Agriculture officials in Mississippi will soon accept a new wave of applications for the wild hog control program.
From Nov. 1-15, landowners and managers in all of the state’s 82 counties are eligible to request “smart” traps for the control of wild hogs on private agricultural and forestry properties.
The Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce will provide the training necessary to use the traps and technical guidance regarding the most effective methods to trap and control wild hogs on private lands.
According to Mississippi Ag Commissioner Andy Gipson, wild hogs are a non-native, nuisance animal that cause an estimated $60 million in damage to local agricultural lands each year. With that in mind, he encourages landowners to take advantage of the control program
“I encourage landowners and managers impacted by wild hogs to apply for participation in the Wild Hog Control Program,” Gipson said. “This trapping program continues to deliver positive results in the fight against these destructive nuisance animals, which cause significant damage to farmland and forestlands across Mississippi.”
Applications must be completed and submitted online. Officials said submitted applications will be evaluated based on the number of acres available for trapping, historical agricultural losses caused by wild hogs on the property, and current trapping efforts on the property.