HB 3451

Victory! As most of you are well aware I along with my friends at the Texas Hog Hunters Association have been working hard to protect our natural resources here in Texas from the ill thought out attempt at using Warfarin based hog poison without any viable data on its affects other than from the manufacturer itself.

A huge blow has been struck to protect the wildlife in Texas as HB3451 has been passed by a huge 128 to 13 margin. House Bill 3451 states that before any lethal pesticide can be used on feral hogs in Texas it must first undergo extensive testing by state agencies and universities. This includes field trials and risks and dangers to nontarget wildlife must be proven or disproved.

What this means is that before any poison at all can be placed out for feral hog removal it must go through a rigorous testing procedure to insure the safety of other wildlife and that of the citizens of our state who could become sick from ingesting the tainted meat.

I can not see where anyone be it farmer, rancher or hunter would or could have any problem with making sure we are not pulling the trigger on a bullet aimed at our own heads. Testing will give true unbiased data to work with on whatever solution is deemed safest for everyone involved.

Poison is not something I or any decent person wants to have strewn about either in feeders or the bodies of dead animals before any real testing has been conducted and data gathered and analyzed by the proper individuals.

At the same time we must offer the farmer and rancher tools to ensure their lands and crops will not be devastated and destroyed. I don’t think any of us relish the idea of a land owner feeling helpless.

Story by Jeff Stewart