Hunting News

New laws affect feral hog hunting, licenses in effect

New laws affect feral hog hunting, licenses in effect

By Texas Parks and Wildlife

Feral hogs are so loathed by landowners in Texas for their habitat destroying behavior that since Sept. 1, landowners won’t need a hunting license to pursue them on private property. The new law removes even more obstacles from controlling hog numbers.

The new law exempts any person—resident or nonresident—with landowner consent, from a hunting license requirement to hunt feral hogs. The new law removes any reference to depredation and the exemption applies for the take of all feral hogs.

It is still a violation to hunt without a license if hunting without consent.

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.

A hunting license is still required on public land. Hunter education requirements also still apply.

Also, effective as of Sept. 1, in most cases hunters will not be required to carry their original paper hunting and fishing licenses with them to the field.

The new regulation allows licensees to use a photograph of their physical license to serve as verification of a valid license while hunting any game that doesn’t need a tag, like dove. Hunters must carry their physical license for deer and turkey hunts.

The license can now be viewed digitally on the Outdoor Annual mobile app.

Also accepted will be a legible digital photo, the emailed receipt or online purchase record. If the Outdoor Annual app was downloaded before Aug. 15, hunters need to update it to version 6 to access the license and view the 2019-2020 regulations.

Copyright 2024 by Buckmasters, Ltd.

Copyright 2020 by Buckmasters, Ltd