Hálpata Tastanaki Preserve in Dunnellon, FL, will be closed Nov. 15-17, for feral hug hunts
Dunnellon, Florida - The Hálpata Tastanaki Preserve will be temporarily closed to the public for feral hog hunts Nov. 15-17. During these dates, only permitted hunters will be allowed on the property. All 25 of the available permits for this hunt have been sold.
The Hálpata Tastanaki Preserve is located at 15430 SW County Road 484 in Dunnellon (Marion County), Florida - 2 miles east of the city of Dunnellon, Florida and 7 miles northeast of the city of Hernando, Florida, bounded by County Road 484 on the north, State Road 200 on the southeast, and the Withlacoochee River on the southwest.
This feral hog hunt is one of a series of feral hog hunts being held on Water District lands to control the damage being caused to the natural habitats. The District allows hogs to be controlled through hunts when the damage they cause exceeds acceptable levels, and damage is occurring more frequently, with increasing severity.
Feral hogs live throughout Florida in various habitats, but prefer moist forests, pine flatwoods and swamps. They are omnivorous (feeding on food of both plant and animal origin) and feed by rooting with their broad snouts, which can cause extensive damage to the natural habitata, sometimes leaving an area looking like a plowed field.
Feral hogs are not native to Florida and are believed to have been introduced by explorer Hernando DeSoto as early as 1539. They can weigh more than 300 pounds and travel in herds of several females and their offspring.
For more information, please call the District’s Land Management section at (813) 375-0665 or visit WaterMatters.org/HogHunts.