GALVESTON, Texas -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Galveston District, Addicks Field Office is launching a Feral Hog Management Program and is accepting annual feral hog applications from Sept. 15 thru Oct. 15, for the upcoming 2020-2021 hog trapping season.
“Over the past several years, feral hogs have become an ever-increasing problem around Addicks and Barker Reservoirs,” said David Mackintosh, Natural Resource Specialist with USACE Galveston District. “Feral hogs are a nuisance animal and are notorious for the amount of destruction that they can cause. They have created numerous problems out at Addicks and Barker Reservoirs to include habitat loss, property damage, loss of wildlife, and are a constant safety concern for the general public.”
Trapping under this permit will only consist of setting of traps, the use of dogs or any other method is strictly prohibited, explained Mackintosh.
Applicants must apply for the hog trapping permit using the Addicks and Barker Reservoir Recreation website to complete the 2020-2021 hog trapping application, located at https://www.swg.usace.army.mil/Missions/Dam-Safety-Program/Addicks-Barker-Recreation/. No other form of application (written cards, letters, etc.) will be accepted. The following information must be accurately entered in the application form: Full name as it appears on your driver’s license, mailing address, email, phone number (where you can be contacted during/after hog trapping season) and driver’s license number. All applicants must be at least 21 years old and only one application per household address will be accepted. Send the completed application to Wildlife.Addicks@usace.army.mil.
A random drawing will be held between the dates of October 16-23, 2020, to select 4 permit winners. The permit selectees will be notified in late-October by email containing additional instructions for obtaining their official hog trapping permit. A meeting will be held in November 2020 in order to issue the permits. All hog trapping selectees must attend this meeting to receive a USACE Hog Trapping permit. No make-up meetings or appointments will be offered for permit issuance.
“At USACE Galveston District, safety is our number one priority,” said Mackintosh. “We advise trappers to check with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department concerning state regulations, hunting seasons and bag limits and to contact the Addicks Field Office at (281) 752-2600 or view the USACE regulations on our recreation website.”
Addicks and Barker Reservoirs are located in southeast Texas in the San Jacinto River basin approximately 17 miles west of downtown Houston. Addicks and Barker Reservoirs make up the Buffalo Bayou and Tributaries Project, which is under the management of the Houston Project Office, with operations being conducted from the Addicks Field Office. The purpose of Addicks and Barker Reservoirs is to reduce flood damages to urban development in the downstream floodplain of Buffalo Bayou through the City of Houston. In addition to Flood Risk Management, the project is responsible for the management of natural and cultural resources.
For more news and information, visit www.swg.usace.army.mil. Find us on Facebook, www.facebook.com/GalvestonDistrict.