Lake Sonoma Saturday - Anybody Going?

[Rotorhead]

The forecast is for delightfully rotten weather so I feel obligated to go. I'm still new to hog hunting, but I've always done well on deer & elk in stormy weather.

Where are the hogs when the weather is bad- Hunkered down in the junk or moving to feed & stay warm?

Anyone else going?
Jerry

 

[Rotorhead]

I hate it when I mis-spell

Yes, I meant LAKE Sonoma.

 

[THE ROMAN ARCHER]

i am still trying to figure out that place to Jerry, i have never had luck in the pounding rain hunting hog's yet, but hogs do feed out in bad weather. butt if your instinc tell's you ya gotta hunt, then go for it, i always like to try and beat the odd's when it come's to hunting or fishing in bad weather, but then again my river's west makes it nice too! good kuck on your pig hunt and let us now how you did..........tra

 

[hunterdoug]

hey rotorhead the hogs I've found during rain have been bedded under a overhanging stump or tree or in hollow trees but will get up and feed but generally don't stray too far from cover. my biggest to date a 285# sow was under a redwood that gave a nice dry bed, and it was pouring for days. I too like hunting the weather cause it helps with sound and smell. good luck bring back a story.

 

[Rotorhead]

Thanks for the advice hunterdoug, I'll store it away for future use. Sorry guys, no story.

Put the boat in the water about 0530, hit the beach about 0600. Hiked in to where I wanted to be at daybreak. There was an insane amount of sign, but didn't see any hogs. Hunted out the finger ridges where the wind was in my favor but no luck.

About 0900 I started running into guys that had hunted down from the top so it was time to move. Headed farther up the lake and found another great area that I had decided to hunt until dark. Shot my practice arrow a couple of times and unfortunately my center serving gave up the ghost so I was done.

Home by 1600. As always, it was a great day to be out, learned a bunch, got soaked to the bone but saw no hogs. I'll figure them out yet..

Anyone else have any luck?

 

[THE ROMAN ARCHER]

thanks for the report Rotorhead, hardcore and a great effort to score one, you were out there and gave it a good run, i give you major prop's for that, hopefully next time will be more productive and you bag one, good luck!............tra

i have been working outside all day myself in the rain and i got 4 more hr's to go, and its raining cat's and dog's with no end in sight right now, later.........tra

 

[Rotorhead]

i have been working outside all day myself in the rain and i got 4 more hr's to go, and its raining cat's and dog's with no end in sight right now, later.........tra

Sorry to hear you had to be out working in that stuff. It's fun to be out hunting in it, but working in it is a whole different story!

 

[hunterdoug]

glad to hear you went for it I can't tell you how many time I've come home soaked to the bone for sure! it can be challenging, and just when you think you got em figured out they move. someone else found them, wheather, food, it's a fun game. I've seen some sows being bred down here lately so there should be some wet sows with little ones nursing pretty soon, I prefer not to shoot those untill the piglets are 10 or 15 lbs. these sows will also leave the heards to give birth and sometimes make little sow heards 3-4 adult sows with piglets. spreading out can make getting on pigs a little easier but passing on a hog after so much effort can be a hard decision. good luck and keep working at it public pigs can be hard to find but not impossibleig-laughing: :archer green:

 

[Rotorhead]

Thanks! I'll be out there every chance I get; Doesn't matter what the weather is doing.

Maybe I'll see you out there!

 

[Krisdude]

one thing I found their is it seem like the pig hold on the top of the hills, out their, I hope to get out their and giv a pig a boat ride next week

 

[jryeo]

I hunted Saturday morning on the north side of Rockpile Rd. Started hiking about 6:45 am and covered lots of ground. The rain didn't really let up, except for maybe 20 minutes, so the piggies never came out. Made it back to my car about 11:00. Sunday morning probably would have been a better day but I didn't feel like waking up early again.

I came across a tree stand with piles of corn around it only 1/2 mile from rockpile road! Apparently this guy is not only dumb but lazy too. I reported it to the hatchery staff who were going to go remove it.

They are posting hunt stats at the hatchery. To date, 450 hunter-days have produced 9 pigs. Pretty poor ratio.

 

[rodneyshishido]

I hunt pigs in Hawaii and not California so perhaps my thoughts are even worth the 2 cents.

It seems you hunters are early risers. That is like most of the hunters here. I get odd comments because a lot of times I plan on getting to my area about noon. My best success generally comes between 4:00 pm and dark. Once in a while I'll pick one up earlier, but, that is more the exception. I have done the dawn patrol many times, but, just have had far better success in the late afternoon/evening. The bad part is that many times you end up coming out in the dark by headlamp.

 

[dkhuntr25]

jryeo y would u go and report that?

 

[THE ROMAN ARCHER]

you can use a tree stand as long as you dont damage the tree, but you can't bait that's the problem i would think...........tra

 

[hunterdoug]

yea baiting is illeagal, as far as the poor ratio 450 for 9 pigs, 9 pigs isn't bad for the first couple of weeks. I hunted the deer hunt there this year and have been hunting LS quite a few years, back when it was a draw hunt, and the population is down, with the draught and the shotgun fiasco last year, more people getting to know the place, it is getting harder to find em every year. when dfg couldn't do the drawing any more and he (the biologist in yountville) helped Joel make it a archery only hunt I told my friends that it would be really good for about four or five years and then it will be tougher. and that has happened. I haven't been there since late Oct but with the area that I covered 9 pigs isn't bad. there is a sustainable population due to the priv prop around the lake but not a ton of pigs.

 

[jryeo]

Baiting

This is what the regs say about baiting. I believe in reporting hunting and fishing violators to try and keep the sport clean.


§257.5. Prohibition Against Taking Resident Game Birds and Mammals by the Aid of Bait.

Except as otherwise provided in these regulations or in the Fish and Game Code, resident game birds and mammals may not be taken within 400 yards of any baited area.

(a) Definition of Baited Area. As used in this regulation, "baited area" shall mean any area where shelled, shucked or unshucked corn, wheat or other grains, salt, or other feed whatsoever capable of luring, attracting, or enticing such birds or mammals is directly or indirectly placed, exposed, deposited, distributed, or scattered, and such area shall remain a baited area for ten days following complete removal of all such corn, wheat or other grains, salt, or other feed.

 

[jryoung]

I believe in reporting hunting and fishing violators to try and keep the sport clean.

+1

 

[Rotorhead]

I came across a tree stand with piles of corn around it only 1/2 mile from rockpile road! Apparently this guy is not only dumb but lazy too. I reported it to the hatchery staff who were going to go remove it.

You did the right thing in reporting this jryeo. I think we need to keep everyone in compliance with the rules to preserve this opportunity, despite the success ratio.

I may have spoken with you on Saturday. I met up with a hunter down near the lake that told me about the stand/bait site. I was heading back down to my boat. Was that you?

 

[jryeo]

Hey Jerry,
That was me you ran into. Good to meet you. :toast-yellow:

I met another hunter after I saw you, and he had heard about the baiting from somebody the previous week. So apparently a few people had seen it and not reported it.

Here's a picture.

John

 

[White Mamba]

Telling the ranger staff is def. the right thing to do. We already lost one side of the lake to hunting from people who think they can do whatever they want! Just recently someone shot a pig on private property and left the guts next to the owners house!!! Imagine that phone call. If we want to keep lake Sonoma open to hunting its important that we keep a eye on the place before the staff just gets tired of the problems and closes the hunting program down