regions of Oklahoma and Texas, feral hogs persist as a significant nuisance, wreaking havoc on crops and posing a threat to livestock health. Conventional removal techniques like traps and hunting have proven insufficient against the rapidly proliferating hog populations. However, a breakthrough in feral hog management has emerged with the recent approval of a novel eradication method in two Southern Plains states.
Texas paved the way by endorsing the use of Kaput Feral Hog Bait in February, now accessible to licensed pesticide applicators for feral hog control. Given Texas’s substantial feral hog population, which has infested nearly every county, the approval comes as a crucial step. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates annual damages exceeding $200 million to crop and livestock production in Texas due to feral pig activities.
Following suit, Oklahoma authorized the use of the toxicant in April. The Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association formally petitioned the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry to adopt the toxicant for feral hog management.
“Feral swine cause millions of dollars of damage to Oklahoma property through their destructive behaviors destroying range, pasture and hay lands,” the association’s request emphasized. “OCA members share experiences of overnight loss of entire hay fields due the rooting behaviors of feral swine. Additionally, improved crops that could be used directly or harvested for forage are destroyed by feral swine.”
Kaput, based on Warfarin, acts as an anticoagulant, disrupting blood clotting and inducing fatality. Distinguishing itself from other toxicants, Kaput offers an antidote—Vitamin K1—for accidental poisoning of pets or wildlife. Designed to target a range of pests including rats, mice, voles, moles, and feral hogs, its introduction is poised to make a more substantial impact on feral hog populations compared to prior removal methods.
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