need mentor for pig hunting

[Big 17]

I am new member on this forum, I have only known about it for a couple of weeks.  The reason I was steered this way is because a moderator told me about it on another forum.  I have to say this is a very informative and well put together site.  

I live in Modesto, Stanisluas County, Ca.  I have a question.  I am and have been for some time, been very interested in hunting wild pigs.  From the stories I have read it seams to be a very exciting past time / life.  I would be greatly apprieciative if someone would give me information on where to hunt in Stan. Co. or the neighboring counties.  Or perhaps even tutor / mentor me into this exciting hunting oppurtunity.

 

[shaginator]

Big 17 -- welcome!

Everyone here's a great help and know a lot about the sport. Most of the folks here will probably recommend you hunt with a guide first to pocket the experience for future hunts and can attest to that.

I haven't done that sort of thing yet, mainly because I'm such a cheap bastard :shades-smoke:, and I got this weird thing of wanting to do some things the hard way.

The thing I did first, when I got interested in hunting hogs, was hit the CA DFG website. They have a booklet that you can print out that is actually a great introduction to wild pig behavior, habitat, and how to hunt them. They also list public areas where pig can be found (most aren't too encouraging) and I recall a couple of those areas are near your locale.

Some of the good folks on this forum also mention a book by a guy named Bob Robb called Hunting Wild Boar in California, or something like that. It's out of print so you may want to try some used bookstores or see if it can be borrowed at the library.

Once I found some interesting land, I just hit the ground with rifle in hand and started putting both old and new lessons learned to practice. There really isn't a better substitute for that. If you want to team up with someone, the people here sometimes try to get together for the "JHP" hunts. Some are planning to go to the Tejon Ranch down south for the "Pig-O-Ramas" in coming months... check the forums here for those to see what's up.

Last but not least, Jesse's put together some great info on this very website:

http://www.jesseshuntingpage.com/calhog.html

I'm sure the other hog hunters here will post some more great info on how to get started. Come back often and don't be shy.

Once again, welcome to Jesse's forum.
:toast-yellow:


(Edited by shaginator at 9:32 pm on Mar. 14, 2002)

 

[Speckmisser]

Welcome Big 17!

I think Shag hit it dead on.  Check out the DFG Pig hunting booklet (you can also request one through the mail, if you don't have a printer), and also see if you can find a copy of Bob Robb's book.  Hoghunter magazine is also very informative, but not the cheapest bargain for a quarterly newsletter.  

I haven't looked at your profile, but I'm guessing from your handle that you're younger?  If so, guided hunts may be out of your reach.  They start out in the $300 range, but most good guided hunts are going to run above $400.  That's a stretch for a working man, but if you can afford it, the experience and stuff you can learn from a good guide is really hard to beat.  

I've only done one guided pig hunt, but I've known a handful of guides on both the east and west coasts.  Most of them are very willing to share their knowledge if you ask.  It's probably the very best way to start out, if you can afford it.

Barring that, the next best thing is to keep an eye on information sources like this one, and http://groups.yahoo.com/group/californiahoghunting/ on the Yahoo groups.  Also, what you've already done was a good move... just ask for suggestions.

If you're real lucky, someone up your way will be interested in touching base and getting you out there to chase the piggies.  

Good luck to ya!

 

[Kickaha]

FYI: the ISBN # for the Bob Robb book is: 0-936513-09-8.  I've seen a lot at Turners lately.

Another thing I'd suggest is a field-dressing/skinning/quartering video.  No amount of reading can replace seeing it actually done.  A really good series of videos on this is http://www.sportsmanvideos.com