Hays & Caldwell Counties are teaming up with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension’s Wildlife Services to offer those bounties.
A $7,500 grant from Wildlife Services in Hays and a $20,000 grant in Caldwell will allow the counties to pay out $5 for each feral hog harvested in both areas.
The $5 bounty will be paid by check on tails, or certified buying station receipts.
The bounties begin in mid-February.
Hays County official say in a press release:
Texas is home to an estimated three million feral hogs. Lacking sweat glands, hogs seek shelter along creeks and rivers, which can result in contamination of those waterways, such as Cypress 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 million each year.
“Feral hogs continue to pose significant problems for both agriculture producers and residential property owners in Hays County,” said Hays County Commissioner Mark Jones, Pct. 2.
Hays 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, the Cypress Creek Project, the San Marcos Watershed Initiative 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 Hays County has a great opportunity for sustained success as we received both continued funding and support to coordinate on a regional scale with projects in Caldwell County,” said Nick Dornak, Director of Watershed Services at the Meadows Center."
The San Antonio Express News reports:
"Both counties have offered feral hog bounties before. In July, for instance, hunters in Caldwell County documented 470 feral pigs captured and claimed for their bounties.
The feral hogs are notorious for destroying crops, landscaping and wildlife habitats."
The Texas Feral Hog Task Force website has more information.