Hog Hunting

Me and a buddy were talking about going hog hunting but he doesnt have a hunting license and i said he would have to get one. well he called me later that night and said he doesnt think he will since there is no season bag limit restrictions nothing on them. only thing the book says basically is kill the dang things. i told him to get one anyway and he is. but it just got me thinking do you have to have a hunting license to hunt hogs?

far as I know you dont need a liscense

anyone going with me and carrying a gun has to have a license and hunter safety if their age dictates it. May or may not HAVE to have one, but it's too cheap and easy to get one to have to explain to the GW that you aren't hunting deer. One member of having the look of being a scofflow makes for extra scrutiny of everyone else in the party.

Far as I know, regardless of what species, you have to have the license as well as the Hunters Education card.

If you have a gun or weapon of any kind in your hand you need a liscense

Just going on memory, but I believe you have to have a license unless you're hunting hogs that are causing damage to your property. My guess is some GW's would say any hog on your property is causing damage, while others would not feel that way. Best bet is to buy the license.

I am not disagreeing but I belive you don't have to have a licence as long as it's not it deer season. But there is no way of telling whether you are really hunting hogs.

Be on the safe side and get one.
Pay for a licence > pay for a fine

false

by that reasoning, when someone comes out to my house they would need a hunting license, which is not true


false


being that it is deer season has absolutely nothing to do with hog hunting!!!

u dont need a license if u are the land owner or the land owners agent and are taking hogs that are depredating ur land.

i dont know where people get this idea that deer hunting and hog hunting have some mysterious connection....

Well I think if you are HUNTING hogs you will need a Hunting License. I don't think it matters what is in season or not.

I do know if you go coyote hunting you will need a Hunting License.

So if you hunt anything in Texas a hunting license is required.

All I was saying was that if the GW comes and you "say" you are hog hunting, then it becomes your word against his judgement. And it is probably a good idea just to get a licence to be on the safe side.

I have never and will never think the two are connected in anyway. I do both so I know there is a difference.

ya, so if it is not deer season and im out hog hunting, and i SAY im hog hunting how would he know the dif then??? being deer season has absolutely noting to do with it, that and most people hunt hogs at night

you have to have a lisence to hunt in the state of texas regardless of the species or game you are hunting. The animals are public hunting its NOT like fishing private ponds vs. public waters. All game animals are public to hunt and you will need a license to legally hunt them.

I didn't know you could speak for most people but the Warden cant say out of deer season "Oh well i think you could be poaching"...not possible. In deer season it is. A lot of people poach deer at night...its called spotlighting

not if u are the land owner or the land owners agent taking hogs that are depredating land/ agriculture.

here u go


A hunting license is required of any person, regardless of age, who hunts any animal, bird, frog or turtle in this state (except furbearers, if the hunter possesses a trapper's license). No license is required for nuisance fur-bearing animals, depredating hogs or coyotes (see below). Non-residents under 17 years of age may purchase and hunt with the Youth Hunting License (Type 169).

Exceptions: a hunting license is not required to hunt the following:

Coyotes, if the coyotes are attacking, about to attack, or have recently attacked livestock, domestic animals, or fowl.
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.
Fur-bearing animals, if the hunter possesses a trapper's license or if the fur-bearing animals are causing depredation.
Note: All laws and regulations governing hunter education still apply.



http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/annual/general/hunt_licenses/



not sayin he should not get a license, i would reccommend it, but, you do not ALWAYS have to have a license when hunting hogs.

So I was right??

deer season has absolutely nothing to do with it.

just sit back and think about the context ur putting it in. being deer season has nothing to do with how or when u hog hunt. if it was legal to hunt hogs that way before deer season, it is legal to hunt it like that during deer season. No where in the law book does it say "u can do this, except during deer season" thats not how it works


o, and btw most people do hog hunt at night (at least when they are specifically going for hogs)

Did you see that I CLEARLY SAID I DONT THINK YOU HAVE TO HAVE ONE?? GET ONE TO BE SAFE??

there, i fixed the bold for u. now what were u sayin?

I said i belive not know. Never said I knew..just sayin what I thought. Never been a problem cuz I've always had a licence.

me too

he got his license anyway cause i do not have good luck with law enforcement. just thought it was an interesting topic cause when he told me that it definetly made me scratch my head and wonder

YES... the key word is hunt... if you're going to hunt anything in Texas you need a hunting license.

rick, that still is not true.
notice the key word. When i go out to hunt hogs that are tearing up our stuff, i dont need a hunting license, now if i go to a game ranch, and pay to go on an exotic hog hunt, then yes i do. but u can still HUNT them without a license if they meet these criteria!


a hunting license is not required to hunt the following:

Coyotes, if the coyotes are attacking, about to attack, or have recently attacked livestock, domestic animals, or fowl.
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.
Fur-bearing animals, if the hunter possesses a trapper's license or if the fur-bearing animals are causing depredation.
Note: All laws and regulations governing hunter education still apply.

