Permits for 2025/2026 hog hunts on water district lands will be available online at 9:00 a.m., Oct. 1st
Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD)
September 24, 2025
Land managers with the Southwest Florida Water Management District (water district) will hold a series of hog hunts on water district lands throughout the year to help reduce the feral hog population.
Prospective hunters can purchase permits for Phase I hunts beginning at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, on the District’s website, WaterMatters.org/HogHunts. Permits will be available on a first come, first served basis until they are sold out. The cost is $75 for each permit. A complete list of hunts with locations and dates is also available online at WaterMatters.org/HogHunts.
The water district has a three-phased hunting system. The first two phases of hunts will have separate registration processes. The single top producer from each of the Phase 1 and Phase 2 hunts will be asked to participate in hog management activities for Phase 3 hunts. All hunts will adhere to the hog-dog format. No still hunts will be available. Details of how the program works is listed below.
Phase 1 Hunts
Registration will occur Wednesday, October 1, 2025, at 9:00 a.m.
Phase 1 includes six hunts that occur during October through November 2025.
A $75 nonrefundable fee must be paid for each permit.
Permits are no longer transferable.
The top producer on each Phase 1 hunt will be placed on the District’s ‘top producer’ list and will be awarded participation in our Phase 3 hunts, free of charge.
Failure to follow regulations or poor behavior issues will disqualify registrants for incentive consideration - at the sole discretion of water district staff members. Participants will be provided the opportunity to refute the decision.
Phase 2 Hunts
Registration will occur Wednesday, December 3, 2025, at 9:00 a.m.
Phase 2 includes six hunts that will occur in January 2026.
A $75 nonrefundable fee must be paid for each permit.
Permits are no longer transferable.
The top producer on each Phase 2 hunt will be placed on the District’s ‘top producer’ list and will be awarded participation in our Phase 3 hunts, free of charge.
Failure to follow regulations or poor behavior issues will disqualify registrants for incentive consideration - at the sole discretion of water district staff members. Participants will be provided the opportunity to refute the decision.
Phase 3 “As-Needed” Management Hunts
Phase 3 includes management hunts that can occur between March through October 2026.
Only those registrants that qualify as top producers following the Phase 1 and 2 hunts will be contacted to take part in management hunts during this period.
Management hunts offered to top producers will be free of charge and non-transferable.
Phase 1 and Phase 2 top producers, without rule violations, will be offered participation on a minimum of four management hunts occurring during March through October 2026.
Additional Information
During the hog hunts, water district-managed properties will be temporarily closed to the public. Only permitted hunters will be allowed access to these properties during the hog hunts.
Feral hogs, which are not native to Florida, can damage land with their broad snouts, sometimes leaving an area looking like a plowed field. They also prey on native wildlife, compete with native species for food, and transmit diseases to other wildlife, livestock and humans. Feral hogs can also facilitate the spread of exotic plant species by transporting seeds and/or providing germination sites through their rooting.
This is the 17th consecutive year for the hog hunts. Last year’s (2024's) hunts removed 879 hogs on 10 different tracts of land throughout the water district.