Operation: HOG BUSTERS! Formative Meeting 06Jul19, 09:00 Oakridge - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Catch Me If You Can, Douglas! Operation: HOG BUSTERS! Formative Meeting 06Jul19, 09:00 Oakridge Ranch Community Center Oakridge VFD Station 10 6-Jul-19

2 Updates needed 2 1 2 0 6 2 3 1 9 1 13 12 1 7 6 14 1 11 8 2 2 1 5 9 1 2 5 8 4 2 0 7 4 3 When the Hogs Eat you up, Who you ‘ gonna ’ call? X Location of ORWMA Traps Hog Busters! X Location of Other Known Traps 6-Jul-19

Trap Sites by Landowners 1. Douglas/Ann Mason 14. Sam/Lisa Kelly 2. Matt Harvie 15. Community Center 3. Carolyn Brecheen 16. Jack/Carrie Jetton 4. John/Cathy Cameron 17. Phil/JoAnn Baer 5. Doug/Deanna Jeske 18. Steve/Kathleen Jaap 6. Mark/Terri Prasatik 19. R.C./Ruth Lumpkin 7. J.D./Diane Ray 20. Jon/Gayle Welborn 8. J.D./Diane Ray 21. Kerry/Marilyn Rutledge 9. Vernon/Vicki Wallace 22. Will/Tania Yates 10. Lee/LouAnn Holman 23. Bill Okerlund 11. Cecil/Donna Stevenson 24. Bill Okerlund 12. Cecil/Donna Stevenson 25. Earl Fly 13. Cecil/Donna Stevenson Traps checked/baited/reset daily by Douglas & Jd 6-Jul-19

So, What’s New? • Feral hog population growing, damage to property increasing. • Time and effort requirement to check, bait, maintain traps and retrieve hogs is increasing. More hogs = more traps. More traps = more time and effort. • Resources required to retrieve trapped hogs – it’s no longer a one-man job. To run ORR traps (including reset/rebait/retrieve) often requires ½ day, or more. More time is spent maintaining traps and personal equipment. • New law: Governor Abbott just signed into law legislation that eliminates the requirement to possess a hunting license to hunt hogs. 6-Jul-19

Texas as A&M Agri riLif ife Ext Exten ensio ion • Of the 4 to 5 million feral hogs in the United States, an estimated 2.6 million call Texas home. Feral hogs can be found in 99% of Texas counties and cause an estimated $52 million in damages to Texas agricultural enterprises each year. Additionally, feral hogs are causing an increasing amount of damage to landscapes in suburban/urban areas across the state. 6-Jul-19

The “GETTER” 6-Jul-19

Basic Hog Trap $384.99 at Tractor Supply Company June 2019 6-Jul-19

Basic Hog Trap (Desired on ORR full of Hogs) 6-Jul-19

Trap Management, Tips & Tricks: 01 • Fresh corn (deer corn) = cheapest and best. • Commercial liquid hog lures = they work, but does add expense. • Food scraps = free. Hogs are omnivorous, especially when preferential food sources dry up. • Fresh bait every day or so is key, and a must if you want to trap hogs. • Check the trap every day, especially in this heat. • Patience, Grasshopper… if you build it, they will come. 6-Jul-19

Trap Management, Tip ips & Tri ricks: : 02 • Hogs are attracted to strong sweet odors such as molasses, syrup, jelly/jam, KoolAid, and commercial liquid attractants. • Situate a game camera around activity area to determine the time of invasion. • Green lights for hunting are popular and prices are dropping. • Night hunting is FUN! Get a green light, bait an area of invasion, and harvest the crop. Then fire up the smoker, grill, slow cooker, Instant-Pot, or whatever you have. Mighty good, gluten-free, natural-fed pork! 6-Jul-19

Wha hat Is Is Nee eeded? • SCOUTS: 1. Check traps on a daily basis for hogs, corn, trap damage. Report to Douglas Mason or Jd Ray. 2. Report other hog activity sightings. • TRAPPERS: 1. Learn to use the Getter, how to retrieve hogs, how/where to dispatch them. Assist Douglas and Jd. 2. Learn to reset/rebait traps. Several different types of traps on the Ranch. Only Douglas knows all the secrets. 3. Assist with moving traps (using Jd’s trailer for box traps, a 4-wheeler can used). • MAINTENANCE: 1. Several Getter upgrades needed (winch wiring/plugs) 2. Repairs always needed to Getter and traps 3. Need new starboard tire (ORWMA pay?) 4. Full service on Kubota (ORWMA pay for materials?) 6-Jul-19

What Can I Do To Help? - SCOUTS - • Run your sector every day (or as needed) via truck, side-by-side, 4-wheeler. Make it fun! • Cell phone texts as basic communication, with pictures when possible. • Report number of hogs, trap damage, whether corn/bait is needed or not. Call for help if deer are stuck in a trap. • Report accessibility of trap location (muddy, etc.). • Report other hog activity sightings. 6-Jul-19

