Dunnellon's Hálpata Tastanaki Preserve will be closed for Hog Hunts Jan. 23-25
SWFWMD photo.
Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD)
The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Hálpata Tastanaki Preserve, located at 15430 SW Highway 484 in Dunnellon (Marion County), Florida will be temporarily closed to the public for feral hog hunts, January 23-25, 2024. Only permitted hunters will be allowed on the property during these dates. All 25 permits for these hunts have been sold.
This activity is one of a series of feral hog hunts being held on SWFWMD lands to control the damage being caused to the natural habitats. SWFWMD allows hogs to be controlled through hunts only when the damage they cause exceeds acceptable levels, and damage is occurring more frequently and with increasing severity.
Feral hogs live throughout Florida in various habitats, but prefer moist forests, swamps, and pine flatwoods. They are omnivorous (which means they feed on both plants and animals). They feed on plants by rooting with their broad snouts, which can cause extensive damage to natural habitats, 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 150 pounds, measure over 5 feet in length, and travel in herds with their offspring.
For more information, please call SWFWMD’s Land Management section at (813) 375-0665 or visit WaterMatters.org/HogHunts.
