Feral hogs have arrived in our community. Town staff is formulating a plan with Urban Biologist Adam Henry a representative from the USDA-Texas Wildlife Service program to remove them from Westlake. Mr. Henry has been working in the Metro-plex to resolve human-wildlife conflict for the past 10 years.
We met with Adam on Tuesday, October 20th, to assess damage in the Park located in the Glenwyck Development and the Tella Bella development. He believes at this time there are 1-3 hogs that have caused the current damage in Westlake. He has recommended trapping the hogs and we are working with a resident to get permission to place a trap on their property. We are also looking at a location in the park as well. This trap is of fence panel construction and will be about 30ft in diameter. Bait locations will be set up on Friday, October 23, 2020, in the park and along the creek at Dove Rd. and Trace Bella, once hogs find and consume the bait a trap will be set up. These trap locations will be monitored by a remote camera, once all the hogs enter the trap it will be remotely activated to capture all the individuals. In the event hogs are not able to be trapped other methods may be deployed. At this time, we will notify Keller Police Department and residents.
Pesticide application for Grub control should be done twice a year, March/April and September/October. It is highly recommended to make sure this has been done and/or reapply if needed. There are several appropriate pesticides for treating grubs, Dylox is a common over the counter pesticide available on-line or at area retailers.
Yard watering needs to be reduced to no more than twice a week and not more than an inch of water per zone or section. If possible, watering should be done in the early hours so as to allow a full day of sunlight to dry the grass.
What can you do to help?
Send pictures or video of any damage or sighting of the hogs. This will help us with understanding where they are traveling.
Also, remove any food sources on your property that may include the following:
- Bird, squirrel, or pet food left out overnight
- Treat your yard for grub worms
Hogs are attracted to moist soils so if you have any areas that are over watered please reduce your irrigation zone times.
Here is some general information about feral hogs,
Trapping
As we mentioned earlier, pigs are smart — really, really smart. If you set a trap that only captures one or two animals at a time, odds are pretty good you won’t catch any other wild pigs that saw the earlier misfortune of their brethren. You need to have a trap large enough for the entire sounder, or group, or you’ll be looking for alternative means to capture the pigs from the sounder that got away.
With new advancements in trapping technology, this method has become a valuable tool in the arsenal. Electronic doors and triggers and wireless monitoring systems have given trappers the ability to adapt as pigs Identifying the signs of feral hog damage is relatively easy if you know what to look for. When a sounder (that's what you call a group of them) is in the area, there are not-so-subtle indicators caused 
directly by their behavior. Figuring out where these animals are is the first step to crafting a solution.
What do wild pigs eat?
Fortunately for them, and perhaps unfortunately for everything else, pigs are opportunistic omnivores. This is a fancy way of saying that they'll eat almost anything they can fit in their mouth. Normally they eat roots, tubers, grubs, and insects, but they can also vacuum up small animals and eggs.
How do you identify wild hog damage?
Wallowing - A "wallow" is a muddy area, usually near a creek or water source, that hogs dig up and then roll around in. This behavior is called "wallowing" and it helps them regulate their temperature during the warmer parts of the year. Despite the old adage, "sweating like a pig," pigs don't have sweat glands! The evidence left behind from a group of pigs wallowing is usually easy to spot. Look for hoofprints, churned or disturbed mud, and possibly hair along the banks of streams or ponds.