By Karley Stanley

Having been social organization for many years, the Sam Houston State University Wildlife Society recently became an official school recognized student organization—open to all students! In 2024, the SHSU Wildlife Society had the honor of attending the Texas Chapter of the Wildlife Society Annual Conference, where the organization received recognition as one of the newest school chapters. Since then, the student officers have been diligently working to connect their society members with the world of wildlife.

The Wildlife Society desires to be a place for networking and connection-making that provides fun and new experiences to all! To bring this vision to life, the officers organize bi-weekly meetings on Thursday nights. These meetings include announcements concerning upcoming events, student internship opportunities, industry professionals as guest speakers, conservation-related volunteer activities such as habitat restoration for the Red-Cockaded Woodpecker or electroshock pond surveys AND of course free food for members. The industry professionals to speak about their occupations, helping members expand their knowledge of wildlife-related career paths and create an opportunity for members to network with these individuals. On weeks when the Wildlife Society does not have a scheduled meeting, they participate in “Wildlife Wednesday,” an initiative that educates individuals about a wildlife species by sharing fun and informative facts on social media for all their followers to see!

In addition to engaging the public through social media, the society remains committed to educating our community in addition to advocating for attendance at our institution. At the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, the Wildlife Society advisor, Robbie McQueen, and several officers participated in the Ranching and Wildlife Expo.

During this event, they promoted the Sam Houston State University Animal Science degree plan and Wildlife Management minor to interested high school students.
Building upon their commitment to conservation and community outreach, the Wildlife Society is hosting a conservation-driven hog harvest competition open to the public to continue to combat nuisance wildlife in Texas.

During this competition, teams of four individuals will compete in the main pot for the longest stringer of hogs (most hogs). There will also be various side pots, adding a fun and competitive element.

Participants are welcome to hunt in any location starting on April 18 at noon, and the weigh-in will be at Gibbs Ranch in Huntsville, Texas, and will conclude at noon on April 19. The SHSU Wildlife Society believes this event will be beneficial in promoting wildlife management and conservation efforts while fostering camaraderie among hunters!

Even if hunting isn’t for you, the event will include food, drinks and an egg hunt for children!

SHSU Hog Harvest Registration Form

The Wildlife Society of Sam Houston State University Hog Harvest Spring 2025 Official Rules

Most Important Rule:

This competition is intended to be fun and raise money for the SHSU Wildlife Society to give back to our Wildlife Management students. Hunters, please remember to enjoy yourselves and be sure to respect the great state of Texas. The purpose of this hunt is to be outdoors, keep the hunting tradition alive, and harvest as many hogs as possible.

All Other Rules:

• All teams must be registered by 5:00 PM on Monday, April 14th,

  • Entry fees must be received by 5:00 PM on Monday, April 14th, 2025 either cash or

  • After Monday, April 14th, 2025 at 5:00 PM, late entries will be accepted until 5:00 PM on Thursday, April 17th, 2025, with a late fee of $100.

• YOU ARE NOT CONSIDERED REGISTERED UNTIL PAYMENT HAS BEEN

• The hunt is a 24-hour hunt: begins Friday, April 18th, 2025 at NOON and ends Saturday, April 19th, 2025 at NOON.

• Weigh-in will begin and be accepted Saturday, April 19th, 2025 from 8:00 AM- 12:00 PM

  • If you are not in line by NOON on Saturday, April 19th, 2025 YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO WEIGH IN (even if you are pulling in at 12:01, HARD STOP AT NOON!)

• Weigh-in Location: Gibbs Ranch, 113 Fraser Rd, Huntsville, TX

○        Entries will not be accepted before or after the designated times above.

• All game animals must be harvested within the hours of the

• Each individual game animal may only be weighed and measured once for

• Each hog entered may be eligible for more than one prize (i.e. side pot prizes).

• All game entries must be submitted by a registered member of their

• NO captive/pen raised or barr/castrated hogs may be

• A team member will be asked to initial each of the turn-in weights, measurements, and total

• Hunters do not need to hunt together, each team member may hunt in a different

• Hogs/coyotes may be harvested by any legal means in the State of Texas and MUST be turned in

• No roadkill

●        You as the hunter are responsible for properly disposing of the carcass.

• Photographs will be taken throughout the competition and shared to the SHSU Wildlife Society social media.

• You may not partake in this event on Sam Houston State University

• Team members could be subjected to a

• You must partake in the main pot to compete in the side

●        Entry Fees:

• $300 up to a 4-Man Team, Main Pot- Longest Stringer of

• $50 per Side Pot Competition (Optional).

●        Payouts:

• Longest Stringer of Hogs

  • 1st Place- 50% Payout

  • 2nd Place- 20% Payout

  • 3rd Place- 10% Payout

• Side Pots

  • $100 payout to the winner of each

Contact Information

• Please feel free to TEXT ONLY through the hours of 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM, text sent outside of these hours is not guaranteed for a response.

Robbie McQueen- 606-402-0612

Other info / Clarification: Competition is structured for a 4-man team to pay $300 to compete for the Main Pot- Longest Stringer of Hogs (the most hogs). From there, the teams can sign up and choose to participate in the side pots—Heaviest Hog, Heaviest Three Stringer of Hog, Heaviest Coyote, Heaviest Bobcat—for a $50 charge per category.

The first-place team will win the main pot, which is 50% of each team’s entry fees.  Second place will receive 20% of the total entry fees, and third place will receive a 10% total payout. The remaining 20% of the money paid to compete in the main pot will go directly to and only to the Wildlife Society to help pay for upcoming events or conferences that students choose to attend—a single individual will not receive any of these funds to offset the cost of tuition or for any other reason.

For example, if 10 teams sign up and each pays $300 to participate, the total pot would be $3,000. Of this total pot, here is how it would get broken down:

First Place (50%): $1,500

Second Place (20%): $600

Third Place (10%): $300

The SHSU Wildlife Society (20%):  $600

As for the side pots, the winners of each category will receive a $100 payout, and the Wildlife Society will keep the rest of the funds generated to pay for future events.