An estimate of the marginal annual economic contribution of wild-pig hunting in Texas

Sophie C. McKee; Keith M. Carlisle; John Tomeček; Stephanie A. Shwiff; Rachael Connally; Maureen Frank; Mike Bodenchuk; Nicole Didero

doi:10.1071/WR23063

RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

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An estimate of the marginal annual economic contribution of wild-pig hunting in Texas

Sophie C. McKee

^A ^B ^* , Keith M. Carlisle ^B , John Tomeček ^C , Stephanie A. Shwiff ^B , Rachael Connally ^C , Maureen Frank ^C , Mike Bodenchuk ^D and Nicole Didero ^A

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A Department of Economics, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.

^B National Wildlife Research Center, United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, 4101 LaPorte Avenue, Fort Collins, CO 80521, USA.

^C Department of Rangeland, Wildlife, and Fisheries Management, Texas A&M University, 495 Horticulture Road, College Station, TX 77843, USA.

^D United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, PO Box 690170, San Antonio, TX 78269, USA.

^* Correspondence to: Sophie.McKee@colostate.edu

Handling Editor: Thomas Prowse

Wildlife Research 51, WR23063 https://doi.org/10.1071/WR23063

Submitted: 6 June 2023 Accepted: 13 March 2024 Published: 15 April 2024

© 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)

Abstract

Context

Wild-pig hunting is a culturally significant recreational and commercial activity in Texas, but the overall impacts are contested. Except for one 1980s study, there has been no research to formally quantify any economic benefits of wild-pig hunting in Texas, which is an important component for weighing the costs and benefits of wild-pig presence in the state.

Aims and methods

To fill that research gap, we surveyed a sample of resident and non-resident 2018–2019 hunting-license holders in Texas about various topics related to their wild-pig hunting activities, including expenditures.

Key results

On the basis of the 37,317 responses received, we estimated that the marginal annual direct economic benefit of wild-pig hunting to the Texas economy ranges between US$68.5 million and US$188.0 million (2022 dollar values). Given that we were not able to distinguish whether purchases were made in or out of state for expenses provided, we believe this range is an upper estimate.

Conclusion and implications

Although hunting is an important consideration in the discussion of wild-pig management, this estimate is dwarfed by the estimated total damage costs associated with wild pigs in Texas.

Keywords: cost–benefit analysis, human dimensions, introduced species, invasive species, management strategies, pest management, social behaviour, statistical modelling, wildlife economics.

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