Learn more about in-home care options for your loved ones

In the war to control the wild hog population in Texas, helicopter hunt operators and farmers with large tracks of land have an alliance. Large landowners allow hunting flyovers to help thin out the herds of instinctively destructive feral pigs on their properties. At nearly $3,000 a person, helicopter hunting outfitters gladly oblige.

A license is not needed for aerial hunting of wild hogs done over private land. The most popular time for this type of hunt is during the winter months — January to March. The ground is more visible with leaves off trees, said Chris Britt, CEO and co-owner of HeliBacon, a helicopter hunting operation based out of Bryan, some 60 miles northwest of Houston.

“Helicopter hog hunting is not a solution, per se. It is a management approach,” Britt said. “You’re never going to eradicate all of the feral pigs. But what you can do is you can regularly fly a property and you can keep the feral hog population and the associated damage in check in that area.”

It is a lucrative business for the hunting operators, and for paying customers, it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. HeliBacon offers the machine gun add-on package at $1,295 per person. Semiautomatic rifles are commonly used in the hunts. Night vision gear is available for another $995.

There is no closed season for hog hunting in Texas, but HeliBacon does not fly in November or December, which usually is deer season. That way the helicopter is not flying around gunfire from other hunters, Britt said.

A helicopter hunt typically begins with a safety course showing hunters what they need to know to stay safe while flying. Then an extended presentation on gun safety and how to operate the firearms aboard the aircraft.

It’s skids up by dawn as the hunting party heads out to fly over hundreds of thousands of acres of private land to find their prey. The hunt begins as the sun breaks the horizon, lasting for at least two hours. Then the helicopter heads back to base.

Helicopter operators and hunters were reminded this past week that safety is not guaranteed. According to friends of TCU alum Bram Kolhausen, he fell from a helicopter on a hunting trip near San Antonio over the weekend. Friends familiar with the situation estimate the fall was anywhere between 70 to 80 feet.

Texas has been under siege from an invasive non-native species for decades and the battle still rages to this day.

Wild hogs have plagued Texas land going back to the early 1900s, tearing up property and crops in search for food. While these animals have many names such as wild boars, razorbacks and feral hogs, and come in different shapes or sizes, they’re all part of the same Sus Scrofa species.

The animals are prolific breeders and built to tear up land in search of food, said Mikayal Killam, program specialist in the range, wildlife and fisheries at Texas A&M University.

“When we talk about the damage and the impact [feral hogs are] having to the people here to the wildlife or natural resources, its all additive because this animal is not supposed to be here,” Killam said. “The environment wasn’t designed to support it.”

Texans have been doing their part to thin out the feral hog population for years, with lawmakers passing bills to make it easier to hunt them. Hunters use a variety of methods to hunt the feral hogs with some taking the high road — hiring helicopters for an aerial assault

Even though feral hogs have been in Texas for sometime now, they’re a non-native invasive species.

When Europeans traveled to and explored North America in the 1500s, they brought domestic pigs with them as a food source. Since pigs reproduce early and often, the goal was to produce meat quickly and in a surplus, Killam said.

Free ranging animals was popular at the time and explorers allowed the pigs to scrounge around for food. As camps of explorers moved, pigs would get left behind. More were able to adaptto the wild, and the population of feral hogs multiplied.

By the late 1800s and early 1900s, boars were being released into the wild in the United States specifically for sport hunting. They were introduced into Texas primarily from zoos and through accidental and intentional introductions. It didn’t take long for the animals to spread across the state.

With cross breeding and quick reproduction, feral hogs were soon in abundance.

“We have a wild animal that is designed to reproduce very quickly and very effectively,” Killam said. “That’s part of why their numbers have grown so rapidly.”

Since feral hogs are not a game species and their populations aren’t monitored like other animals in Texas, it’s hard to tell just exactly how many there are, Killam said.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department estimated that from 1982 to 2016, the feral hog population increased from 2.4 million to 6.9 million across the U.S. Of those, 2.6 million feral hogs were estimated in Texas alone.

There isn’t just one way feral hogs impact the environment.

Hogs are a habitat generalist, meaning they don’t have a ton of requirements to be successful and mainly just need food and water, Killam said. The hogs diet consists of plant matter and use a technique called rooting to dig into the ground for food.

Everything from roots and tubers, to even insects, are on the menu for feral hogs. Feral hogs will dig into crops, and in some cases go after food meant for livestock.

Hogs disrupt crops and livestock. In the wild, the animals are taking food away from native species, Killam said.

“When I say opportunistic, I mean they are opportunistic, “ Killam said. “They’ll eat all sorts of other stuff that’s available.”

