Hunters Permitted to Take Feral Hogs During Deer Seasons in Zones 25 and 65

September 12, 2019

The NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife is reminding deer hunters that the Division has issued a Special Wildlife Management Permit to control feral hogs in Deer Management Zones 25 and 65. Feral hogs compete with wildlife for available food sources, prey upon ground-nesting birds and small mammals and may carry disease.

Feral hogs may be pursued during the season dates prescribed for Deer Management Zones 25 and 65 only. Sportsmen and sportswomen will be permitted to shoot free-ranging feral hogs of either gender and any age while deer hunting during the all deer seasons, provided they have not reached the season bag limit for deer and have the appropriate permit for DMZ 25 and/or DMZ 65 during permit seasons.

The bag limit for feral hogs is unlimited. Shooting is permitted only Monday through Saturday during legal deer hunting hours. Archers may pursue feral hogs on Sundays during the fall bow, permit bow and winter bow seasons, while pursuing deer on Wildlife Management Areas and private properties. Only weapons authorized for deer hunting may be used to take feral hogs. Hogs may be harvested anywhere in these zones. Written permission must be obtained from the landowner to pursue feral hogs on private property.

Sportsmen who harvest a feral hog must contact the Division at 908-735-6938 to schedule an appointment to check in their hogs. Feral hogs must be checked to be legally possessed. Harvested feral hogs may be retained for personal consumption. Sportsmen are responsible for the butchering and disposal of the carcass.

Deer hunters are advised that people can contract diseases from infected feral hogs. Plastic or rubber gloves should be worn while field-dressing feral hogs. Unwanted entrails should be burned, buried or disposed of to prevent access by animals. Work surfaces and utensils used to field-dress and butcher hogs should be cleaned and disinfected to prevent the spread of disease. Feral hog meat should be thoroughly cooked before it is eaten.

The special permit offers sportsmen and sportswomen a unique opportunity to assist the Division of Fish and Wildlife in protecting New Jersey's natural resources and species biodiversity. Due to the diligence of the USDA Wildlife Services Section and the Division, feral hogs have been declared eradicated in New Jersey. The Division, out of an abundance of caution, continues to issue this permit in the off chance that any hogs remain. Because of the catastrophic environmental damage feral hogs can inflict on NJ's habitat, it remains imperative that all sightings and harvests continue to be reported to the NJ Division of Fish & Wildlife at 908-735-6938.