New to hog hunting

[CentralVASportsman]

A buddy invited me to go to GA in 2 weeks to try our hands at hog hunting. We're heading that way on the 19th. I was trying to look at regulations, areas, etc...
Seems like a lot of murky info.
Question is- are we allowed to hunt on a WMA this time of year? All I can see are regulations saying you can hunt on them during regular seasons with the weapons of the season. Also appears to be a special 2 week season, but I also see that there is no closed season for hogs.
Can someone please clear up the confusion?

 

[chrislibby88]

Turkey season opens on SOME WMAs in just a few weeks, and opens later on others, it differs property to property, so check your local WMA for season dates. You are restricted to turkey loads ONLY in a shotgun during turkey season, hogs are fair game. You can shoot whatever gun you want at them year round on private land though.

 

[CentralVASportsman]

So if I'm hearing correctly, on Friday the 20th we can use whatever we want. But on Saturday the 21st, since turkey season starts, we would be limited to shotguns with #2 shot or smaller or a muzzleloader?

 

[CentralVASportsman]

We don't know anyone that lives in Georgia, so we don't really have access to private land. He has been down to the Altamaha WMA a couple of times.

 

[crippen]

It’s really confusing. I’ve been trying to figure out WMA regs this year. I’ll let someone else try to explain.

 

[chrislibby88]

So if I'm hearing correctly, on Friday the 20th we can use whatever we want. But on Saturday the 21st, since turkey season starts, we would be limited to shotguns with #2 shot or smaller or a muzzleloader?

No, all public land seasons are closed from the end of Feb until turkey season opens. Some WMAs open up on the 21st, some don’t open until the 28th or the 4th of April. YOU CAN NOT HUNT BETWEEN OPEN SEASONS. There are a lot of WMAs that run quota hunts before the general turkey season opens, YOU CAN NOT HUNT during a quota hunt unless you applied and drew a tag. You need to check the regs for whatever public property you plan on hunting and see when the seasons open. AGAIN, THE SEASONS VARY FROM PROPERTY TO PROPERTY. I have 5 WMAs within 45 minutes from where I live, and they all open on different days. You can always stop by the check station and ask the local DNR guys, but they are usually doing burns and maintenance between seasons, so they may be hard to find. You can call the region office as well.

 

[chrislibby88]

I would also recommend wearing orange if you plan on covering a lot of ground on public land, I believe you are statistically at much greater risk of getting shot during turkey season since orange is not required. DO NOT APPROACH ANYTHING THAT SOUNDS LIKE A TURKEY, it could be a turkey hunter, and if it’s a dumb one they may shoot at anything that moves. Also, remember that turkey hunters will be in full camo, not wearing orange, most likely sitting low to the ground and you could mistake a man for a pig so YOU need to be extremely diligent on identifying your target. Either way, I would be pissed off if some hog hunter walked into my setup.

And again, you are restricted to small diameter shot during turkey season. I can’t remember the actual shot size requirement, but buckshot is NOT allowed. I have shot pigs with turkey loads with no success, sometimes folks kill them with turkey loads, but it’s really a gamble, and you have to be very close. I personally would wait until the 15 day hog/coyote season opens on May 15th or 16th.

 

[jeep78]

Private land/guided hog hunts are your best bet this time of year.

 

[24on48hunting]

Private land/guided hog hunts are your best bet this time of year.

^^^^^THIS^^^^^
My buddy just went with a fella out of Eastman, Ga that does thermal hunts....$200/night, no kill no pay. He had a good time and killed quite a few pigs.

 

[GlockDawg]

A bow would be best if you're wanting to hunt turkey and pigs during that season on WMA.