What would it take to allow someone to hunt hogs?

[WItoTX]

As everyone knows, hogs are a huge problem here in Texas. People that own land often complain they are bad, destroy land, injure livestock, transmit disease, eat deer corn, etc...Everyone knows the arguments. However, for as destructive as they are, no one allows anyone to shoot hogs for free (In all fairness, maybe I just haven't found anyone that will).

The landowner position is they could be sued, don't know the person, can't trust a person, among others. As a landowner in Wisconsin, I totally understand this position. But I know that in order to have as many deer as we want on our land, we need more coyotes cleared out than we could ever shoot (Don't get me started on wolves), especially with me in Texas. We let people on our land to shoot coyotes for free. We know them enough to trust them, a clear explanation of the rules is given, and if they break them, they are out. It works pretty well. A lot of times we get something in return, like meat, or sheds, or at the very least, we get a coyote removed from our property. Knock on wood, never had an issue.

My question is, for you guys who are land owners here in Texas, what would it take to allow someone on your property to shoot hogs? Nothing, trust, money, signed paperwork? And what considerations am I leaving out of my thought process?

I am not criticizing anyone, I just want landowner thoughts.

[Bigyummy77]

In for the answers!

[2B4Him]

I think trust would be BY FAR the biggest consideration.
We own land that is planted for pines that we lease to deer hunters. It is 3 hours away and our primary concern is that the trees aren't burned down! So, we don't require a lot in signing up lessees for hunting the land. (Pay the required amount and don't mess things up, all is good.)
However, if it were land I lived on or had annual crops or livestock, I would be much more concerned with who was going to hunt it.
Add to that the scenario of someone wanting to hunt hogs for free - I would have to trust the person a lot to allow it.
Yes, eliminating hogs would do a farmer/landowner a service, but a careless shot, a gate left open, etc. can cause much more problems than it may be worth.

[Abcdj]

I don't own land but I would say that liability would be the biggest issue.
You ask to hunt.
Landowner is nice and says yes.
You have an accident and break a leg or arm or worse shoot yourself.
You sue him!
Plus everything mentioned above, shooting cows, gates open, trash left, bringing a friend, coming back 2-3-4 times.
Times have changed!

[texashunter56]

For me personally it is the trust issue. I do not want the headaches that come with "free" hunts. I am the one having to pay the extra for those "free" hunts. I would have to worry about reworking rutted or washed out roads, fires, trash, gates left open or shut by mistake or laziness, shooting near neighbors homes or careless shots, the person I let hunt free now is bringing his buddies(who I do not know) to hunt for free, my time wasted chasing buzzards to find out what is dead, etc. Most free hunts only show up when they want to, not when I need them to. When I find a hog problem, I need it taken care of ASAP. I do not like night hunting traffic on my land since that is when the whitetail are the most active. I do not want to have any hog feeders and all my feeders are in feed pens(except for the one at the house). I am managing the places to improve the whitetails. IME, when someone is paying for a lease they are more likely to hunt it more often to get their monies worth. I have more control over that person with lease rules, etc.

[J Sweet]

I own property that has "hog issues". Trust is it. If I don't know you I cant trust you will care for my property the way I wish or that you would sue me if you hurt yourself.

[mastercraftka]

Landowner here. I think it might be different for each of us. We have hogs but not to the point where they are destroying everything so we don't have a need to get people to come out and shoot them. We have plenty of family that can take care of that plus we can trap them.
So for us we do hog hunts for a minimal amount mainly to help pay for some corn throughout the year and mainly just do it from February to September. So the long and short of for us is we don't let people hunt for free but not making our living from hunting either.
I think that TV shows have created this feeling that ALL landowners are over run and need people to come help eradicate them. I don't know many people in our area that beg people to come shoot hogs on their land. Just my observation.

oh and yes we do require a release of liability.

[GarGuy]

here is my take... Most of the folks looking for "free" hunts are entitlement mentality folks. Im sure you are the exception. Those same folks are the most likely to push the limits and abuse the invitation, they dont have a vested interest anyway. If you dont believe me, go read the GUEST MISTAKES thread. It will open your eyes to why land owners wont let guests on their property.

[NAVY CHIEF]

Plenty of hogs in Texas on public land...48 bucks...get your bow and go....the army corps lake where I live has thousands of hogs....I shot a trophy boar 3 weeks ago

[NAVY CHIEF]

In my screen pic!

[Shinesintx]

I don't want people I don't know on my land. I don't want those people knowing where my land it, cuz I don't live there...it's trust. I don't have a lot of land to trust them with, but people do stupid stuff in the woods. Once ya let them hunt, they feel entitled to hunt. Why should I give away something away that I paid for?

