Should TPWD have Javelina Tags?

I know the "honor system" has been in effect for decades....but honestly I think these little guys get a bad rap. Although I like them personally, I know a lot of ranches down south can't stand them and treat them like hogs. (Kill them all and dump them.) It just seems that as long as they are classified as a game animal, they should at least be afforded tags like deer or turkey. I think they taste pretty good and they make cool mounts. What do you guys think?

I think that they should be de-listed... they are not even a true swine... a rodent. Feral hogs can be tasty and can make cool mounts also.

Not a matter of being a swine or not. They are a native animal, not an invasive species. Question is do they rate being a game animal? With a limit of 2 I guess they could be tagged. Right now the only Javi related tickets I've seen or heard of are for waste of game if hunters cape-em for a mount but discard the meat. Gotta at least act like you are taking the meat home to eat or give away. I personally think that tagging wouldn't change much. Those who mow them down and dump them now are already breaking the law, and will just continue to do so.

In my case, I have one mounted on the wall, and I'm done with em. Not gonna waste any freezer space on Javi meat when I can fill it with hog.

So do you think we should start tagging dove too? I see what your saying but that's just simply to many tags

I think they are near but also hunt places where they are everywhere.

Need to be de-listed as a game animal in my opinion

Not a matter of being native or an invasive species. Ring-necked pheasant are not native but are classified as "game birds". Jav's don't rate as a game animal, almost inedible just like the Aoudad sheep. Only good for mounts just like the aoudad. Only difference with the Jav's is some will transport the meat home to give the appearance of being legal only to discard it. They don't even fall under quartering/processing requirements like other "game animals". I do hate to see those that dump "game meat" that's considered edible, but most will on these rodents, thus delisting is the most practical.

The limit is 2 so your point is skewed.

We have several at our lease. Not nuisance worthy yet. Just adds a bonus of game animals to watch or shoot.

In my opinion Javi's eat as well or better than deer. They are a native species and I believe they need to be protected. We have some but not a bunch for the most part they make themselves scarce. When they get bold and become a nuisance we shoot a few, but I always try to use them.

Anyone who says they eat bad doesn't know:
1- what they are talking about
2- has never given the effort to try

Where in the world did y'all get the idea that javelina are rodents? They are in the family, Tayassuidea, or New World Pigs. They are related to European pigs but far enough apart that they can't cross. You can eat them too, just not a lot of folks try.

I agree. Everytime I have eaten it, it has been good. I know they stink, but if you are careful when skinning and remove the scent gland, they are fine. Also, as a native animal I believe they have the right to be protected like the other ones. Could you imagine if TPWD said you could only shoot 2 bucks per year but not issue tags? Riiigghhttt......

Skunks, 'possum, field mice and coyotes are native as well.

Yes they are...and all are classified as "non-game".

They are in the family of Tayassuidae, which is different than the true swine family of Suidae, because they are anatomically different. Elk are a native species also and much better table fare, but are de-listed. I do enjoy watching the collared peccary moving about in the field and am glad that they are huntable, just don't feel like they should be restricted with tags or limits.

Then the easiest fix is to reclassify javelina as non-game to join feral hogs.

Pass this on to the ranchers in the big bend area and get their opinion.Ask how many fences they have to repair.

Feral Hogs are not classified as a non game animal. They are classified as Exotic Livestock.

They used to have tags for them on your license years ago.

Unprotected, exotic, non game animals

wait, i thought we established a while back that you needed permits for aoudad, not the same for javi?

Why would you need a permit for aoudad?

If someone doesn't jump on this for a Sig Line soon, I will.

wuttahyall know from funny

X2

I think we should have TPWD stock javi's in East Texas and other areas that do not have them so they can enjoy them. Then we could have a season and tags again.

So our wood rats can eat them?

i actually remember being so happy when i got on a lease in llano in the early 90's because it had hogs, it was almost a deciding factor, little did i know....

The reason we haven't fenced all of our feeders is because we didn't want to be completely rid of hogs. They are fun to hunt and good eating.

I have suggested fencing all but one, but don't think it went over to well.

