Hog hunting in CA

[mefisto]

[Joe'Bronco]

SMDH


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[Trapper]

The general consensus is that the knowledge you gain on a guided hunt is money well spent. Your odds of seeing and getting a shot at a pig are much better and you have an opportunity to learn from an experienced guide. Similar to learning about sex from a magazine vs taking a trip to the bunny ranch.

[jdfthetech]

The general consensus is that the knowledge you gain on a guided hunt is money well spent. Your odds of seeing and getting a shot at a pig are much better and you have an opportunity to learn from an experienced guide. Similar to learning about sex from a magazine vs taking a trip to the bunny ranch.

This is great advice. Going on a hunt with no experience can be a real downer. Think of it like paying someone to be your Uncle for the day, stay quiet, pay attention and LEARN.

I once went on a charter fishing expedition on the Great Lakes, (Lake Erie) and i learned a hell of a lot during that one day excursion. The things I learned have stayed with me. It's invaluable.

[stonefly-2]

Your instincts are correct but you need to make the distinction between a guided hunt and the outfits that offer shooting some little girls previous 4H project.

[mefisto]

[taperxz]

San Diego is the best bet or fallen leaf lake in South Lake Tahoe

[Dnele928]

Search in CG for guided hunts with Bigboarstopper

[Divernhunter]

Many guided hunts are for wild pigs in hills and fields that are private but not a shoot fish in a barrel hunt.
I have hunted near King City and Paso Robles and none were a canned hunts.
I have also taken armed hikes on public land several times. A waste of time and money spent.

[jhillas]

I guide out of Hollister. Fair chase. PM sent

[AGGRO]

San Diego is the best bet or fallen leaf lake in South Lake Tahoe

All hogs down here were killed in a boating accident. Stay up North.

[sfpcservice]

I've looked for the creatures up at Knoxeville Wildlife Area where it's legal to hunt. I've seen pig damage, tracks and scat up there. Never seen a pig....

I think they go 100% nocturnal on land with lots of hunting/hiking pressure and you probably won't see one at a time of day where shooting is legal.

[dart368]

How to hijack your thread, but I'm in the same boat. I would like to go hog or deer hunting but I just don't have $1,000 how to Shell out.

But I also want to go for the experience of being out there. If I come out of there skunked then at least I got some good exercise hiking around and maybe doing an overnight camp out.

I've heard about Knoxville as well as Cache Creek for being good areas. I have never been out there past Lake Berryessa, but I am planning on doing it.

Like I said, it's not about getting meat for my freezer but more so for the experience of hiking into an area, setting up camp and then going out and hunting the area. If I do end up shooting something, then all the better :-)

[bigboarstopper]

Public land hunting for hogs is difficult to say the least. Those who are successful keep their spots and info locked up. Anyone who gives up their spots or simply their general hunting area will see an influx of hunters and ultimately the loss of their honey hole. Public land hunt success probably adverages around 5%

Guided hunts can be whatever you want them to be depending on where you go. Some will be fenced in where hogs are basically domestic. You can walk right up and shoot one. Some will be free range and the hunt will be difficult but probably successful. Some guided hunts will treat you like cattle. They rush you in and rush you out. They drive you over the first hill point at a hog and boom, it’s over. You feel as if you were there for ten minutes. The cost can range from 600$ to well over 1000$. Success rates on guided hunts are usually 90% and above

Semi guided hunts give hunters access to land with some guidance and help for a fee. Prices run somewhere between 300$ a weekend to 200$ a day. Some of these ranches can be productive and some can be barren of life. The plus side is that you can do most of the hunting yourself with a reasonable chance to take a shot. You will also have the hunting grounds to yourself(s). The downside is you could be paying somone good money to go on a hike all weekend and not see a thing just like a public land hunt. Also, some places charge a camping fee on top the hunting fee making the cost the same as a guided hunt. Do your homework before booking a semi guided hunt. Semi guided hunt success runs probably between 20-70% depending on where you go and your own personal hunting skill set

Fort hunter Legget can be a good option. The military base allows hunters at specific times for a fee. The up side is that there is lots of land to hunt and it’s relatively flatter than public land which tends to be solid brush and steep. The downside is there are hoops to jump through to gain access and there are other hunters to contend with. The success rates are higher than public land but are by no means as successful as a guided hunt. I’d make a guess that the base success rate is around 5-15%.

Bottom line, nobody will give out their public land hunting spot unless it’s a crappy spot to begin with. Guided and semi guided hunts are completely different depending on the outfitter. I suggest not hiring a guide until you have gotten first hand information from somone who has personally been on a hunt with that outfitter. And make sure their experience is the kind of experience your looking for. Finally, like I said in another post I’m not currently guiding any hunts so I’m not trying to pull you in my direction.

[Irishfisher]

Fort Hunter Liggett is, by far, the best public pig hunting in California. I have fished and hunted quail there since the mid-1970's and hunted pigs since 2009. Here is a brief rundown of the hunting progam.

The base is broken down into 36 training areas. Each week a decision is made as to which areas will be open for hunting. At times, an area you may want to hunt might be closed or restricted to a specific group of hunters (archery, shotgun or special tag). So, it is best to get to know a few different areas in order to have options. At times, most or all of the base is closed due to military training. One negative is they sometimes don't post the weekend's open areas until Thursday or Friday, making it difficult to plan a trip.

The permit process is a bit of a pain and is currently undergoing a transition to another check-in system. It involves a security vetting process, weapons registration and permit purchase. You can send in most of the paperwork, but will have to go in person to pick up your permit. I recommend going on a day you do not intend to seriously hunt, as the process can take some time. Once you have your permit, checking in and out for hunting is done easily through phone/internet.

Once you have your permit and start hunting the base, I would recommend picking a couple of areas and start learning them. All areas on the base will have pigs on them at one time or another and you could stumble into one anywhere. About half of the areas will actually hold pigs year round. The key is figuring out which ones hold pigs and where they will be at different times of the year. Rainy season is the best time for a new pig hunter to be out looking, as the ground is moist and new growth is sprouting. The rooting is obvious.

As I said, I started pig hunting the base in 2009. I lucked into a pig on opening day of deer season that year. After that, I averaged a pig every 10 trips or so for a couple of years. Slowly I learned more about pigs' habits and where/when they would be found in certain areas. My success rate has gone up exponentially as I gained this knowledge. Currently, I see pigs on about 75% of my trips. We harvested 5 pigs there on our trips during 2017.

If you choose to hunt FHL, you will still have to put in the time to learn the about pig hunting. However, you will be doing it where they actually live, as opposed to much of the rest of California's public land.