Help available to rid landowners of feral hogs

Help is available from the University of Missouri Extension Service for landowners plagued by feral hogs.

Jerry Richards, cooperative feral hog outreach educator from Iron County, told the Bollinger County Board of Commissioners Monday that the Extension has teamed with federal and state agencies to help landowners get rid of feral hogs at no cost.

"It's a totally free service," Richards said. "The money comes from the federal farm bill and goes through the Missouri Department of Conservation, and from Conservation to Extension." He said participation is not mandatory.

According to Richards, Missouri Feral Hog Program will put bait sites on an owner's property and monitor the site with a trail camera. MFHP will regularly re-bait and monitor sites for hog activity. When hogs begin to come to the site regularly, then a trap will be built and will be baited and monitored. MFHP will try to catch an entire group of hogs -- called a sounder -- at one time, and will continue as long as there is hog activity at the site.

Once the hogs are killed, Richards said, they will be disposed of as instructed by the landowner.

Richards told the commission he knows the program works because it killed over 200 hogs on his own farm.

Feral hogs can destroy acres of pasture, hayfield, cropland and gardens in a single night, he said. They damage trees, raid livestock feeders and pollute water. They carry and spread disease, and because their eyes don't reflect light, they can be a road hazard.

Despite the damage hogs can do, Richards said some parts of Missouri don't participate in MFHP because some people enjoy hunting the hogs, and have built businesses surrounding hog hunting. In some parts, he added, people have brought hogs in from other areas and released them to provide opportunities for hunting.

"Their wanting to hunt them is more important to them than the damage hogs do to property," Richards said.

Richards left printed information with the commissioners, and asked them to encourage interested landowners to contact him. First District Commissioner Tim Shelby said he would leave information at the Arab Station, which is close to Mingo Wildlife Refuge where feral hogs have been seen.

Richards can be reached at (573) 854-9845.