Can you hunt hogs at night in texas

Bryan Hughes Mineola , passed during the 86th Texas Legislature and exempts any person resident or nonresident , with landowner consent, from a hunting license requirement to hunt feral hogs.

It is still a violation to hunt without a license if hunting without consent. The new law removes any reference to depredation and the exemption applies for the take of all feral hogs.

The new law only applies to private property, and is irrelevant of whether or not it is a paid hunt, although allowing hunting access in return for financial or other consideration still requires a hunting lease license from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Follow our 3 tips below for a successful night hunt.

Hogs have an extremely well-developed, keen sense of smell, which they rely on heavily to seek out food. Because hogs can smell some odors from up to miles away, loading up feeders with their natural food sources is a great way to lure them out in the open.

Automatic feeders can be set to go off after dark and frequent baiting in an area where there is optimal visibility, like a field, will serve to train the hogs. Red lights are the best for hunting at night; attaching a light to the underside of a hog feeder to illuminate the area and provide a clear visual before you shoot is a surefire wire to guarantee a successful hunting trip.

Feral hogs originated from domestic sources and were first introduced into the U. Subsequent escapes from holding pens or intentional releases resulted in a free-ranging population currently estimated to be between 1. Feral hogs are not a game or non-game species in Texas.

Instead, feral hogs are considered exotic livestock as described in Texas Parks and Wildlife Code Section 1. Because of this distinction, they are not owned by anyone until they express control of the animal according to the Texas Agriculture Code Section This figure does not account for damage in suburban areas or growing concerns over impacts to water quality, as in the Plum Creek Watershed. Landowners or their agents are allowed to kill feral hogs on their property without a hunting license if feral hogs are causing damage.

However, any landowner that plans to trap or snare hogs should have a valid Texas hunting license, since these activities could affect other wildlife species.