[mastercraftka]

Originally Posted by GarGuy

here is my take... Most of the folks looking for "free" hunts are entitlement mentality folks. Im sure you are the exception. Those same folks are the most likely to push the limits and abuse the invitation, they dont have a vested interest anyway. If you dont believe me, go read the GUEST MISTAKES thread. It will open your eyes to why land owners wont let guests on their property.

I agree but to tag onto that also is people that pay for a hunt expect to be able to do whatever the hec the want to. Some are trigger happy idiots. They go out and shoot at everything that moves and then come in and say I didn't see any hogs or deer!! No crap i wonder why.

I digress getting off point but I do think there is a definite risk that the landowner takes when letting someone on their land. If you hunt it long enough something is bound to happen. We have a saying in education admin business " Its not if something will happen, its when!"

[NAVY CHIEF]

Definately a liability issue here in Texas....you just have to know people!...its not what you know but who u know....that's it

[gingib]

For me here is what it is:

1. Trust
2. Liability
3. My place isn't huge and I love hunting them, so I usually take friends when I go or offer. I don't own but 140 acres, but I have access to several hundred more to hog hunt.
4. Not worth dealing with strangers as some hunters are very naïve and clueless unfortunately and I don't have time to deal with all that

[BrandonA]

For us its a liability issue. Second we have cows and we don't want people out shooting at night . Second its the fact that with exception to many people just don't leave things how they find them.

[mastercraftka]

Originally Posted by NAVY CHIEF

Definately a liability issue here in Texas....you just have to know people!...its not what you know but who u know....that's it

Thats true about alot of things!!

[lsoutdoorstx]

I agree with all about trust. THINK ABOUT IT - Who will let a stranger or someone you don't know come onto your private property with a weapon, not in 2017, maybe in 1957.

Also to Navy Chief, he is point on about Public Hunting Land opportunities. Pay $40 Annual Public hunting permit with a Texas hunting license and you can hunt endless places. I am nearby a large federal property (200,000+ acres) and rarely anyone hunts it. Like was said before, it's who you know. My family has land and before they did I knew people with land, you got a will then find the way!

[Brute Killer]

I've been burned TWICE by people that I TRUSTED.
About all I'll do anymore is take someone out to the place. There is no more open access granted any more.

[Brute Killer]

Originally Posted by GarGuy

here is my take... Most of the folks looking for "free" hunts are entitlement mentality folks. Im sure you are the exception. Those same folks are the most likely to push the limits and abuse the invitation, they dont have a vested interest anyway. If you dont believe me, go read the GUEST MISTAKES thread. It will open your eyes to why land owners wont let guests on their property.

I agree. We had one guy on our place running hogs with dogs at the request of the guys that were planting corn on our place.
Everything started out great, then he started bringing all his buddies out with him. I found about 6 guys out running hogs one day. Not the agreement. The last straw was a gate on the county road left open.

Another guy I had known for many years and he was just trapping. His son ended up shooting a deer.

[Bazo]

My land is like my home, it's personal. Just like I don't want some Joe Blow walking around my backyard, I don't want them out on my land. 1 hunt will turn into 2 and then 3 and the next thing you know you have a new resident. Then comes the "man I saw a really nice buck out there" and now they know you have good deer.....to me unless you want to run a lease for hunters you only take family and friends to help with hogs.

[BrandonA]

Originally Posted by Bazo

My land is like my home, it's personal. Just like I don't want some Joe Blow walking around my backyard, I don't want them out on my land. 1 hunt will turn into 2 and then 3 and the next thing you know you have a new resident. Then comes the "man I saw a really nice buck out there" and now they know you have good deer.....to me unless you want to run a lease for hunters you only take family and friends to help with hogs.

This is so true. Don't forget " Would it be ok if I bring a friend or two."

[SCREAMINREELS]

Inherited a place in Centerville. Friends I trust (very few) could go shoot pigs while I was there.
A friend of my dad's could go up when he wants and shoot pigs and he's let one of his employees do it the employee had earned trust and knee he'd probably not only lose hunting permission but also his job if he screwed up (place is now sold)

Have a best friend that owns a large place that's invited me to go shoot pigs with him...Not without him and that's the same way I would do it

If it was someone I didn't know I'd charge them because I wouldn't someone there when I wasn't...If I'm having to supervise you I want to get paid for my time but would have no interest in doing that anyway. Most people going to hunt pigs want to see them which means feeders which means corn and time and money etc.

[SCREAMINREELS]

OP since you own land in Wisconsin I'm sure you would be able to swap a hunt with someone...If pigs are something your really interested in offer to take someone home for a whitetail hunt in exchange for pig hunting with them...Would you let someone you don't know have free run of your place without supervising them?

[WItoTX]

Originally Posted by SCREAMINREELS

OP since you own land in Wisconsin I'm sure you would be able to swap a hunt with someone...If pigs are something your really interested in offer to take someone home for a whitetail hunt in exchange for pig hunting with them...Would you let someone you don't know have free run of your place without supervising them?