Feral hogs also’ impact water sources in Texas. Just as farm pigs roll around in mud to regulate body temperature, feral hogs do the same in ponds, lakes and rivers, Killam said. Not only are these feral hogs spreading grime and diseases into the water, but they can impact the local ecosystem.

Hogs wallowing in water can contribute to erosion and sedimentation in waterways, along with disrupting vegetation growth, the wildlife specialist said.

“If you think of domestic pigs and other animals, they are not moving to a second location to relieve themselves when they’re wallowing,” she said.

The battle over feral hogs is ongoing, and there’s not one thing that will win the war.

Hunting the animals is sure at the top of the list — even taking to the skies on helicopters to thin out herds, Killam said. Trapping wild hogs is another way farmers and ranchers are thinning out the animal population. A coordinated management of the herd will be needed to win this war, the wildlife specialist explained.

“It’s not a one and done solution,” Killam said. “It’s going to require a use of multiple tools, but also long term efforts.”

This story was originally published May 11, 2023, 7:22 AM.

DALLAS(KDAF)—What are you doing this Easter? You won’t be disappointed with this great selection of events happening all around Texas!

It doesn’t matter where you live, there’s something fun and festive for everyone near Houston, Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Denton, San Antonio, or Lubbock.

Enjoy Easter Eggstravaganzas, Egg Hunts, and an Easter Parade with your children. Attend these amazing events this Easter season and make it a memorable one!

April 7 – 9Easter Family Fun Weekend | Dallas Arboretum – DALLAS

Family-friendly Easter activities like Country Critters petting zoo, story time, and live music. You might also like live bunny photos (no reservations). See links for schedules. 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 pm.

April 8

Easter Eggstravaganza | Denton Civic Center – Denton

The Denton Civic Center is hosting an Easter Eggstravaganza for the whole family on April 8, 2023. There are over 40,000 eggs up for grabs at various age-group hunts, plus bounce houses, arts and crafts, face painting, and a magic show. Get ready for Easter Bunny photos! Don’t forget to bring your basket!

April 1

Easter Springtacular,| Houston

Join University Baptist Church for Easter on April 1st! Springtacular is an event for preschoolers and their parents with egg hunts, petting zoos, train rides, and more. You’ll get free snacks and refreshments while your kid has a blast.

April 1

Easter Eggstravaganza | Traders Village – San Antonio

Traders Village’s 17th annual Easter Eggstravaganza! Bring your kids’ Easter baskets and they’ll get FREE eggs filled with goodies! You’ll also get to meet Superheroes and Princesses, take pictures with the Easter Bunnies, and win door prizes!

April 9

Easter Brunch & Egg Hunt | Fairmount – Austin

Celebrate Easter and springtime at Fairmont Austin with your family and friends. Enjoy live music, a lavish buffet spread, the Tiny Tails petting zoo, and of course the Easter Bunny.

April 8

Easter Hat Parade Contest | Adventure Park – Lubbock

The Adventure Park in Lubbock, TX will be hosting an Easter Hat Parade on April 8 at 11:00 am!! Competitions will be held, and Special Celebrity Guests will be there to add to the excitement.

Easter Sunday is this weekend and, while not traditionally the reason for the season, so are hunts for candy filled eggs.

As for why colorful and stuffed eggs became part of the holiday, that dates back to at least the 13th century and the Lenten season, according to the History Channel. Eggs were a forbidden food during Lent and people marked the end of the religious period by painting and decorating eggs, thus eating them on Easter as a celebration.

Fast forward a few hundred years and children across the country will be on the hunt for candy-filled eggs this weekend. Here’s a few Easter egg events across North Texas for families:

Legends of Texas event in the Fort Worth Stockyards with face painting, live music, petting zoo, cattle drive and more.

City of Fort Worth Easter egg hunt at Martin Luther King Park.

Southwest Community Center Easter egg hunt.

Unity Fort Worth is hosting an Easter egg hunt for those who attend Sunday church service.

Hope Church is hosting an egg hunt, along with Easter Sunday service and a free continental breakfast.

Freedom Church is partnering with M.H. Moore Elementary School to host an Easter egg hunt in Diamond Hill.

WineShop at Home is hosting a wine tasting and adult Easter egg hunt at The Virginan May bed and breakfast.

House of Hope for Autism is hosting an event that will have an Easter Bunny on hand for photos and an egg hunt.

St. Barnabas Methodist Church is hosting both a pancake breakfast and Easter egg hunt.

First United Methodist Church of Arlington will host a Easter egg hunt and picnic this weekend.

Mission Arlington is hosting “the world’s largest Easter egg hunt” with over 80,000 plastic candy-filled eggs.

Arlington Parks and Recreation is hosting an “Eggstravaganza Tot Party” at the Dottie Lynn Recreation Center.

