Louisiana Feral Hog Management Advisory Task Force Meeting Minutes - 10 January 2019 Prepared by, Wendy Brogdon, Secretary Approved by: Dr. Kim ...
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Louisiana Feral Hog Management Advisory Task Force Meeting
Minutes
10 January 2019
Prepared by, Wendy Brogdon, Secretary
Approved by:
X___________________________________
Dr. Kim Marie Tolson
ChairThis page left intentionally blank
The following constitute minutes of the Louisiana Feral Hog Management Advisory Task Force Meeting and are not verbatim transcripts of the proceedings. Audio files of the meetings are kept at the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, 2000 Quail Drive, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70808 For more information, call (225) 765-2806
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Contents AGENDA ........................................................... 6 CALL TO ORDER .................................................... 8 ROLL CALL ........................................................ 8 ANNOUNCEMENTS and INTRODUCTIONS .................................. 9 APPROVAL OF OCTOBER 11, 2018 TASK FORCE MEETING MINUTES ........... 9 OLD BUSINESS Update on items addressed at 11 October meeting ..... 10 OLD BUSINESS USDA testing on Warfarin/Kaput® ................... 10 OLD BUSINESS Farm Bill .......................................... 11 OLD BUSINESS Amended By-Laws .................................. 13 OLD BUSINESS Website Update ................................... 13 NEW BUSINESS LDAF report on transport authorizations and holding facilities ...................................................... 13 NEW BUSINESS LDWF report on non-target species access to bait in feeder trials ................................................... 15 NEW BUSINESS LDWF Data on Hog Trapping on WMA’s.................. 20 NEW BUSINESS Annual Report due 1 February 2019................... 22 NEW BUSINESS Meeting dates for 2019 proposed: 11 April, 11 July, 10 October ...................................................... 31 PUBLIC COMMENTS ................................................. 32 ANNOUNCEMENT OF NEXT MEETING DATE ............................... 37 ADJOURNMENT ..................................................... 37
AGENDA
Call to Order
Roll Call
Announcements and Introductions
Approval of meeting minutes – 11 October 2018
Old Business
Update on items addressed at 11 Oct meeting – Kim Marie Tolson
USDA testing on Warfarin/Kaput®
Farm Bill
Website update – Kim Marie Tolson
New Business
LDAF report on transport authorizations and holding facilities LDAF
representative
LDWF report on non-target species access to bait in feeder trials –
Dr. Jeff Duguay
LDWF data on hog trapping on WMAs – Dr. Jim LaCour
Annual Report – due 1 February 2019
Meeting dates for 2019 proposed: 11 April, 11 July, 10 October
Other
Public Comments
Announcement of next meeting date
Adjournment
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71 CALL TO ORDER
2
3 The regular meeting of the Louisiana Feral Hog Management
4 Advisory Task Force was called to order at 9:00 AM on January
5 10, 2019 in Baton Rouge, LA at the Louisiana Department of
6 Wildlife and Fisheries Headquarters Building in the Louisiana
7 Room by Madame Chairman Dr. Kim Marie Tolson
8
9 ROLL CALL
10
11 Dr. Kim Marie Tolson conducted a roll call. The following
12 persons were present:
13
14 Dr. Kim Marie Tolson ……………………………………………………………… Voting Member
15 Dr. Jim LaCour ……………………………………………………………………………… Non-Voting Member
16 Gene Cavalier ………………………………………………………………………………… Non-Voting Member
17 Vic Blanchard ………………………………………………………………………………… Voting Member
18 Buck Vandersteen ………………………………………………………………………… Voting Member
19
20 Dearl Sanders ………………………………………………………………………………… Voting Member
21
22 The following persons were not present:
23
24 Chip Vosburg …………………………………………………………………………………… Voting Member
25 Dr. Bret Collier ………………………………………………………………………… Voting Member
26
27 There were six (6) members in attendance, a voting quorum was
28 met
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
845 ANNOUNCEMENTS and INTRODUCTIONS
46
47 TOLSON Public Comments will be taken at the end of the
48 meeting and to fill out a comment card located at the front of
49 the room and turn into Ms. Brogdon.
50 Explained that this Taskforce is an advisory role only Taskforce
51 and not a regulatory board.
52
53 TOLSON Update on Task Force Members
54
55 William Ard - LA Hog Hunters Association
56 End of Appointment 19 October 2018 due to excessive absenteeism
57 Sent USPS Certified Mail (signed for) and email
58 Per HCR09 – The vacant seat must be filled by a nomination from
59 the LA Hog Hunters Association (William Ard is the President of
60 LHHA and does not respond to any of our repeated request. The
61 Task Force will have to enact a change in Legislation to remove
62 the LA Hog Hunters Association Seat from the required member
63 list if so desired)
64
65 Blaine Sheets – Association of Levee Boards of Louisiana
66 End of Appointment 19 October 2018 due to excessive absenteeism
67 Sent USPS Certified Mail (signed for) and email
68 Per HCR09 – The vacant seat must be filled by a nomination from
69 the Association of Levee Boards
70 USPS Letter and Email sent to ALBL requesting a replacement
71 nominee - Mr. Dwayne Bourgeois, Executive Director of the
72 Association of Levee Boards did contact me by email on 12.18.18
73 with some questions regarding the nomination process – but we
74 have not received his formal nomination as of today
75
76 Blake McCartney – Association of Louisiana Farm Bureau
77 Federation
78 Resignation received 07 November 2018
79 Per HCR09 – The vacant seat must be filled by a nomination from
80 the Commission of Agriculture
81 USPS Letter and Email sent to Commissioner Strain requesting a
82 replacement nominee
83 APPROVAL OF OCTOBER 11, 2018 TASK FORCE MEETING MINUTES
84
85 TOLSON Called for approval of the minutes from the 11 October,
86 2018 meeting
87 A MOTION was made by Member Blanchard and seconded by Member
88 Sanders; Madame Chairman Tolson called for a vote; Motion passed
89 unanimously
90
991 OLD BUSINESS Update on items addressed at 11 October meeting
92
93 OLD BUSINESS USDA testing on Warfarin/Kaput®
94
95 TOLSON Introduced Dwight Leblanc, State Director US APHIS
96 Wildlife Services and reported:
97 Warfarin/Kaput®: Currently working with Dr. Jim Beasley at the
98 Savannah River Ecology lab. Currently looking at efficacy and
99 humaneness of baits. Hope to have study, which stated in
100 November, completed by the end of the month. Pigs are being fed
101 almost 100% warfarin baits. Carcasses are being necropsied as
102 pigs die to determine the extent of bleeding in various
103 locations (joints, subcutaneous, etc.) in order to make a
104 judgment on humaneness because blood leakages are painful. At
105 this time, pigs are taking 7-9 days to die on the pen diet.
