The scene a Montague rancher and businessman saw in Denton this week may have surprised many people , but not Don Gresham.
"I wasn't, with seeing all the damage they'd done," said Gresham.
As he drove to a Denton hospital to visit a relative Tuesday, Gresham spotted something along Medpark Drive — a herd of feral hogs, grazing in broad daylight, and right next to an office park.
"They can come through and overnight plow up this entire field right here," said Gresham, pointing out a large patch of roughed-up ground.
The reason why Gresham isn't surprised is because he has experience. On his family's 4,000 acres of land, he figures he's trapped over 750 wild hogs in the past six years. His latest creation is a two-door trap, with cameras and controlled by cell phone, which he says can catch dozens of hogs at a time. One night — lured by shelled corn inside the trap, he caught 88 feral hogs. He sells traps to ranchers and land owners all over the country.
"High tech trapping is what it is," he chuckled.
The spot off Medpark in Denton has a creek and for wild hogs, food.
"With all the grubs they've got going on in this grass, they'll be tearing it up," he said.
It's true. In yards, and even on golf courses in Denton — feral hogs have caused thousands of dollars in damage. Inside city limits, shooting them is illegal, so Gresham believes trapping is the best option.
It is a North Texas problem — that appears to be worsening.
"They dont discriminate what they tear up," said Gresham. "They come in and tear up everything."