Q: This past summer my teenage daughter and her friend tie-dyed some T-shirts in our garage, and now my husband has found me “complicit” in the “desecration” of his beloved chili pot, which he recently discovered had a remnant of dye in it. I fear that our 24-year-long relationship has been irreparably damaged. How can I make this right?Name Withheld, San Antonio

A: The Texanist cooks his chili in the very same pot from which the meaty stew of his youth was long ago ladled. This prized vessel was handed down to him by his father, a fine man and pretty fair chili chef. Every time the Texanist cooks chili, he thinks of his dad. The pot is special to him. Thus, the Texanist can understand your husband’s three-alarm disappointment as a result of the freaky goings-on in his own cherished pot. But the Texanist is also the father of a daughter who is prone to occasional mishaps, mostly of an innocent nature so far. By the Texanist’s estimation, your husband, depending on the exact age of your girl, is somewhere between thirteen and eighteen years late in realizing that once a child enters the picture, few treasured personal items will, for one reason or another, retain their sacred status. That failed diaper that permanently stained the couch in his man cave and the sippy cup full of chocolate milk that was allowed to leak its entire contents down the crack of his truck’s backseat only to be discovered a week later should have been the first of many clues. Since your husband’s pot was not rendered inoperable by the tie-dying or really even all that desecrated, the Texanist finds you not guilty of complicity. But to help with the thawing of the chilliness between you and Mr. Name Withheld caused by this misadventure, simply wash the pot thoroughly and then have your husband reconsecrate it to its former perceived glory with a big batch of his “famous” Texas red.

Q: I never cease to be amazed at the interesting and unusual things that grace our highways. On a stretch of Texas Highway 39, west of Hunt, there is a string of fence posts with a single boot secured to each one. It’s known as Boot Hill, even though there’s really no hill. Surely there is no other state with such an interesting collection of inverted footwear. Where did all these boots come from?Ben Sanders, Houston

A: Rural Texans are known to put all sorts of mementos out on the fence for the pleasure of gandering passersby. Huge catfish heads, large rattlesnakes, and trophy coyote carcasses are fairly common sights on the fences of our hinterlands. The boot fence outside Hunt is a fine example of just this sort of display. The Texanist is familiar with the landmark, as it serves as a signal to him that the good times about to be had at Crider’s Rodeo and Dancehall are imminent—and about three miles back the other way on 39. The fence’s origins date to the early seventies, when a Kerr County family began putting the worn-out boots of the half dozen young buckaroos with whom they had been blessed up on the fence posts of their friend and neighbor, John Jobes. Soon the old boots of Jobes’s two young daughters went up. Then Jobes’s ranch hands put their boots up on the fence. In time, the posts became the final resting spot for most anybody’s old boots. Nowadays, this stretch of fence adorned with old boots is quite lengthy and has even jumped to the other side of the road. But contrary to your belief that this display is solely a Texas thing, the Texanist knows of at least two non-Texan footwear-adorned fences, one on a country road between Placerville and Coloma, out in California, and another in Glenwood, Minnesota. And then, of course, there’s the Cardrona Bra Fence, in Otago, New Zealand, another example of an eye-catching non-Texan roadside attraction.

Q: I am a native Texan, having been born and raised in Harlingen. I have, however, lived in the northern suburbs of Chicago for the past forty years. About once every two weeks or so, I will hear the word “pecan” mispronounced—usually at a Panera or a pie shop—especially around the holidays. This really grates on my nerves. Should I correct the person in question as politely as possible or let him or her continue down the path of ignorance?Randy Casey, Libertyville, Illinois

A: “Pecan” (or, alternatively, “pee-kahn” or “pee-can”) is one of those words whose correct pronunciation is hotly contested. Whether the arguer’s allegiance is to “pecan” or, alternatively, “pee-kahn” or “pee-can” is almost always dictated by the regional dialect of the particular area from whence they came. Texas is decidedly “pecan” territory, while much of the East Coast goes with “pee-can” and most of the rest of the country is made up with “pee-kahn” people. Sometimes there are anomalies related to the origin of a person’s parents. For instance, there might be a native of Maine who goes with “pecan” because his Texas-raised mother pronounced it that way, while his fellow Mainiacs say “pee-can.” Since you are likely a “pecan”-er currently residing in pretty deep “pee-kahn” territory, the Texanist is wondering if you’ve ever been corrected. If so, you know very well that all such attempts are completely futile, as one must first acknowledge an error in one’s ways before an adjustment can be made, which is highly unlikely.

