New Bill Would Legalize Drones for Hog Hunting in Georgia

Georgia lawmakers are considering a bill that they hope would help reduce feral hog populations across the state. (Photo by Slatan)

If House Bill 946 is approved, Georgia hunters will have expanded options for taking feral hogs across the state. Under House Bill 946, hunters could use thermal drones to locate and hunt feral hogs. They could also shoot pigs from a moving vehicle and trap the wild swine without a license.

Triston Avery, manager at Sawblade Outfitters in Twiggs County, told 13wmaz.com that he hopes legislation would open the door to hunting hogs with drones.

"It’d really just be another tool in the bag for us," Avery said.

Avery says hunters killed 1,392 feral hogs on his property in 2024. And although Sawblade Outfitter's business is mostly for sport, he acknowledges that hunting hogs prevents them from destroying crops on both his and surrounding land.

"There's just almost endless supply of them, it seems like, and they do so much destruction," Avery said.

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The bill’s goal is to reduce the feral hog population in the state by allowing for more technology and removing restrictions on hunters.

Wild hog populations grow quickly. The animals can carry diseases, destroy ecosystems, and cause damage to agriculture and land. According to UGA Extension, feral hogs cause approximately $150 million worth of damage in the state each year.

Charlie Killmaster, a feral hog biologist for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, says removing barriers allows for more hunters to take more hogs, helping to curb the pest population.

"They don't really belong in this ecosystem and they cause a tremendous amount of damage. So, we've got to keep up with their extremely high level of reproduction on an annual basis to keep them from growing," Killmaster said.

The bill, which passed the Georgia House in early February, is now awaiting consideration in the Senate. Even if the bill passes, hunters must still get a hunting license to hunt wild hogs.