I understand the reciprocity approach, but whitetails are not equal hogs in my book. Maybe if it was for a coyote hunt, we could talk.

As far as allowing people on, we always do, unsupervised. We just need to have trust, like everyone else has said. I am blessed to have my dad living close to it, so he knows what's going on most of the time. Our land is outside of town 15 miles, in a town of about 10,000. We know just about everyone. It's your typical small town, so if someone does something, everyone knows about it within a week.

[Bigyummy77]

Originally Posted by NAVY CHIEF

Plenty of hogs in Texas on public land...48 bucks...get your bow and go....the army corps lake where I live has thousands of hogs....I shot a trophy boar 3 weeks ago

I Agree! There are hogs all over a lot of Corps property and a lot of those permits are free

[gingib]

ADD: We only let friends hunt when we are down. No one regardless of how well I know them has free reign.

Big bucks and hunting make people do stupid things

WITH THAT BEING SAID, I HAVE FREE REIGN TO PIG HUNT ON ALOT OF LAND AROUND ME(several hundred acres)!!! In the offseason I can go whenever, and during deer season I ask as I do not want to interfere with people's deer hunting.

And most of these people I know well and we are a close knit group around us. Hogs cause damage and these people want them killed like I do

[WItoTX]

Originally Posted by Bigyummy77

I Agree! There are hogs all over a lot of Corps property and a lot of those permits are free

This may be a stupid question, but how do you find Corps property that is legal to hunt on?

Back home, a lot of the woods surrounding ours is either public or forest crop, obviously no military bases.

[8pointer]

Good thread. I agree with a lot that has been mentioned!

[Bigyummy77]

Originally Posted by WItoTX

This may be a stupid question, but how do you find Corps property that is legal to hunt on?

Back home, a lot of the woods surrounding ours is either public or forest crop, obviously no military bases.

This article is a little outdated, but most of the info is the same.

https://www.tpwmagazine.com/archive/2002/oct/ed_4/

[Bigyummy77]

Originally Posted by WItoTX

This may be a stupid question, but how do you find Corps property that is legal to hunt on?

Back home, a lot of the woods surrounding ours is either public or forest crop, obviously no military bases.

Also there was a thread started about protecting our Texas Public Hunting Lands:

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?url...5&share_type=t


Texas Public Lands - What allows your hunting rights?

Since it started a group of us have gathered info and one even got us a Web page set up:

http://www.keeptexaspublic.com/?m=1

[SCREAMINREELS]

Originally Posted by WItoTX

I understand the reciprocity approach, but whitetails are not equal hogs in my book. Maybe if it was for a coyote hunt, we could talk.

As far as allowing people on, we always do, unsupervised. We just need to have trust, like everyone else has said. I am blessed to have my dad living close to it, so he knows what's going on most of the time. Our land is outside of town 15 miles, in a town of about 10,000. We know just about everyone. It's your typical small town, so if someone does something, everyone knows about it within a week.

I agree just didn't know how bad you wanted to hunt them. May open doors for you for a place to hunt for the rest of your life.
My dad hunted with a family friend mule deer hunt in colorado after pig hunting with him here, he took him to his place in Colorado as a thank you and a new hunting buddy..He would have done it anyway but was really nice of him. Needless to say he could pig hunt whenever he wanted here. He lived up there and for some reason thought pig hunting was about the coolest thing in the world

[WItoTX]

Originally Posted by Bigyummy77

Also there was a thread started about protecting our Texas Public Hunting Lands:

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?url...5&share_type=t


Texas Public Lands - What allows your hunting rights?

Since it started a group of us have gathered info and one even got us a Web page set up:

http://www.keeptexaspublic.com/?m=1

Thanks, the second link is incredibly helpful, I have been looking for something similar forever!

[Razrbk89]

We don't have hogs (luckily) but if we did and someone shot one off the road on my place, I wouldn't care at all? I'd want them gone.

As far as people hunting on our place, I don't care if I know them. We never have anyone that we don't know ask permission to hunt. Given, our area is a little different, with a small population and no major cities within hours. We do have a floatable river that runs through us and occasionally people float it and camp in our fields/gravel bars. Never had a problem with it, but fewer and fewer people float these days. People don't freak out as much up here about property rights.

I think part of that is folks up here know their neighbors. Heck I don't care if my neighbor shoots a buck in my field or over the fence. Not going to get into it with a neighbor over a deer. There are plenty to go around. I've shot several deer across fences or on neighbors. Zero issues.

[gingib]

Originally Posted by Razrbk89

I've shot several deer across fences or on neighbors. Zero issues.

And all of them know about you poaching on there place each time?

[Razrbk89]

Originally Posted by gingib

And all of them know about you poaching on there place each time?

