Pig Hunting in Florida

[sbauck]

Moved to the Tampa area last year. Have done some local pig hunting (traditional bow) with a guide over bait but would like to give it a try on my own with a blackpowder rifle. Looking for info on public areas that might be good for pigs.

 

[Richard J.]

Check your WMA near you. Seems they are all loaded with pigs. You can now hunt them year round on a lot of the WMA. Dont forget to check yours. Get a brochure on WMA. There is a phone No. in there you can call to verify hunting hogs after regular season.

 

[Supercracker]

You can now hunt them year round on a lot of the WMA.

I had not seen this on any of the ones I looked at. Which WMA did you see this on?

 

[blackpowderscout]

You can't. Off the top of my head, the only one I recall is Kissimmee Chain of Lakes...not the river south of 60 but basically Gardners Marsh.

As far as places to look in the area around you sbauck, I'd check Green Swamp and/or Richloam first since there is no quota requirement after the first 9 days, and it's slap loaded with hogs.

Upper Hillsboro is really good place to put in for a quota hunt.

If you have a boat, Kissimmee Chain of Lakes over in east Polk County is good too.

Every WMA here, does not have good hog numbers as is the common misconception. There are a lot here but some of these areas just don't hold them in good numbers for whatever reason.

 

[Richard J.]

Blackwater WMA around 195,000 acres. Escambia WMA 30 some thousand acres. They changed the regs for hog hunting. Not the flyer for WMa. This why you call the Number in the pamplet and get the latest info. If that person cant answer it they patch you to the main number. These are also the same numbers the Wardens use with any questions they have. Hogs are becoming a real problem on WMas because you could only hunt them in certain seasons. Not all WMA are the same. They all have different regs for hunting and different seasons and bag limits. For the two I mentioned you can shoot all you want.

 

[blackpowderscout]

Escambia and Blackwater are a Looong drive from Tampa.

Besides, I have not heard a thing about ANY WMA's allowing year round hog hunting. I run in some circles that that would be talking about it so I would be very surprised if it is true.

And if you think a Possom Cop here is going to call some hotline number when e's rolling you up on some thing you're wrong. I've been 100% right and still got the little paper. They don't give a rats you know what here. FWC is the worst law enforcement I've ever had to deal with.

 

[Supercracker]

They don't give a rats you know what here. FWC is the worst law enforcement I've ever had to deal with.

My favorite was the pair of newly minted ones that stood around and BS'd with me and Chris on the dock for a good 45 minutes while we were launching the boat and loading our gear and let us get 20' away from the dock before calling us back to look at our tags. They seemed to get a real chuckle out of that.


I looked all over he FWC page and rules and couldn't anything allowing year round pig hunting on any public land. Every year it is a proposed rule change, but they never do it. I e mailed them and asked specifically, let's see what they say. In the past they've responded to questions very quickly.

 

[blackpowderscout]

Yeah, Shane, I have an email in to them as well.

I know we can go 24/7/365 on private land. KCOL still lets you do it too I'm pretty sure.

I still chuckle when I think of the one who sniffed the end of my barrel to see if I'd shot it...at an imaginary deer that I supposedly shot across a fence.

 

[blackpowderscout]

Here's the response I got:

Subject
WMA's with year round Hog hunting

Discussion Thread
Response Via Email (NCRO-KL) 01/16/2013 01:59 PM
We do not have any WMA's with year round hog hunting, however SWWMD does have property next to Potts WMA that they allow hog hunting year round.

Customer By Web Form 01/15/2013 10:08 PM
Are there any WMA's with year round hog hunting? I have heard that some WMA's have changed there regulations to allow year round hog hunting but have not updated their brochures on this website.

 

[lonehunter]

Most WMA's have hogs listed under small game and that season runs through March in the central part of the state. Not sure what zone Tampa is in but you should be able to get some pig huntin in for a few more weeks.

 

[Old Creek]

Potts is in the Fort Myers area???

creek