Get the hog outta Texas

A

aarondhgraham

New member
Copy and paste this into Google,,,
Get the hog outta Texas

Apparently the state department of agriculture has announced,,,
Texas Department of Agriculture Announces Statewide County Challenge to Tackle Costly Feral Hog Problem
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This looks like good news for prospective hog hunters,,,
I have a friend down there who will probably be happy with this.

Anyways, for all you hoggers out there,,,
This might be a good opportunity.

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Awesome...now if they just put a bounty on their heads and paid my travel expenses and gave me some claymores, I'd fix the problem in no time :D
 
Really doubt it will help the guys wanting to travel to TX to hunt pigs. They all complain abou the hog problem but then they ask you to pay and limit the amount of hogs you can take or charge you some enormous fee for every hog taken over the first couple. Not too many Texans allow you free access to perform pest control.
 
Isn't Texas pretty much all private land, meaning if I was to come down there I'd have to pay someone to shoot hogs even if I dont have to buy a tag?

So how much, on average, do land owners charge to shoot hogs in Texas?
 
You have to pay $45 or it was the last time I was down there for a non-resident hunting license to hunt pigs. I paid $600 for a two hunter all inclusive pig hunt for two pigs per hunter. $90 per pig I shot over my alloted two pigs regardless of size.

The ranch was nice, the meals were excellent and so were the guest rooms. We hunted pigs all night and slept during the day. I had to pay extra to have the pigs cleaned and processed but it wasn't terribly expensive. All in all with the cost of diesel to drive 1000 miles one way plus the hunt, processing and gratuities to the staff, my BIL and I got it done for right around $1100 for a 2.5 day hunting trip. We brought home three pigs in the 150 lb range.

I'm not saying you can't hunt them cheaper if you look. I have looked pretty hard for a farmer or rancher that just wants his pig problem eradicated that will let you hunt for free. Those guys are few and far between.
 
I am sure in-state hunters go out and shoot some, but much of the Texas hog-hunting industry is for out-of-staters.

Ranchers love to hate hogs. They cry about how much damage they do, but hold out their hands for $300-$600 in order to hunt pigs on their land. City folks (being schooled in math in public schools) look at all this $5-$8/lb pork and say no thank you, and shop at Safeway for $1.99 pork instead. That leaves all those $600 pigs to breed 2-3 litters/year, making the problem worse, making the ranchers more vociferous about the $600 fee, making city folks stay in town, etc, etc.

Texas has its own self-created hog problem. If the State of Texas really wanted to get rid of hogs, they could just curtail the animal crop damage payments and the ranchers would tell people to shoot as many as they want. I predict the hog problem would disappear pretty quick.

And FWIW, ranchers in California, Florida, Arkansas, Mississippi, etc, are in the same boat. As long as the hogs are worth $500-$1000 to a hunter, there will always be more hogs (farming/ranching income being what it is).
 
Hogs are here to stay. Not only in Texas, but everywhere else too. They are too smart, nimble, and quick to be completely eradicated. It won't be long before they are in all 50 states in greater numbers.
 
Can't wait for them to get to Stillwater,,,

It won't be long before they are in all 50 states in greater numbers.
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I have a brand new H&R .357 Magnum rifle,,,
I would like to try it out on a hog,,,
Give the meat to the shelter.

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They all complain abou the hog problem but then they ask you to pay and limit the amount of hogs you can take or charge you some enormous fee for every hog taken over the first couple.
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Your gross generalization isn't accurate, especially given that you claim that this is what all Texans do. Neither is Scorch's.

So how much, on average, do land owners charge to shoot hogs in Texas?
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It varies considerably and for many reasons, especially given what sort of package attributes come with the deal.

Since we are gross generalizing, non-landowners all complain because so few landowners will give them a free ride and assume all liability risks along the way. No doubt many more landowners would be willing to let non-landowners hunt for free or for a lot less if the non-landowners posted a substantial bond or provided liability insurance that covered the owner should the hunter do something stupid and/or irresponsible.

