EAST TEXAS HOG DOGGERS FORUM

I know all you guys who frequent this section have been fighting other important legislation. And you are all greatly appreciated. Just wondering, with the new Texas Public Hunting rule book due out in late August, if anyone has heard anything about positive, or negative changes regarding our right to use dogs to hunt hogs? Not only is there a lot of land that should be available to us too, I worry that it is a step to outlawing it all together. Ask the old-time deer dog men in Polk county.

Some months ago I talked to the guy that writes the outdoor annual, because we were going to try and get it specifically put in the annual that it was legal to dog hogs.  He said that hunting hogs does not fall under TPWD jurisdiction no matter how you do it.  The reason for that is that feral hogs are classified as exotic livestock so TPWD couldn't make it legal or illegal to run them with dogs if they wanted to.  He was also kind enough to inform me that it was already legal to hunt them with dogs. 

Well here is the problem, as I understand it. State wide and on private property that is true. But on land designated as "Texas Public Hinting land" the TPWD can make "rules" in addition to current game laws. I personally don't understand how the state can charge a fee for us to hunt on federal land in the first place. For most of my life all you needed to hunt "federal land" was a hunting license. Local game laws applied. I mean hell our taxes should cover our use of federal land (national forest) but no, the state figured to get its hand in it. Wonder if we might have a case in regards to having to pay the state to hunt federal land?
Say, are you still in the sand box? I am at FOB Pasab (FOB Wilson)

I also don't understand how TPWD can require a hunting liscense to kill something they have no control over, but they do.  It's got to be a money thing.  The Sam Houston deal as I understand it comes down to one person making a descision that we can't dog it any more.   

I'm still in the sand box for now up here in Mosul. I should be outa here in a little over a month, thank goodness.  I've had about enough Iraq for this year.

Good news, I now your family misses you. For some reason I thought you were in Afghanistan rather than Iraq, both number 2-holes. Thank you for your service!

I live right off the Sam Houston National Forest in Huntsville. We hunt all around it as well the law taking away the dog season there is a huge mistake. The hogs know that is a safe zone I have seen and heard about it time and again a dog running a hog onto SHNF land, which really puts the hunter in a bind due to the huge fine you could potentially pay by crossing onto the SHNF land. Yeah they say dogs run off deer, but I am not a firm believer in that we have deer walk up behind out house and have 10+ dogs back there. On the other hand I have hunted since I was 8 and whenever I have seen a lot of hogs I dont see any deer seems kind of twisted to me. I could go on and on about this subject I would love to be able to hunt out there but I dont see that ever happening again. Just my 2 cents.

I don't know what exactly the deal is. It is not the deer thing. You can hunt everything else with dogs in the SHNF. I do know the wildlife officials are aware of the fact that some of the old timers and may be some of the not so old timers have turned hogs loose there. You know, caught them of of ranches and turned them loose in the forest where they would always be there. I know a law enforcement officer who works for the Forest service. He is a K9 officer and certifies K9 teams is how I know him. The first year they stopped it I said to him, "why did they do that? Hunting them with dogs is one of the most effective methods." He said, "Hell, the dog hunters turn more loose than they take out" So, I think this is what they are thinking. ?
I still think we need to try to do something about this. It ain't right. There are folks who rifle hint deer illegally. But they ain't gonna outlaw rifle deer hunts!

Your completely right about the whole illegal rifle hunting thing but we step on there with dogs they will nail you which is crap.

So still no word of them bringing back dogging in SHNF?

hey catchrcall, i too thought u were in afghanistan. well god speed to yaw on gettn hm safe. i should be out of afghanistan in a month or too for bout 8-10 wks and then back again. now explain this if u can. u stated that the guy who writes the annual hunting guide said they cant make it legal to dog hogs bc they r exotics rite? then he said that it is already legal. did he not contridict himself?

Kind of yes.  He was confused as to why I wanted to put it in writing that hunting feral hogs with dogs is legal, when it is already legal to do it.  I explained that we wanted it done so that we would have the law on our side when we do it, and it would make it harder to outlaw if somebody wanted to try to stop it.  I still wonder if there is someplace we can get it put into writing.   

