Noack said a professional wildlife removal company caught 17 sows and 10 adult boars in early 2020. Nearly all of the females were pregnant, according to the news release. Noack said no new private property damage appeared to have been inflicted in the targeted areas.
The second month of the program will see traps relocated to new sites where hog activity has been noted along Spring Creek.
“Our office is aware that trapping has provided poor results for the long-term reduction of hog populations, but in the short-term we will continue to try and provide our residents with immediate relief,” Noack said. “We will continue to work to control the feral hog population by working with both local and state authorities for a more long-term solution.”
At the Feb. 20 The Woodlands Township board of directors meeting, township officials updated the board on recent efforts to control the animals. However, during the public comment portion of the meeting, Dr. Penelope Duke, an anesthesiologist who resides in The Woodlands, said she had let her dog outside into her fenced and gated yard on a recent Friday afternoon and found it had been killed, apparently by wild animals. She did not report seeing a hog, but described the wounds as appearing to have been inflicted by bite wounds and tusks.
"Griffin was dead; he had wounds across his belly that would be consistent with a boar's tusks," she said.
Duke said she had set unbaited traps and a camera after the incident.
John Powers, the assistant general manager for community services, said a fence between W. G. Jones State Forest and Windsor Hills on the west side had been effective in keeping them out of that neighborhood early this year, and now a new fence on the east side could completely isolate the neighborhood from hog activity. Windsor Hills was one neighborhood where residents have reported hog activity, but other neighborhoods including Grogan's Point have also reported issues.