Without such coverage, an incident caused by the hunter could result in a significant lawsuit against the landowner that potentially could result in a substantial cash settlement that the landowner may not be able to meet.

Texas has its own self-created hog problem. If the State of Texas really wanted to get rid of hogs, they could just curtail the animal crop damage payments and the ranchers would tell people to shoot as many as they want.
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Exactly what Texas program pays ranchers for crop damage? Even if there is one, it likely pays too little and to to few ranchers/farmers to have much of an impact compared to the federal programs that do this.

and the ranchers would tell people to shoot as many as they want. I predict the hog problem would disappear pretty quick.
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Curtailing crop damage subsidys isn't going to do anything for reducing the liability risk to the landowner.

I predict the hog problem would disappear pretty quick.
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Can you name any other state where the hog problem has disappeared?

As long as the hogs are worth $500-$1000 to a hunter, there will always be more hogs (farming/ranching income being what it is).
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Wait. Up above you claimed that the farmers were charging too much to let people hunt resulting in unhunted pigs reproducing. Now you claim that the problem is caused by hunters who are willing to pay handsomely to hunt hogs.
 
"...my BIL and I got it done for right around $1100 for a 2.5 day hunting trip."

For perspective, check out the cost for two guys for a one-day offshore charter-boat fishing trip in the Gulf--from any port, not just in Texas. No room and board on that trip, either.

A problem for out-of-staters anywhere for any type of hunting is that of getting to know landowners and find out what are the best deals. There are many farmers and ranchers who, IF THEY KNOW THE HUNTER, would let hogs be hunted for free. Strangers? Gotta cover the cost of the liability insurance premium and make some money from the hassle factor.

And, face reality: If you owned land and found a way to pick up some extra dollars, would you really, really, do a "give it away for free" deal? Really?
 
Here in ND there was a landowner that made people pay to hunt deer on his land. Well long story short the city guy slipped on a rock broke his leg and sue the farmer. They city guy won because he payed the landowner to hunt, the judge said if he would have let the hunter hunt for free the landowner would have won the case. This seems like the total opposite of what you guys are saying. Not saying your wrong but whos right? In the end I think its about whos behind the court stand.

I dont pig hunt becasue I can survive off of deer meat and I rarely eat pork. But the experts have said within the next 10 years they will be a problem in ND so I will just wait and shoot them for free on my own property.
 
For perspective, check out the cost for two guys for a one-day offshore charter-boat fishing trip in the Gulf--from any port, not just in Texas. No room and board on that trip, either.

A problem for out-of-staters anywhere for any type of hunting is that of getting to know landowners and find out what are the best deals. There are many farmers and ranchers who, IF THEY KNOW THE HUNTER, would let hogs be hunted for free. Strangers? Gotta cover the cost of the liability insurance premium and make some money from the hassle factor.

And, face reality: If you owned land and found a way to pick up some extra dollars, would you really, really, do a "give it away for free" deal? Really?
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Art, I agree with everthing you say, plus that price I quoted was 2006 prices. But coming from out of State a lot of people see $$ signs. It is even happening here, I've lost land that I've always hunted because people have offered up stupid sums of money for mediocre game.

$500 a buck pronghorn when most average 12-13" around here. That is what I was told I'd have to pay to hunt on land I've been hunting on the last 15 years. I won't pay it until I have no other choice.

Plus I guess that having a simple signed liabilty waiver isn't enough in TX? I use one all the time when I hunt private property or let someone on my Famlies. Plus it is stated right there that I am responsible to pay for any damages I might cause the landowners property. Then I follow simple rules like staying on trails with my vehicles and giving safe distance from all structures and sensitive areas. Not that hard of a thing to do, and I find most people I let hunt are very respectful to our property since they want to continue to hunt.
 