Hey lance, if the tpwd dont have jurisdiction to officialy make it legal by puting it in writing. Then where does the tpwd get off forcing us to get a hunting liscence to hunt an animal they cant officialy say is legal to dog? They make up, add or change the laws at their will with out much of a general public opinion, or thats the way i see it since im just now getin into the legalities of this stuff. The tpwd has the power to come out n say they own the deer, turkeys, squirrels n so on. Who gave them that right to claim ownership of gods animals. The state doesnt want to lay claim to an animal that is causing millions of $$$ in damages each year. I honestly think the tpwd can put it in the manual to dog hogs if they smelled a bigger profit. I wouldnt settle by get an answer from just yahoo. What are some contacts numbers for them jack wagons so i can call an be a civil person and see if i can get a different answer

I am glad to see this being talked about

Tell them they can charge for a permit to run dogs and I bet they take ownership of it pretty quick. 

For sure you offer them money they will be all over it no doubt thats how the world is today. Honestly I think they will have to open it back up or the hunters will gripe about hogs running the deer off instead of dogs. Its always something with those hard core deer hunters. I hope they open it back up could take a while though.

In my opinion and from my experience with managed ranches, the hogs keep the deer away from the feeders. They will bully them away from it, and I have seen it with my own eyes. That is one of the big dilemmas for us hog doggers. The landowner doesn't know any better. They figure, JMO, that the dogs will chase the deer, and that they will stay off the land for good. From what I have seen, deer are territorial and will continue to run and bed the land although they may not be able to feed as they please. They will fight for their right to feed on the protein and corn feeders that were put out for them. The hogs just have numbers, and the deer cannot compete. I have watched pieces of land that we hunt, and it never fails, when you start taking hogs off the land on a regular basis, with dogs, and you continue to go out and manage the property, the deer show up on the property a lot more often. I wish there was some way to prove this… then it might be easier for us to help the people that are being so skeptical. Running hogs with dogs, from my experience and observation, is the most effective way to get rid of a feral problem. I will add though, that is for pieces of land that you cannot take helicopters on. That seems to be most effective, but to me is a waist. All the hogs they shoot just lay there and wait. There are people who do not have meat in their freezer, and I would rather help them out that kill 100 hogs in an hour. JMO I am going to look further into this, and see if there is anyone who we can contact to get this ball rolling. This should be our right, as hog doggers, just as it is to deer and other types of hunters. Equal rights across the "board" (IMO). How many people on here would actually pay for a permit to hunt said land?

I would!!!

I would!

x2...for buying a permit to dog the hogs...

I used to hunt a long strip of land and when the hogs moved to one end of that strip the deer moved to the other side...and then when the hogs decided to move back the deer went backto the other side...hogs ruled...

I would!!

I hate how ppl are so judgemental sometimes
But only way to change that is show them
But most won't let u....

So wat to do??

 ryan, u say u say u have seen it with your own eyes. what about game cameras? do you have any pics of the hogs running the deer off? pics speak louder than words sometimes. if nyone could get pics of the hogs bullying the deer away from the feeder, then that would give us ammunition to show the skeptics, that the hogs are doing it, not the doggers.

hell chareles i've watched em run calves off the creep feeders . but no vidio. would be good thing to document though .

 documentation is the first thing we need as ammo. iv seen cattle run deer, but not hogs, not saying they dont, because im sure they do and yaw have seen it with ur own eyes. i try n take a camcorder with me anytime i hunt, but if i forget it in my tck or at camp, i always have my phone and it will take vids or pics.

If i turn my dogs lose on a piece of property that backs up to the sam houston national forrest and they cross into it can i get in any kind of trouble.

Only if you get caught!  ;D

Been seeing a good Bit of dead hogs on the side of the road coming out of the SHNF ...

They are everywhere tickets are to expensive though

I agree... WE need to doc it! This is something that would help us for sure. Next time I am south I will try my hardest to get it on vid... But other than that, how do you prove something like this...? I know, for a fact, that since we started running one of our properties there are more deer that frequent the place, and the hog damage has subsided and they are not coming up on the general land anymore. They may stay down in the lake bottoms, but they don't come up close to the house anymore. These animals are smart, and they know they are being hunted. Anyone found anymore info on SHNF? Charles, did you ever contact anyone?