Hog wild: County commits to task force

Hays County will be working with Caldwell and Guadalupe counties on a feral hog abatement program that includes $7,850 in grant funding to help with the program. The Hays County Commissioners Court unanimously approved an agreement between the county and the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service for participation in the program.

Resident Dan Lyon said that there are plenty of people willing to hunt feral hogs, but accessing the land can be a problem.

“I know all the landowners see this as an opportunity to make money by charging hunters to come out to the land and get rid of the problem for them,” Lyon said. “It really doesn’t work that way.”

Lyon, who said he sometimes sees huge herds of feral hogs on his deer lease, suggested that the county work with landowners to make eliminating the animals easier.

“I think Mr. Lyon is right,” said Clint Garza, development services director. “This program’s not going to take care of the problem. … Like most things of this scale, it’s going to take a multifaceted approach.”

However, he said, anything to help decrease the number of feral hogs is beneficial.

The feral hog abatement program grant funds can be used for expenses deemed “necessary and reasonable” to the program’s administration, such as personnel costs, vendor contracts and bounty efforts. However, if the county wants to use grant money for bounty programs, the county must have a written policy preventing the intentional breeding and raising of feral hogs for the purpose of meeting bounty requirements. Grant fund reimbursement for bounties is limited to 50 percent of the bounty paid and a maximum of $5 per hog.

In other business Tuesday morning, commissioners approved the reappointment of Clint Browning as county fire marshal. His new term will end on May 29, 2020. Commissioners also approved budget amendments to provide additional continuing education and training for newly hired emergency planning staff.