Wild Boars, Gophers, & Rats
Wild Pigs or boars have been present for sometime in SK. However their numbers are increasing and these pests can cause significant damage to crops and the environment. Public reporting is essential to the eradication of these animals. Ratepayers can access support to deal with wild boars through the Sask Crop Insurance Corporation (SCIC). They coordinate hunters and trappers with RMs and landowners to investigate sightings and take appropriate action. If you see a wild boar, contact the SCIC office ASAP. SCIC investigates every sighting that is reported and will review the information and determine the next step for responding to it.
SCIC Reporting: 1-888-935-0000
SaskPork Hotline: 1-833-PIG-SPOT
SCIC can provide compensation for any crop or livestock damage caused by Wild Boars. Under the Wildlife Damage Compensation Program, you can receive up to 100 per cent compensation on damage caused by these invasive pests. You do not have to be an existing SCIC customer to qualify for compensation. See below for more information.
Feral Wild Boar Control Program
Wildlife Damage Compensation Program
Gopher Control Program (GCP) was implemented in 2023 for the next 5 years to assist with the costs of gopher control. Ratepayers can submit a claim through the RM to Receive a rebate for the cost of a portion of the gopher poison up to 50%. Ratepayers do not have to purchase products through the RM in order to claim through the GCP. They can purchase from any vendor as long as the product is on the list of registered gopher control products (link in the program guidelines). The deadline to claim under the 2023-24 GCP is July 31, 2023.
Gopher Control Program Guidelines
The control of pests, including rats, is imperative to a healthy and productive Farm. There are a number things farmers and ranchers can do to help keep the pests away:
- Tidy up the farmyard and remove any shrubbery, long grass, old machinery and general debris, ideally within a 30m radius of farm buildings.
- Close all holes and possible points of entry – such as where pipes pass through a wall – and eliminate openings around doors and windows. Guards on downpipes and screens on grills and airways will also help.
- Remove debris that rodents can use for nesting, such as piles of wood, piping, rubble, feed bags, and old equipment.
- Feed stores need to be secure, well maintained and kept as rat-proof as possible. Livestock farmers face a specific set of issues, because it is difficult to remove the rodent’s source of food.
When the above measures are not enough, The RM of McKillop offers free rat poison to all farms within the RM. It can be picked up at the RM Administration Office at, 103 Ashley Street, Bulyea. you can also contact our Pest Control Officer for assistance with your pest control or for delivery of rat poison.
Pest Control Officer - Tom Schmidt
Here are some helpful hints on how to more effectively bait rats or gophers:
- Set a planned approach to your baiting control program, which should have a start, middle and end. This may take as few as 14 days and usually no more than five weeks to clear a rat colony, depending on the severity of infestation.
- Proprietary bait stations can be ineffective, given the natural wariness of rats, so create bait stations from materials already found in their environment.
- Cold, shiny plastic boxes with at least one right-angle turn and mostly too small to sit up in or to eat in a group won’t attract rats. Instead, use familiar, readily available farmyard materials such as corrugated iron, wooden sheeting, pallets, slates, tiles, bricks, blocks or old tire to build simple bait stations.
- Robust construction and small enough entry points to deny dogs or cats access is important. Sturdy wooden trays around 150 x 76mm (6 x 3in) make good bait containers, protected by an immovable structure with an entry height of about 76mm (3in) and an internal height of 150-200mm (6-8in).
- Wooden or corrugated-iron sheets propped up at a shallow angle against walls and weighted down with bricks also work well. As do pallets raised up on bricks, blocks or old fence posts and securely covered with sheeting; the same goes for loose stacks of bricks or blocks roofed with old tiles or slates.
