Missouri Hog Hunting

[DerekG]

Does anyone know where a couple of guys can hunt hogs on public land in Missouri?  My cousin and I are looking for a place to take a couple of hogs in the off season.

[bofish-IL]

I contacted the DNR in Missouri a couple years ago about this.  They stated they bait and shoot them with rifles to get rid of them. They also stated they move around so much on Public ground it is very hard to hunt them. Their suggestion was to hunt on private ground that has had bait stations established to hold the hogs there.

[Jeff Strubberg]

There are very few left, they've been run down and hunted hard here in Missouri.

[Jakeemt]

Yep had that idea a few years ago and was to,d it was tough hunting. Good luck. You might try find some private land being damaged by feral pigs.

[RLA]

I've never even talked to anyone that's ever even seen a wild hog in MO.
I think they must be few & far between.

[dougbutt]

A guy at work has a friend that has land somewhere around Stockton lake that has had some show up on his trail cam ever so often. I don't know if there is any public land to hunt down there but it might be worth looking into.

[TRAP]

It's good to hear they are few and far between in Missouri.  That means the MDC's efforts to eradicate an "introduced exotic invasive" species are working.  

There are still places that folks turn them loose on public land for their own hunting enjoyment but even laws have been changed to combat that.  

Missouri will always have a few hogs around.  Most private landowners hate them and ask for the MDC's help in getting rid of them.  Aerial gunning, trapping, dog hunting and even judas pigs are used to remove them.

Trap

[Steve in Canton]

I saw some just outside Osage Beech in september when I was visiting my in laws.  They were just off of the TAntara golf coarse.  I saw 3 in the open and there were at least 2 more in the thicket.

[Mudd]

Directly from this months Missouri Conservationist:

"We don't promote feral hog hunting in Missouri or provide hog numbers or locations to hog hunters. However,we do encourage hunters and landowners to shoot feral hogs on sight when pursuing other wildlife."

There is a lot more to the article but this gives you the jest of what they(MDC) want.

God bless,Mudd

[DerekG]

Thank you for everyone's posts.  I have called the local offices in the past and they quoted Mudd's entry almost word for word.  I was just hoping someone out there knew of an area that held hogs.

The MDC's theory is that if people actively hunt wild hogs it will create pressure on the feral hog population.  This will make it more difficult for the conservation department to trap, track, and eliminate a whole herd at one time.

[SlowBowinMO]

I had a friend get one on a trail cam, once.  Saw tracks once on public land.  But the MODOC has done a wonderful job of keeping the tide back, in fact it is my perception MO probably has fewer wild hogs than just a few years ago.  And there have never been very many as far as I know.