106 Upon completion of this study, a field study will be conducted
107 in South Carolina. Pigs, raccoons, opossums, and squirrels will
108 be radio collared. Warfarin baits will be put into the
109 manufacturers bait boxes and monitored for use by pigs and
110 nontargets. Data will be collected on bait station use.
111 Animals that die (mortality signal from collar) will be located
112 and necropsied when signal is received. Hoping to complete by
113 midsummer and then data will be analyzed. Results may determine
114 fate of warfarin product usage.
115 Sodium Nitrite baits: During the field test of the Australian
116 Sodium Nitrite bait last March there was a bird kill of white
117 throated sparrows that was attributed to spillage of bait
118 crumbs. Subsequently, they modified the bait formulation from
119 cracked grains to powdered grains, modified feeders to reduce
120 spillage of product, and added different oils to the bait to
121 make it more palatable to pigs. They tested the new product in
122 Australia this past summer/fall and did not duplicate any bird
123 kills in the study area, which had numerous bird species that
124 occupied different niches in terms of feeding behaviors. They
125 will bring new information to EPA to see if additional work is
126 needed in hot, dry area (originally Texas) in light of new
127 results, even though it is a different continent. If approved,
128 then testing of new product in a wet, hot area (Alabama) would
129 commence in summer of 2019. If EPA says no, then the hot, dry
130 climate study will have to be redone. Two-year review period if
131 all data accepted by the EPA.
132 TOLSON Call for questions and/or comments on the testing
10133 LACOUR Mississippi has been in talks with the manufacturer of
134 Kaput® and they are moving towards registration of Kaput® in
135 Mississippi. It’s not a done deal yet, but it looks favorable.
136 They are on track. We may have a land scape level test if it is
137 approved in Mississippi.
138 VANDERSTEEN I’ve talked to some people that enjoy hog hunting
139 and as it correlates to what we are doing now with testing the
140 bait - is testing hunter attitude on consuming hogs that are
141 shot after consumption of Kaput®. Some are saying they are
142 concerned when they shoot a hog as to whether or not it is safe
143 to consume it. I think that is something we need to consider.
144 LACOUR That is of paramount concern as that is a food animal.
145 The manufacturer states that they do put Methylene blue dye in
146 Kaput® bait. Originally they said that upon consumption within 24
147 hours of consuming the bait, the internal fat is colored blue
148 indicating that you shouldn’t eat the animal. Recently they’ve
149 said that they’ve moved that down to 3 hours saying that the fat
150 will take a blue tint as quickly as 3 hours after consumption of
151 the bait. However, we certainly – any product that is on the
152 landscape that could enter an animal that could be consumed by
153 humans – you have to look at that safety margin and between the
154 two that’s one of the benefits of the nitrite bait. People have
155 been eating Sodium Nitrite for hundreds of years. If you had bacon
156 or ham this morning, then you ate some. It’s already been shown in
157 that testing for the Nitrite that the levels – we call it the
158 “Bacon Line” – if you kill a pig with Sodium Nitrite and you test
159 the meat right then, there is less Sodium Nitrite in the meat then
160 there is in bacon that you go to the store and buy. That’s one of
161 the advantages and benefits of that particular product.
162 DWIGHT LEBLANC Wildlife Services in Fort Collins is the largest in
163 the world – they do not have a position
164 SANDERS On the Methylene Blue on the Savannah Trials – is this
165 included in the report or have they made any notes on whether or
166 not the Methylene blue showed up?
167 DWIGHT LEBLANC Hasn’t been done yet; Don’t have any
168 information on that – I will try to find out
169 OLD BUSINESS Farm Bill
170
171 TOLSON Passed by Congress, the Agriculture Improvement Act of
172 2018 (Farm Bill) Section 2408. Feral Swine Eradication and
173 Control Pilot Program a) IN GENERAL. The Secretary shall
11174 establish a feral swine eradication and control pilot program to
175 respond to the threat feral swine pose to agriculture, native
176 ecosystems, and human and animal health. (b) DUTIES OF THE
177 SECRETARY. In carrying out the pilot program, the Secretary
178 shall— (1) study and assess the nature and extent of damage to
179 the pilot areas caused by feral swine; (2) develop methods to
180 eradicate or control feral swine in the pilot areas; (3) develop
181 methods to restore damage caused by feral swine; and (4) provide
182 financial assistance to agricultural producers in pilot areas.
183 (c) ASSISTANCE. The Secretary may provide financial assistance
184 to agricultural producers under the pilot program to implement
185 methods to— (1) eradicate or control feral swine in the pilot
186 areas; and (2) restore damage caused by feral swine. (d)
187 COORDINATION. The Secretary shall ensure that the Natural
188 Resources Conservation Service and the Animal and Plant Health
189 Inspection Service coordinate for purposes of this section
190 through State technical committees established under section
191 1261(a) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3861(a)).
192 (e) PILOT AREAS. The Secretary shall carry out the pilot program
193 in areas of States in which feral swine have been identified as
194 a threat to agriculture, native ecosystems, or human or animal
195 health, as determined by the Secretary. (f) COST SHARING. (1)
196 FEDERAL SHARE. The Federal share of the costs of activities
197 under the pilot program may not exceed 75 percent of the total
198 costs of such activities. (2) IN-KIND CONTRIBUTIONS. The non-
199 Federal share of the costs of activities under the pilot program
200 may be provided in the form of in-kind contributions of
201 materials or services. (g) FUNDING. (1) MANDATORY FUNDING. Of
202 the funds of the Commodity Credit Corporation, the Secretary
203 shall use to carry out this section $75,000,000 for the period
204 of fiscal years 2019 through 2023. (2) DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS.—Of
205 the funds made available under paragraph (1)— (A) 50 percent
206 shall be allocated to the Natural Resources Conservation Service
207 to carry out the pilot program, including the provision of
208 financial assistance to producers for on-farm trapping and
209 technology related to capturing and confining feral swine; and
210 89 O:\RYA\RYA18A19.xml [file 3 of 13] S.L.C. (B) 50 percent
211 shall be allocated to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection
212 Service to carry out the pilot program, including the use of
213 established, and testing of innovative, population reduction
214 methods. (3) LIMITATION ON ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES. Not more
215 than 10 percent of funds made available under this section may
216 be used for administrative expenses of the pilot program.
217
218 TOLSON Congress has appropriated funding of $75 million
219 dollars over 5 years; $15 million per year divided between two
12220 agencies - USDA APHIS & NRCS receiving $7.5 million each per
221 year
222 NRCS allocated a pilot program including the provision of
223 financial assistance to producers for on farm trapping and
224 technology related to capturing and confining feral swine.
