Hi all,

My friend and I were booked for a handgun hunt for feral pigs in the Texas Hill Country this March (near Uvalde).

Life had some other plans and we had to cancel that as we both need to go to South Africa (we are South Africans living in Canada).
We are very keen to still handgun hunt for hogs (handgun hunting is prohibited in Canada) and while we like the idea of Hill Country we are also keen to research other opportunities for self-guided/public land experiences that can be had by non-residents.

I looked into Florida and my cursory research shows that it may be possible to hunt public-land hogs unguided in Florida. Is this a reasonable thing to pursue? It appears that Florida is a good option after Texas.

Can you guys recommend any other useful options? We would be interested in a winter time hunt and would happily stay in a guest house, B&B or camp.

Thanks!

Public land hogs in FLA are often very pressured and difficult to find, let alone pattern. Think about asking one of the MANY hog outfitters down there to allow a self- or semi-guided hunt, with lodging, for a reduced fee. If you want some real fun, not too pricey, do a day hunt over dogs. Just the ticket for handgun hunting.

suggest avoid Ron's Guide Service in Florida

Thanks,
I did look at Ron's and lets say that the website didn't excite me!

You might look at the Texas Parks and Wildlife website, they list several Wildlife Management Areas (some within an hour or so of DFW) that offer hunting by permit (which is easy and relatively inexpensive) and most have lots of hogs. One in particular is at Richland-Chambers Lake, an hour south of Dallas, that holds huge numbers of hogs...but it isn't easy hunting, much of it is swampy. There are also hogs on the LBJ National Grasslands, north of Ft. Worth that can be hunted as well, just not as many hogs.

Good luck,
Karl

quote:

Originally posted by K Evans:
You might look at the Texas Parks and Wildlife website, they list several Wildlife Management Areas (some within an hour or so of DFW) that offer hunting by permit (which is easy and relatively inexpensive) and most have lots of hogs. One in particular is at Richland-Chambers Lake, an hour south of Dallas, that holds huge numbers of hogs...but it isn't easy hunting, much of it is swampy. There are also hogs on the LBJ National Grasslands, north of Ft. Worth that can be hunted as well, just not as many hogs.

Good luck,
Karl

Great info, thanks!

Texas has some WMA's that are open to hog hunting during certain periods to anyone with an annual public hunting permit. (Easy to get over the counter for a reasonable cost).

They also have draw hunts for some WMA's that are only open to a set number of people who draw out, and they usually assign you your own "compartment", where you may have several hundred acres all to yourself for several days.

The draw is once a year in the fall, but it is worth looking into. If you draw, you will have a good hunt! Check the TPWD website for more details. Applications for the 2015-2016 season will open sometime in the late summer probably.

Do you have your own handguns?

Are there any problems with bringing them into the states?