Hog Killing Etiquette - Public Lands

[TexasHorn7]

I drew a permit to hunt a specific tract of land in the Trinity River NWS. Although I will be hunting deer, there are allegedly a ton of pigs on the property that I am free to shoot.

Not having hunted a pest before, am I supposed to take some of the meat from them? Do I just leave them?

 

[robertc1024]

I'm sure others will have different opinions, but if they are big, they're inedible, and I'd leave them for the buzzards. I'd keep the meat off of one <100 lbs or less.

 

[vmax]

"Worms gotta eat same as buzzards "
Josey Wales


Lol..never shot a pig on public land..I know on my place I haul the carcass off to my burn pile is all I do

 

[leVieux]

I drew a permit to hunt a specific tract of land in the Trinity River NWS. Although I will be hunting deer, there are allegedly a ton of pigs on the property that I am free to shoot.

Not having hunted a pest before, am I supposed to take some of the meat from them? Do I just leave them?

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Depends on time of year, prevailing weather, & size/age of hog.

We hunt the lower Rio Colorado hardwood bottoms and the pork has been wonderful.

I have some now from Northern Llano County which is also very good.

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[Orbie]

"Worms gotta eat same as buzzards "
Josey Wales


Lol..never shot a pig on public land..I know on my place I haul the carcass off to my burn pile is all I do

This!

At least drag it off somewhere. I don’t know if there are feeders where you’ll be hunting but I wouldn’t want the carcass at the feeder.

 

[toddnjoyce]

Hopefully massacring hogs won’t spook the deer. Depends on how much other pressure there is I guess.

 

[TexasHorn7]

This!

At least drag it off somewhere. I don’t know if there are feeders where you’ll be hunting but I wouldn’t want the carcass at the feeder.

I have to hunt with no feeders, no bait or chemical attractants.

 

[V-Tach]

When I hunted the Aransas National Wildlife Area the first couple of years, if you killed a hog you had to take it with you...... now they just want them dead........leaving them is not a problem anymore..............lots of critters to eat them.......

 

[rpwilson]

It may be worth calling your local Game Warden and asking the question, as they would be the ones issuing a ticket if it is breaking the law depending on their interpretation of wanton waste for invasive species

 

[Lonesome Dove]

Found this in 2.2 seconds.

 

[ZX9RCAM]

Aren't those the obvious options?

Still doesn't say "what" to do.

 

[toddnjoyce]

Aren't those the obvious options?

Still doesn't say "what" to do.

Probably because those guidelines aren’t specific to the public tract being hunted.

 

[Lonesome Dove]

Probably because those guidelines aren’t specific to the public tract being hunted.

All the same don't over think the situation.

 

[Byrd666]

If you are hunting in a county that has a bounty, contact the. J.P. or Game Warden as to what they recommend.

 

[benenglish]

Probably because those guidelines aren’t specific to the public tract being hunted.

In fact, those guidelines were published by an Arkansas university. I don't think a Texas Game Warden would give them much weight.

The OP asks an interesting question. "Surely the state of Texas has published guidelines somewhere" is what I thought until I did some digging.

This Feral Hog Manual is published by the state and bears the imprint of various state agencies and others who are mostly concerned with preventing the contamination of water sources. It only says...

If you do not plan to eat, sell, or transport the hog after it has been killed, dispose of it properly. Place the carcass far enough away from a water body to prevent contamination. Because a dead carcass will likely attract other animals to feed, moving the carcass away from a water source will eliminate the direct deposition of bacteria, nutrients, and other contaminants by these animals as well.

...which I don't take as authoritative for the OP's purpose.

The flyers for hunting in the Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge all contain similar language, advising hunters that...

State Regulations apply. Incidental take of feral hog. See TPWD Drawn Hunts to apply.

...which means that, supposedly, the source for info should be the TPWD pages about drawn hunts, found here. If you dive into the FAQs from that page, found here, you get essentially bupkis when it comes to on-point info addressing the OP's question. However, the "if all else fails" option found on most FAQs is at the bottom of that page. It says...

If I have additional questions, who do I contact?

Contact the Public Hunting Program at (512)389-4505 or hunt@tpwd.texas.gov

...and it's my guess that the OP is going to have to go that route.

If you do, OP, please post back and tell us what you find out.

 

[Moonpie]

It's chickenshit to down an animal and just leave it lay.

You killed it so take care of your mess.
Don't leave for those who come along later.
Leave the pasture as you found it.

 

[General Zod]

Once you've shot the hog, leave your place of concealment and, using a good knife, cut a six inch horizontal slit below the hog's sternum. Once you've cut through the skin and underlying fat and muscle, insert a 2lb jar of tannerite in the chest cavity and return to your concealed position. Then, in a loud voice, announce "Hey y'all - watch this!" and take a follow-up shot on the hog, detonating the tannerite.

Be sure to film the festivities.

 

[deemus]

I would drag it under a bush or tree, not leave it in the open. But its definitely staying there.

If its cold for a month or more, and the hog is under 80 lbs I would keep it.

But keep in mind that if you shoot a pig, you won't shoot a deer there.

 

[TexasHorn7]

I would drag it under a bush or tree, not leave it in the open. But its definitely staying there.

If its cold for a month or more, and the hog is under 80 lbs I would keep it.

But keep in mind that if you shoot a pig, you won't shoot a deer there.

I will only shoot them if I get skunked on a deer.

 

[billtool]

Bring a hacksaw with you. If it's big enough, cut out the tusks for a memory. After that - drag that nasty thing into some brush and call it good. Vermin.....