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R. C. Hooper, Jr.

December 8, 2006

Neighborhood Representatives
C/o Michele Eberhart

On November 16th, the Resident Board Members arranged for an informational meeting on the subject of feral (wild) pigs.  The residents who have had a problem with this type of animal were invited to attend.  It was well attended and was a very informative session.

Unfortunately, a conclusion can be drawn that we can not conquer this problem, but only reduce it.  Pigs apparently are very smart, strong, prolific animals and will eat anything. However, there are a couple of things that can help the problem, even if only on specific yards.  I told your residents that I would get back to them with two specific follow-ups.  I would appreciate the Neighborhood Representatives forwarding this note to your neighbors.

First, Although pigs will eat anything, they appear to particularly like grubs.  The following is from Damon Williams recommending specific products to help keep pigs out of a residents yard. Definitely not a guarantee, but a step in the right direction. 

“The product most readily available for residential use is Bayer Advanced Lawn Season-Long Grub Control. It is available at WalMart, Lowes, Home Depot, and most nursery centers. Best if applied in early spring for season long control. If the grubs already exist, residents can use Bayer Advanced 24 Hour Grub Control Ready-to-Spread product.

One old stand-by product still available is Sevin. Use at label rates according to the type of formulation chosen. None of these products infiltrate a heavy thatch layer very well. If thatch is too thick in lawn an aerification may be necessary to allow chemical to infiltrate soil properly. I do feel this may be the most important step in keeping them out of lawns.”

Secondly, it was acknowledged that this problem is far broader than SCHH.  In fact, the pigs natural habitat includes much of the woodlands and wetlands surrounding our community.  They enter SCHH from these areas, do their damage and return to other locations.

Therefore, it would be helpful to get the County involved in a bi-county program of pig extinction.  I have contacted the Beaufort County Council and this has now been referred to appropriate County staff.  If I get any positive feedback or action, I will pass it along.

A third action that has been taken since the November 16 meeting is to identify the skilled, volunteer pig hunters to security.  Further, we are asking the six hunters to display appropriate identification.

These hunters are doing us a great service and we don’t want them to be hassled by a resident or law enforcement person.

Again, I would appreciate your informing your neighbors of these actions.

Bob

Material captured from the community portal. WWW editor  - Steve Koehl.  Revised: December 15, 2006.