I am looking for a farmer or rancher in Texas that needs some hogs exterminated. I have a group of 4 possibly 5 hunters that are looking to come down to Texas and take a minimum of 25-30 hogs. We are looking to make the trip as cheap as possible ,especially given the distance we will be driving, so we would prefer not to have to pay to hunt the land. If anyone has any connections or knows of anyone who needs some help PM me. Thanks

I doubt this is going to happen for you. Hopg hunting is big money here. Also, no farmer is going to let some unknown group of people go running around there place where they might end up shooting a cow or horse by mistake.

If you want to come down and hunt pigs, find a reputable guide service and pony up the cash. You'll get the hunt you're willing to pay for.

It's a little bit ridiculous, in my opinion, that everyone talks about how the hogs are taking over and farmers, etc just need them gone... but then everyone wants to charge $200 per pig trophy fee or a $500 per night hunting fee for you to come take care of their problem like you're going on some African big game hunt. lol.

Agreed

You're not "taking care of their problem," as you'll never hunt pigs completely off a large property. You simply can't kill enough to exterminate them. You may be able to apply enough pressure to push them off the property for while but it's only temporary. They'll come back through and then move back as soon as the pressure is off.

At best you're getting some recreational value by using their property, while not solving the problem. At worst you tearing up a bunch of pasture/ crops, trying to chase these things all over the land. So why wouldn't they get something in return? I know back in the 80s and earlier, plenty of farmers allowed locals to hunt their land, no questions asked. Then dumb asses ended up shooting cows and horses and damaging the property. Screw that. I wouldn't want my lively hood damaged for nothing in return either.

They are either a problem, or a cash cow.    Can't be both.  

Well that isn't right, garbage is a problem, but a cash cow for the person/company that gets paid to haul it off.  There you go.

They can be and are.

I don't like the Texas model of hunting either. But since this state is mostly privately held, we either have to pay up for lease/guide fees, to buy our own properties or to hunt the tiny tracks of public land that's open for public hunting.

Don't like that? There are plenty of states just west of us that the fed gov pretty much owns in their entirety, that you can hunt all the public land you want.

Turning 4 or 5 trigger happy strangers loose on your private property is a recipe for disaster. The property owner is responsible for whatever happens on his land.
Liability for injury to hunters, livestock, damage to farm equipment, crops, roads ect.

Farmers that let reputable guides take responsibility for hunts and hunters on their property have less worries about liability as the guide assumes much of the risk. Let's not forget also the costs involved in owning large pieces of property, its not cheap.
I get annoyed at the " You have a hog problem Why won't you let me come hunt for FREE????"

Love the we should hunt for free crowd.

Who are these everyone's that you are referring to? Are you just gathering this from sensationalized media stories?

It's really funny that the hunt free guys are the one's with 10 to 15 thousand in one set of gear. They are like "I got, I bought, I'm gonna..
The reason I started doing guided hunts is most of my trips out were solo, but it gets under my skin that the guys think I owe them because they were able to buy all the high dollar gear and don't have a clue!

For more reasons than are already listed, a free hunt is a sliver of a slim chance. There is a lot of public hunting land that does and does not require permits other than a license. This is 99.9% of your chances of a free hunt down here. Check out the Texas Parks and Wildlife or US Forest Service websites.

Not from Texas but this is pretty much the answer as to why its so hard to get on my farm to hunt.


And this


And the secret to success is knowing how to turn a problem into a cash cow

This thread makes me thankful for land owning family in Texas.

The only bigger, more destructive problem than hogs is hog hunters...

I'll second this (thank you mother in law), and double down on it since my grand and great-grand parents sold off their ranches before I was born. Now only if those old mineral rights would pay off...!!

^Wouldn't that mean the people coming to kill the hogs should be getting paid? The garbage isn't a cash cow for the guy whose garbage it is.

That being said... there is a difference between charging some money for the opportunity to come kill hogs that are a problem on your land and charging trophy fees and daily hunting fees that rival African safari fees.  I emphasize that the hogs are a problem because I'm not talking about places where they actually stock hogs, or capture them from other local farms to have quarry for their expensive guided hunts. That's a business whose sole purpose is charging people to come play.


I, and the OP are taking about ranchers, etc who actually have a problem and could use a reduction in the hog infestation on their property. No one here is suggesting that anyone will exterminate all the hogs in the whole world. lol. but easing the pressure of the hogs in that area so his crops don't get destroyed is a service that benefits the farmer. It's the kind of thing that he might want done once a year or more. For someone to do it for him for free and enjoy it at the same time is a win/win. For him to charge $200 a head and $500 a day or whatever like it's an African plains game is just insulting. Once again...I'm not taking about dedicated pig hunting guided outfits. If there really are 2.5 million hogs infesting texas, and if ranchers/farmers really do have crop problems because of them, then why is it crazy to think that someone would be willing to have someone come help out without charging them an arm and a leg? Maybe even a small cover charge or security deposit would make sense.


Before you get back into that liability and killing cows crap... just have the hunters sign a waiver/ liability for damages, etc before they enter the property.

