Who moved my cheese?

[bigbossman]

As some of you know, I enjoy a modest success rate hunting pigs on public land. I know some areas pretty well, and after having invested a ton of time, effort, and money have been able to get my pigs on a semi-regular basis. In the areas I have spent sweat equity on, I have come to quasi-understand how the population of pigs is likely to move, behave, and have even discovered some of the escape routes they're likely to use when pressed or panicked.

Fast forward to last Saturday....... all my high traffic, good percentage spots are bereft of hog sign. Nothing - zip, zilch, nada. The grass is high, dry, and untrampled, and there are no new or heavily travelled trails where there once was an abundance. No sign of life save ground squirrels, some birds, and a coyote or two.

I'd like to write it off on the drought, but here's the thing........... I had no trouble finding water. Water was not an issue, it was easily found in quantity. Maybe food sources have dried up? Dunno.

What I do know is that after spending years working and developing an area, the game has changed - someone moved my cheese, and now I have to develop a new strategy.

I'm not happy.

[Sleighter]

Huh. I'd think that the drought was the major cause. If not specifically the water sources, the food sources may not have enough water to produce enough for the herd.

[Canucky]

Helped a friend last week.. runs a guide service, they got 2. I saw a few. Going back end of May.

[NickTheGreek]

Yup, pigs up and move, especially on public land.

[SonofWWIIDI]

That sucks.

Hope you find their trail and get some big ones!

Let me know when the BBQ is.

[FatCity67]

As some of you know, I enjoy a modest success rate hunting pigs on public land. I know some areas pretty well, and after having invested a ton of time, effort, and money have been able to get my pigs on a semi-regular basis. In the areas I have spent sweat equity on, I have come to quasi-understand how the population of pigs is likely to move, behave, and have even discovered some of the escape routes they're likely to use when pressed or panicked.

Fast forward to last Saturday....... all my high traffic, good percentage spots are bereft of hog sign. Nothing - zip, zilch, nada. The grass is high, dry, and untrampled, and there are no new or heavily travelled trails where there once was an abundance. No sign of life save ground squirrels, some birds, and a coyote or two.

I'd like to write it off on the drought, but here's the thing........... I had no trouble finding water. Water was not an issue, it was easily found in quantity. Maybe food sources have dried up? Dunno.

What I do know is that after spending years working and developing an area, the game has changed - someone moved my cheese, and now I have to develop a new strategy.

I'm not happy.

Huh, haven't heard that corporate patronizing parable phrase since the late 90's.

Suey! Here pig, pig, pig!

[NapalmCheese]

I would guess that with a lack of rain either the type of browse available is changing, or the dirt is compacting enough to make foraging difficult making the pigs move. It's just a guess, I don't know much about pig hunting here.

[bigbossman]

Huh, haven't heard that corporate patronizing parable phrase since the late 90's.

I was wondering if some would recognize it. I got handed a copy of that book about a week before I got laid off in 2000 when the .com boom went bust. What a sick joke that book was.......

[bigbossman]

Helped a friend last week.. runs a guide service, they got 2. I saw a few. Going back end of May.

Guide service on private land does not equal public land pig hunting. What is seen and done on private land has little to no bearing on public land pig hunting. Totally different behaviors and strategies.

[boarcrz]

I can't help you without knowing the terrain and available feed but that happened to me too and my case they were pushed out of their bedding area.
So it took them awhile before they came back.

But get this, I was out last weekend and saw several herds of pigs but all were sows with piglets. No shooter. One sow was very skinny and I'm guessing the piglets must've suck the life out of her.

I would go back to the spot and keep checking.

Good hunting

[bigboarstopper]

There may be water there but the season barely changed so possibly the hogs didn't get the memo to move. Perhaps the water sources they hit on the way to your area dried up making the migration impossible. I blame it on the drought and no acorn crop. Less pigs means less healthy hogs. If they aren't in good enough shape to move they will stay put. The acorn crop was almost zero and without acorns they won't travel as much. It's the acorns that really makes the hogs travel.

[PNOY]

Bossman, if your talking about the area you got your first pig, that's heavily use during this time of the year for military training.they move but they will come back.

[SonofWWIIDI]

And at least no one cut the cheese.

[bigbossman]

Bossman, if your talking about the area you got your first pig, that's heavily use during this time of the year for military training.they move but they will come back.

Two other areas as well. We scouted three more areas that I had never been to before, but did not see much sign at all.

The funny thing is that I was scouting the area you're referring to at about 11am, and ran across a couple of fellows that had shot a big boar that was on the run. They hit it and had a blood trail, but it ran straight up into some very thick scrub and they lost the trail. Those poor guys looked for hours, and when we left them they still had not recovered the pig.

[PNOY]

Two other areas as well. We scouted three more areas that I had never been to before, but did not see much sign at all.

The funny thing is that I was scouting the area you're referring to at about 11am, and ran across a couple of fellows that had shot a big boar that was on the run. They hit it and had a blood trail, but it ran straight up into some very thick scrub and they lost the trail. Those poor guys looked for hours, and when we left them they still had not recovered the pig.

They are tough animal . Shot one at 50 yards in the area where the sprinkler is
and lost it.