Northern Calif. Hog hunt?

[Hem]

Does anybody out there have any experience hunting hogs in Northern California? Two of us want to maybe take a drive this winter for a hunt.We are looking for a ranch with Russian boars .We are open to a guided hunt,though maybe would prefer a non-guided.The bottom line is finding a place with good numbers and hopefully talking with someone who has actually hunted there recently.Understandably hunting quality could be based on price,but we are not looking for frills.Thanks for any help,pm's welcome.

 

[greatbasin]

I have not heard of anybody advertising Russian pigs in Ca. That seems like what fenced in pig hunting ranches say to get more business. Most of the places I know of in Cali. have nothing more than 3-wire cow fence on their hunting properties. Where I've hunted, the pigs run free, are wary and they're most often running from place to place during daylight hours. Here's my best from last year.

 

[Big Slick]

That euro mount is bad to the bone(No pun intended)!

 

[2rocky]

Great basin, well said. If you want a free ranging, spot and stalk hog hunt, in Northern California, the pigs will be mostly black, but other variation of spotted , or brown as well. It is no easy hunt. If someone says Russian boars, in my mind, =pen hunt.

Since most of the pigs are taken on private land, much of the opportunity is through outfitters or joining a year round hunting club. I see hog hunts for between $5-700 for a long weekend. Sometimes at conservation events you can buy them for less than full price.

This ranch is near to where I have killed wild hogs. It has a good population of hogs year round and I know the land owner. There are archery hunts permitted on the corps of engineers property next door, provided you register with them. The pigs feed sometimes on the lake property at night but live on the private. Very low percentage success on the COE property.
http://www.wildpighuntingguideservice.com/index.html

 

[Hem]

Talk to ten people,get ten different explanations.Feral hogs,wild boars, Russian boars,etc.Not claiming I know proper label.I always thought feral hogs are descendants of domestic pigs gone wild.Wild boars(possibly Russian Boars) are imported ,have long hair, and solid color and could either be high fence or free range on private property.In any case, I'm interested in a hog like Great Basins:hump: and a similar hunt.We would rather spot and stalk and climb some terrain.I get that most hunting is private.Sure appreciate the feedback, and Bighouse,thanks for the pm,s..

 

[greatbasin]

I am no history expert but from what I have been told the pigs in Cali were first introduced when the Spanish explorers built the missions in the early 1800's and released or lost their domestic stock.
I am sure over the last 200+ years other blood strains have been introduced both by accident and on purpose, including European. I have read that domestic hogs revert very quickly and are not that many breedings away from being completely wild looking again.

I think of the pigs in Cali as just wild pigs but I suppose the term feral fits too. One thing is for sure the vast majority of these pigs roam on whatever property they wish. As a whole they are not captured and castrated or injected with meds or fed feed with supplements as is the case in other parts of the nation. They suffer from parasites, crop and tree mast failures and suffer like the native species....because of this, it is uncommon for them to weigh much more than 300-350 lbs. and probably average much less. I love hunting them...

 

[Corax]

I did a pig hunt with Multiple Use Managers near Redding earlier this year. I had a good time and would go back but did not get a pig. Saw a group that was running off, and still-hunted up to a sleeping sow with three piglets. They have 40,000 acres West of Lassen NF - grass, oaks, and rocks. Rolling with big canyons. Good luck.

 

[DWarcher]

You might want to check these guys out, also from Redding:

http://justforhunting.com/html/hoghunts.html

 

[Hem]

Thanks again you guys for links.I'm checking them all out.So far we are liking the looks of a couple of places.

 

[2rocky]

Spot and Stalk on Pigs is similar to elk hunting in that:
They are many times in groups
You have to cover country to find them
They move a long ways in a short period of time
There can be lots of fresh sign and they aren't there.
They bed down in the heat of the day in thick nasty stuff.
You can smell them if they were there recently.

 

[Caleb_The_Carnivore]

for northern california there are few places to find public hog hunting, however on DFG's website they were offering a program that was free of cost, that had drawings for hog hunting on private land, they also had one for the east lake res. every year muzzleloader only, but I personally have never heard of anyone getting anything from that particular hunt

 

[inor]

New to hog hunting and wrapping my head around "how to do it".

Is the scarcity of pigs on public lands perception, reality, both?

I know pigs can be elusive / hard to find. I assume this is partially what creates the opinion that public land hunts are difficult, vs. ranch / farm land where sightings at least help keep tabs on general whereabouts.

From what I've read here and elsewhere, pigs key in on cultivated lands - again, making public land hunts tough. True?

What other factors contribute?

 

[Olref]

Hem,
I sent you a PM....please check.

 

[JHay]

Red Bank Ale and Qual. You can hunt behind dogs or spot and stalk. Great trip I do it every year in February. They are located in Red Bluff.

 

[jumpshooter]

Pigs on public land are pretty difficult to come by in CA. I can only think of two places where you might find them on public land with any regularity. Both are heavily hunted and one is archery only.

Most of the good pig hunting ground is under lock and key by a guide or a hunting club. If you live in CA, check out Golden Ram hunting club. They have some great pig properties. There are several good guide operations out there. The three places I would look are near Dye Creek southeast of Redding, the Stoney Ford area, and then around Paso Robles. There are other areas, but these are the strong holds. If you want to go to So. Cal, try Tajon Ranch.

The State Parks began a huge trapping program about 3 years ago and have wasted a huge number of animals. This has really cut down on the populations that were on public land.

As far as the origins of the pigs, they are a mix of different sources. Our DFG bread them for years and turned em loose, lots of hunters breed them and turn em loose, and there are some feral pigs as well.

 

[dunivan]

Hi all- maybe a strange question, but forgive me because I’m new to this. I’m relatively close to one of the Golden Ram ranches in Paso Robles. Is it possible/normal to request a guided hunt from them so I could see the ranch and then do a membership? Does it seem reasonable to get a discount on a private hunt if I did the membership?

 

[Konocti's Wigwam]

Hi all- maybe a strange question, but forgive me because I’m new to this. I’m relatively close to one of the Golden Ram ranches in Paso Robles. Is it possible/normal to request a guided hunt from them so I could see the ranch and then do a membership? Does it seem reasonable to get a discount on a private hunt if I did the membership?

That would be a good question to call and ask them.