Q&A: What Can I Do To Help? - TR TRAPPERS - • Q: Where is the Getter kept? • A: Douglas Mason’s, back at the hog pen. • Q: What do I need to pull it? • A: Hitch with 1 7/8” ball. • Q: How do I back up to a trap and use the side boards? How do I use the winch? • A: You will be field-trained. • Q: Where do I put the hogs? • A: Either the hog pen or the training pasture. • Q: Positioning Getter to traps. • A: You will be field-trained. • Q: Using side boards for containment and protection. • A: You will be field-trained. 6-Jul-19

What Can I Do To Help? - MAIN INTENANCE - • Getter wheel bearings – install Bearing Buddies • Winch cables and pulleys • Winch – upgrade with power plug for trucks, side-by- sides, 4-wheelers • Slide gates – clean, and improve design with top- hanging rollers • Getter tires – one needed now • Kubota • Engine oil & filter changes • Fuel filter change • Shift cable adjustments • CV joint lubrication 6-Jul-19

What Can I Do To Help? - MAIN INTENANCE (c (cont. t.) - • Weld repairs to traps in the field (requires portable generator and welder). This would really help a great deal, cut down on lost hogs, save time. • Weld repairs to traps and Getter in a shop (requires trailer/truck to haul to location for weld repair). • Getter wheel bearings: grease – replace when necessary. Install Bearing Buddies, to extend life of wheel bearings subject to heat, weight, water, mud. • Power-wash slide gate channels as needed. 6-Jul-19

What Can I Do To Help? - OTH THER - • Go to town for corn (Colorado Feed). • Assist with relocating ORWMA traps when needed. • Record-keeping for ORWMA and TPWD biologist, along with images. • Images of our Predator Control efforts that may lead to grant funding. Just a thought. • Research for assistance grants (USDA has them, just not designated for Colorado County; recommend we lobby AG Commissioner Sid Miller to campaign on our behalf). 6-Jul-19

Questions? Comments? Action! • Sign up: • Hog disposal: • Douglas Mason’s pen • Food processors • Food pantries • Sales • Personal processing • Vernon Wallace • Jerry Rogers 6-Jul-19

Gee Whiz Stuff… 6-Jul-19

It's A Texan Thing Here are some little known, very interesting facts about Texas: 1. Port Arthur to El Paso : 889 miles. Port Arthur to Chicago: 770 miles 2. Brownsville to Texline (north of Amarillo): 956 miles. Texline to Canada: 960 miles 3. El Paso is closer to California than to Dallas 4. World's first rodeo was in Pecos, Tx July 4, 1883. 5. The Flagship Hotel in Galveston is the only hotel in North America built over water. Destroyed by Hurricane Ike - 2008! 6. The Heisman Trophy was named after John William Heisman who was the first full-time coach at Rice University in Houston, Texas 7. Brazoria County has more species of birds than any other area in North America. 8. Aransas Wildlife Refuge is the winter home of North America 's only remaining flock of whooping cranes. 9. Jalapeno jelly originated in Lake Jackson in 1978. 10. The worst natural disaster in US history was in 1900, caused by a hurricane in which over 8,000 lives were lost on Galveston Island. 11. The first word spoken from the moon, July 20, 1969, was " Houston ," but the Space Center was actually in Clear Lake City at the time. 12. The King Ranch in South Texas is larger than Rhode Island. 13. Tropical Storm Claudette brought a US rainfall record of 43" in 24 hours in and around Alvin in July of 1979. 14. Texas is the only state to enter the US by TREATY, (known as the Constitution of 1845 by the Republic of Texas to enter the Union ) instead of by annexation. This allows the Texas Flag to fly at the same height as the US Flag, and Texas may choose to divide into 5 states. 15. A Live Oak tree near Fulton is estimated to be 1500 years old. 16. Caddo Lake is the only natural lake in the state. 17. Dr Pepper was invented in Waco in 1885. There is no period in Dr Pepper. 18. Texas has had six capital cities: Washington-on-the Brazos, Harrisburg , Galveston , Velasco, West Columbia and Austin . 19. The Capitol Dome in Austin is the only dome in the US which is taller than the Capitol Building in Washington , DC (by 7 feet). 20. The San Jacinto Monument is the tallest free standing monument in the world and it is taller than the Washington Monument . 21. The name ' Texas ' comes from the Hasini Indian word 'tejas' meaning "friends". Tejas is NOT Spanish for Texas . 22. The State Mascot is the Armadillo. An interesting bit of trivia about the armadillo is they always have four babies. They have one egg, which splits into four, and they either have four males or four females. 23. The first domed stadium in the US was the Astrodome in Houston. 24. The Beck family ranch land grant is one days ride by horse (25 miles) in each direction from the headquarters. 25. The name of the XIT ranch in Dalhart Texas stands for “Ten in Texas". That means 10 counties in Texas! 6-Jul-19