Last month, state Sen. Bill Dodds revealed that California Gov. Gavin Newsom is working to help decrease the number of feral hogs that overrun the state.
A senate bill (SB 856) is being proposed to make it easier for hunters and landowners to get rid of the growing nuisance.
Originally from Europe, this non-native animal has bred and spread steadily for hundreds of years and now there are only two of the 58 counties in California where you can’t find feral hogs.
Reports show that there are many agricultural and rural areas that are negatively affected by wild pigs.
While hog-hunting season lasts all year long in order to increase the number of hogs hunted, there are still a lot of hoops that must be jumped through to hunt in the first place.
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Currently, the guidelines for hunting feral hogs in California require hunters to buy a permit or “tag” that allows them to kill one pig. Each tag costs $15 and hunters must buy a new one for every pig they plan to hunt. Landowners must follow a slightly different protocol when exterminating these pests.
If this bill passes, rather than buying a new tag every time, hunters in California can purchase a season-long pass that allows them to kill as many hogs as they wish during the time that their pass is valid. This permit costs $25 dollars for citizens of California, and $90 for out-of-state hunters.
Kymkemp.com quotes Sen. Dodds, “By increasing opportunities to hunt them, we can reduce the threat to our state.”
Eric Sklar, a California Fish and Game member said that while this bill “is not going to eradicate [the pigs],… it will help us reduce them in areas where they’re doing the most damage.”
So hunters, get your gear ready because hopefully, it’s about to become easier to hunt wild pigs in California!