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Clear explanations
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Our Mission
Built from questions. Kept alive by people who care.
Texas Hog Dispatch began as a way to help property owners find the right independent operators. The questions that followed became something larger: a growing public effort to make feral-hog research easier to find, understand, and use.
Built by Efrain Ruiz and Kelly Trotman. Made for anyone who wants a clearer picture.
How it began
Two people. One question that kept getting bigger.
We started Texas Hog Dispatch with a practical goal: make it easier for property owners to reach independent feral-hog operators. But every answer raised another question. How does the biology shape the response? What happens when hogs cross property lines? Who is responsible when jurisdictions overlap? What can removal numbers actually tell us—and what can’t they?
Those questions became Hog Watch: a free, public resource that brings research, maps, practical tools, and plain-English explanations together in one place.
It is still just the two of us. Efrain leads the research, design, outreach, and day-to-day building. Kelly brings the planning, perspective, and honest second set of eyes that keeps the work grounded. Together, we turn dense information into something people can actually read and use.
Why it matters
A serious problem does not need exaggerated claims.
Feral hogs are a non-native, invasive species in Texas. They can damage crops, property, habitat, and water resources. The issue is serious enough on its own.
Our job is not to make every number sound frightening. It is to show where information comes from, explain what it can—and cannot—tell us, and make the larger picture easier to understand.
Why feral hogs matter — Texas Parks & WildlifeThe Tracker
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Evidence you can follow
Follow the sources behind major figures, public records, and clearly labeled estimates—including their limits.
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A bigger picture
Use maps, county information, and connected research topics to understand how the pieces fit together.
Open the map and county explorer
How the work grows
The questions do not stop at the screen.
The research leads us into conversations and into the field: visiting state parks, speaking with rangers, stopping at feed stores, golf courses, local offices, and equipment businesses, and listening to people who have dealt with the problem firsthand.
We bring those questions back to published research and public records. When the evidence supports a conclusion, we explain it. When it does not, we say that too.
Every answer opens another path.
Follow the sources. Name the limits. Keep asking better questions.
Take the mission with you.
Download a one-page introduction to Texas Hog Dispatch, Hog Watch, the research, and the ways people can explore, connect, or support the work.
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Save Efrain's contactWhat we do—and who does the fieldwork.
Hog Watch is the free, sourced research and public-education resource from Texas Hog Dispatch. Separately, Texas Hog Dispatch accepts property requests across Texas, reviews the details, and looks for independent feral hog operators who serve the area and fit the request. Operators control their own services, prices, schedules and fieldwork. Availability is confirmed case by case. Submitting a request does not guarantee an operator connection or service. THD does not trap or perform fieldwork.
Now Open · The THD Collection
Find Your Track. Leave Your Mark.
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Every purchase helps us keep asking questions, following the research, and making Hog Watch free and easier to understand. We’re a small, independent Texas business with plenty of curiosity—and more ideas taking shape.
See What’s Taking ShapeKeep research within reach
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I believe this information should be free. And it should be easier to understand.
Your support helps us keep researching, listening, and building a resource that anyone can use.
I’m working to leave my mark. You can leave yours, too.
Qualifying direct support or qualifying Field Shop purchases of $25 or more receive a Founding Supporter • 2026 Field Marker. Recognition is optional—your choice to join the Field Wall stays yours.
Public recognition
The Field Wall
The people helping us keep research within reach.
Gladys R.
Founding Supporter 2026
Field Marker #00001
FIRST FOUNDING SUPPORTER
Efrain R. Sr.
Founding Supporter 2026
Field Marker #00002
First Field Shop Supporter
Thank you, Mom. Thank you, Dad. You believed in me long before Texas Hog Dispatch existed.