Feral pigs are being blamed for damage to the landscaping at Liberty Municipal Park and the Liberty Golf Course. Liberty City Manager Tom Warner said that a commercial trapper has baited traps at both locations and expects to catch enough to discourage them from returning, at least until next year.
Warner said feral pigs are an annual problem for the City. As much as the oak tree-shaded pathways lure visitors to the park, the acorns dropped by those trees attract the hogs. The lush lawns also have insects and worms the hogs like to eat.
“We never get them all,” Warner said. “They come in at this time of the year every year. We pay for them to be trapped, but there will be more hogs to take their place next year.”
As the improved area of the park is roughly 200 acres, hog-proof fencing would be costly. The City installed fencing around a large portion of the golf course, spending $41,541, and hogs still made it in.
“Even if we fence off the entire golf course, they will come through the neighborhood,” Warner said. “For the city park, it would take at least twice that much fencing and if we don’t put something across the front, they will still be able to get in.”
In the meantime, city employees are repairing the overturned soil, using a boxed blade pulled behind a tractor wherever possible and using a hoe and rake in other areas.
When asked if the wild hogs present a danger to foot traffic on the city park walking trails, Warner said, “Usually they are only out at night and the park is closed at that time. If someone is walking on the trails and sees them, please stay clear of them.”
Offer permits and select times for people to come in and hunt them. Enough start dying they will find somewhere else to feed. Also allows citizens to get wonderful meat. Kill 2 birds with 1 stone. There are many way to do this ethically and safe.
Although by law you can’t “hunt” them in the city, I agree with letting the citizens come and get them. People would have lined up at the chance to go out there and trap them. Would have saved the tax money being paid to the pro trappers as well.
Lmfao it’s not like it’s the first time hogs have tore up yards/grounds. There everywhere. It’s not a “shocker”
It looks like those hogs tore up that Church yard that’s almost across from the Dodge dealership on the by pass.
The fish police-aka Texas parks and wildlife, are to blame. They saw a way to make money off of citizens so they started controlling the way the could be killed, hunting license etc… the wild hog problem is simply one more government controlled disaster.
History will show that the wild hog problem is a farmer/rancher problem that got out of control, not a government one.
As far as how they can be killed, hogs are the least restricted animal in the state! All you have to have is a license. You can take them 365 days a year, at night, during the day, with a gun, a bow, a spear, a trap, even fully automatic weapons if you are permitted by the ATF to have them.
Hummm, KM sounds a little offended by Charles post. Charles is exactly correct and KM is wrong as a Democrat. A hunting license was put on them for what purpose??? You can no longer sell them, as people did for years and years, because why??? The result of TP&W “TAKING” possession of that resource for government monetary gain, is exactly what we now have, an out of control population reeking havoc.
That’s actually funny! No offense on my end, just pointing out facts. Here’s a few more:
-There have been several inspection stations open around the state that would inspect and purchase the hogs from citizens. The meat is then put into the national food chain.
– There are no politics involved in sharing easily found information. You’re also quite wrong on my political affiliation, but you’re entertaining nonetheless!
pigs (also known as wild hogs, wild boar, or feral swine) are an Old World species and are not native to the Americas. The first wild pigs in the United States originated solely from domestic stock brought to North America by early European explorers and settlers.
https://www.wildpiginfo.msstate.edu › …
History
Any measures now in place such as state inspection and purchase stations are a whole lot too little and too late, and they don’t pay enough to justify the time, effort or expense. Sounds like repairing the submarine with a screen door, and yes a democratic non solution. Blaming our Ranchers and Farmers is pure ignorance and definitely a democratic stance. I think KM might be a game warden, if not, he/she needs to go back to California and stay there.
Wrong again, but this is getting better each time, LOL! Always amusing how the name calling starts when you don’t agree with someone.
Ok Karen