We run some dogs and also do night vision hunts. located in North East Texas by Bonham. If you're interested shoot me a PM.

lots of good info here

I live in Montana and my job is selling Montana ranches for sale but I own a ranch In Montague County. I bring client groups down to fish and hunt pigs. We have a lot of pigs but it is always hit or miss on any given trip. They are incredibly disappointed if they don't get to shoot at some. It is so funny because these guys up here get so hyped up about pigs and fishing for largemouth. I think pigs just travel. Sometimes I see multiple groups of 50 pigs and then sometimes I don't see any at all. If you have fresh rooted up ground that is a pretty good sign you have them on your place at that time. Game Cameras are a God send. Drones would be even better I bet. Would a drone be legal for pigs? I would sure think so. If you can hunt out of a helicopter you should be able to spot with a drone?

We actually trap, dog hunting, and helicopter hunts and we can't seem to control them. I don't know the long term solution for this or if there is one.

From TPWD Outdoor Annual 2016-2017:

"Remote-controlled Hunting
A person may not engage in computer-assisted remote hunting of any animal or bird or provide or operate facilities for computer-assisted remote hunting if the animal or bird being hunted is located in Texas."

Would the remote control device be considered a computer assisting device? In my nonlegal opinion, yes. The drones with the weight capacity to handle a firearm, optics, cameras and firing control devices, are normally controlled via a tablet and cost in the thousands of dollars range. Plus you have the liability issues of controlling where the bullet travels, property lines, limited field of view, and handling of the recoil.

That's assuming you mean having a gun attached to the drone.

I am not a lawyer but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express once.

I think he was saying to use the drones just for spotting no?

GW says its ok to carry during bow!!!

it's been that way for a while now. You can have a rifle with you while bow hunting just for hogs or anything but deer.

Thanks!

A world of information, 100s of links, sites etc, and updates:

http://feralhogs.tamu.edu/files/2015/10/Texas-AM-AgriLifeExtension-Feral-Hog-Resources-8-15.pdf

Wonder also if spotting pigs w drone is legal...not looking to attach a gun to it.

Feral hogs can be quite smart IMHO especially the adult ones. They're quite good avoiding hunters especially with their sense of smell. Though sometimes, you'll be surprised on how easily you can catch them. So its probably they're easy to spot or really hard to find.

I've asked our local outfitter about their behavior and he said that feral hogs are indeed intelligent but sometimes their heightened senses at night can get the best of them against a hunter who knows how they behave.

Drones can�t be used for game animals. I would call the GW first so there is no misunderstanding

Heres a good complete guide to hog hunting. It covers their physical traits, their search for food, how well they hear / see / smell, how to find them, equipment to use, hunting methods, and more. It's a good well-rounded article on hog hunting.

Let us not overlook the fact that people penned and ate the pigs. Personally, of the two animals…I’d rather be the horse.

Four or five of us looking for an open range hog hunt near/in Fayette county at the end of March. Any help sourcing a ranch/guide is appreciated.

Nice post...the article is very complete and helpful

The key points seem to be that with a valid hunting license, you can hunt feral hogs with long guns and bows from dawn to dusk in most state/national parks, as long as don't bait, don't blind, and wear a blaze orange cap and vest. No permit or tag is needed, and you don't need a license to hunt them on private land.

I agree with you 100%. I’ve gone to some heavily hog-populated leases and have seen fresh signs of the hogs but NO hogs in sight. The last one I killed on that property I was walking at a pretty normal stride, ready to give up on my “spot and stalk” and there was a boar about 25 yards away, DOWNWIND with his head down eating. Crazy. Sometimes I think it is mostly just luck.

Actually you can with the right permits from the state and landowner. Aerial Management Permit (AMP) and a Land Owner Authorization (LOA).

Charlie