Reality of hunting in vicinity of Bay Area??

[AngelDecoys]

gottarollwithit: If you feel like pheasent hunting, I belong to two clubs in the central valley. One is the Stockton Sportsmen that has the largest pheasent co-op in CA.

We had a hen hunt up near Lake Camanche (around Stockton) last weekend. Always open for new people to tag along. If you have a dog, or if your wife hunts, they are welcome.

If you've never hunted before, it not a bad way to break yourself in. And they clean the birds for $2 each while you have lunch.

If intersted, send a private email.

[Linus]

Yeah, I found BLM land close to Lake Barriesa which should be the closest to Davis where i live, but i'll give the local game warden a call.

[JG2000]

Most big game animals your going to have to draw for if you want to hunt public lands (deer, elk, and antelope). Wild pig is open all year round and there pretty good eating if you don't shoot anything over 200lbs. You might check out Fort Hunter Liggett, they have some nice areas. The really good ones you can only use archery, black powder, or Shotgun though. Good luck and let us know where you decide to go.

[gottarollwithit]

Hmm, you guys definitely have some interesting propositions. I'll definitely take the hunter safety class and start from there.
A quick pheasant hunt or a guided pig hunt might be a good way to start, right?
Also, what kinda gear am i going to be needing for hunting pig? Can i just use a shotgun with slugs? For pheasant i'm assuming i just use some birdshot?

[AfricanHunter]

You could use a shotgun with slugs for pigs but, IMO, a rifle would be better. You will be pretty limited as far as range with a SG w/ slugs. Personally would go with 270 or larger, with a scope, for a beginner. Pheasant would be a 12 or 20 gauge (or smaller if you like) with roughly #7 shot, give or take.

As far as non firearm gear for pigs, I think a pair of good boots, some durable pants (or shorts if you want and aren't going to be doing a lot of brush busting), set of binoculars, skinning knife, bags/cooler for meat, sling for your rifle (if you like carrying that way) and you should be pretty good. If you go guided, some of this stuff probably would be really needed but would be good to have.

Don't skimp on the ammo. It is one of the cheapest aspects of the hunt that can make or break it. Pigs are pretty tough critters and you need a bullet that will stay together.

Do you have a center fire rifle? If so, make, model, caliber? Scoped? If not and you go guided, I am sure the guide would loan you one but if you want to get into big game hunting, it is nice to have your own equipment.

[HOGDOG45-70]

I used to feel your pain, i grew up in the santa cruz mountains and spent every weekend, holiday and sick day with my father traveling out of town to do some good hunting. I have hunted many different areas at hunter liggett for pigs,lotts of hogs but they are in the back country and can be quite a feet to bag one. los padres offers the same challenge.

Red bluff area offers some good pig hunting along hogs back road and paynes creek.

Redding has good hunting around shasta lake, and west of the dam.

All you need is a lever action .44 or 45-70. if you use a shot gun make sure you use a slug barrel. as far as eating hogs are mothers milk. Lots of deer in these same areas.

[gottarollwithit]

Well, one of the original premises of the hunting idea was to use some of the shotgun slugs that i'm gonna be making soon. They'll be some firebreathing magnum dixie slugs, very much like the stuff in paradox guns (for elephant hunting). I dunno what the effective kill range is on these things, but supposedly when loaded properly you can easily take down an angus bull.

So how exactly does pig hunting work. Am i better off having a guide with dogs that'll find the hog for me, then i can just walk up and use the shotgun? Or, am i best off having a good centerfire rifle that i can spot the animal from quite a ways away, then i can put it down from a distance?
What kinda range do you usually need to pig hunt? I'm assuming some thing under 50 feet.... Better yet, with out dogs, how do you find hogs?

Oh ya, Africanhunter, never got any contact info.

Thanks!

[dandan]

Go with a guide. I would recommend pig because the season is open all year. Don't worry about the meat it will be safer then anything at Safeway or Albertson's, unless you shoot one in Golden Gate Park. If you go in Feburary or March you will have the benifit of cool weather to protect the meat.

