Florida WMAs Offer Summer Wild Hog Hunting

If you’re looking for a hunting opportunity this time of year, you might want to consider a trip down to Florida for some wild hog hunting. During spring and summer, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) offers public hunting opportunities for wild hog at 26 wildlife management areas (WMAs) across the state.

Wild hog hunting is a good way to sharpen your hunting skills, test new equipment and scout a WMA you might later want to hunt. It’s also a chance to restock your freezer with delicious wild game meat for all those summer cookouts.

You don’t need a hunting license to hunt wild hogs at a WMA, though you will need a management area permit, unless exempt. An annual management area permit to hunt Florida WMAs is $26.50 for both Florida residents and non-residents.

Many of these spring and summer wild hog hunts on WMAs don’t require a quota permit; however, some of them do. Take a moment to review the WMA regulations brochure for the area you want to hunt. These brochures also outline allowed methods of take, bag limits and other pertinent rules.

While many Florida WMAs don’t require a quota permit for spring and summer wild hog hunting, some do. Be sure to review the WMA regulations brochure.

You can find a list of WMAs (with links to individual regs for each area) that offer spring/summer wild hog hunting by visiting MyFWC.com/Hunting and clicking on the “Spring/summer wild hog hunting” banner at the top.

On lands outside the WMA system, wild hogs may be hunted year-round with landowner permission. A hunting license is not required, and there is no size or bag limit, and either sex may be harvested. Hunters may use dogs and any legal rifle, shotgun, crossbow, bow, pistol or air gun (including airbow). When hunting wild hogs with the use of dogs, all dogs must wear a collar or tag that legibly displays the dog owner’s name and address. Written permission from the landowner (or lessee) is required, must be in each hunter’s possession, and must be presented for inspection upon request of any FWC wildlife officer or other law-enforcement officer.

The wild hog is defined in FWC regulations as a hog that is free-roaming and which cannot be legally claimed as a domestic hog in private ownership. This species is popular to hunt and occurs in all 67 Florida counties. Wild hogs occupy a wide variety of habitats but prefer oak-cabbage palm hammocks, freshwater marshes and sloughs, and pine flatwoods. They can reach weights of more than 150 pounds and be 5 to 6 feet long. They usually travel in small family groups (sounders) or alone.

The FWC encourages people to take precautions when handling or field dressing wild hogs. Learn more at MyFWC.com/hunting/wild-hog.