- Trapping: Texas A&M has done extensive research into the use of traps and why the ones in current use are ineffective. We have used this information, along with recommendations from A&M wildlife biologists, and have developed traps that outperform those in current use. Many times a landowner arrives to check the trap only to find the animals lingering around on the outside–with one or two animals inside. The most obvious reasons for this are that the trap does not allow for multiple entries or the door will not reopen after it has been triggered to close. We also utilize camera surveillance before setting the trap up to hold animals, to ensure that we have ample animals coming to the bait.
We use several different baits for our traps. Again, A&M has done research into which baits provide the best and fastest response. We utilize this
information so that we can remove the most animals in the shortest amount of time. Our traps are checked routinely and often, as we do not want to lose animals because they have been given enough time to destroy the trap and escape. At the same time we don’t want animals to perish due to our negligence. This does not allow us to pass on the benefit of selling the carcass in order to reduce the landowners fee, and it is quite inhumane.
We will set up traps in several different locations based on what our scouting trips have allowed us to see. Throughout the time we are there, we will constantly be reassessing the information we have, based on how the animals’ patterns change as we continue to place greater and greater pressure on them. Eventually, animal sightings, and the numbers we take, will drop to very minimal amounts. It is at this point that we feel the landowner will find our work to be to their satisfaction.
- Shooting: As most of us know, many animals tend to be more active during night time. This however is not very conducive to being able to shoot them effectively. We take Old World methods and add new technology. This, plus an aggressive approach, allows us to dramatically increase the number of animals that can be taken at night. This technology, coupled with the experience that we have, allows us to deliver shots on animals that put them down immediately, so that following up later is seldom required. Due to our operating at night, we find it most beneficial to notify the local authorities of our presence and our intentions. We have on occasion invited them to follow along if they so desire.
Typically we will set out bait at different sites and visit those sites several times during the night. We can take large numbers of animals in a short period of time. This, in addition to having traps set allows us to provide the type of service most landowners want, we provide quick results with large numbers and in a short amount of time.
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- Exclusion: This is really not something that we do. It’s something that can be done by the landowner and we can assist in setting up and applying to certain locations. It is expensive to apply and is best done on small lots of property, gardens, livestock pens, animal feeders, etc. The largest piece of property that I am aware of that was effectively handled by exclusion, was a fifty-acre plot that was designed to actually keep hogs in.
We can provide instructions and sites for the landowner to go to and use if they decide exclusion is something they would like to try.
- Aerial Shooting: This method, like the one above, is not something we do for several reasons. The most important being that it is very expensive for the results that it produces. Helicopter rates run into the $400/hour range and an average outing will last six to eight hours a day. A recent outing in another state lasted over a week and accounted for 85 animals. The country they flew over was open farm land with small 5- to 50-acre thickets sprinkled throughout. Adding up the flight hours and the rate, the cost to that state’s taxpayers was almost $20,000.
Texas A&M has found that aerial shooting only works best in open country, which we in the central and south central part of Texas have very little of. Given the scenario mentioned earlier that occured in another state, 85 animals taken by us using a four-month contract (which is our longest) could cost the landowner just over $3000. In that four months we should be able to account for much larger quantities than 85 animals.
The impact of having a helicopter fly over and disturb livestock as well as other desireable species, is something that we feel is unnecessary. This, along with the cost per animal and ineffectiveness due to the majority of our terrain, are reasons that we do not utilize aerial shooting.
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