Warfarin remember that name, it is a blood thinner used in treatment, many are familiar with. Also remember the Louisiana Black Bear just came off the threatened list and we are hoping to have a season on them one of these days, not to mention they are the biologist scared cow.
Texas has a Feral Hog Problem, a big one almost 3 million critters. They brought it on themselves by charging people to shoot them and ran out of paying clients, but not out of pigs. They make 3 litters a year with a high survival rate.
Due to the high population Texas has become one big sounder of hogs. They are destructive to the tenth power digging up everything in their path, polluting water and destroying wildlife. Strange as it may seem sharpshooting Texas Cowboys cant seem to keep them under control.
So low and behold a hero egghead arises with a plan. Some what short of a B-52 Strike with Napalm but subtly just as destructive is weaponized Warfarin used as a pesticide. Simple, if it will kill a hog it will kill a bear and we want the bears at least the state of Louisiana does.
I hunt the WMAs of Louisiana seeing Hog sign everywhere but I only kill about one a year. They are smart and elusive for the still hunter. But under Texas conditions the gloves of fair chase come off to the point of traps, dogs, night scopes, helicopters and machine guns. That works fine but land owners in many cases want you to pay for the privilege of killing nuisance hogs on their land. If it is a free hunt the catch 22 is if you want the hog processed you pay for that which is as expensive as a hunt and you cant do it yourself.
So Texas in their infinite wisdom has decided to poison the pigs. I guess they ran out of ammo or they ran out of Cowboys. Now if they conducted round ups in remote areas and shot them like they do in Europe they could control the hogs like they do in Germany. Its all on the internet for anyone to figure out. Horses, Dogs and drivers work.
In Texas they have a firestorm with different organizations, as one wants a business, another wants to make a sport out of it, while another wants the hogs eradicated. They are out of control but we have an edible commodity that is in excess but somehow we cant shoot enough because of drawbacks mentioned.
But to what end, if we use poison? Along the Sabine River there are Boars, Bears, Mountain Lions, Bobcats, Coyotes and Bald Eagles. They said in 1976 the Red Wolf no longer exist because the egg heads said so, those of us that really go to the field know better.
Bait stations will be put out and it takes a license to use it. I wonder who will take the responsibility if and when something goes wrong. I
worry about the Louisiana Black Bear, but what about the scared Buzzard of California introduced into the Grand Canyon, what if they take a short flight into Texas and hit a bait station.
What if a hunter takes one and gets poisoned, they say this wont happen but do you trust this because they say so? With all the money about to be spent perhaps a bounty should be paid for each hog eradicated by a hunter as this practice actually eradicated other more desirable species years in the past such as wolves and grizzlies.
I would not be hesitant in bringing in National Guard on the weekends for a little adventure training and target practice. They certainly fire enough rounds in training why not at the damn pigs.
I don’t think you will see Warfarin used in Louisiana anytime soon or ever in fact, as the Black Bear propagators will not allow it. As far as Texas we will see, but if something goes bad/wrong as I suspect, egg heads will roll…Pass it on.