225 APHIS shall be allocated to carry out pilot program including
226 the use of use established testing innovative population
227 reduction methods.
228 There is no action at this time due to the federal government
229 closed due to the shutdown. Dwight Leblanc informed me that
230 they will not get their budgets until the 4th quarter this year.
231
232 TOLSON Does the money roll over if not used?
233
234 DWIGHT LEBLANC We don’t know right now – we haven’t received any
235 guidance. Surveillance eradication; Our money is dedicated to
236 population reduction. We were promised a helicopter and are
237 looking for office space
238
239 OLD BUSINESS Amended By-Laws
240 TOLSON At the last meeting we amended the By-Laws. Wendy has
241 provided everyone a copy in their packets
242
243 OLD BUSINESS Website Update
244
245 TOLSON We removed the redundancy and added a link to USDA
246 APHIS. Joel will provide an analytical report at the next
247 meeting of the hits to our website/webpage
248 Dr. Ashley Long is working on an interactive program that can
249 embed dynamic videos, lectures etc., and link to our website
250
251 NEW BUSINESS LDAF report on transport authorizations and holding
252 facilities
253
254 GENE CAVALIER (for Dr. Prejean who could not attend) We saw an
255 increase in Holding Facilities from 3 in 2016 to 39 in 2018.
256 There was an increase in Transporters also; there were 13 in
257 2016 and 122 in 2018. There are no approved quarantine feed
258 lots; no approved processors / slaughter facilities
259
260 TOLSON Has anyone applied?
261
13262 CAVALIER No – steady supply; difficult; There was one guy a
263 couple of years ago but he was bringing in already processed
264 meat from Texas
265
266 VANDERSTEEN Can we encourage more progress on this?
267
268 CAVALIER It is up to private enterprise; not very accepted
269
270 VANDERSTEEN Can the Louisiana Agricultural Finance Authority
271 help fund? Could the Task Force encourage them? Would it help?
272
273 CAVALIER I think it would be something great to help
274
275 LACOUR Point of information on this – Texas feral hog
276 slaughter houses - we communicate often with their Wildlife
277 department and one of the issues that has arisen just as in our
278 slaughter house – they would accept hogs between 50-200 pounds
279 only; Anything less than or more than that would not be
280 slaughtered. So what’s happened over there is they have created
281 sort of a renewable crop on the landscape. It is bittersweet.
282 You are taking pigs off the landscape which is good but now you
283 have propagated something; additionally, it has created an
284 economic sink. When Kaput® was first registered in Texas, the
285 meat packers actually fought it based on the economic loss they
286 would incur if it was registered.
287
288 BLANCHARD Short term fix – we are trying to exterminate the
289 supply; You have to go in knowing you are going in on a failed
290 bad business model
291
292 TOLSON According to LDAF regulations, a licensed transporter
293 can only take a feral swine 3 places: 2 of those do not exist
294 in Louisiana. The only place they can transport hogs in
295 Louisiana legally is one of these 39 approved holding
296 facilities. Can we make this information available to
297 Enforcement?
298
299 LACOUR Yes, this is public information – as far as locations
300 that would be up to the Agriculture department.
301
302 CAVALIER I would have to check into this – that is why I just
303 had numbers. That’s a different division and you would have to
304 seek approval through the Assistant Commissioner over there. If
305 I may add, we do have inspectors that go to these approved
306 holding facilities which means they have to meet all the
307 regulations. According to an individual in our Animal Health
14308 Section, they had issued five violations implemented through
309 this process. It’s not like zero.
310
311 LACOUR Were those prosecuted?
312
313 CAVALIER I just got some basic information
314
315 VANDERSTEEN What do they do at the holding facilities?
316
317 CAVALIER I will have to look further into this and let you
318 know. At one point they were able to cross state lines. The
319 northwest area, Caddo and Bossier, that’s not far from the state
320 line going across into Texas. As you see the numbers are higher
321 in certain locations along the west side of the state.
322
323 LACOUR In speaking with some of the people that do have these
324 holding facilities – there are people that hunt or trap hogs and
325 want to take them home and either fatten them up or hold them so
326 they can process them over a period of time. So if they catch
327 12 or 15 hogs in a day, they can put them into this facility and
328 slaughter them when the weather is cool or when they have time
329 or what have you. That’s what they’ve told me.
330
331 NEW BUSINESS LDWF report on non-target species access to bait in
332 feeder trials
333
334 TOLSON We invited DR. JEFF DUGUAY to attend to discuss Feeder
335 Trials looking specifically at non-target species
336
337 DUGUAY (Presented a Power Point Presentation)
338 Only one toxic bait is registered for use on wild pigs in the
339 United States (Kaput®), a warfarin-based toxic bait.
340 Warfarin – the active ingredient in Kaput is used as a blood
341 thinner medication in humans and it’s used in rat poison.
342
343 Warfarin interferes with the body’s ability to form blood clots.
344 Although safe at appropriate doses (blood thinner), can cause
345 death in animals that consume large amounts.
346
347 Warfarin poisoning in wild hogs relies on a slow accumulation of
348 the drug within the body. Therefore, a hog must eat this poison
349 consistently over a period of up to a week to cause death.
350
15351 Of primary concern for resource professionals is the potential
352 for non-target wildlife to ingest this poison. In 2016 the LA
353 black bear was removed from the Endangered Species List.
354
355 The overall goal of LDWF for conservation of the LA black bear
356 is to: Maintain a sustainable black bear population in suitable
357 habitat for the benefit of the species and Louisianans. Adding
358 a poison such as warfarin on the landscape to control feral hogs
359 could be at odds with LA’s goal for black bear conservation.
360
361 Objectives: Do hogs feed from feeders? Do hogs spill feed?
362 Can non-targets access bait, Directly/Indirectly?
363
364 We placed 10 feeders, five heavy gauge steel, five light gauge
365 steel in black bear populated areas on private lands.
366 Guillotine-style weighted doors (24.7 pounds; 18.6 pounds)
367
368 Per the manufactures recommendations we had a 3-week acclimation
369 period. The feeder was baited and doors secured open;
370 Feed placed in the feeder and on the ground in front of the
371 feeder gets hogs used to feeding from the feeder
372 Then a 3-week period with the doors closed
373
374 Each feeder was monitored using one still digital camera and one
375 video camera.
376 Digital cameras were motion activated and there was a two-minute
377 delay between frames.
378 Video cameras were remotely activated and filmed for 15 seconds
379 followed by a two-minute delay.
