Corps shoots down park hog hunt
By LIZ AUSTIN PETERSON HOUSTON CHRONICLE
March 27, 2009, 7:35PM
Share Print Email Del.icio.usDiggTechnoratiYahoo! BuzzFacebookThe U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has torpedoed Commissioner Steve Radack’s proposal to let bowhunters shoot feral hogs in George Bush Park, saying the plan would have too little impact on the burgeoning population to outweigh the risks to the public.
Radack wanted to allow a few select hunters to target the animals that have wreaked havoc in the 7,800-acre west Harris County park for years and are now tearing up yards and flower beds in neighboring subdivisions. He had to seek the Corps’ permission because the park is part of the Barker Reservoir, which the federal government created in the 1940s to control flooding.
In a March 19 letter, Richard Long, the supervisory natural resource manager for the Corps’ Houston office, agreed that the park’s feral hog population is a major problem for the Corps, the county, park users and nearby homeowners. But he said a limited archery program probably is not the appropriate solution.
‘A detrimental impact’
For one thing, he said, a hog that is wounded but not killed could become a serious threat to the hunters, other park users or the people who live near the park. And allowing certain people to hunt would give the appearance of preferential treatment while potentially leading some people to mistakenly believe the entire park is open for public hunting.
“This would create a major enforcement problem for all agencies concerned as well as have a detrimental impact on the wildlife resources of the project,” Long wrote.
Long suggested expanding the trapping program Radack has been operating for more than a decade, which currently removes about 300 to 400 hogs every year.
Radack has estimated as many as 10,000 to 15,000 hogs live in the park, though Precinct 3 special activities coordinator Mike McMahan said it would be difficult to provide an accurate count.
Radack said he is amenable to the expanded trapping idea and still plans to donate the meat collected to charity.
“It’s so important that we start controlling these animals,” he said Friday, a day after he received Long’s letter. “I think, at the rate they’re reproducing, it poses a danger to the people who use that park. So, I’m going to continue to try to find a solution.”
liz.peterson@chron.com
