Since deer season has closed I have continued to hunt for hogs in the lower delta. I have seen MANY discussions on this forum and others where it has been said that you must hunt with a .22 rimfire rifle. Last week I came across a guy that was hog hunting with a 30-30 that told me this wasn't true so I decided to email "Da Man" and see what he said. Here is the content of that email:






Mr. Heape,
Captain Blalock forwarded me your email concerning the WMA regulations on hunting hogs.

Lower Delta(W.L.Holland/Mobile-Tensaw Delta WMA)-
FERAL SWINE: Open during any other wildlife management area season. (NO DOGS ALLOWED - Daylight Hours Only.)
Feral Hog: Firearms and ammunition permitted for hunting any other species on the W. L. Holland and Mobile-Tensaw Delta WMA’s as listed
above.

Upper Delta-
FERAL HOG: Open during any other wildlife management area season, using weapons and ammunition approved for those hunts.
(NO DOGS ALLOWED – DAYLIGHT HOURS ONLY).

This is the wording of the WMA maps. Hunting is allowed on both WMA’s for feral hogs as long as there is another season in progress. However, the two WMA’s differ in the fact that in Upper Delta, you are restricted to using the weapon and ammunition approved for the hunts that are in progress(currently squirrel and rabbit - Squirrel & Rabbit: Shotguns using No. 4 shot or smaller, .22 caliber or smaller rimfire firearms, and muzzle loading rifles .40 caliber or smaller or rifles operated by air). In W.L.Holland/Mobile-Tensaw Delta WMA, you can hunt them with any firearm and ammunition that is permitted for hunting any other species on this particular WMA. So, you can utilize a center-fire rifle with mushrooming ammunition, as you would during deer season to hunt hogs because it is an approved weapon and ammunition to hunt deer in this WMA. The fellow with the 30-30 was correct. Although a .22 magnum is more than capable of killing a hog, you are allowed to use the center-fire weapon. That should clarify things for you, but if you have any more questions, please feel free to contact me. Thanks for email.
Keith

W. Keith Gauldin
District V - Wildlife Biologist/Conservation Enforcement Officer
Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries
30571 Five Rivers Blvd.
Spanish Fort, AL 36527
Phone: 251.626.5474
FAX:251.621.1489
keith.gauldin@dcnr.alabama.gov
Outdooralabama.gov
_______________________________________________________________

Thank you for the clarification Keith. I have erred on the side of caution and have seen this topic discussed on many hunting forums where it appears that people have the wrong information.

_______________________________________________________________


Yes, if those folks would call us instead of asking advice on forums, it would greatly lessen the confusion. Good luck and don’t forget to wear your hunter’s orange.
kg




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Here's the funny part. I DID call the 5 Rivers office before deer season and asked this exact same question but was given a different answer. I questioned the woman on the phone and she was adamant that it was rimfire only on the lower delta outside of deer season. At least I got it in writing this time.

I the the cough syrup is finally kicking in for you.

They've got to protect their hogs. They can't do that with simple rules that are uniform for all WMAs.

It has to be done in such a way that you must "call us instead of asking advice on forums". That way "it would greatly lessen the confusion".

But, then again, what do I know .... I'm on a forum.

Don't kill too many hogs. It takes a lot of effort to come up with these rules to protect them.