Field day for women helps landowners manage feral hogs

Fast facts

• Feral Hog Control Field Day for Women set for Oct. 15
• No cost to attend, but seating is limited
• Info or to register: 501-671-2329

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LITTLE ROCK –Crop destruction, pasture damage and wildlife losses are all part of the legacy being left by feral hogs in Arkansas and across the southeastern United States. It’s vital landowners know how to identify and trap feral hogs to reduce and eliminate property damage.

The Feral Hog Control Field Day for Women will help Arkansas women in agriculture learn just that. The workshop is from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Helen and Eddie Presley’s farm in Evansville, Arkansas, on Oct.15, and registration is free, but seating is limited. Register for seats online by Oct. 8 at uaex.uada.edu/feralhogs or call the University of Arkansas Forest Resources Office at 501-671-2329. Participants should wear long pants, closed-toe shoes and be prepared to walk outside. Bug repellant and sunscreen also is recommended.

The workshop, which is sponsored by the Cooperative Extension Service, Arkansas Women in Agriculture and Arkansas Forest Resources Center, will cover natural history, biology, laws and regulations of feral hogs as well as how to use trail cameras to locate them and how to trap them.

“Non-native feral hogs compete directly with native wildlife species for limited food supplies,” said Tamara Walkingstick, associate director of the Arkansas Forest Resources Center and associate professor of forest resources with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture “They disturb habitat, consume small mammals and reptiles, the young of larger mammals, such as fawns, and the eggs and young of ground-nesting birds like bobwhites and wild turkey. The damage they can do property can be significant so it is important for landowners to know how to identify them and control them. 

Although small herds of feral hogs have lived in Arkansas for generations, the feral hog population in the state has increased and expanded dramatically in recent years. The Feral Hog Control Field Day for Women can help participants get a better understanding and formulate a plan to control this nuisance.

For more information about forestry and wildlife management in Arkansas, visit the Cooperative Extension Service’s website, www.UAEX.edu, or contact your county extension agent.

The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. 

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Media Contact: Mary Hightower
Dir. of Communication Services
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501) 671-2126
mhightower@uada.edu

Related Links

• Arkansas Farm and Ranch
• Arkansas Crops