How to find the pigs????

[fishingitup]

I have access to a large area in Nor Cal. There are a lot of pigs in the area in the summer (large groups of 20 to 50), fall and late spring. But when all seasons are close and I want to find a pig they are all gone. Where can I find them and does the weather change there habits?

Thanks

 

[BDB]

Food and water! If they have a food source in the spring, summer and fall and that food source is not there in the winter, they probably won't be either. Water tends to be eassier to find in the winter also due to the rains so maybe that spreads them out a little more. Do you have good water sources on the property that they are near in the summer? Your best bet is to invite a couple of us up to help you find them, two or three sets of eyes are better than one right

Not knowing the property I don't know why there are there most of the year and absent the rest. Maybe they are there but are more nocturnal. Does the sign all dissapear also or do you just see less (or none) in the winter?

 

[fishingitup]

The sign is still there but not as much as the other times of year. the my use a water hole one day and not use it for a week or more.

 

[BDB]

My buddy has some property near Lake Sonoma that was torn up the last time I was there. We never saw a pig or even fresh sign other than about 2 week old rooting. This was in winter. It was like they were really nomadic and showed up at his place every couple of weeks to wreck the place and move on. We couldn't find sign of them actually living on any part of his property, no beds or major trails or concentrated scat areas. Damn pigs

Hopefully someone with much more pig experience can point you to the right answer. Good luck finding and eliminating a few of them.

 

[easymoney]

Welcome fishing to JHO,
And welcome to the world of wild pig hunting. They are a frustrating bunch aren't they? You just have to stick with it and keep checking your water holes. This year of little rain forces them to go to the few water holes left. Of course you neglected to state where this property is and some ranches have year round water so the pigs can pick and choose. BDB has good points for you, especially the part about letting some of us "experienced" hunters "help" you with your problem...

 

[PIGIG]

to find a pig you must become one! if you are out there all day and see nothing what is you guess! get youself a hammok(backpacker style) you dont want to sleep on the ground. get out there at night and see what they are doing, pick yourself a nice full moon weekend and enjoy. as a kid we had the same problem in redding after a few weekends out at night we figured out thier route which consisted of about a 25 mile loop from farm to farm.
the most intresting part was when we ran accross a rancher sitting in the middle of know where he told us most of his cows were calfing and the pigs were eating the new born as soon as they hit the ground. and told us how they used his property and the neighbors. long story kind of short we had land to access anytime we wanted and all pigs we wanted.

 

[hogwild757]

I LIKE THE IDEA ABOUT INVITING MEMBER TO HELP FINDING THESE NOCTURNAL CRITTERS. LET ME KNOW I'LL GET THE 4WHEEL CAMPER READY IT WILL SLEEP 2 COZY AND 3 TIGHTLY COZY.

 

[Rancho Loco]

Stack the deck.

Plant Barley.

 

[DEERSLAM]

Where about in No. CA? What is the terrain like? What are their foods sources when you know their there?

Hunt thick areas on the ranch and try to find where they bed. Trail cams can come in handy also.

 

[leftyhunter]

What about a trail cam on a tree overlooking cheap corn from an ag co-op with some mollass on top? Baspro and others sell commercial wild hog bait. You can legaley hunt pigs in Cal over bait but you can film them and check with your local warden about getting a depredation permit and then hunting them over bait. An old Texas technique is to use a fence post differ and then place corn in the hole and pour old milk or mollass over the corn and then cover the hole with rocks to keep out the birds. The pigs will root it up. Let us know how you solve the problem.

Leftyhunter

 

[500+grns]

Water isn't always a necessary resource because most big game get 90 to 95 % of their water from browse.
Deep cover in the winter is the key to finding the pigs.Shelter from the cold is important for sows to give birth in,and you will find their beds in the steep,thick areas that most hunters will pass on.They can hear and smell any predators approaching and it serves as a comfort zone.They are very smart animals and staying out of sight and out of mind is the way they survive.
Get on the highly used game trails and follow em til you drop.
Good luck