HOG HUNTING is done chiefly on private land in Texas.

Millions of acres of public land in Texas offer zero to marginal hog hunting opportunities. 

National parks, national preserves, national grasslands, state wildlife management areas and state parks could offer some level of public hog hunting opportunities, and in fact, some do. Yet, for the most part that access is severely restricted.

For example, hog hunting is greatly restricted on state-run wildlife management areas (WMA). That includes the Sam Houston National Forest, which is managed by the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD).

Areas of the federally-owned National Forest that are managed in partnership with TPWD include Moore Plantation (Sabine), Bannister (Angelina), Alabama Creek (Davy Crockett), Caddo (Caddo National Grassland) and the entirety of the aforementioned Sam Houston National Forest.

In terms of hog hunting restrictions, it is illegal to bait on any federal land. It is also illegal to bait on WMA land unless an exception has been made on a specific piece of property. The following Q&A is directly from a federal handout on hunting national forest land in East Texas on the aforementioned tracts.

Is it legal to hunt hogs with dogs on the National Forest at night?

Yes. A courtesy call to the local sheriff would be appreciated.

Can you hunt feral hogs at night in the WMA?

No. Hunting of feral hogs is restricted to daylight hours only.

Can you hunt feral hogs with a firearm in the WMA during archery season? Yes, hog season is open year-round, and you can use all legal means and methods within all the WMAs except for the Sam Houston WMA and Caddo WMA.

Sam Houston WMA has the archery only area—no firearms period. Caddo WMA has a season for feral hogs, and you can only use a bow during archery season for feral hogs.

What other restrictions are there on hunting with dogs within the WMA?

It is illegal to hunt deer, turkey, and feral hogs with dogs.

In East Texas that puts hundreds of thousands of acres either off access or greatly restricted to hog hunting. This gives hogs huge areas that are essentially sanctuaries where they can breed and disperse. When you factor in WMAs all across the state, you can see a smaller version of this happening in dozens of areas.

In addition, thousands of acres of National Wildlife Refuge lands are off limits to any kind of hog hunting along the coast. Aransas offers hogs to be killed during limited archery-only whitetail hunts. However, that is the only federal hog hunting opportunity we could find on refuges along the coast. Most of these areas have huge hog populations. This once again creates huge sanctuaries for hogs and no hunting zones for Texas hog hunters as we reported last summer.

For hunters who would like to get in on public hog hunting, the best option is to buy an Annual Public Hunting Permit for $48. You will receive a map booklet detailing all of the state sponsored public hunting opportunities. You can find it at https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/hunt/public/annual_public_hunting/.

Roy Neves

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