LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) _ Residents in all 254 Texas counties will soon gear up for a now-annual feral hog killing contest.
The three-month “Get the Hogs Outta Texas” competition is set to begin Oct. 1.
The top five hog-killing counties win a total of $60,000 in grant money to continue abatement programs.
The first contest a year ago lasted a month and was so successful — with 4,000 feral hogs killed — that the state brought it back and made it longer.
The renewal is just in time for hunters in helicopters, too. Starting Thursday, a new state law will allow hunters to take aerial aim on the destructive animals.
Texas has an estimated 2 million feral hogs, more than any state. They cause about $400 million in damages annually.
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Online:
http://www.agr.state.tx.us
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)