NorCal and Central Cal Public Land: Precautions?

[bigbossman]

I plan to bring that mask for field dressing, wild pig guts really stink. It weighs nothing and I already have some around for light shop work.

Maybe if you gut-shoot them? I've never noticed any out of the ordinary stink coming from the gut piles I've removed from their previous places of residence....................

[taperxz]

I plan to bring that mask for field dressing, wild pig guts really stink. It weighs nothing and I already have some around for light shop work.

Maybe if you gut-shoot them? I've never noticed any out of the ordinary stink coming from the gut piles I've removed from their previous places of residence....................

Perhaps a Giant Condom over ones head and face would be more appropriate?

[jmonte35]

This is on advice from my neighbor, he's an experienced Texas and New Mexico wild hog hunter. He says bring a sidearm because wild pigs are mean muthas and also it's nice to have a pistol for tracking a wounded animal through real mean brush. I'm convinced this is not the case for California hogs, and I won't be taking shots at trophy boars, if those even exist on public land. ~125 lb. sow is what I'll take a shot at, best eating, and that's the most weight I care to drag out of the backcountry. It's also fun to carry one's pistol since that's not allowed in California under any other circumstance.

There's no need for a pistol when you have a rifle period unless you are really pumped up on shooting one with a pistol if you can close the range. My guess is you just want to kill a hog and any one will do. If you want to lug around a side arm all day have fun but I'd rather save the weight.

[NickTheGreek]

There's no need for a pistol when you have a rifle period unless you are really pumped up on shooting one with a pistol if you can close the range. My guess is you just want to kill a hog and any one will do. If you want to lug around a side arm all day have fun but I'd rather save the weight.

I don't see the problem packing a sidearm. I always bring one when rifle hunting. I'd rather dispatch a wounded animal with a .45 or 10mm than blast another .30-06 hole at close range and demolish the meat. However, I'm a fit guy, so packing an extra couple pounds is not as big of a deal as someone who is already carrying an extra 50lbs around the waistline.

[KLF]

Hello Folks:
I'm back from 2 nights out. I learned: 1) Bring more water and less food. 2) Bring a heavier sleeping bag 3) Permethrin clothing treatment is awesome. I still picked a couple dozen ticks off me though 3) When hunting wild pigs, expect to see every other game species, especially quail 4) I'm mildly allergic to Miner's Lettuce 5) wild pigs love hanging out in Poison Oak. Not that I saw any pigs but there was lots of sign and even a fresh dookie near a huge poison oak thatch.
Good Times, I hope to get out there again in May.

[NapalmCheese]

Hello Folks:
I'm back from 2 nights out. I learned: 1) Bring more water and less food. 2) Bring a heavier sleeping bag 3) Permethrin clothing treatment is awesome. I still picked a couple dozen ticks off me though 3) When hunting wild pigs, expect to see every other game species, especially quail 4) I'm mildly allergic to Miner's Lettuce 5) wild pigs love hanging out in Poison Oak. Not that I saw any pigs but there was lots of sign and even a fresh dookie near a huge poison oak thatch.
Good Times, I hope to get out there again in May.

1) Learn to find or make water if possible, as packing in your entire water supply is HEAVY. If you're drinking enough (at least 20 ounces an hour, every hour) you'll be going through at least 2 liters every 3 hours. I try to carry 3 liters during the summer, and 2 during the winter (where it's easier to top off my bottles as I'm walking). Food, yeah, everyone's always worried about food, that's not a huge concern as you've learned.

2) Eat something a little spicy before you go to bed and drink an ounce of olive oil or something. One trick I use is to make some spicy ramen for dinner and, just before eating, drop in an ounce of olive oil. The extra fat helps you stay warm as you sleep. Also, don't forget to put on dry socks before you go to bed. Likewise, there's no reason to sleep in your skivvies. Wear the next days clothes to bed (assuming they are dry). If you aren't wearing your jacket, toss it over your sleeping bag, over your hips, over your shoulders, or over your feet, whatever gets cold. Wear a hat and/or balaclava if you have one. Make sure you're sleeping on an insulated pad. Sleeping bags weigh a lot and take up lots of space, do what you can to minimize that.

