Orange County area hog guide?

[BobbyZ]

Hey there. Doing some searching and can't find a guide for a hog hunt in SoCal. I have not experience hunting down there but I'm going stuck for a day so figured I'd come back with a cooler. Any links or names would be great. Thanks ahead of time for any help.

 

[dc83]

The closest place to OC is Big Horn Canyon Ranch.

 

[BobbyZ]

@dc83...I went to the Big Horn Canyon Ranch website and it says in the FAQ: 'No tags or license is required to hunt our ranch - not even pig tags!' Is this an eradication issue? The way the site is put together, i'm skeptical. Have you been here?

 

[mdn6464]

From my past research on Big Horn Canyon Ranch (BHCR), the ranch is privately owned as are the animals on the ranch. Being privately owned animals, you don't need a license or tag to harvest one. People have said that the animals coming from BHCR isn't really wild either. There are reports of wild animals on the ranch, but most are closer to the farm raised kind. They have a fairly high success rate since most of the animals don't roam around much. I haven't been there myself so this information is only from the research that I've done in the past. Either way, if you're wanting to bring home meat, then BHCR almost guarantees it. It should be fun nonetheless, although not the kind of hunting most people on this forum are looking for.

 

[solus]

My friend said it wasn't worth it because all the animals are farm raised and he felt bad because most of the animals there are docile and in a small area. He compared it to going and shooting an animal in a barn.

 

[mtnsammy]

Great hiking and a challenge to recover the meat. Still it is a farm hunt and the pigs seem to get taken from the same area over and over. If you are older and tired of running the hills for days this place you can get a pig in less than a full days hunt. Not quite internet hunting but the challenge is only the terrain.

 

[HOGHUNTER714]

I went when I was 19 and took my first hog there. If you are rifle hunting, it's a no brainer and it's like shooting a barnyard animal (At least in my experience). It might be a little different with a stick and string. The terrain is pretty hilly and will get you a good workout if you cover it by foot.

 

[BobbyZ]

Thanks folks. I read one of the old threads about BHCR that Hoghunter714 was in. I'm teatering. I've never gotten a kill and hunted quite a bit. Always the unlucky one in the group. I have a day of sitting on my butt in LA by myself which I don't wanna do. I feel like i'm gonna pop my cherry with a working girl and regret it though. Then there is the jealousy of my hunting buddy. That would be worth it alone. I think since I have the day off I'll go out there and pay $50 if it's just too easy. I'm inclined to go after the razorbacks there and tough it out. Don't think i'll take a farm pig. I wouldn't mind the meat though. So do I surf or kill? That is the question.

 

[solus]

Surf only because I heard tbey only get razorbacks once a year I suggest calling first to see what they have brought in lately

 

[dc83]

I have been there and yes it would/is a easy hunt with a rifle. I think it would be a challenge with archery equipment. I think this is a great place to pop your cherry if you have never gotten the opportunity to harvest an animal.

 

[BobbyZ]

On the website the razorback are the ones that need a tag. So I thought these would be the transient wild hogs. So how do they bring in razorbacks when it's illegal in CA?

 

[dc83]

When I went I didn't need any license or tags I would call and ask to be sure

 

[TonyS]

Just don't read a post and go out and think you are going to kill a local pig. That is a way to jail. Yeah, there are pigs around but those areas are off-limits to hunt. Big Horn Canyon is a safe way to take a pig locally.

 

[Wild1]

Hunting in socal, for wild hogs, is VERY difficult. I've been lucky enough to have done it more than a fews times, with a bow, but it takes a lot of time and effort. The Big Horn "hunt" is not really a hunt at all, it's a shoot and kill, high fenced canned hunt. If that's what you want, then they'll be your choice. The stock they carry is purchased and placed - some my have been there a while, but it's still a high fenced operation. In general, socal is not the place to hunt wild hogs, most people that live here will travel north to hunt them. Good luck.

 

[DirtyDave]

Use a Bow or a Handgun if you are going to BHCR.
No License/Tags needed if you are hunting INSIDE the "Pen" (main area inside electric fence). You can ask to hunt on the property, but OUTSIDE the "Pen" and then you will need lic/tags. Pigs do ecsape at times, and once they escape they are considered Feral and a even though they may still be on the property you will need a tag to hunt them.

 

[BobbyZ]

Thanks DirtyDave. I have tags and may do that route. I'll definitely be using stick and string.