380
381 Encounter = 10 or more minutes between frames
382
383 Example – Picture 3 minutes later another picture 6 minutes
384 later another picture. All these considered 1 encounter
385 But Picture – 10 minutes later another picture, those would be 2
386 separate encounters.
387
388 1 encounter with a bunch of raccoons
389
390 Feeders Visited:
391 BEARS 1,612 encounters – All 10 feeders
392 HOGS 1,045 encounters – 8 of 10 feeders
393
394 Encounters - Camera
395 3192 Total
396 656 feeding from feeders
397 2536 feeding from feed on ground
16398
399 Encounters – Video
400 2548 Total
401 611 feeding from feeders
402 1937 feeding from feed on ground
403
404
405 Camera – Open Doors
406 Feeding from Feeder
407 497 Encounters
408 195 Raccoon
409 134 Hog
410 96 Bear
411 70 Deer
412 2 Opossum
413
414 Video – Open Doors
415 Feeding from Feeder
416 239 Encounters
417 98 Hog
418 67 Bear
419 55 Raccoon
420 19 Deer
421
422 Camera – Open Doors
423 Feeding from Feed on Ground
424 1517 Encounters
425 638 Raccoon
426 447 Bear
427 271 Hog
428 156 Deer
429 4 Opossum
430 1 Armadillo
431
432 Video – Open Doors
433 Feeding from Feed on ground
434 665 Encounters
435 252 Bear
436 251 Raccoon
437 142 Hog
438 17 Deer
439
440 Camera – Closed Doors
441 Feeding from Feeder
442 159 Encounters
443 95 Raccoon
444 40 Hog
17445 24 Bear
446 Video – Closed Doors
447 Feeding from Feeder
448 372 Encounters
449 218 Raccoon
450 117 Bear
451 37 Hog
452 Camera – Closed Doors
453 Feeding from Spilled Feed
454 1019 Encounters
455 533 Raccoon
456 207 Hog
457 182 Bear
458 53 Deer
459 39 Squirrel
460 Others
461
462 Video – Closed Doors
463 Feeding from Spilled Feed
464 1272 Encounters
465 692 Raccoon
466 265 Hog
467 234 Bear
468 33 Deer
469 20 Squirrel
470 Others
471
472 Study Questions
473 Can non-targets access feeders?
474 Raccoon
475 Hog
476 Bear
477
478 159 encounters from camera with doors closed
479 372 encounters from video with doors closed
480 Did not see bears or other non-target species try to lift closed
481 doors
482 So how did they get access? Bears would unlatch pin and gain
483 access or rip the lid up to gain access; 3 of 5 light gauge
484 feeders had lids peeled back
485 1 of 5 heavy gauge feeders had pin pulled and bears accessed
486 Once bears made an access, other non-targets (raccoons) then had
487 access to bait
488 Bears spill feed – rake out feed
489 Feeders can be modified to prevent bears from accessing them via
490 the lid. If the manufacturer is able to do this, then can they
18491 be safely used on the landscape to target feral hogs but prevent
492 non-targets from accessing bait?
493
494 Is Feed Spilled by Hogs?
495 Camera – Closed Doors
496 40 feeding
497 39 spill
498 98%
499 Video – Closed Doors
500 37 feeding
501 35 spill
502 95%
503 All were at the same feeder; Large male; Probably same male
504 every time. Didn’t see any other hogs try to lift door
505
506 Feed in 1 of 3 ways
507 Feed with snout in feeder
508 Feed by sweeping feed out with snout
509 Feed by repeatedly lifting and dropping door
510
511 Feeding on Spilled Feed at HS7 - Camera
512
513 Bear – 4 encounters (most was 1)
514 Raccoon - 9 encounters (most was 1)
515 Squirrel – 1 encounter (1 squirrel)
516 Armadillo – 1 encounter (1 armadillo)
517 Hog – 178 encounters (most was 10)
518
519 Doors closed – Feeder where hog fed from feeder / spilled feed
520 This is corn – not toxicant or placebo
521 Bear 4 encounters feeding on spilled feed – Most bears at any
522 time was 1
523 Raccoon 9 encounters feeding on spilled feed – Most raccoon at
524 any time was 1
525
526 Feeding on Spilled Feed at HS7 - Video
527 Doors closed – Feeder where hog fed from feeder / spilled feed
528
529 CAVALIER Did the hogs or bears try to out muscle?
530
531 DUGUAY No – the hogs and raccoons ate together
532
533 DURHAM How many bear encounters at the feeder HS7?
534
535 DUGUAY I think 14
536
537 SANDERS Did you ever see an image of a bear lifting the door?
19538 DUGUAY No, they only ripped the door off
539
540 TOLSON What time of year was this study done?
541
542 DUGUAY July
543
544 LACOUR We do have video of bears lifting gates – just not in
545 this particular study. For this study, once they got into the
546 tops – they in turn go right to the tops and rip them up and get
547 in. We do have videos of them going in and lifting the gates.
548
549 SANDERS I realize this is a non-target study but the take away
550 on this is that the hogs can’t open the gate which makes the
551 whole thing mute, in my opinion.
552
553 DUGUAY We put 200 pounds of feed in these feeders which is
554 what they hold – they recommend 50 pounds. The manufacturer
555 doesn’t like the study for that reason.
