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County hears feral hog removal update: 578 removed last year, $132,000 reported damage
Summary
Texas Wildlife Services representative Jacob Hetzel told commissioners that Washington County crews or cooperators removed 578 feral hogs last year and documented about $132,000 in damage; so far this year roughly 420 hogs have been removed with about $42,500 in reported losses.
Jacob Hetzel of Texas Wildlife Services briefed the Washington County Commissioners Court on feral swine removal and damage estimates, saying control work in the county is ongoing and best conceived as damage management rather than eradication.
Hetzel said crews removed 578 feral swine in Washington County last calendar year and verified about $132,000 in reported damage across landscape, pasture, pond/dike infrastructure and cemeteries. “About $52,500 worth of landscape damage” and roughly $66,000 to pasture were among the reported categories he cited.
For the current year through the time of the briefing, Hetzel reported about 420 feral swine removed and approximately $42,500 in reported damage, with landscaping and pasture again the largest categories. He described the program’s measure of success as reductions in local damage after targeted removal rather than total eradication: when landowners stop reporting fresh damage following removals, the action is considered effective.
Commissioners asked whether removal trends were on pace with last year; Hetzel and the court noted seasonal and rainfall-driven variation can affect counts and damage. The court thanked Hetzel for continued cooperative work between local landowners, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and federal wildlife services.