Yeah Brandon, your point is accurate but I would say that during deer season it will be assumed you are hunting deer. The LEO, the judge and most juries would lean that direction. While I don't disagree with your premise I do think that there are too many who would use a "loop hole" like that to do wrong and I think that a LEO should be consistent in the application of enforcement.

You are correct, MOST people don't meet those criteria.
Yes you're fine if it's your land or you work for the land owner ( I don't "think" paying for a spot on a deer lease makes you an agent) ( and I also know that wasn't mentioned). Notice he doesn't say they are going on his land or his boss' land.

Me and a buddy were talking about going hog hunting but he doesnt have a hunting license and i said he would have to get one. well he called me later that night and said he doesnt think he will since there is no season bag limit restrictions nothing on them. only thing the book says basically is kill the dang things. i told him to get one anyway and he is. but it just got me thinking do you have to have a hunting license to hunt hogs?

I guess it would help if we had the definition of "agent and maybe "depredation"


I also know (especially with the night hunting and being deer season) a GW can always issue a ticket and let you and the judge decide if you're guilty on not.

yess pass thru, but a person is not hunting deer unless he takes or attempts to take a deer.... now how could a game warden infer that when im out at night with 4 other guys blasting away at hogs that im deer hunting?????

True but that wasn't their situation.

If I'm a landowner without a hunting license and I kill a depredating hog on my property, am I allowed to keep the meat? Likewise, if I shoot a coyote that is harassing my livestock, can I keep the hide?

I seem to vaguely recall something about having to leave these "nuisance" kills where they fall. Might be old info, not sure???

that i dont know about texan... i know u cant sell the hide without a trappers license or something.

If a person were to get a citation for hunting w/o a lic , a lawyer or even the time lost from work would be much more than a license would cost to begin with...

JUST BUY A DAMN LICENSE!!!!!

my grandpa hasnt bought a license in many years, he doesn Hunt at all, but he will damn sure blast a yotee or a hog. he plainly doesnt need one.

That's right. That's how that warden gets paid.^^^^

I hunted with an old man in Missouri who killed a deer when he wanted one too. He figured it was his land, his crops they eat then it was just like any steer he was raising too. But if the skunk marshal had showed up and given him a citation he still would have been in the wrong regardless of his reasoning.

game warden told him he didnt need one as long as he was shooting hogs that were tearin up the place....

ya but my grandpa doesnt shoot deer, he doesnt shoot anything besides coyotes and hogs..... hell, he wont even shoot a koon lol!

You are still young. Your understanding should evolve as you grow older and tired of fighting the machine.

There are many people who are legitimately killing hogs and coyotes to protect their property and/or animals, but there are many more who are just trying to hunt hogs without a license. If a person falls in the first category, I say blast away. If you're in the second, you're just trying to weasel out of buying a license. Just like RICK O'SHAY said, buy the license and be done with it.

Just curious.
Since you don't have to have a hunting licence, do you need to have taken your hunter's education?
I mean you are hunting none the less.

I have both but in some respect it makes sense. But I can also see why you wouldn't.

i thought you were going straight from class to the woods ryan? and so all yall on here dont think im some kind of outlaw i DID make him buy his license

The book says that you do not need a license if you are the owner of the land or an agent of the land owner shooting hogs causing depredation, which a lot of you have established, however the book also says that the meat cannot be processed.

im sorry but if i was to kill a hog due to depredation and didnt have my license for some unknown reason since i have a lifetime super combo i would process the meat and say its the hog payin me back for the damage it has done

Yeah, 25 bucks is cheap insurance. Me? I lease - it would be tough to prove a depredation action, and I'd rather just show a game warden my license if they came and asked.

I had thought of this before, so if I were invited to a farm or something where the landowner had a real problem, assuming I had no license, I think I would ask the owner for a letter stating it was for depredation and I had permission to be there.

TPWD says yes to hunter education even for depredation hunts if it is required.
"Note: All laws and regulations governing hunter education still apply."

Lol no not this week. Goin to the A&M t.u. game to watch the Ags put a whoopin on the longhorns!!!
GIG'EM AGS!

Thanks Brandon. I was wrong. However I will always have a license!