Teal tags are serious business. I have 40 that have rolled over from the past 3 seasons.

here here!

If anyone wants to bring me 30 or so I'd gladly take them. I miss the little bast...s. Are they a whip'n sometimes yes, do they eat all your precious corn yes, (same could be said about turkeys) but they add diversity to the land scape and in a round about twisted way I believe they improve the deer herd.

You feeling ok today SingleShot85? You bump you get kicked in the head this moring?

well we flew the ranch last weekend and I only saw two pigs, I figured I needed some diversity....

getting kicked in the head would be better than the cold i'm fighting

The two are not the same. Exotic livestock are not non game animals or game animals. They fall under the ownership of the landowner and not the citizens of the state as part of the Texas Agriculture Code. Because Javelina are native to Texas they can't be classified as Exotic Livestock.

Non Game animals are native and owned by the citizens of the state, but animals classified as "non game" fall into a real mess of regulations now, requiring a non game permit if you go over a possession limit, and require a commercial non gamme permit if involved in a commercial activity. When Javelina were not protected, they were trapped, spotlighted, hunted with dogs, etc. commercially to sell the hides for leather and brushes. TPWD is not going to put them on the non game list allowing them to be market hunted again.
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/faq/huntwild/nongame_permits.phtml

I am old enough to remember javelina tags. I don't know why they did away with them, but I imagine they determined the population was stable enough to be managed by landowners on their own honor rather than a tag system, same as most small game animals that have bag limits without tags. There is also a Managed Lands Javelina Permit that has been in place since 2007 for large landowners to be able to manage outside those regulations.

You can stock them if your in the historical range. They used to range all the way to the red river.
https://apps.tpwd.state.tx.us/privatelands/permitTTTHelpJavelina.seam?cid=25688

I think they should de-list turkeys as a game animal as well

they are worse than javalina's

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This
I had a family of 11 on my last lease ,every year I would take a small one for BBQ they eat very good . They did not tear up my feeders or fences like the hogs do & I liked having them around , your Texas hunting license used to have peckery tags on it back in the day !!

Honest question what do they do to fences?

They always make me laugh. Once I was watching one at my feeder eating his fill. I guess he got tired because he layed down and rested for about 20 mins. Then he got back up and kept eating.

Another time my Grandpa was watching two of them "doing the tango" from his blind. The male javi got tired and had to rest his head on the females back a few times before he could finish "the tango". My Grandpa was laughing so hard he couldn't shoot.

I like them and think they are cool little critters. I just wish they were afforded something better than the "honor system" because I have seen them killed and thrown out like garbage.

^^^

I hunted on a this ranch in Hebbronville, there was a protected 3 leg'ed guy (completely missing his left hind leg) he would waddle out about 5 minutes before the feeder would go off sit under it and wait..... as soon as it would start spit'n out corn he would just sit there with his mouth wide open and catch what he could. After it stopped spinning he would stand up and crunch corn till he had his fill then waddle off.

He was a feature attraction once hunter had killed their trophy

I truly admire you boys' willingness to clean a javi and culinary expertise in making it palatable.

Only killed a couple but they were funky little beasts.

Not really that hard to make one edible. Skin it first and never let the hair side of the hide touch the carcass when skinning. The little ones are actually really good eating.

I shot one at chaparral wma. Gutted it, skinned it, and got it on ice. Sprinkled it with kosher salt and kept it on ice for three days. Processed it like a deer. It was good eating. My family said they liked it better than venison. Let my grandma try some fried blackstrap cutlets and some chili I made also, she loved it, but would not believe it was javelina.

Tamales Tamales Tamales.........

I don't know what people have against them. When we hunted down South I always liked watching them. Heck, their eye sight is so bad you can normally get within 30 yards of them. Never shot one, just didn't see the point.

They are a native and natural part of the ecosystem. Unlike hogs, they aren't destructive, don't compete, etc.

As long as the javelina population is healthy no tags are needed. That being said TPWD should help with repopulating areas that are lacking javelina.

No. They aren't hunted enough. Yet.

Very good to eat. Most people say they aren't and have never tried them. It is hard to get past the smell while the skin is still on though