556
557 SANDERS That has no impact
558
559 DUGUAY Correct
560
561 LACOUR In development with SEAFWA and the Wildlife Management
562 Institute – trying to do a testing protocol for bears for
563 manufacturer’s to have products tested & stamped at an
564 independent testing facility. A sample contract is being
565 reviewed with the SEAFWA Working Group
566 Blatant misuse of the product is the biggest concern
567 There is a lot of literature out there.
568
569
570 NEW BUSINESS LDWF Data on Hog Trapping on WMA’s
571
572 LACOUR At one of the previous meetings we spoke about this: we
573 have 19 WMA’s with some level of trapping / ¼ million acres
574
575 WMA # of hogs trapped Jan 1, 2018-June 30, 2018
576 Bayou Pierre 42
577 Big Lake 7
578 Bodcau 41
579 Boeuf 176
580 Buckhorn 3
581 Camp Beauregard 46
582 Dewey Wills
583 Floy McElroy 3
584 Fort Polk-Vernon 28
20585 JC Sonny Gilbert 9
586 Loggy Bayou 77
587 Pearl River 29
588 Richard K. Yancey 139
589 Russell Sage
590 Sabine 8
591 Sherburne 72
592 Soda Lake 138
593 Thistlethwaite 119
594 Tunica Hills 23
595 Total 960
596 * Note: Trapping discontinued during hunting season
597
598 WMA # of hogs trapped July 1, 2018 -December 31, 2018
599 Bayou Pierre 11
600 Big Lake 36
601 Bodcau 107
602 Boeuf 331
603 Buckhorn 12
604 Camp Beauregard 30
605 Dewey Wills 45
606 Floy McElroy
607 Fort Polk-Vernon 9
608 JC Sonny Gilbert 16
609 Loggy Bayou 31
610 Pearl River 72
611 Richard K. Yancey 144
612 Russell Sage 20
613 Sabine 25
614 Sherburne 136
615 Soda Lake 31
616 Thistlethwaite 95
617 Tunica Hills 27
618 Total 1178
619
620 WMA Totals 2018
621 Bayou Pierre 53
622 Big Lake 43
623 Bodcau 148
624 Boeuf 507
625 Buckhorn 15
626 Camp Beauregard 76
627 Dewey Wills 45
628 Floy McElroy 3
629 Fort Polk-Vernon 37
630 JC Sonny Gilbert 25
631 Loggy Bayou 108
21632 Pearl River 101
633 Richard K. Yancey 283
634 Russell Sage 20
635 Sabine 33
636 Sherburne 208
637 Soda Lake 169
638 Thistlethwaite 214
639 Tunica Hills 50
640 Total 2138
641
642 * Note: Trapping discontinued during hunting season
643
644 LACOUR There is a heavy mast crop over most of the WMA’s this
645 year with lots of acorns
646
647 SANDERS Dr. Gentry reported that he loaned a trap to a man in
648 Avoyelles for 6 weeks – he caught over 150 pigs. He never moved
649 the trap
650
651 LACOUR Do you know the number of pigs trapped on the trap
652 loan program?
653
654 SANDERS No, but I can get this information
655
656 LACOUR Are they all loaned out?
657
658 SANDERS There is a steady flow of them out on loan
659
660 DWIGHT LEBLANC The Saltwater Conservation Districts loan traps
661
662 TOLSON Can you bring us the numbers on this to the next
663 meeting?
664
665 VANDERSTEEN Is this an ongoing program?
666
667 LACOUR yes, will stop during hunting season
668
669
670 NEW BUSINESS Annual Report due 1 February 2019
671
672 TOLSON Hog Management Advisory Task Force (FHMATF) is pleased
673 with the responses to the recommendations that were submitted in
674 the 1 February 2018 Annual Report. By acknowledging and acting
675 on our recommendations, the Task Force feels the Legislature,
676 LDWF, and LDAF recognize the serious problem with feral hogs
677 that the state of Louisiana is facing. And for that, we are
678 appreciative.
22679 In response to the 2018 Task Force recommendation to strengthen
680 movement restrictions of feral hogs and expand enforcement of
681 restrictions, the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission
682 voted to modify Feral Hog Trapping Regulations (LAC 76:V.130)
683 (Appendix I.) to read “Feral hogs shall not be transported alive
684 unless done so by a feral swine authorized transporter
685 registered with the Board of Animal Health of the Louisiana
686 Department of Agriculture and Forestry, who has proof of said
687 registration in his/her possession. Feral hogs being transported
688 in violation of this Rule will be confiscated and disposed of in
689 accordance with LDWF policy.” The Louisiana Legislature followed
690 suit and passed House Bill 226 that was signed by the governor
691 and became Act No. 681 (Appendix II.) on 1 August 2018. This Act
692 (R.S. 14:102.28) prohibits the transport of live feral swine
693 without proof of registration as an authorized feral swine
694 transporter by LDAF, defined the term “feral swine,” and
695 outlined penalties for violators of this Act.
696
697 In response to the 2018 Task Force recommendation to expand
698 public awareness of the laws/regulations and other issues
699 pertaining to feral hog management, LDWF personnel have worked
700 diligently to develop a web page
701 (www.wlf.louisiana.gov/wildlife/feral-hog) that contains
702 comprehensive and up-to-date legal and scientific information on
703 feral hogs. This web page contains a prominent link to the LDAF
704 website (www.ldaf.state.us/animal-health/) with information on
705 feral swine transport and holding pen regulations in Louisiana.
706
707 The Task Force recommended that LDWF, LDAF, and the Legislature
708 identify and support scientific research pertaining to feral hog
709 control in Louisiana. LDWF has conducted testing on some of the
710 hog feeders designed to be used with the feeding of a feral hog
711 toxicant and did document problems with some feeders not being
712 “bear proof.” Additionally, they used their camera survey to
713 document other non-target animals accessing and consuming feed
714 that was intended only for feral hog consumption.
715
716 Actions of the Task Force, 1 February 2018 through 31 January
717 2019
718 • Worked closely with LDWF and LDAF personnel to bring
719 recommendations in 2018 Annual Report to fruition.
720 • Voiced support for any mechanism that would legally remove
721 feral hogs from the landscape.
722 • Worked with LDWF Legal Division to craft wording on
723 modifications to Feral Hog Trapping Regulations (LAC 76:V.130)
724 making it an LDWF violation to transport live feral hogs without
725 proof of registration as an authorized transporter by LDAF;
23726 received favorable vote from LWF Commission and became law on 20
727 May 2018 (Appendix I.).
728 • Reviewed a request from the WLF Commission to investigate
729 whether limiting land owner liability for the purposes of
730 allowing feral hog hunting was an avenue for this Task Force to
731 pursue. It was researched and determined an existing law,
732 Limitation of Liability of Land Owners, provided sufficient
733 coverage to land owners, but did not prevent landowner(s) from
734 being sued.
735 • Provided support to Rep. Kirk Talbot’s HB 226 that
736 prohibits transportation of live feral swine without “proof of
737 registration as a feral swine authorized transporter with the
738 Louisiana Board of Animal Health within the Department of
739 Agriculture and Forestry.” Bill was signed by the Governor on 30
740 May 2018 as Act No. 681 (Appendix II.); became state law on 1
741 August 2018.
742 • Provided input on the design and content of the LDWF web
743 page on feral hogs.
744 • Received public comment on multiple issues; the two most
745 received were the request for more hog hunting opportunities on
746 WMAs and the opposition to legalizing the warfarin-based
747 toxicant, Kaput®.
748 • Elected a Chair (Tolson) and Vice-Chair (Blanchard) for
749 2019
750
751 TOLSON continued with reading the Recommendations
752
753 Recommendation 1: Expand the opportunities for the take of
754 feral hogs on Wildlife Management Areas
755 Members of the FHMATF recommend that LDWF expand the number of
756 days that hunters can harvest feral hogs on state WMAs by
757 allowing still hunting (without dogs) year round. While LDWF
758 personnel have done an admirable job of removing feral hogs with
759 their trapping efforts on WMAs in 2018, the number taken does
760 not even approach the 75% of the population that must be removed
761 to maintain a static population.
