Calhoun County Forestry and
Wildlife Newsletter 2014
s valued residents of Calhoun County,
your opinion on topics that you would like
to hear about are of great importance. Every
year, Calhoun County Extension likes to put on
several forestry and wildlife related educational
opportunities. If you have any suggestions as to
what you would like to learn by attending one of
these workshops, please contact the local extension
office with recommendations.
A
To recommend topics for any wildlife or forestry
meeting, please contact Jaret Rushing at
870-798-2231 or by e-mail at
jrushing@uaex.edu to give an insight of what is
important to wildlife and forest
managers in Arkansas!
Hog Trapping Demonstration
A
ugust! That wonderful time of year when the
smell of football and hunting seasons are finally in
the air. The opportunity for hunters to harvest the
animals that have been on their minds since last
January is rapidly approaching. However, did you
know that some opportunities last all year? In
recent legislation (ACT 1104), feral hogs have been
deemed as a nuisance animal in the state of
Arkansas and the opportunity to harvest these
animals on private and public lands are very lowly
restricted.
Bait types
We utilized three baits that are common to find in
any local co-op or feed store:
 Field corn (~$8.75 per 50 lbs)
 All-purpose feeding pellets (~$9.75 per 50
lbs)
 Sweet feed (~$9.45 per 50 lbs)
What we learned!
Due to this demonstration, we learned several very
important “tidbits” when dealing with trapping feral
hogs.
1.
With the gaping holes in the trap, we were
susceptible to having many different non-target
species trigger the trap, such as: opossum,
raccoon, squirrels and crows. It is important to
make sure that your trigger is not too sensitive.
2.
Ration your baits! With the rising price of
corn and other bait products, you can ration
your bait stations by only feeding 1/3rd or 1/4th
of a full bag of bait. This will allow you to
space feeding regimes out over a longer period
of time.
Bait in open pen before you set it. It will allow
the hogs to become more trusting of the trap.
Move your trap every 6-10 days. Hogs are
prone to get used to a trap and avoid its
whereabouts.
Check traps daily. Due to the usage and food
shortages, many different wildlife tend to
utilize these trapping spots.
Make sure all working parts of the trap are
sturdy and up-to-par (i.e. doors and panels).
Utilize game cameras to monitor trapping
stations.
Harvesting Regulations



It is legal to harvest a feral hog in Arkansas on
private lands via the following regulations:
o With landowner permission
o Any time of day or night
o With any weapon you so chose
o With the use of baits and/or dogs
o With or without a hunting license
 Pending your license has not
been revoked for violation
It is legal to harvest a feral hog in Arkansas on
public lands via the following regulations:
o When there is a coinciding season on
the particular WMA you plan to hunt
(e.g. squirrel season)
Hunters should be aware that there are new
regulations regarding transportation and
immediate euthanization of feral hogs so prior
to trapping/hunting hogs, please refer to the
afore mentioned ACT and be sure you are
following all regulations.
HOG TRAPPING DEMONSTRATION
To teach producers how to trap hog and cost
efficient way to trap hogs, the Calhoun Co. CES
conducted a trapping demonstration this summer to
test different bait types.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Hog Trapping Demonstration Results

Deer
o Archery (September 27th, 2014 –
February 28th, 2015)
o Muzzleloader (October 18th, 2014 –
October 26th, 2014 AND December
29th, 2014 – December 31st, 2014)
o Modern Gun (November 8th, 2014 –
December 14th, 2014)
 Christmas Modern Gun Hunt
(December 26th – December
28th, 2014)

Squirrel
o May 15th, 2014 – February 28th, 2015

Waterfowl
o Dates have not been set as of
August 8th, 2014!!
During the 9 week trapping demonstration, we
trapped a total of 5 hogs. However, due to faulty
trapping equipment, only one of which was
harvested. Hogs moved in to trapping area once
soured sweet feed was utilized at the baiting site.
Corn was also popular but tend to attract non-target
species such as crows and raccoons.
Hog meat was donated to Hunters Feeding the
Hungry and yielded approximately 12 lbs of ground
hog meat to be distributed to local churches.
Hunters Feeding the Hungry
The HFH program is a set up in Arkansas to donate
meat of harvested animals to local processors for
the sole purpose of distribution to needy families or
organizations. A full list of licensed processors can
be found at www.arkansashunters.org.
Deer bag limit for Zone 12 is 6 deer with no
more than 2 being legal bucks! Other bag limits
vary with species and be sure to check for specific
rules and regulations on Wildlife Management
Areas in your area. You can check all dates and bag
limits at www.agfc.com
The Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service offers
its programs to all eligible persons regardless of
race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation,
national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or
veteran status, genetic information, or any other
legally protected status, and is an Affirmative
Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
If you have any questions or comments, please feel
free to call my office at 870-798-2231
Know Your Dates!
Ignorance is no excuse of the law. Be sure
to know your dates and limits for each hunting
season! Below are the hunting season dates listed
as by the AGFC for Zone 12 ONLY. Season dates
are for the 2014-15 Hunting Season.
Sincerely,
Jaret Rushing
County Extension Agent-Agriculture
Calhoun County