result is $3 billion in damages across Texas and other portions of the United States and extends to urban areas as well as farmland. Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller is hoping that his support for a newly-approved toxicant will help with the feral hog problem.

Bait

Kaput Feral Hog Bait was produced by Scimetrics Laboratory and registered for state limited use by licensed pesticide applicators on February 1, 2024. This new feral hog bait has been in production for over two decades and received grant approvals from the Texas Department of Agriculture, it also received EPA use permits. Kaput contains warfarin which is toxic to pigs and turns their internal fat blue and makes it easier for hunters to determine if pigs have eaten the bait.

Another bait that is currently being supported by Miller is Hogstop. This bait is all-natural and a contraceptive that targets a male pigs ability to reproduce which will help the feral pig problem. This is because feral pigs have a very high reproduction rate with the ability to have a new litter of piglets every three months with up to 20 piglets per litter

Stop

It will be a while before farmers and ranchers can get Kaput they will need a licensed applicator who will use the product but HogStop is available for purchase. It is advised to follow the instructions for use on the baits because it is actually a violation of a federal law to use the product in a different way than what it was made for.