What Can Be Done To Curb The Wild Hog Population?

[RETOKSQUID]

Not too worried about secondary poisoning with warfarin as it is the lowest among the rodentcides that could be used. It isn't an absolute 0% chance, because it does happen. I am more worried about primary poisoning of non targeted animals who eat the poisoned feed.

 

[retrieverman]

According to the last map I saw of OK counties with confirmed hog populations, the only two WITHOUT pigs are Alfalfa and Grant.

 

[D. Hargrove]

Sounds right. I live on the Comanche/Cotton/Stephens lines and they are overly abundant.

 

[ElkStalkR]

Much of Payne county is hog free. But their are certainly parts with plenty o them!

 

[dennishoddy]

I think I mentioned in another thread about the accumulation in the liver, and this article confirms that it would only hold a "therapeutic" dose to humans. I say feed it to them. As far as the sterilization idea, if that worked with any species with great results, we'd be using it everywhere. In RMNP they attempted to control their elk heard by birth control on the cows, at a cost of $3k per cow, and was only marginally effective the first year, and proved to be less even on the second year. So they still take out what's needed by a group assigned with a dose of .308.

The tree huggers tried to control deer in Florida back in the 90's with birth control. It was a miserable failure that cost hundreds of dollars per deer. Hunters had a much more effective result.

 

[dennishoddy]

According to the last map I saw of OK counties with confirmed hog populations, the only two WITHOUT pigs are Alfalfa and Grant.

Grant county has had a confirmed pig sighting. Two years ago, 16 were spotted on the Kay/Grant county line in trail cams on the Grant side. The GW and landowner trapped them all.

 

[dennishoddy]

The tree huggers tried to control deer in Florida back in the 90's with birth control. It was a miserable failure that cost hundreds of dollars per deer. Hunters had a much more effective result.

I remember now. It was the Animal Rights activist Cleveland Armory that led the deer birth control fiasco.

 

[YukonGlocker]

http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2017/02/20/...de-targeting-wild-pigs/#.WK-q5x_z5iY.facebook

If you read down towards the bottom of the article there is a statement from the Texas ag commissioner. He goes into just how toxic warfarin isn't too other species. Good read.

Have you seen a list of those studies anywhere?

 

[CBarCRanch]

Just adding some information I looked at tonight.

Warfarin is an anticoagulant (blood thinner). Warfarin reduces the formation of blood clots. Warfarin is used to treat or prevent blood clots in veins or arteries, which can reduce the risk of stroke, heart attack, or other serious conditions. Warfarin may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide.
Warfarin Uses, Dosage, Side Effects - Drugs.com
https://www.drugs.com/warfarin.html


The latest USDA program includes $1.5 million for the research center headquartered in Fort Collins CO, where scientists have made sodium nitrite studies a top priority.

Sodium nitrite, used as a salt to preserve meat, can keep red blood cells from grabbing oxygen in live animals. Unlike people, pigs make very low levels of an enzyme that counteracts the chemical. Feral hogs that eat a large enough dose of sodium nitrite show symptoms similar to carbon dioxide poisoning.

So far, baits haven’t hit the 90 percent kill rate on test pigs needed for EPA consideration. Once it does, approval could take up to five years.

One problem is creating baits in which feral hogs will eat a lethal dose. Sodium nitrite tastes nasty and breaks down quickly in the presence of air or water, making it easier for pigs to smell and avoid, said Fred Vercauteren, project leader in Fort Collins.

Microencapsulating the compound masks its smell and keeps it stable longer.

I tried to follow the USDA Program link and it took me to NBCNews.
Less than 90% kill rate...if it was over 70% that is whole lot better than hunters can accomplish.

 

[dennishoddy]

Info from the link provided.

EPA approved Kaput Feral Hog Bait’s pesticide labeling with the signal word “Caution,” which is the lowest category of toxicity to humans requiring a signal word. Although the EPA did not list this product as a federal restricted-use product, we made the decision to list warfarin as a state-limited-use pesticide in Texas so that purchase and application is made only by educated, licensed pesticide applicators who have been trained specifically on the use of this product. The product may be only bought and used by licensed pesticide applicators when dispensed in specially-designed hog feeders that have weighted lids that only open from the bottom, making it difficult for other animals to be exposed to the bait.

Warfarin has been studied extensively in animals and is practically non-toxic to birds. Due to the insolubility of warfarin in water, there should be no impact to aquatic life. Non-target wildlife, livestock and domestic pets would have to ingest extremely large quantities over the course of several days to reach a toxic level of warfarin in the bloodstream. In the event of unintended exposure, the antidote, Vitamin K, can be administered by a veterinarian. In general, secondary exposure to other animals is low because the levels of warfarin in target animals are generally too low to be toxic to either a predator or scavenger.

Warfarin at 0.005 percent as a feral hog toxicant has been shown to have a low level of residue in hog meat, especially in muscle tissue, which is what humans typically consume. One person would have to eat 2.2 lbs of hog liver–where the warfarin is most concentrated in the body–to achieve the same exposure as a human would receive in one therapeutic dose of warfarin (current therapeutic levels range from 2 to 10 mg daily). Warfarin metabolizes and exits the body fairly quickly, so a hog that was trapped and fed for several days prior to processing would most likely not have any warfarin present at the time of slaughter.

In addition, hogs who have consumed the warfarin bait will have blue dye present in the fatty tissues as soon as 24 hours after ingestion. The dye builds up in the fatty tissue, so the more bait the hog has consumed, the brighter blue the tissues will be, signaling hunters that this hog has ingested the bait. Blue dye is present in the fat directly underneath the skin as well as in the fat deposits surrounding organs and in the aforementioned liver. All will take on the characteristic blue tint of the dye, which serves as a visual indicator of bait ingestion.