Applications will be randomly selected in mid-November and chosen applicants will be notified by mail. Fifteen dog hunters will participate in the hunting period Feb. 1 through Feb. 4, 2001. Dog hunters may bring two assistants during the hunt. While the hunt is being conducted, the Upper Hillsborough - Alston property will be temporarily closed to all other recreational activity. The District is mandated by law to manage its land to protect and restore natural habitats.
Feral hogs jeopardize the health of native plant and animal species.
Their rooting disturbs soil and vegetation and has led to increased erosion and sediment loading along stream banks and river floodplain areas, affecting sites downstream. Public hunts are one of the most effective ways to reduce feral hog populations to acceptable levels. Feral hogs are wild animals that originated from domestic stock brought to Florida by Hernando DeSoto in 1539. The exact number of hogs on District land is difficult to determine. However, resource managers estimate population levels by monitoring rooting damage, signs of abundance at bait sites and visual observations along prescribed routes.