January 18, 2022

LOCKHART, TEXAS – January 2022 – Caldwell County has received $20,000 through a grant program from Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Wildlife Services to continue countywide feral hog abatement efforts. Caldwell County’s feral hog program for 2022 will include a five-dollar feral hog bounty, one workshop, one webinar, aerial control, a countywide survey and damage assessment and the continuation of a volunteer-led trapping effort.

Caldwell County is an affiliate of the Central Texas Feral Hog Task Force and has partnered with The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University and the Plum Creek Watershed Partnership to assist with implementation, research and educational components of the program in 2022.

“The 2022 feral hog program in Caldwell County is part of a sustained effort first implemented by the Plum Creek Watershed Partnership in 2012 and taken to the next level through collaboration with our Central Texas Feral Hog Task Force communities and partners,” said Nick Dornak, Director of Watershed Services at The Meadows Center.

Texas is home to an estimated 3 million feral hogs. Lacking sweat glands, hogs seek out shelter along creeks and rivers, which can result in contamination of those waterways, such as Plum Creek and the San Marcos River. Recognized as an invasive species, feral hogs are responsible for significant agricultural and property losses in Texas, exceeding $500,000,000 each year.

“Caldwell County has been an active partner of the Task Force from its beginnings in 2012. The efforts of our county staff, volunteers and partnering landowners have resulted in the documented harvest of over 16,000 invasive, wild pigs with an estimated property damage mitigation value of $8 million countywide,” said Hoppy Haden, Caldwell County Judge.

The 2022 Caldwell County feral hog bounty may be claimed on the 3rd Thursday of each month starting February 17 through July 21. During that period, individuals can bring in feral hog tails and/or certified buying station receipts to Smith Supply Co., 1830 Colorado Street, Lockhart, between the hours of 10am-1pm. Tails and/or receipts must be from feral hogs harvested in Caldwell County. Participants will be required to complete a W-9 and a participation form, which can be obtained at Smith Supply or from the Central Texas Feral Hog Task Force Website.

Other Programs – The Plum Creek Watershed Partnership will be coordinating educational workshops for Hays and Caldwell County stakeholders throughout the spring and summer of 2022. Final dates and locations for landowners, hunters, trappers and conservationists to learn more about managing wild pig populations and damage will be provided in the coming weeks. Additionally, landowners engaging with the Caldwell County feral hog program will have the opportunity to participate in an ongoing, remote-operated feral hog trap sharing cooperative. These remote-operated traps were upgraded in 2021 to enable live video feed sharing.

For more information on these programs, to sign your land up for aerial control efforts, or to complete your 2022 feral hog survey, please visit the project website, http://www.feralhogtaskforce.com/caldwell.html or email the Task Force at feralhog@txstate.edu.

About The Meadows Center
The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University was named following a generous gift from The Meadows Foundation in August 2012. The Meadows Center inspires research, innovation and leadership that ensures clean, abundant water for the environment and all humanity.