Feral Pigs!

[ne kid]

I am going in April my cost will be ammunition, and chipping in to buy some corn they are all over down there. 250$ is a pretty cheap hunt with no license required. I think if Texas wanted them they wouldn't have dropped license required to hunt them last September.

[pianoman9701]

A couple of years ago I looked into hog hunting in TX. For several properties, the cost was $500/day and you sit on a feeder/ Lots of money to shoot pigs that may be hazardous to your health to eat. Leptospirosis is a zoonosis - it transfers to humans. Not for me thanks.

[Rob]

seems to me two different groups here.

-State of TX wants them gone
-Outfitters who sell hunts want them to stay.

This will manifest conflicting policies for pig management.

[b0bbyg]

seems to me two different groups here.

-State of TX wants them gone
-Outfitters who sell hunts want them to stay.

This will manifest conflicting policies for pig management.

I agree with you, it is not a yes or no question on does Texas or do Texans want pigs, it just depends on the lens you are looking through.  Some folks with lots of land that is not completely used so why not have some hogs and charge people to shoot them. 
Imagine if you are a more residential neighborhood near one of these wide open areas, guessing they do not want them.
The State likely does not want them because they do not want the nuisance calls.
There are people down there making a living off of them, they will manage so that they can continue to do so.

 

[pianoman9701]

seems to me two different groups here.

-State of TX wants them gone
-Outfitters who sell hunts want them to stay.

This will manifest conflicting policies for pig management.

I'd be willing to bet there are major penalties for releasing pigs for sport in almost every state in the lower 48.

[Rob]

Probably - however Texas has lots of exotics so they may have different rules.  And I know many outfitters have fenced in their feral pigs and then manage them for hunting.

[Pegasus]

Used to be a problem with them in Washington down by Montesano. Not sure if they ever eradicated them but they was a year-round open season on them. Not sure that you even needed a hunting license to harvest them.

[pianoman9701]

Texas Administrative Code

Next Rule>>
TITLE 4   AGRICULTURE
PART 2   TEXAS ANIMAL HEALTH COMMISSION
CHAPTER 55   SWINE
RULE §55.9   Feral Swine

...
(5) Suspension/Revocation. The commission may suspend the authorization for an approved holding facility if the owner or operator fails to generate, maintain or provide records on feral swine as provided in paragraph (4) of this subsection, fails to maintain swine-proof fences to prevent the ingress or egress of feral swine, or violates any of the provisions of this chapter or the provisions of Chapter 161 of the Agriculture Code. The suspension will remain in effect until the deficiencies that were the cause of the suspension are corrected and any penalties assessed as result of the suspension are satisfied and a written suspension release is provided by the agency. The authorization for a holding facility may be revoked for blatant or repetitive violation(s) of the feral swine law or rules or for repeated failure to meet the requirements contained in this chapter.
(d) Authorized Hunting Preserve.
  (1) To trap, move, and release live feral swine, a person must apply and receive commission authorization for a hunting preserve. Authorization is required for each hunting preserve.
  (2) If feral swine are to be trapped and moved for release to a hunting preserve, the hunting preserve shall meet the following requirements:
    (A) Only male feral swine (i.e. boars and/or barrows) may be trapped, moved and released to a hunting preserve;
    (B) Any feral swine released must be individually identified with a commission approved form of identification prior to release;
    (C) Records shall be generated and maintained as provided in subsection (c)(4) of this section;
    (D) Have a Hunting Lease License with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the license must be current and in good standing with that agency, as provided for in Chapter 43 of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Code;
    (E) Be enclosed by a swine-proof fence and the fence shall be maintained continually to prevent the egress of feral swine;
    (F) Feral swine shall not be fed any garbage or waste as defined in Chapter 165 of the Texas Agriculture Code; and
    (G) The authorization for a hunting preserve may be suspended or rescinded if owner and/or the operator fails to generate, maintain or provide records on feral swine as provided in subsection (c)(4) of this section, sufficient fences are not maintained, or violates any of the provisions of this chapter or the provisions of Chapter 161 of the Agriculture Code. The suspension will remain in effect until the deficiencies that were the cause of the suspension are corrected and any penalties assessed as result of the suspension are satisfied. The preserve will be notified in writing when the suspension has been lifted. The authorization for a hunting preserve may be rescinded for blatant or repetitive violation(s) of the feral swine law or rules or for repeated failure to meet the requirements contained in this chapter.

(h) Violations and Penalties. In addition to any other violations that may arise under the act or this chapter:
  (1) It is a violation for any person to falsify an application.
  (2) Any violation of these rules is subject to the appropriate administrative, civil or criminal penalties. In addition, the agency may revoke or deny renewal of a permit and/or assess administrative penalties against any person for a violation of these rules.

