Those hunting a feral hog or a coyote in Alabama will now have an easier time doing it at night. As of last week, Alabama’s Governor Ivey signed new legislation granting hunters this chance.
Previously, hunters could only hunt these species at night by obtaining a special permit. Matt Weathers of Alabama’s Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries is excited for this to start.
“To this point in our state, those who wish to hunt feral swine or coyotes during nighttime hours have to get a permit that is only issued to landowners. Those landowners can list friends, family or delegates on the permit to take those animals at night for crop damage, property damage or livestock damage.” – Matt Weathers
The old law made it fairly difficult to obtain the night hunting permit. The new process simplifies getting a permit and cuts out the middle man. For only $15 an in-state hunter can start hunting hogs and coyotes at night.
As a result of this new legislation, the WFF is hopeful that this will give them one more resource to help control both species. It is crucial to note that this does not allow for any other species to be harvested at night. Several states have had similar legislation that was discussed in the last few years.
However, Director of the WFF, Chuck Sykes does not believe this is the ultimate fix.
“We don’t think this is the silver bullet,” he said. “We’re not saying going hunting at night is going to eliminate the hog problem, because it’s not. What we are doing is giving people more opportunity to remove more pigs and coyotes if they choose to do so.” – WFF Director Chuck Sykes
Feral hogs are creating havoc across the Southern United States. In Alabama alone, feral hogs are responsible for nearly 50 million dollars each year.