762 Comments voiced by the hunting public are that WMAs are serving
763 as a sanctuary for feral hogs those months of the year when no
764 hunting is allowed.
765
766 Recommendation 2: Identify and support scientific research
767 pertaining to feral hog control
768 The FHMATF previously voted unanimously to support
769 investigations pertaining to biological control agents for
770 control of feral hogs. Additionally, the FHMATF feels that there
771 are research needs regarding the negative impact that feral hogs
772 have (both directly and indirectly) on native wildlife species
24773 and ecosystems in Louisiana. Of particular interest is the
774 impact that feral hog presence has on the Louisiana Black Bear.
775 What cost is our Black Bear population having to pay when feral
776 hogs are present on a shared landscape? Are food and space
777 competition, possible disease transmission, and habitat
778 disturbance by feral hogs negatively impacting Black Bears? Does
779 the presence of feral hogs reduce the population growth rate
780 (female survival, reproductive output, litter survival) of Black
781 Bears? Is there a risk of disease transmission from feral hogs
782 to Black Bears?
783 What effect(s) does the presence of feral hogs have on other
784 wildlife species native to Louisiana such as deer and turkeys?
785 These are just a few of the questions that have been asked by
786 the Task Force, but there are no published answers to the
787 questions.
788
789 Recommendation 3: Support the establishment of an independent
790 body/committee to test feeders intended for delivery of a hog
791 toxicant and certify them as “bear proof”
792 The FHMATF recommends LDWF and LDAF administrators issue letters
793 urging the Wildlife Management Institute to fund an independent
794 committee that will test feeders whose proposed use is for the
795 delivery of a feral hog toxicant. Only feeders that are
796 certified as “bear proof” should be allowed on the Louisiana
797 landscape. Efforts should be coordinated with the Wild Hog
798 Working Group of the Southeast Association of Fish and Wildlife
799 Agencies (SEAFWA). LDWF, LDAF, and the Legislature should commit
800 to providing support to the organization of the committee.
801
802
803 Recommendation 4: Cooperative endeavors be formed between
804 agencies working in Louisiana to remove feral hogs from the
805 landscape
806 As agencies of the state of Louisiana, LDWF and LDAF are
807 strongly recommended to form cooperative endeavors with other
808 agencies (state, federal and private) to facilitate feral hog
809 eradication efforts. Opportunities include, but are not limited
810 to, the multiple trap loan programs in place that could be
811 supported. The recently passed federal Farm Bill provides an
812 opportunity to work cooperatively with federal agencies. It
813 appropriates $75 million over five years specifically for feral
814 hog control efforts – half to the U.S. Department of
815 Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service/Wildlife
816 Services (USDA APHIS/WS) and half to the Natural Resources
817 Conservation Service (NRCS). The timing may be right to support
818 USDA acquiring a helicopter specifically for aerial gunning in
25819 Louisiana. All agencies should expend efforts to bring this to
820 fruition.
821
822
823 TOLSON called for any corrections/additions/edits
824
825 VANDERSTEEN Is the need for a helicopter worth noting?
826
827 TOLSON We previously discussed
828
829 VANDERSTEEN A helicopter is a wish – Purchase or rent one?
830
831 AUDIENCE MEMBER (unidentified) How much would a helicopter be
832 used in Louisiana?
833
834 DWIGHT LEBLANC We borrow from Texas and Tennessee – If we bought
835 one and it was dedicated for our use in Louisiana, it would be
836 exclusive to Louisiana
837 It would be used mostly in marshy areas. More cost effective to
838 fly, shoot and come back. We shoot Red River, Sabine,
839 Natchitoches, Pass-a-Loutre, Delta Big Branch, Bayou Savage,
840 Morehouse – We had good shoots last year
841
842 TOLSON Justification – we support USDA helicopter
843
844 AUDIENCE MEMBER (Name unknown/ partially inaudible) I am with
845 Southern Helicopters and we mostly are used for prescribed
846 burnings. We would like to get involved in all current services
847 that use helicopters to eradicate hogs. Right now we work with
848 private hunters locating the hogs from air but not shooting from
849 the air at that time. We use airboats with shooters in the
850 airboats. We took 44 hogs in a couple of hours one-day south of
851 Chalmette. I didn’t have a shooter in the helicopter with me at
852 the time.
853 (Inaudible statement) - Nuisance animal but issue with
854 restrictions eliminating; can be secured through a state
855 contractor with USDA
856
857 CAVALIER Is this in the Hopedale area?
858
859 AUDIENCE MEMBER Violet, LA
860
861 LACOUR There is a mechanism that you can actually shoot from
862 your helicopters
863
864 AUDIENCE MEMBER At the time, it wasn’t permissible - this
865 was 2013-2014
26866 LACOUR There is a process now where you can shoot - You have
867 to have proof of insurance and show your aviation credentials
868 The shooters have to go through a training program – it’s all
869 safety mechanisms put in place to get everyone safe
870
871 AUDIENCE MEMBER (inaudible)
872
873 LACOUR I would like to speak with you after and get your
874 information before you leave
875
876 VANDERSTEEN This brings up a good point –private services placed
877 on the website so someone looking for these services can find
878 them.
879
880 TOLSON I think Melissa has this already listed on the website
881 – Nuisance Control Operators page – I’ve looked at this
882 information on the website before.
883
884 LACOUR We can put that information on our Feral Hog web page
885 The NCO’s are listed on the website by species; we can link
886 these two together.
887
888 AUDIENCE MEMBER (inaudible)
889
890 HAROLD JOSEPH I receive calls from land owners that find my
891 name and number on your website
892
893 AUDIENCE MEMBER Is there any push for easier restrictions on
894 shooting and eradicating on the WMA’s? Can you do a Special
895 Permit and perform a background check or something? (inaudible)
896
897 TOLSON I understand this is your first meeting but just to be
898 clear, we are not a regulating body – We only provide
899 recommendations. We have made recommendations in the past to
900 LDWF to allow more hunting and increasing opportunities to take
901 more feral hogs. We are still recommending that they increase
902 opportunities to take feral hogs.
903
904 AUDIENCE MEMBER (inaudible)
905
906 AUDIENCE MEMBER I don’t have the regulations in front of me
907 right now, but I am curious to know - Is night vision allowed?
908
909 LACOUR On private lands, yes. You can use night vision and
910 suppressors without any permit from the last night of February
911 to the last night of August. And you simply just call the
912 Sheriff’s Office and Wildlife and Fisheries. There is currently
27913 a permit that you can get to take hogs at night for the
914 remainder of the year which is during hunting season. In our
915 Notice of Intent that went through the Wildlife and Fisheries
916 Commission just the other day – they proposed the removal of
917 that permit so that you can shoot them year round at night
918 without permit as long as you notify the WLF and local Sheriff
919 with land owner permission.