[HOGDOG45-70]

I have shot about 98% of all my hogs within 50 yards. As far as slugs go i have only used one once and i shot that one at about 20 yards in the brush.

There are all kinds of ways to hunt out there but i prefer as close as i can get. Sending a telegran via 300 mag to let the hog know it's dead just doesn't do it for me.

[ElToro]

no family friends with large tracts of rural land ?

google hog or boar hunting in california and youll find some stuff. in san benito and monterey county theres plenty of guides. try boaring experiences. also ask at your local gun shop ( not wall mart or big 5) should cost you about 500

most pheasant clubs require a dog, your own or theirs. but otheriwse its pretty fun.

bear is available in teh mountains < 300 miels from here ( i am in pleasanton)

the bitch is deer hunting. i se em in my yard and everywhere else but getting out in public land and seeing a quality buck is tough. find a friend who hunts.

panoche BLM is only about 1-1.5 hours. drive from pleasanton. 580 to 5 south. i like to go to plink, but i spose if you weer there early or late you might see some coyote. ive never seen anything alive there but i also wasnt looking. too many 4 wheelers to shoot safely in clear creek, other BLM available. just need to put in the research.

[AfricanHunter]

In that case, go ahead and use the shotgun. You will just have to get a bit closer and if the country is relatively thick, shouldn't be an impediment at all. The problem with the SG/slugs isn't the killing power (assuming you are loaded properly), it is the range.

Pig hunting can be done in many different ways. Hunting with dogs is fun but very different from a spot/stalk or still hunting type of hunt.

With dogs, the dogs will run then bay the pig. If the handler is using a catch dog, at this point it will be sent in to hold the pig and you come up and kill it (with a knife if you want or just a firearm). If not catch dog, the handler will call his dogs back a bit for the shot or you just wait for an opening. Don't shoot the dogs! Wait for a good shot.

Hunting pigs (or cougar/bear/bobcats) with dogs can be exhilarating and very tough. IMO, a must do at least once type of thing.

Personally I prefer the spot/stalk and/or still hunting approach. This type of hunting really changes based on terrain.

If the country is pretty open and there is a vantage point you can get to, you will probably go up there early and glass for pigs. If you find a suitable specimen, you will plan a stalk from there. It is pretty challenging sneaking up to a wild animal in their environment. There will probably be blown stalks but dont sweat it, that is part of hunting. It wouldn't be fun if it was easy.

If the terrain is thick, you may spend the day still hunting (moving very slowly through likely pig areas. Take a few steps, stop, listen and look around. Take a few more steps, repeat. repeat. etc....)

If you hire a guide or go with someone who knows the area well, he should know what the most productive methods are and where the pigs hang out. Look for wallows, tracks, recently used game trails, rubs and stuff like that. If there are pigs around, they will make their presence known.

Having the range of a center fire rifle, imo, will help with your success rate. Think about it like this, it will allow you to take all the shots you could take with a shotgun/slugs, plus all the shots that would be out of range for your sg(until the max range of the rifle). But there is something special about making your own ammo and success isn't everything (to me at least). You have to weigh this and figure out which way you want to go.

Pigs also don't seem to stand still very often (and if they do, not for very long) so unless you are pretty good with irons, I would opt for a low power scope.

Range can be anywhere from feet to 300 plus yards. Really just depends.

If you have more questions just ask. Good to see people that are interested in getting into hunting.

[gottarollwithit]

Interesting...
I appreciate the advice on hog hunting. After my buddy and i take the class, any of you guys interested being my guide/fellow hunter in a few months?

[AfricanHunter]

Sorry, in SoCal.

[HOGDOG45-70]

just give me a call. Fyi I go to hunt not cruise around in the jeep and toss empties. If you are serious about hunting post an email and i will reply.

[AfricanHunter]

Just saw the part of your post regarding the contact info. Will get it to you soon