About 20 locals gathered at the Community Center Thursday afternoon to discuss ways to work together on the town’s feral hog problem. Parks Director Justin Huss told the audience he hoped to develop an email list of property owners who have a problem with feral hogs because it will take cooperation and communication among neighbors to solve the problem. He foresaw the project lasting a few years, but it was time to organize.
Huss introduced J.P. Fairhead, feral hog biologist with the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission, who said feral hogs are a challenge in much of the state. They are not native to North America, but they are expanding their range as far west as California and into some parts of Canada. “And they are not getting there on their own,” Fairhead stated. He was referring to an age-old strategy of releasing hogs into the wild to fend for themselves only to harvest them later.
Fairhead stated they are not considered livestock, and they can be harvested on private property at any time with the permission of the property owner. No hunting license is required. A person can hunt or trap them but it is illegal to use explosives or leg snares.
He also commented it is illegal to transport feral hogs, though it continues to happen and contributes heavily to the increase in their range. Fairhead commented there are people who just want to start new populations. He said Arkansas law states a trapped hog must be killed immediately or tagged and transported to a terminal facility. Hogs do not leave the terminal facility.
Doug Stowe, resident with feral hog experience, asked how citizens of Carroll County get help from AG&F. Fairhead said his resources are limited because of a pilot program he is invested in for another 18 months, but he is willing to do what he can. His office does not have the time or staff to handle the entire state. He acknowledged another problem on the local level is the $6,000 price of the traps.
Huss said there is talk of expanding the program Fairhead mentioned, “and we’ll try to get involved; we’re pushing as best we can.”
Fairhead mentioned he uses corral traps in which a successful capture might catch more than a dozen hogs at once. He said, “If I get more than 90 percent of a group of 13-15, I’m glad. What you strive for is the entire sounder.”
A question from the audience was what to do when hiking in Lake Leatherwood City Park and you encounter a couple of piglets. “Go the other way,” Huss recommended. “They should run away from you, and you should do the same.”
He said he would begin to assemble information as best he can so they can determine where to bait a trap. Huss said communication among adjacent landowners is important.
Cameron Curry, a sales representative for the Thomas, Okla., company that makes BoarBusters corral traps, led the group to the parking lot for a demonstration of an 18-foot corral trap. He said the trap can be set up in less than an hour, has a camera installed for remote viewing, and is triggered by a cell phone or a key fob. Members of the audience noticed it would be vital to have good cell phone access in the target area.
Curry said that pigs are very cagy, so the location must be baited for awhile until you can see on the remote monitor you have the number of animals you want to catch in the cage area, then drop it.
Huss said he would begin a mailing list to gather information about active spots of the hogs so people affected can develop a long-range plan. Huss said in a follow-up email the need for a trap is now. He stated, “We will also work within our budget to meet this immediate need to the best of our ability.”