I can't find where those penalties are listed. Texas is dead serious about containing feral pigs. They're not alone.

[Rob]

"    (E) Be enclosed by a swine-proof fence and the fence shall be maintained continually to prevent the egress of feral swine;"

I would argue there is no such thing!

[pianoman9701]

"    (E) Be enclosed by a swine-proof fence and the fence shall be maintained continually to prevent the egress of feral swine;"

I would argue there is no such thing!

I bet Texas has a standard and it must be maintained. I found it interesting that hunting preserves can only bring in males - so no breeding - and they must keep records of each animal released.

[Stein]

For those of you that haven't done business in TX, it's a different environment.  The state is almost 96% privately owned and the state gives tremendous power to the landowner, much unlike our state.  It's hard to exaggerate how different TX is in every way when it comes to regulation, enforcement and how their game agencies work compared to ours.

My company built a facility down there and one of the huge selling points to us and our customers is that there is such little regulation.  We can permit a project in a week that would take 5 years in this state.  Many of our projects don't even require permits.

The hunting industry is huge money and I agree that some landowners are paying the price.  That said, you will almost never find a free pig hunt and there are a huge amount of people that make a good living or a nice addition to their income through it.  Every day, people bring pigs in and move them around so people can have the hunts they want.

There are also a ton of other exotic non-native animals that are managed by landowners, you really can't compare TX to any other state I have been in, even Alaska.

There are rules of course, and then there is the motto where you get after it, make your money and the state and local government usually is pretty happy that business is going on.

They have all kinds of interesting hunting stuff down there.  Ask someone down there about their pigeon or dove hunts where 6 figures change hands on a regular basis.  I bet there are laws against that as well.

[kidkodger]

I researched hog hunts a few years ago.  Everything starts with the damage they cause, but dig deeper and there's money being made.  I learned that at least in Cali it is very rare to take a pig on public land due to hunting pressure.  I had to pay the state for a license and a tag for the privilege of helping them with their problem.  Our fishing guide went into great detail about his trapping, holding, and processing facility for hogs.  He got pretty coy about what he actually does with the pigs, sounded like a very expensive hobby.  Certainly California has much more regulation than Texas which, I think, is why he never really told us the end of the story. They say pigs are smart as dogs, how many do you think can be killed on a piece of property year round?  A friend hunts family land in Texas for a week each year.  He says he has one shot at the pigs and then they'll move off the property for weeks.  "Hog Wild" in the video takes in 2000 a year!

[Platensek-po]

I researched hog hunts a few years ago.  Everything starts with the damage they cause, but dig deeper and there's money being made.  I learned that at least in Cali it is very rare to take a pig on public land due to hunting pressure.  Our fishing guide went into great detail about his trapping, holding, and processing facility for hogs.  He got pretty coy about what he actually does with the pigs, sounded like a very expensive hobby.  Certainly California has much more regulation than Texas which, I think, is why he never really told us the end of the story. They say pigs are smart as dogs, how many do you think can be killed on a piece of property year round?  A friend hunts family land in Texas for a week each year.  He says he has one shot at the pigs and then they'll move off the property for weeks.  "Hog Wild" in the video takes in 2000 a year!

Curious about this. If I remember correctly it’s estimated feral hogs cause over 1 billion in damages each year. What’s the revenue from hunting them?? Is it over a billion?? I looked into Hog hunting and it made no sense to me. People want a lot of money to have you “help” with their hog “problem”. California has no limits but it costs about $100 a pig for permits. If they wanted them gone that number would be a lot lower. I would rather save that money and put it towards deer or elk in another state. I’ve wondered about contacting Texas and Oklahoma fish and game for nuisance complaints and seeing if you get permission for “free” hog hunts. Anyone have experience with that?

[follow maggie]

A couple of years ago I looked into hog hunting in TX. For several properties, the cost was $500/day and you sit on a feeder/ Lots of money to shoot pigs that may be hazardous to your health to eat. Leptospirosis is a zoonosis - it transfers to humans. Not for me thanks.

But places where the most pigs are found- Texas, Oklahoma, California are pretty dry, so the risk is very minimal. If you want to do a hunt, don’t let that scare you away. I’ve done 2 pig hunts in California and had great tins and came home with a bunch of excellent meat.

[idaho guy]

Probably - however Texas has lots of exotics so they may have different rules.  And I know many outfitters have fenced in their feral pigs and then manage them for hunting.

 

  the pigs the outfitters are buying and dumping are fenced in. There’s still rules regarding game farms but they can transport and relocate pigs and other game. It’s different than just releasing a bunch of hogs out into the national forest