A Contraceptive for Wild Hogs
Wild hogs are bad for everyone. There has been no successful method for slowing the growth of the feral hog population in Texas. That may change. A new feral hog contraceptive, HogStop, is on the market for landowners. And for many, HogStop bait can not get here quick enough. According to recent reports, the feral hog population in Texas has swelled to over 2.6 million, a conservative estimate.
In Texas, wild pigs cause over $50 million in damages annually. This impacts rural agricultural lands as well as urban areas, parks, golf courses. Feral hogs are responsible for at least one human death in the last few years. We all pay for hog damage through the agricultural products we buy. Of course, no one should have to pay with their life. Is this new product the silver bullet we need to control feral hogs populations?
Time for HogStop Bait?
A new product, which is both bait and contraceptive, called HogStop is now available. This product is for landowners that are interested in fighting back against wild pigs. The goal of the HogStop bait is to curb the growth of the ever-expanding feral hog population in Texas.
“The feral hog problem has exploded into a crisis,” said Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, “Texas farmers and ranchers need every tool they can get their hands on to stop these hogs. With this new product, we’re one step closer to my goal of making feral hogs an endangered species in Texas.”
What is HogStop Bait Exactly?
It seems HogStop is actually a mixture of ingredients commonly found in some livestock feeds. The active ingredient/s specifically act as a male contraception on feral boar hogs. The HogStop contraceptive website suggests that feeding this bait to feral hogs will reduce their numbers on a farm or ranch.
Their research found that after consuming the contraceptive that sperm counts in boar hogs was reduced. This implies fertility is also reduced. As a result, births of baby pigs decline and feral hog populations decrease over time. It makes sense in theory, but will the HogStop feed actually work?
The company does state that HogStop is not a poison that will kill the hogs. In addition, the bait/contraceptive should be fed in hog-specific feeders that are designed to exclude other wildlife species.
Will HogStop Reduce Wild Hog Populations?
I have nothing against the HogStop contraception product, but it seems unlikely to effectively reduce hog numbers. I don’t think a feed-delivered contraceptive will work on free-ranging hogs for a number of reasons. The HogStop website states that mono-gastric and ruminant animals such as deer, raccoons, sheep, and goats may be affected by a reduction in fertility, if HogStop bait is eaten in large quantities.
This statement is only mildly concerning if the bait is administered using the appropriate feeder. The HogStop website states, “to avoid nontarget animal effects, we recommend hog-specific feeders that work to keep out all other animal types.” How many will actually buy the “special” feeder? Those unwilling to purchase the feeder will not use the feed as consumption by deer will be a concern.
Just so we’re clear, I want Texas to win the war on feral hogs. However, given what we know about wild pigs, I believe HogStop will not be effective for these reasons:
- All landowners in an area must use it
- Landowners must never stop using it
- Hogs eat 3-5% of body weight daily
- Feral hogs have large home ranges
- Boar hogs are often solitary
- Boar hogs often roam
It will take a concerted effort by landowners to feed wild hogs in perpetuity, which does not sound possible. Landowners may band together, but how many actually keep using the bait? I’ll bet many stop feeding HogStop bait once they believe their neighbors are feeding it? Why? It’s going to get very expensive to control hogs in an area!
Young hogs eat about 5-percent of their body weight daily. Adult hogs eat about 3-percent of their body weight daily. As an example, let’s say a sounder of a 3 sows (at 75 pounds each) and 12 shoats of mixed ages (that average 30 pound each) use a HogStop bait site daily. Let’s assume the 6 smallest pigs can’t even access the feed. The 3 sows and 6 shoats will eat over 16 pounds of feed per day. That’s a lot of feed, a lot of money. It’s also a very conservative estimate.
Feral hogs have large home ranges. This is especially true for boar hogs. So even if an area is feeding HogStop contraceptive religiously, there is one thing more important to a boar hog than feed. A boar may abandon the bait site before the contraceptive begins to work. Furthermore, a sow can come into estrus every 18-24 days if not bred. Any boar passing through an area will no doubt do what the local guys can’t.
More on HogStop Bait and Contraceptive
HogStop is considered a 25 (b) pesticide by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); It does not have to be registered by the Texas Department of Agriculture before use. This makes the bait widely available for use by farmers, ranchers and other landowners.
Feral hogs that have consumed fresh HogStop bait should pose no additional health risks to hunters or trappers. The hog meat can be consumed without issue since HogStop is composed of ingredients commonly found in some livestock feeds. The product is intended as a contraceptive bait for feral hogs and is not intended as a feed for any food animal.
“Contraceptive baits like HogStop work to strike a blow against the exponential growth of the feral hog population in Texas. As we fight to find other ways to eradicate these pests, these kinds of products can knock down the numbers over a period of time,” said Miller.
Time will tell.