It’s time again to try and reduce the hog population in Florida, and the Southwest Florida Water Management District — more commonly known as Swiftmud — is gearing up for a new season of hunting on lands it controls.
Wild hogs are not native to Florida, and feed on roots, tubers and grubs by rooting with their broad snouts in the ground. That can leave an area looking like a plowed field, officials said.
They also prey on native wildlife, compete with native species for food, and transmit diseases to other wildlife, livestock, and even humans. Hogs also help spread exotic plat species by transporting seeds, or providing germination sites through rooting.
The hunts themselves will be conducted in three phases, with the first two requiring separate registration processes. Top producers from the first phase will be awarded free hunts in the second phase. Top producers from the second phase will be asked to participate in the third phase.
All hunts adhere to the hog-dog format, and no still hunts will be available.
Registration for the first phase begins Oct. 6 at 9 a.m., and will include six hunts in November and December. The permits are transferable, with the top two producers of each hunt awarded a non-transferable registration to continue hunting in the same location for the second phase, free of charge.
Those who make it to the second phase will have to register beginning Dec. 15 at 9 a.m., and that will include six hunts in January and February. Those permits also are transferable, and the top two producers there will be contacted between March and October to take part in the feral hog management hunts on an as-needed basis, free of charge.
The third phase is open to all 12 second phase top producers, and will have a minimum of two management hunts throughout the non-hunting season.
During the hunts, land managed by Swiftmud will be closed to the public. The cost for permits, which are available on a limited basis, are $75 each.
A complete list of locations and dates is available at HogHunts.watermatters.org.
This is the sixth consecutive year for the hunts. Last year’s removed 938 hogs during 26 hunts on 11 different tracts of land throughout Swiftmud’s area.
