Noob Hog Hunter

[Tap]

Guess I was too many beers deep on my last post, sorry. I still don't think you need a license if it is a friend's family land and you are hunting them because they are a nuisance and destroying the land, which wouldn't be hard to argue. If you actually want to keep them that appears to be a different story. As others have posted though, you might as well keep a current license always for the price.

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[Dash Riprock]

I've looked into this a number of times. My conclusion is that the laws and regs are, at best, inconsistent. In one place, they define feral hogs as exotics, which require a license to hunt but generally have few other rules such as specific seasons or times of day. In other places, it specifically states that no license is required for landowners or landowners agents taking depredating feral hogs.

https://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/regulations/outdoor-annual/licenses/hunting-licenses-and-permits

A hunting license is not required to hunt the following:

• Depredating feral hogs, if a landowner (resident or non-resident) or landowner's agent or lessee is taking feral hogs causing depredation on the landowner's land.

Now, I don't know of any feral hog that doesn't cause depredation, and I don't know how you eradicate them without "hunting" them, and I don't know what constitutes "hunting" vs. "eradication" or whatever other word you want to use because afaik the tactics are essentially the same. I've heard and read anecdotal stories that it's up to the local game warden to decide. I don't like that. If I'm wearing camouflage pants I'm hunting, but if I'm in my Wranglers I'm not? If I go out at night looking for them I'm hunting but if I happen to drive by a sounder in the pasture one afternoon and whip out the 30-30 from behind the seat I'm not? Do I have to actually catch the hog in the act of "depredating" or can I assume that he just did or will soon? I don't know, and while by all indications Texas game wardens are a pretty fair bunch of folks, I don't like leaving these things up to the whims of a bureaucracy.

Anyway, I get that it's only $25 for a hunting license and it goes to support a lot of good things, so why not just get it and not worry. But I also get that these feral hogs are causing massive destruction and problems virtually everywhere so why not just let people shoot the damn things without worrying about whether they need a license or not, especially landowners on their own private land.

So I guess I can't offer the OP any good answers other than to say that it's not as cut and dried as some seem to think, and he's not the only one that's been confused by this.

btw, I have never heard that if you don't have a license you have to leave a shot hog where it drops and/or that you can't process it into food. Perhaps that "advice" came from a random game warden, which would be all the more reason for TPWD to clear this up.

 

[Ole Cowboy]

Guess I was too many beers deep on my last post, sorry. I still don't think you need a license if it is a friend's family land and you are hunting them because they are a nuisance and destroying the land, which wouldn't be hard to argue. If you actually want to keep them that appears to be a different story. As others have posted though, you might as well keep a current license always for the price.

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"Although feral hogs are not classified as game animals, a hunting license is required to hunt them."

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/nuisance/feral_hogs/

 

[Tap]

See Dash's quoted section directly above yours. I guess we could keep quoting the same two things over and over though. I would just buy the license if you are worried about it and don't have one already.

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[Younggun]

I think the problem with it is when it comes to hunting on a "friends" land. Or even "eradicating". The law specifically states legality for the land owner, land owners agent, or lessee.

I guess the definition of "land owners against" could be debated, by I think the $25 would be cheaper. Or sign a lease for $10 a year and run squirrels on the property...


I'll just get a license unless they are destroying my land. Got a license anyways so......

 

[Saltyag2010]

Get a license. Just do it. The game wardens don't care what you thought.
Ive hunted hogs with everything from 22 pistols to a 25-06 browning a bolt. I prefer a semi auto center fire with cheap ammo. An ar or Ak would be great. Semi auto 22s have been what I use the most.