Drought and Cooling Temperatures Creates a 'Perfect Storm' in Katy Feral Hog Problem
- ncookclark
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KATY MAGAZINE NEWS
October 21, 2025
By Natalie Cook Clark
Wild hogs are not a new problem to Katy, but encounters are increasing as the area continues to develop into their domain. While hogs are known to come out of Addicks and George Bush Park they are now being encountered more on the north side of the city as new master-planned communities continue to be built and grow. As weather continues to cool, expect to see them more.
Photo credit: Ryan Morone
Wild Hogs are in Katy
Wild hogs are an invasive species that continue to overrun areas of Texas. They are not a new problem, but rather something we’ve learned to live with as they were introduced to the area when Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas.
"The F3 mens workout work out in a park at Elyson at 5:15 a.m. every morning and the hogs are out there all time," says Elyson resident Ross Blair. "Last week I was mapping the Elyson Turkey Trot at 4:30 a.m. before workout and that corner was full of hogs. Luckily none ran towards us when they got spooked."
Hogs in Katy
The Katy area continues to encounter issues with these hogs. They’ve been known to tear up parks and even the Willowfork Golf Course.
“New construction is pushing them out of their areas and into civilization,” says Edward Dickey, owner of Texas Wild Hog Control. “As Katy is expanding, it’s stirring up a lot these hogs that have been on the outskirts.”
Hog damage in Cinco Ranch. Photo credit: Ryan Morone
Dickey traps hogs all across Texas with his company (Texas Wild Hog Control) that has trapped hogs in the Katy area including Cinco Ranch, Nottingham, and neighborhoods along the Addicks reservoir.
“This continues to be a problem, in fact Willowfork Country Club bought their own traps to address the ongoing issue,” says Dickey.
Hogs come out most during the changes of the seasons such as the weather we are starting to experience.
Creating a 'Perfect Storm'
"What we have right now is a perfect storm because the drought and cooling temperatures are driving them into neighborhoods," says Dickey.
Photo courtesy of Edward Dickey, owner of Texas Wild Hog Control
Wild hogs prefer to not encounter people, but if cornered or they feel their young are at risk they can be very dangerous. In 2021, a Katy woman and her dog were attacked while walking in George Bush Park. Both walked away from the encounter, but the dog had severe wounds from the tusks of the male hog.
Katy communities take to social media to report sightings of wild hogs. Several residents in Elyson (north of 529 near 99) have reported seeing them at community parks after night and crossing poorly lit roads. Rightly so, many local residents express concern over walking dogs after dusk and experts advise against if in communities that have spotted these hogs.
“If you do have to go out at night make a lot of noise,” says Dickey. “They would rather escape you then encounter you. If you knew the monsters that we see you wouldn't be running early in the morning."
How to Live with Hogs
So how do we live with these animals?
“Best solutions is to get in contact with your HOA or MUD district and push them to take action. The best way is to trap them,” says Dickey. "Talk to your neighbors, get pictures of damage, express safety concerns. Are we going to wait until a family pet, a child, a jogger get attacked to do something?"
These wild hogs are considered an invasive species so residents do not need a hunting license to kill unless you are on federal property. Texas sees them as a private property issue so HOA's and MUD districts must contact private contractors.
“If you don’t have any hunting experience, please leave this to a professional,” says Dickey.
This is for many reasons. The first is that while it is legal to hunt them, you are still responsible for your action when hunting and the danger of operating weapons in a community is great. The second, is that these are extremely smart animals.
They are smart, which makes them very hard to trap and why professionals need to take the lead. On the hierarchy of mammal intelligence, you have humans, dolphins/whales, apes, and then pigs. They easily can witness and learn how to evade traps when they see another get caught.
“We have to outsmart them. If you don’t know what you are doing, then you are educating them,” explains Dickey. "Last week we caught 23 in 13 days at a soccer feild in George Bush Park. It took time to condition them to the bait."
Wild hog populations continue to rapidly increase as their reproductive rate allows. They are considered sexual mature as young as six months and can produce up to three litters a year.
"This problem is not going away," says Dickey. "At the rate we're going, we're removing 30% each year, but we need to remove 70% to get to a static population."
Again, Katy residents need to be cautious around the animals and work together as neighbors to get local HOA's and MUD's to take action.
