Hunting hogs February fun

Obey the rules, and chasing swine can be mighty fine

In Mississippi, the wild hog is classified as one of six nuisance species of wildlife, joining beaver, coyote, fox, nutria and skunk.

Wild hogs are defined as any feral hog, wild swine, Russian boar, or any pig that is not a domesticated pet or livestock, or has a wild-looking appearance or behavior.

In February, when natural foods are scarce, Ricky Howell of Vicksburg hunts hogs around feeders but is sure to obey the same rules that are in effect for feeding deer.

While baiting hogs is legal year-round in Mississippi, regulations vary during open deer and turkey seasons and that includes the weeks in between deer and turkey — basically February.

“We can bait hogs, and it is a useful technique in the winter, but we have to do it just like we do deer and that means feeders and keeping a distance as well as not being able to see the feed from your stand,” Howell said. “I wish they’d change that, because in February we could really whack them.”

From Oct. 1 until May 1, hogs can only be baited in accordance to the supplemental feeding rules for deer. That means any grain or other food must be placed in covered, above-ground feeders or stationary spin feeders. Hunters must be both 100 yards away from, and not within the line of sight of feed or a feeder that contains feed. Line of sight means being hidden from view by natural vegetation or naturally occurring terrain features.

After the close of turkey season until the opening of the next archery deer season, grain or grain products used for baiting hogs must still be placed in covered, above-ground feeders or stationary spin feeders but all restrictions regarding distance and line of sight are removed.

For trapping hogs in a live-capture device, grain or grain products may be used, if placed inside any legally designed live trap, capture-type trapping device for the sole purpose of trapping wild hogs. All traps must be tagged or labeled in plain view with the owner’s name, address, phone number and/or trapper license number. Traps must be checked every 36 hours and all non-targeted species must be released immediately when found. The trap must consist of a trap door, slide gate, or similar mechanism and must have at least 50 percent of the roof open to allow non-targeted deer, turkey, or bear the ability to escape.

The following rules for hunting wild hogs also apply:

* Hogs may be hunted, trapped, taken, killed, chased, or pursued on private lands.

* Landowners and any leaseholders may hunt hogs year-round at any time of day or night with no weapon/caliber restrictions on property titled in their name or otherwise owned, or leased by them. Designated agents of the landowners/leaseholders may hunt hogs, provided they have written permission from the landowner or leaseholder in his or her possession, when hunting nuisance animals. Permission letters must be signed and dated by the landowner or leaseholder.

* Hogs may not be hunted or pursued with dogs during the open spring turkey season.

* No person may transport on public roads or off of the property of record where captured or relocate within the state any wild hog without a Live Wild Hog Transportation Permit for each wild hog being transported. Wild hogs may only be released or removed alive from any mobile device or vehicle for the purpose of slaughter into an enclosure no larger than 500 square feet in size and constructed in a manner that prevents the escape of any wild hog, or to a facility where the hog may be immediately slaughtered.