920
921 AUDIENCE MEMBER (inaudible)
922
923 LACOUR You can call within 24 hours of the hunt. You can even
924 call the Operation Game Thief line 24 hours a day
925
926 AUDIENCE MEMBER (inaudible)
927
928 LACOUR They log it – it’s just simply making a phone call and
929 giving the property information of where you are hunting
930
931 AUDIENCE MEMBER (inaudible)
932
933 LACOUR That is correct; Once again, the provision for year
934 round hunting without permit is in the Notice of Intent process
935 so it’s not a Rule yet. It will go through the process and take
936 public comments and then if the Commission decides they will
937 pass it as is.
938
939 AUDIENCE MEMBER (inaudible)
940
941 TOLSON Any other recommendations or discussion of?
942
943 VANDERSTEEN We haven’t discussed this very much – in light of –
944 we are eradication, shooting and leaving, shooting… with the
945 need for food and the need for beneficial uses, is there
946 something that we can do to recommend to look more intently at
947 how we can develop some beneficial uses of the carcasses of the
948 dead animals – either for food consumption or something else?
949
950 AUDIENCE MEMBER (inaudible) Alabama / fur-bearer category
951
952 LACOUR In looking at one of our organizations that accepts
953 donated meat, they came to LDWF and said – we will accept feral
954 hog meat with your blessing. We do the disease study on feral
955 hogs. Domestic pork now is raised in confinement; all diseases
956 of pigs have been pretty much eradicated in those enclosures.
957 These hogs still live wild on the landscape. We know they have
958 lots of disease and is highly communicable to people. So we as
959 a state agency cannot recommend the consumption of this meat or
28960 donating it to people that may be exposed to disease
961 unknowingly. If it goes through an Inspection process where
962 that meat is looked at, that at least you have some sort of
963 checks & balances then you know it was handled right because if
964 it goes to public sale it has to walk into the slaughter house
965 where it is euthanized, processed and inspected. If somebody
966 goes out and shoots 10 hogs in an airboat at 6:00am in the
967 morning and drives around on that airboat until 3:00pm in the
968 afternoon in the sun – and then skins it and wants to sale it;
969 there is absolutely no regulation on that and we can’t have
970 people getting sick. That’s the reason it’s done as it is right
971 now in the state. That being said, if people want to take it
972 upon themselves to take this meat from people, clean it and take
973 the liability associated with it – that’s fine. We did have a
974 Chef here that had a grand idea and that was actually taking
975 these carcasses, cooking them down in huge commercial cookers
976 and making pre-cooked stews etc., that had been brought up to
977 temperature enough to kill those bacteria and organisms which is
978 165 degrees Fahrenheit. That would be better but that takes a
979 lot of money and man power to do that. So far, I haven’t seen
980 any benevolent factors come through that donated a bunch of
981 money for that. If cooked properly and handled properly, then
982 yes it’s a good, cheap protein source.
983
984 SANDERS How does Texas processors deal with the disease
985 problem?
986
987 LACOUR Most of theirs from what I understand with the
988 exception of sausage makers – most of theirs goes to Europe
989 where its apparently acceptable. They are inspected when they
990 walk through. They do a visual inspection so the animal has to
991 be ambulatory and has to walk in. It can’t have any internal
992 organ problems; but they don’t test for Brucellosis and other
993 diseases. It’s a loop hole there. Domestic pigs aren’t tested
994 either but once again with confinement rearing now it’s not a
995 common problem.
996
997 SANDERS Have they encountered any problems with disease
998 transmission in Texas?
999
1000 LACOUR There’s actually a study USDA did in the past couple of
1001 years looking at disease in the animals and transmission to
1002 abattoir workers to slaughter house workers. It’s pretty
1003 staggering. In our testing, we run about 5 percent positive for
1004 Brucellosis in the state. Texas was similar yet – they were
1005 using a cattle test because there is no pig test available. When
1006 they went in and actually cultured the lymph nodes from those
291007 animals running the same percentage on blood, they had 13
1008 percent of them they cultured positive out of the lymph nodes.
1009 We are probably about the same. If you deal with 100 pigs, 13
1010 have Brucellosis which is a bad disease for humans to get.
1011 Proper handling, proper cooking etc., will kill it and make it
1012 safe to eat.
1013
1014 AUDIENCE MEMBER (inaudible)
1015
1016 LACOUR Yes, if you look at the CDC reports, they do a weekly
1017 morbidity and mortality report - just about every week there’s a
1018 Brucellosis positive finding somewhere in the country –
1019 generally higher in states that have feral hogs.
1020
1021 DWIGHT LEBLANC (partially inaudible) In the late 70’s
1022 mortality from Trichina in undercooked Boudin.
1023
1024 VANDERSTEEN I’m not sure how to address the recommendation
1025 other than to say that we should always be looking for
1026 opportunities to capture this resource in a beneficial positive
1027 light.
1028
1029 AUDIENCE MEMBER (inaudible)
1030
1031 TOLSON The laws are there to prevent
1032
1033 SANDERS If Texas people have been able to and can do it and
1034 have done so for years now – and it does take some animals off
1035 the landscape then I am in support to put it in a recommendation
1036 that if possible
1037
1038 LACOUR Texas is slaughter house. They walk in – we are
1039 talking about hunted and killed animals which come in dead.
1040
1041 SANDERS But I’m talking about live animals that would be
1042 coming from one of these holding pens to a slaughter house just
1043 like they do in Texas. We’ve got Louisiana hogs going to Texas
1044 now – we have for 10 years now.
1045
1046 LACOUR That’s perfectly legal if somebody wants to get into
1047 that business. I think we are talking apples and oranges.
1048
1049 SANDERS Right now we have no slaughter houses doing business
1050 in the state with this. I would recommend that if possible that
1051 if there is an economic and scientifically safe way to do this
1052 that we would encourage it to be done.
1053
301054 VANDERSTEEN For both live or dead. The beneficial use
1055
1056 SANDERS Right now, the most you could do would be live – I
1057 still think it’s an opportunity.
1058
1059 CAVALIER From our standpoint funding is the limiting resource –
1060 Just having money available to be able to bring Inspectors or
1061 different slaughter facilities is just the idea that everybody
1062 has spoken up to this point; funding is always an issue.