Wow. What a topic. As a land owner and hunter I can tell you I'm not letting anyone I don't know hunt my place without me being there. We don't farm we just ranch cattle. Actually we just lease now. The farmers we hunt for have a one on one relationship with my hunting partner. Once you develop a good reputation you might pick up some places to hunt by word of mouth. One mistake and you can loose all your places to hunt. We do take people hunting and we do charge money. Gas and equipment aren't free. You own your own equipment?  That's great if you do but you aren't going to use it with me. I have no history with your equipment. If you trip and fall and blow your face off because u are an internet hog slaying master ninja who do u think is going to get sued?

It's called a waiver. No one will get sued. Additionally, having someone fall and blow their face off with YOUR gun vs their own really wouldn't make much difference... if anything it would be worse for you, assuming there was no waiver in place. ;)

 


So you're telling me that you take people hunting on your land, and charge them money, and make them use your equipment... but don't make them sign a waiver/ release of liability first?


 

Obviously everyone who owns private land is entitled to make whatever decisions they want about who comes and what happens on their property.

Honestly, though, the OP wasn't trying to get into a philosophical debate about the morals of asking to hunt on someone's land. He was asking if there WERE any ranchers/ farmers who WOULD be willing to engage him to come kill some pigs without making it an expensive safari. Obviously most of the people who have commented thus far would not be considered the target audience for the post.


I personally find the whole "pay me a lot of money to come deal with a problem I'm having" to be a bit silly. I didn't say it was wrong, or bad or unethical or illegal. Just silly. I'm entitled to an opinion. It is what it is. If people will pay it then why not charge it? (I see it silly that people are willing to pay like its an African safari, as well). I've made my point of view clear. You don't have to agree with me, but arguing with me about my opinion is pointless.

Dag you have your own idea and that's fine. Waivers don't hold up in court. I have them use my equipment because I know its reliable and accurate. Also we hunt other peoples properties too.

The waiver issue is a really gray area, and varies widely state to state.

In many (most?) states toward the east, a waiver isn't worth the paper it is printed on. But there are oddities, like the liberal as hell MD which has a long history of leased land hunting, like TX, and which protects landowners.

Almost no state allows the [edit to add: prior] release of liability for negligence, which in today's world could include unpaved/graveled roads, unmarked creek banks, sinkholes, the normal stuff found in rural areas.

(I am a lawyer, but not a TX lawyer, so this is opinion, not advice...)

JPK

I laughed.

Lol!

To the op.  On a good night you might be able to get 25-30 hogs with 4-5 guys but I wouldn't count on it unless you are planning a trip with multiple nights of hunting.
we usually get between 10-15 hogs a night. Thats because we are familiar with our hunting areas and have multiple places to hunt. Most fields are dead for a majority of the night following gun shots. i would set your expectations lower. it can happen. Ive harvested 12 pigs in a single field by myself in a few hours but it is unlikely.

Amen to this.

Do you want to know how I know that you have never hunted pigs before?

Supply and demand.  Hog hunters stop hunting until the land owners start offering bounties to kill them off, or just keep forking over money to hunt.  I can see the land owner's side, with the risk of someone going full retard on his land.  I think some landowners are making the pig problem though, to make money.

Land owners generally do not offer bounties. The county ( if it has a big enough problem) will budget money for bounties. The trappers are the ones who make out on that. Hunters do not have an appreciable effect on hog populations.

No, see, you're under the mistaken impression that there is a hog problem in TX.

Naive OP is Naive.

BTW, I am looking to pan some gold. If anyone knows of any streams where I can pan 25-30 good size nuggets, please PM. I am looking to make the trip as cheap as possible, especially given the distance I will be driving, so I would prefer not to have to pay to pan the stream.

There have been several suggestions on the Texas HTF to create a tacked thread for the  "I want to hunt pigs from FREE!" crowd.

When people don't get, no amount of explanation and logic will turn them...it's almost as bad a trying to talk facts with the anti gun crowd.

 Almost?!?!

"And as far as liability waivers go, the old saying that they're not worth the paper they're printed on is pretty much true. Disagree if you want but I'll put my law degree up against your google search any day"

It's odd but I live in the People's Republic of Maryland, which is a pretty blue state as they go, however hunting, especially waterfowl hunting, has a long tradition here, and landowners are protected from liability both when they grant permission to hunt and when they lease hunting rights. Liability waivers go about as far as typical, which is to say that they do not release anyone from negligence, and negligence is a common thread in complaints. Those are the circumstances when the law protects landowners who allow hunting either by granting permission or by leasing hunting rights. MD also offers "hunting clubs" insurance, and a hunting club is loosely defined, so about any group of more than one can be covered. The insurance covers the members, but also offers protection to the landowner. Perhaps the TX hunters and landowners ought to begin lobbying their state reps for some protection for the landowners?

