First it was raccoons, and now lawmakers want to make it easier to catch or kill pesky feral hogs.
House Bill 475, sponsored by Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom McCall, R-Elberton, makes clear feral hogs are not considered wildlife or wild animals under the law and exempts the pigs from Department of Natural Resources permitting for hunting or trapping.
DNR has identified feral hogs as a growing problem in Georgia and across the Southeast. They damage crops and compete for food with deer, turkey and quail and can also carry diseases transmissible to humans and domestic animals.
McCall's bill was introduced a week after the House overwhelmingly passed HB 160, by Rep. Emory Dunahoo, R-Gainesville, which lifts a ban on trapping raccoons across most of North Georgia.
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