Bill 856; Raise The Success Rate

Everyone’s favorite Californian Governor; Gavin Newsom signed Bill 856 with unanimous votes in the senate to combat the more than 400,000 feral hogs invading the state. Bill 856 will now switch from the $25.92 tag per hog, to a pig validation tag costing nearly the same amount of money. This pig validation gives the hunter or land owner unlimited hogs to take. In California, the average success rate for wild hogs is 7%. That means for every 100 hunters, only 7 are successful. One of the major factors is that most hogs are nocturnal. Which, in California, hunting at night is illegal. Fish and Wildlife only allows night hunt permits for coyotes for livestock owners. Versus Texas, in which hunters can chase game at night. The newly updated pig validation does not hinder the amount from boar or sal. Either sex is on the table with the validation tag. Livestock owners must either tattoo or tag their hogs in order to protect any farm pigs from slaughter if they wander off the property.

856 will strike a blow for high fence hunting properties in California. Stating, “This bill would make it unlawful to intentionally or knowingly release any hog, boar, pig, or swine to live in a wild or feral state upon public or private land and would make it unlawful to engage in, sponsor, or assist in the operation of a contained hunting preserve, as defined, of wild pig, feral pig, European wild boar, or domestic swine within this state. The bill would exempt from these prohibitions an individual or entity that operated a contained hunting preserve on or before January 1, 2022, provided the individual or entity shall not operate more acres than the number of acres the individual or entity had in operation on or before January 1, 2022. The bill would prohibit an individual or entity that operated a contained hunting preserve of wild pig, feral pig, European wild boar, or domestic swine on or before January 1, 2022, from selling, transferring, or passing on the contained hunting preserve operation.” Properties will no longer be able to ship in feral hogs from states such as Texas. Allowing hunters to purchase trophy boars and pay per-pound. The senate has brought up the subject on decriminalizing night hunts for wild hogs. Many are concerned that night hunts will cause a rise in poaching crimes.

With the years to come, Bill 856 will show as a success if the 7% success rate in California begins to rise. The real question is; In the next 5-10 years, will California have a Texas style hog problem on our hands?