I hunt hogs in GA with an outfitter and here is how it works there, for him, me and the landowners/farmers: The farmer knows he is loosing $'s to the hogs but can't pin down a $ figure that control might be worth to him, so he is reluctant or unwilling to pay a pro for control work. He is, however, willing to grant permission to the outfitter to bring customers to hunt hogs, so long as the off take is sufficient to make a noticeable dent in the problem. The outfitter loves to hunt hogs but needs to pay for his truck, loaner rifles, thermal gear and electronic ear protection and at least supplement his income if not make a living guiding. I am willing to pay to have access to land to hunt hogs on and access to his equipment (I actually have my own thermal scanners and rifles for my son and I set up wit thermals and suppressors, but that is atypical for the hunter who lives in a hog free zone and hasn't moved to thermal for predator hunting.) Everyone is happy when the hunt is good.

No one is happy when the hunt is poor. The customer is unhappy, the landowner is unhappy and the guide is unhappy. However, book two days, as the outfitter suggests, and the chances of two poor days (of opportunity) back to back are pretty slim. But if off take is insufficient, the outfitter needs to either bring in another set of customers (who can shoot) quick or go do some shooting or trapping himself to keep the farmer happy. This outfitter had access to a lot of farms, and, while I was with him having lunch one day at a popular local hamburger place, a good half dozen farmers stopped by our table to ask when he was planning to get by.

JPK

You're talking about Texas.  You think 99% of farmers/ranches don't know a few people they trust to come hunt for free and would need to resort to a guy on a forum and his 4 or 5 friends from out of state?  Damn near everyone in the country state knows at least somebody who would jump at a chance to hunt hogs lol.
 

Just to weigh in on this.  

Landowners are very skeptical for good reason.  If you let some random guy on your property, he's likely to tear up your roads, shoot your deer, and leave trash behind. Not only that, but once he's been back there, they often just come back invited or not.


It's taken me years to build up trust with the landowners that I hunt for.  I seldom get anything in return other than the joy of smashing pigs, but some do give me whiskey or bullets etc.


If you want to find some land to hunt you should start with friends and family and hope to find some acquaintance that has a problem.  If that isn't an option, you have to understand that cold calling farmers is going to be a big uphill battle.  You better look clean and act right when you talk to them.  Offer to clean and butcher a few hogs for them.  Offer to take them with you.  Ask them lots of questions about the road condition and where the property lines are so they know you are serious about not screwing things up.


Once you get one to trust you, he will probably have friends and neighbors who need help too.  


You just have to remember that as bad as pigs are, people are even worse.

Well said and exactly mirrors my experience.

OP

The suggestion I am going to make is that if you are interested in hunting pigs in Texas for free there are two ways to go about it...

One, pay to go on some initial hunts, over the course of those hunts, make yourself useful and participate, be cool and listen and then over time you may build up up enough relationships with somebody that they allow you to hunt for free, free being the key word because you may still have to provide the gas, food, booze and corn.

The second way is pick a location in Texas that looks good to you and start spending time here getting to know some of the locals, once you do that then you make build enough relationships to where you can go hunting for free. Free being the key word because you will still be on the hook for the gas, food, booze and corn.


My family sold their land a few years ago so I don't have a family plot to hunt right at the moment. I have paid for leases, I have paid for hunts and I have managed large hunting operations but in the past 10-15 years I decided to keep it simple and build a network of relationships with people that were solid. The result is the opportunity to hunt for free on five different properties from West Texas to my local county which there are two. I take care of the places as if they were mine, don't rut or make new roads, know and take care of the neighbors, don't shoot the calves, close the gates, do off season infrastructure build up, ranch planning and architectural services, clear brush, help with other resource management, smooth over the situation with the game wardens because of other "guest" hunters shot an illegal buck, show up with food, beer and corn, help worm goats, build fences, build damns, make relationships in the small towns close by and did I mention go over to the neighbors and play nice with them? This is all part of it. Obviously, this is what it takes to hunt for "free" in Texas but can be really rewarding. I have shot trophy bucks, pick up loads of pigs, exotics, allowed to hunt year round you name it. But mostly I have the experience of these relationships and the fun of the build up. Not sure it would be the same if I just showed up and expected to hunt.

i hate hunters coming on my land. Messy ass people with no respect for the hours and years I slaved, to be able to buy the land they are walking on. On the other hand, I live in Ohio, and hear the same stories as the OP-----Texas and other states are being overrun by hogs, and they need help killing them. Yes, that is what the media tells us up here, so don't be down on someone that ask about it. At least the OP was asking for info instead of just showing up in Texas and tresspassing,,,,,

What this Texas knowledgeable gentleman ......Ranchitecture    so politely said.

That is how it is.   Good luck finding an affordable productive hunt.

Hey OP, If you owned a $5 mil lake house with a rat problem would you give 5 unknown amateur pest control boys from out of state the keys for an unsupervised weekend to a  to come kill a few rats?

Hell, I'd swap a hog hunt with Texans.  Come hunt with me and my dog for a couple days and I go with you and shoot some with my thermal scope on your property.

How much is a piece of land in TX big enough / legal to shoot on that has pigs (vegetation, water) out of curiosity?

Around my area just under 10k per acre.

Thats good flat black sky high crs Iowa farm land prices

Results from an oilfield boom.

Hogs are a big problem for some and a revenue source for others... which
makes for a scenario that certain people will profit off of allowing
problems for others to breed.



edited to shorten