Hunters, farmers, and home owners alike have been waiting years for an end-all to the growing hog issue. Pretty much everyone other than hog doggers! As most of you know the feral hog situation in most of our country is beyond out of control. In fact, Louisiana hunters killed an estimated 350,000 of them last year and didn't make a dent. Feral pigs are responsible for the destruction of crops, native habitat and carry and number of diseases that can spread to both wildlife and humans a like. They reproduce at an alarming rate and have no natural predators.
Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry Dr. Mike Strain reports a possible solution has been approved by the Environmental Protection Agency to fight the feral pig problem.
"Its a bait", says Strain, "to help eradicate the feral pig."
The bait is made by a company out of Colorado called Kaput. It is fed to the feral pigs for three to six weeks using a specific type feeder that only a feral pig can get its head inside to feed on the bait.
But Strain cautions to “be sure and follow all label instructions” when using the bait.
While most of us may have been hoping for a hog specific poison that could be dispensed directly to the ground, this is not it. If approved by the state of Louisiana, which is still pending, it will be every important to follow the specific directions and ONLY use in the approved feeder.
Research has been done recently on 2 active ingredients that have been proven killers of feral swine, Sodium Nitrite, a meat preservative, and a blood thinning agent called Warfarin.
More details on the availability of the feeder, and bait will be out soon.
