Hog Hunting at Mad Island WMA

It can be tough for many hunters to find a place to hunt. I know this first hand having grown up in the country, but now living in the city. It’s just not as easy as it used to be to get outdoors and go hog hunting. But for those without land—or on a budget—some great hunting opportunities can be found on federal or state-owned lands. A top-notch hog hunting hot spot in the state of Texas is Mad Island Wildlife Management Area (WMA). It is primarily coastal marsh and plains as is covered up with feral hogs.

Last year, a buddy and I were picked for a feral hog hunt at Mad Island WMA. It’s one of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s special permits hunts. We had hunted this property, but were pumped up about it nonetheless. Though we are seasoned hog hunters by anyone’s measure, we did not know quite what to expect in this coastal environment. We just knew that pas success rates were very high.

The flat terrain worried us because a hog’s sense of smell is very good. Big, mature trees are lacking, so no climbing to get the advantage that elevation offers. The WMA did provide 12 foot tripods, so luckily for us that wild pigs have poor eyesight. These vantage points provided great lookout locations about the 3 and 4 foot tall vegetation that dominated Mad Island.

Hog hunting at Mad Island WMA is awesome! We ended up taking 6 hogs over the hunt period, and a few got away. The biologists on staff know how to run the hunts and it was first rate. This is not the easiest place to get drawn for public hunting, but no place is. And from what we could tell, it looks like Mad Island should provide some excellent duck hunting opportunities too.