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Wild Hog

Spring/Summer Wild Hog Hunting

The FWC offers late spring and summer wild hog hunting opportunities on wildlife management areas (WMAs) across the state. While many of the WMAs listed below don’t require a quota permit for spring and summer wild hog hunting, some of them do. So be sure to review the WMA regulations brochure for the area you want to hunt. Also, a hunting license isn’t needed to hunt wild hogs at a WMA, however, a management area permit is required.

About Wild Hogs

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 5-6 feet long. They usually travel in small family groups (sounders) or alone.

Wild hogs eat a variety of plants and animals. They feed by rooting with their broad snouts, which can disturb the soil and ground cover vegetation, leaving an area looking like a plowed field.

Hunting

Wild hogs may be trapped and hunted year-round with landowner permission. A hunting license is not required, and a permit is not required to take wild hogs at night with a gun and light with landowner permission.

Hunters may use dogs and any legal rifle, shotgun, crossbow, bow, pistol or air gun (including airbow). There is no size or bag limit, and either sex may be harvested.

Wild hogs may be trapped using live traps (e.g., box traps, cage traps, corral traps). Trapped animals may not be released on public lands and may only be released on private property with landowner permission. Persons wishing to transport or hold live wild hogs must first obtain applicable permits from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS).

Use of Dogs

When hunting wild hogs using 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.

In addition, all dogs not under physical restraint used for pursuing wild hog must be equipped and monitored with devices that allow remote tracking.

On July 1, 2022, a corrective device will also be required on the collars of such hunting dogs.

Wild Hog Hunting on FWC Public Hunting Areas (including Wildlife Management Areas)

  • On most wildlife management areas (WMAs), wild hog hunting is allowed during most seasons, except spring turkey season. A hunting license is never required, but a management area permit is usually required, and a quota or daily quota permit may be required (see the area-specific WMA regulations for details). People may hunt wild hogs only during established seasons and in accordance with regulations outlined in the area-specific WMA regulations. Wild hog hunting is not allowed year-round on WMAs, except on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes Area and the  Rolling Meadows Unit - Kissimmee Chain of Lakes Area.  
    • Wild hogs may be hunted during small-game seasons on most WMAs.
  • During archery season, hunters may only use a bow. During muzzleloading gun season, they may only use a muzzleloading gun.
  • During small-game season, the use of centerfire rifles is prohibited on many WMAs. However, shotguns (including the use of slugs/buckshot), rimfire rifles (including .22-magnum), revolvers, pistols, muzzleloading guns, bows, crossbows and air guns (including airbows) are usually allowed – check the area-specific WMA regulations for details.
  • Area-specific regulations apply when hunting on WMAs, which may include restrictions on the types of allowed guns and firearms, and the use of dogs.
    • On WMAs that allow the use of dogs to hunt wild hogs, all dogs must wear a collar or tag that legibly displays the name and address of the dog's owner. 
    • In addition, all dogs not under physical restraint used for pursuing wild hog must be equipped and monitored with devices that allow remote tracking.
    • On July 1, 2022, such dogs must also be equipped with devices that allow for remote behavior correction.

On most WMAs, there are no bag or size limits on wild hogs. However, on some WMAs, daily bag limits do apply; and on a few WMAs, there's even a minimum size limit on wild hogs. Hunters should always read the regulations brochure for the WMA they wish to hunt before going. Brochures are available online only at MyFWC.com/WMAbrochures.

Northwest Region - Aucilla, Blackwater Hutton Unit, portions of Blackwater, Apalachicola Bradwell Unit, Choctawhatchee River and portions of Joe Budd

North Central Region - Andrews, Flying Eagle, Big Bend Hickory Mound Unit, Big Bend Snipe Island Unit, Big Bend Tide Swamp Unit, Goethe, Mallory Swamp, Steinhatchee Springs and Devil's Hammock

Northeast Region - William Beardall Tosohatchee is the best hog area where hunters get to use dogs.  In terms of sheer numbers of hogs taken, Three Lakes typically is tops, followed by Tosohatchee, Triple N Ranch, Guana River, Bull Creek, Three Lakes Prairie Lakes Unit and Fort Drum.

Southwest Region - Green Swamp has the largest harvest each year, followed by Green Swamp West, Babcock/Webb, Chassahowitzka and Myakka State Forest.

South Region - Dinner Island Ranch, J.W. Corbett, Dupuis, Fisheating Creek, Okaloacoochee Slough, Allapattah Flats and Hungryland

Health Advisory

Wild hogs can carry parasites and diseases – some that can be transmitted to people, pets and livestock. The FWC encourages hunters and trappers to take precautions when handling, field dressing and butchering wild hogs – please see our health advisory for details.