Plus I guess that having a simple signed liabilty waiver isn't enough in TX? I use one all the time when I hunt private property or let someone on my Famlies. Plus it is stated right there that I am responsible to pay for any damages I might cause the landowners property.
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You sign a wavier saying that you won't sue and that you will pay for damages you cause to the owner's property, but that does not protect the landowner from suit from 3rd parties when you negligently shoot at an animal without knowing what is beyond it and end up shooting another person.

In other words, the wavier does not actually protect the landowner fully and so the landowner endures significant financial civil and possible criminal risk as a result of your hunting.

Here is a nice little read for you.
http://www.texashuntfish.com/app/wildlife-resources/21735/The-Texas-Deer-Lease
 
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Good old tort liability. What we found about waivers for Sport Car Club of America racing is that they might psychologically dissuade somebody from suing, but they were essentially useless if somebody did sue. They're certainly for-sure no preventive medicine against a lawsuit.

And, yeah, taylorce1, I know what you mean about folks pricing us out of a place to hunt. Once Sumdood pays a bunch of money, it's like a dam broke. Landowners see some available bucks. I don't like it, but I always remember that the ad valorem tax folks don't care one iota whether or not a farmer or rancher makes a profit, much less a living. "Your money or your land."

Years back a bunch of us had a deer lease on a 7,000-acre ranch. The lease $$$ amount was basically what the rancher paid for his school taxes. They kept going up and up and up. Then some wealthy guys offered right at four times what we were paying...

Apologies for thread drift and philosophizing, but you can figure that as the US has become more like Europe for crowding and smaller tracts of land, it's going to be ever more difficult for smaller-billfold folks to find a place to hunt.

As far as hog hunting, about all we can do is hope that Texas Parks & Wildlife efforts can lead to more landowners opening up to outside hunters. Otherwise, same-old, same-old--and unending hog problems.
 
About 4 years ago I was doing a seismic project down by West Columbia, TX. The hogs were everywhere. I did not encounter a single large landowner who objected to shooting hogs on his land. Maybe that area is different than others, but those ranchers were glad to be rid of a few hogs.

It's a different matter when you are talking about staying on the ranch and getting the full-service treatment. And no doubt if a rancher hears that some people are actually willing to give him some money to shoot at his hogs, well of course he'll do it that way, he's not stupid.

All I know is that if I wanted to shoot some hogs in TX, I would go to Brazoria County and start knocking on some doors.
 
Landowners may be a lot less apt to just let people shoot on their property when events like this happen. Casey Kantner was in her car in a driveway a half mile away from a hunter who shot at and missed a deer. She was pregnant at the time and hit in the head when the shot came through a window, but survived. The hunter was found 90% responsible and the landowner a mere 10% responsible.

http://tribune-democrat.com/outdoors/x519131516/JOE-GORDEN-Public-access-in-limbo

Shot in 2004, still has problems in 2008
http://blog.pennlive.com/lvbreakingnews/2008/01/measure_would_ban_rifle_huntin.html

I can't find how much the settlement was for, but would be willing to be bet that the scope of the injury, possible long term effects, etc., it was likely substantial.
 
I hate to pop everybodys bubble but this is not intended to open anything up for the public or any hunters. The idea is to get counties in Texas to sign on to the old ADC project which means the county hires a trapper paid in part by the Dept of Agriculture and Texas P&W. The bonus for the county with the most kills will get more $$$$. As far as the average hunter/rancher relationship, most ranchers would rather have diarrhea than hunters on his land. You can thank the few that have shot everything that moves to the moron that believes the pasture is a great dumping ground. And don't forget the idiots that shoot domestic animals and then drives off leaving the rancher with lost revenue or the other dimwit that brings a popgun to hunt deer/hogs with and then can't find the wounded animal.
 
These last two posts seem to be from the only folks who knew anything about the program. The opening post made it look like it would be a hunting opportunity for individuals.

Anybody know how much money will be allocated to the program?
 
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