1063
1064 VANDERSTEEN Which is why I brought up earlier that the Louisiana
1065 Agricultural Finance Authority is directed at agricultural
1066 natural resource enterprises – if we’re at least looking and
1067 getting ideas from people on how to beneficially use the carcass
1068 or the live animal – and taking care of all the inherent
1069 problems, I think that’s just a responsible beneficial use of
1070 the natural resources in the state
1071
1072 LACOUR A logical marriage of the two would be a place where
1073 you could bring live hogs where they would actually leave fully
1074 cooked and be distributed to the food banks or needy and the
1075 only thing lacking is money. If your organization has money for
1076 it then that would be great. That would be a win win in that
1077 case.
1078
1079 AUDIENCE MEMBER (inaudible)
1080
1081 TOLSON I will craft something up and email everyone to agree
1082 upon. I’ve been writing bullet points
1083
1084 AUDIENCE MEMBER (inaudible)
1085
1086 NEW BUSINESS Meeting dates for 2019 proposed: 11 April, 11
1087 July, 10 October
1088
1089 TOLSON Our By-Laws state we will meet quarterly on the second
1090 Thursday of the month and for the remainder of this year that is
1091 11 April, 11 July and 10 October – Task Force Member Dr. Collier
1092 is in class on Thursday’s and has requested that we consider
1093 moving our April meeting to Wednesday April 10th
1094 A MOTION was made by Member Sanders and seconded by Member
1095 Blanchard; Madame Chairman Tolson called for a vote; Motion
1096 passed unanimously
1097
1098
1099
311100 NEW BUSINESS Other
1101
1102 VANDERSTEEN Clarification - When is our Sunset for the Task
1103 Force?
1104
1105 TOLSON January 1, 2020 at sundown
1106
1107 PUBLIC COMMENTS
1108
1109 DARRELL BARKER, Deadset Hunting and Trapping - Excited about
1110 removing the night time hunting permit. Texas A&M research –
1111 Who do the hogs belong to? They are feral livestock. Through
1112 research, Texas A&M decided that if they are on your land then
1113 they are your hogs. They are not the states, they are yours.
1114 With that being said, the states of Florida, Oklahoma, Arkansas,
1115 Texas and Georgia do not require a hunting permit/license to
1116 shoot on one’s own land or on private land. The reason is, they
1117 are not a game species. If they are on your land, they are your
1118 hogs. Maybe this something we can implement to get more people
1119 out there shooting. This increases hunter opportunity.
1120 LACOUR So if I hit one with my car and it’s your animal, are
1121 you now liable?
1122
1123 BARKER If you’re on my land
1124
1125 LACOUR If I’m on the highway at your property and it comes off
1126 your property – Let me play devil’s advocate
1127
1128 VANDERSTEEN You are saying you need a hunting license to
1129 shoot a nuisance animal?
1130
1131 BARKER Yes, in the state of Louisiana. The states that I
1132 named off
1133
1134 VANDERSTEEN So that armadillo I’m shooting at night – I’m
1135 illegal because I don’t have a night time license? Holy Moly
321136 SANDERS This is an interesting legal point – you do not need a
1137 hunting license to shoot chickens
1138 AUDIENCE MEMBER (inaudible)
1139 CAVALIER You are talking about private property only
1140 BARKER Yes, just private not public. This is what they do
1141 LACOUR This creates a giant Enforcement loop hole – if you
1142 are deer hunting out there and you don’t have your license – you
1143 just say oh, I’m hog hunting.
1144 BARKER The elimination of the nighttime hunting permit – I
1145 noticed one thing on the proposal – it said from September to
1146 January. I don’t know if that was a misprint or intentional but
1147 right now it’s in place from September to February.
1148 LACOUR It’s supposed to be the end of January
1149 BARKER Right now it’s the end of February
1150 LACOUR I think the verbiage was to make it year round so it
1151 would eliminate any specific date
1152 BARKER I also mentioned what Alabama did – they put them
1153 under a fur bearer’s category. In Louisiana it’s kind of shady
1154 but I think you can’t sell any pelted hides or anything like
1155 that outside of trapping season on fur bearer’s – but during
1156 trapping season, you can sell it. That’s one way Alabama
1157 encourages people to shoot some more and generate an income –
1158 they put them under the fur bearer category also. Those numbers
1159 you can up with earlier Mr. Jim on the WMA’s – From January to
1160 July trapping on WMA’s –
1161 LACOUR Actually, we had both – we had January to June 30 and
1162 July 1 to December 31. The whole year we did 2138.
1163 BARKER From January to July there was 960
1164 LACOUR Correct
1165 BARKER And that’s on 19 WMA’s?
1166 LACOUR Correct
1167 BARKER I think it’s 5 WMA’s we can run dogs on – just during
1168 February. Last February there was over 700 caught, just with
1169 dogs. Toss those numbers around. That’s on 5 Management Areas
1170 versus 19 with traps. Although I would like to see a trapping
1171 season of feral hogs during the off season. They’re not going
331172 to let us on Management Areas during the off season. We know
1173 this. They say it’s a resting place that the deer need – a
1174 place to settle down during the off season. You got Turkey
1175 season and stuff.
1176 LACOUR We’ve had an experimental trapping season on WMA’s and
1177 on Federal properties and both failed miserably.
1178 BARKER If there would have been more restrictions on who go
1179 those permits to be able to trap on WMA’s I think it would have
1180 worked way better. Trapping during the off season on public land
1181 – I would like to see that go into effect. I trap during the
1182 day at Sherburne and shoot at night in the farmer’s field. Yall
1183 know where I stand on poison. I’m not going to touch on that
1184 again. I like the way you think. If there’s any kind of
1185 positive outcome as far as poison, we need to go that route.
1186 Mr. Jim, I looked into the slaughter houses. It does cost a
1187 lot. I’ve gotten the lay out on how to build a slaughter house
1188 from the USDA department. I’ve taken steps forward to do what I
1189 can do to make it happen. I’ve done my homework to make this
1190 happen. I found out there is a way that a feral hog can be
1191 returned back to domestic status. After 3 test, 90 days apart
1192 or something like that – and 150 days in captivity, that hog is
1193 no longer feral. He is now domestic so I can sell him to you
1194 all day long without testing him for disease. There are all
1195 kinds of ways around what’s in place.
1196 LACOUR The testing is for disease; he has to be tested for
1197 disease. The blood test - Brucellosis and Pseudo rabies
1198
1199 BARKER If I was to open a slaughter house and they came in
1200 there live – they have to walk in, go through inspections –
1201 there’s no different inspections for feral hogs as there is for
1202 domestic. They can all just come on through, slaughter them and
1203 move on. Operated under a quarantine feed lot, you can mix
1204 them. They just can’t leave unless they go straight to the
1205 slaughter.
1206 LACOUR Correct
1207 BARKER Otherwise, you have to keep them separate. If yall
1208 fund it, I’ll build it.
1209 SANDERS You have to test them 3 separate times?
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