They're well aware.

Wouldn't quite call it poaching when you've known the people and had reciprocal permission for generations....

[El General]

To get the privilege to use someone's land for free, you need a personal relationship with that person.

[Zen Archery]

Relationships... common faith also helps.
I get invited to hunt different because of my church relationships and word of mouth....
So.... ya... that's all I got...

[BearsHunt]

It's all about trust. If I don't trust you enough to let you drive my truck around town unsupervised, why would I let you walk around on my property with a weapon? I don't think that everyone out there is going to cause damage, but why take that risk?

Yes, getting rid of hogs is an incentive, but by itself it is not enough. I actually think that the amount of hunting pressure it would take to make a real dent (either through killing them or running them off) would probably have more of a material impact on what I want to do with my property than the hogs themselves. That means that all I'm really doing by letting strangers onto my property to hunt is...giving somebody I don't know license to go do something they enjoy for free.

So why should I let somebody I don't know take my property out for a free joy ride??

Build a relationship of some kind and establish trust. That's really your only way in with small land owners. With big landowners...money can open the door but they still have to trust you.

[dustoffer]

Originally Posted by texashunter56

For me personally it is the trust issue. I do not want the headaches that come with "free" hunts. I am the one having to pay the extra for those "free" hunts. I would have to worry about reworking rutted or washed out roads, fires, trash, gates left open or shut by mistake or laziness, shooting near neighbors homes or careless shots, the person I let hunt free now is bringing his buddies(who I do not know) to hunt for free, my time wasted chasing buzzards to find out what is dead, etc. Most free hunts only show up when they want to, not when I need them to. When I find a hog problem, I need it taken care of ASAP. I do not like night hunting traffic on my land since that is when the whitetail are the most active. I do not want to have any hog feeders and all my feeders are in feed pens(except for the one at the house). I am managing the places to improve the whitetails. IME, when someone is paying for a lease they are more likely to hunt it more often to get their monies worth. I have more control over that person with lease rules, etc.

Good explanation--both the places where I have been asked/invited to do feral hog control are for me alone. One is about 55 ac and the other is 330 ac. I'm the only one hunting/trapping/shooting them on the small place and the landowner and myself are the only ones on the bigger place, as he had to ask another "friend" to stop who was taking advantage of things.

On the liability issue, would it help if the hunter(s) had a large liability policy covering them?

[Pkripper]

I'm toying around with the idea of doing a one time hunt in exchange for some help with building some box blinds. Our hogs are strictly nocturnal so one would have to have night optics.


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[Kdurham]

Originally Posted by Pkripper

I'm toying around with the idea of doing a one time hunt in exchange for some help with building some box blinds. Our hogs are strictly nocturnal so one would have to have night optics.


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I'd help with that, but I only bow hunt. Doubt I could do that at night.


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[monsterspike]

people cant be trusted. sad but true. also, good people in town, morph into absolute idiots once they are in the woods.

its simple math, added to murphy's law, with bullets.

[BrandonA]

I asked another landowner today at Rotary. His response was unless they are bonded and insured and professional hog killers ( notice he didn't say hunter) they won't step foot on my ranch. So maybe that's your answer. And this gentleman owns 1000's of acres

[Buff]

I only allow very close friends to hunt my low fence place.
why?

I let a few people I knew start fishing my lake.
Started out it was two different fellows.
Problem was they started bringing friends and family. Then the friends and family started bringing their friends and family.
A year later it was a full time job picking up empty worm boxes and coke cans.
As a land owner you feel like if you give an inch, folks will take a mile

[bphillips]

If you're not a personal friend that I trust I would need these things.


A face to face meeting I felt good about
Signed paperwork
No night shooting
Trapping only

Recreational hunting isn't help

[Ryan81]

Originally Posted by bphillips

If you're not a personal friend that I trust I would need these things.


A face to face meeting I felt good about
Signed paperwork
No night shooting
Trapping only

Recreational hunting isn't help

How is hunting not help?


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[bphillips]

Originally Posted by Ryan81

How is hunting not help?


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How is it?

They breed faster than you're hunting them. It's fun but it's not help taking a couple out here and there. For fun you can add cash payment to my list. Strangers will also not be hunting our place at night which would be the best time.

Helicopter and traps would be most effective.

[d_e_smith]

If it comes down to just wanting a turnkey place to shoot hogs, then the answer is always no. One place is bordered by river bottom public...all it takes is effort and it's free hogs, you just can't drive up to them and load them.

[roger_silva]

So, public land is the answer. 48 bucks = unlimited hugs...

[ballgame]

Liability, trust they won't shoot something else they shouldn't, trust they won't **** off a neighbor by accidentally trespassing, trust they won't mess something up

Funny thing is I have a terrible Aoudad and Pig problem.

Building pens around my feeders to help with the hogs.