3) I use Ultrathon and generally smear it on the exposed skin surfaces, but for ticks I'll hit up the belt line, collar, wrists (if I'm wearing long sleeves) and ankles. I'm a mosquito magnet, but ticks generally aren't fond of me.

3) (b) Happens to me too! I now know where to hunt band tailed pigeons because of a failed turkey hunt.

4) Be careful with wild edibles. Make sure you identify it properly and approach new things with caution. Good to hear you didn't have a terrible, throat swelling, rush to the ER moment.

5) Yuppers. I'm sure you can't wait to go in after one that has died in a poison oak bush.

Congrats on the fun time and happy hunting in the future.

[jdm49]

I find the DEET based repellents work better on ticks than the permethrin. A dozen ticks is still a lot. When I wear no repellent I see a dozen ticks, when I use the DEET I see none. Repel makes a nice test tube sized sprayer which is small and light and has plenty of juice for less than 1 week trips.

In terms of masks, the smelliest thing I have experienced on a trip was my buddy's rancid damp hunting pants and ruptured jackrabbit innards. Survived both without a mask. It may be useful to note that most of the simple face masks will do almost zero to stop odors. A typical surgical mask-type pollution mask filters out airborne particulates (when you 'see' smog in LA, Mexico City or Beijing you are seeing particulates in the air which do not have that strong an order considering the amount of material present). The strongest odors are typically molecular in nature consisting of single molecules dispersed in the air. The molecules you smell are much much smaller than the pores in the mesh or no woven filters in a standard face mask. Only a high surface area activated carbon filter mask is really going to help absorb odors and those have a limited shelf life and will be bulky.

I know what you are saying about not finding pigs. I usually find rabbits on a pig hunt and have found bear and elk.



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[lewdogg21]

Glad you are ok and learned some new areas.

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[NickTheGreek]

What's with all this talk of ticks? I've had one on me, ever. Maybe they just don't like me. Mosquitos freaking love me though.

[bigbossman]

What's with all this talk of ticks? I've had one on me, ever. Maybe they just don't like me. Mosquitos freaking love me though.

I'm not usually bothered by them, either. This past trip to Oklahoma a week ago changed all that. Despite the Permetherin, DEET, and other precautions, one of those rat bastids found it's way undetected in-between my big toe and the adjacent one.

It got itchy, and I thought I had a case of athlete's foot. Went to apply medicine and found the little bugger firmly attached. Also found "the rash" and swelling.

Currently on antibiotics for Lyme's Disease.

[CaptnCaveman]

Currently on antibiotics for Lyme's Disease.

What are the first symptoms of Lyme Disease?
I've had three of these suckers burrow into me in the past.

[bigbossman]

What are the first symptoms of Lime Disease?
I've had three of these suckers burrow into me in the past.

I don't know. Saw the rash and swelling, called the doctor. He took a look and decided to treat proactively.

There were only a couple of days that passed between bite and start of pre-emtive treatment, so I didn't have any disease symptoms other than the rash, intense itchiness ans some swelling/around the bite site.

A quick Google turned up this:

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lyme-disease/basics/symptoms/con-20019701

[lewdogg21]

Its in the link above but the red bullseye is the giveaway. You can get other crap from ticks too.

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[KLF]

Howdy all again---I brought along some 12-hour Ultrathon but I did not apply it, I don't like rubbing stuff into my skin if I can stand consequences of not doing so. I has sunscreen along too, didn't use that either. I kept my sleeves and hat on, even when really warm, and I siesta'd the hot part of the day in the tent under shade. I can usually feel ticks crawling, that's a skill developed from childhood in those Wisconsin woods, and flies don't bother me as do mosquitoes, there weren't many mosquitoes out there but many flies. We saw one snake, or rather my partner saw me step near it, may or may not have been venomous, it was lying on the edge of a main trail and it split real quick.

[drutledge79]

What's with all this talk of ticks? I've had one on me, ever. Maybe they just don't like me. Mosquitos freaking love me though.

On greater than 50% of my hunts I'll have at least one. I've gotten them hiking on established trails. Maybe it's just me? Last month in cache creek I picked 12 off of me in 2 days and the other 3 guys I was with had zero. I don't shy away from busting brush or walking through grass. My record is 17 picked off of me at FHL in a single afternoon. Pretty gross.