Q: My father-in-law gets way too into my son’s peewee football games, going so far as to cuss from the sidelines when he is upset with the outcome of a play or a referee’s call. So far he’s only received strange looks from the other parents, but I’m afraid he’s going to get into trouble with the officials or cause a fight or something. I’ve tried to talk to him about it, but he acts like nothing’s wrong.Susan P., Lufkin

A: If one were to jot down a list of things that folks here in Texas can be excessively passionate about, football would be found right up there alongside state pride, state cuisines (and the pots in which they are prepared), and maybe even states’ rights. And the Texanist doesn’t have to tell you, a football mom, about the palpable excitement generated when two teams clash, gladiator-style, out on the gridiron. Whether the warriors in these pitched battles are 17-year-old high schoolers facing off on Friday night or 27-year-old professionals going at it on Sunday afternoon or 7-year-olds meeting at seven-thirty on a Saturday morning when normal people are sipping coffee and looking at the newspaper, or prepping for a fun trek to a nearby state park, or, ahem, sleeping off the previous night’s revelry, it matters not. Football is a great spectator sport. Until the spectating is tainted by a discourteous and unruly fan, that is. The Texanist applauds your father-in-law’s football enthusiasm and bets that beneath his unvarnished exterior he’s probably a good granddad on the inside. But it sounds as if his pigskin avidity is crossing over to an unacceptable rabidity, which if left unaddressed has the potential to spoil what ought to be a splendid outing for everyone in attendance. You or your husband needs to tell him that the Texanist says to dial it down a notch. Then back that warning up with the threat of a family-imposed ejection or, perhaps, a season-long ban. It would be best that he hear it from one of you instead of a league official, a cop, or worse, the angry (and sleepy) mom of the opposing team’s nose guard.

The Texanist’s Little-Known Fact of the Month: Of the more than 50,000 physicians currently registered with the Texas Medical Board, there are but a mere six with the surname Pepper. Set an appointment with any one of them for any time other than ten, two, or four o’clock.

Driving locally will be changed forever, as the largest highway improvement project in Hunt County’s history is starting.

The long-anticipated expansion of Interstate 30 from the current four lanes to six lanes was scheduled to get underway the morning of May 23, according to an announcement from the Texas Department of Transportation.

The widening of the interstate is just one of the efforts planned along the highway in the next few years, as the state agency and county officials attempt to face rapid population growth.

TxDOT announced the project to widen and improve a portion of I-30 is being undertaken by Austin Bridge & Road Services LP, which was granted 1,033 working days, weather permitting, to complete the project valued at more than $128 million. The target completion date for this work is April 2026.

This project is scheduled to extend from one mile west of the I-30 / FM 1903 intersection to one-tenth of a mile east of the Monty Stratton Parkway. The contractor will reconstruct and widen the existing four lanes of I-30 to six lanes; improve intersections at FM 1903, FM 1570, and Monte Stratton Parkway; and reconfigure ramps and widen the frontage roads to convert them to one-way traffic flow.

The contractor anticipates work to convert frontage roads to one-way traffic will begin Monday. A concrete barrier will be placed along portions of the frontage roads to aid in the construction of temporary on- and off-ramps at the intersections and to maintain access for travelers.

The contractor hopes to begin work at the Monte Stratton Parkway at the end of May, with a long-term closure of the west-to-east U-turn lane at the intersection.

In early 2024 crews will begin constructing a new overpass at FM 1570, to realign the road on both sides of I-30. This work will require the closure of FM 1570 at I-30 for the duration of 2024. Traffic will be re-routed through the east-to-west U-turn lane at Monte Stratton Parkway.

The contractor also anticipates beginning work at FM 1903 in early 2024. This bridge over I-30 will be lengthened and raised to improve intersection operations. This intersection will remain open while this work is underway, but occasional temporary closures will be necessary.

Travelers along the roadways in Hunt County may encounter night- and day-time closures as the project progresses, officials said. Long-term closures will be posted in advance using roadside message boards.

The I-30 expansion is being coordinated alongside the Hunt County Thoroughfare Plan, a long range project to address roadway infrastructure in the county.

Many of the proposed thoroughfares in the plan are focused on expected growth to the west of Greenville, and included several east/west routes which would be compatible with projects already included under the county’s $24 million 2016 road bond package and TxDOT’s plan to expand Interstate 30 between the Rockwall and Hopkins county lines.

The Hunt County plan was also designed to work with similar plans already being adopted by cities in the county, as well as plans and programs of adjacent counties and from the Texas Department of Transportation and the North Central Texas Council of Governments.

The Hunt County plan takes into account the county’s current growth of approximately 2% a year, with the county’s population to increase by more than 20 percent through 2045.

The most recent update, as presented during the summer of 2021, is available online at https://tinyurl.com/3w26ym65