Says who?.....That there are no pig on public lands. Part I 2011

[jb229]

Nice, I should have 1 of my guns working by then. Good luck in CO.

 

[Huntr Pat]

you post it! what took you so long. I guess you read my map from the bedding area.

 

[HOGHUNTER714]

Nice Job! Enjoy that meat!

 

[Mel Carter]

L2H,
You truly amaze me. It's definitely not luck, you know what your doing and your the most successful hog hunter I know. Way to go and great start to 2011.

 

[83Yota]

L2H,
Thanks for the reply. I follow you stories and advise very close, and have tried your circling method, backed off and circled again. This is how I have been able to find what direction they moved in(Thanks). The other issue with following them to the brush/beds, is that there is no way I would be able to circle the brush, it would take me two days. The area I am hunting is 70% brush and 30% grass and oaks. Over the years I am pretty sure I have figured out what fresh and old sign is and can guess how old the sign is. But you are the man, so correct me if I am wrong.

It makes it a lot easier to locate and know fresh sign, when it pours all night and you wake up in the morning, to no rain and the tracks have no water in them and the rooting has not been watered down, the dirt is soft, loose and fluffy, and the grass under the rooted chucks is the same freshness/color as the surrounding grass. Same thing for the snow. But I do wonder will they hole up and stay to thick cover when it snows.

 

[Live2hunt]

L2H,
Thanks for the reply. I follow you stories and advise very close, and have tried your circling method, backed off and circled again. This is how I have been able to find what direction they moved in(Thanks). The other issue with following them to the brush/beds, is that there is no way I would be able to circle the brush, it would take me two days. The area I am hunting is 70% brush and 30% grass and oaks. Over the years I am pretty sure I have figured out what fresh and old sign is and can guess how old the sign is. But you are the man, so correct me if I am wrong.

It makes it a lot easier to locate and know fresh sign, when it pours all night and you wake up in the morning, to no rain and the tracks have no water in them and the rooting has not been watered down, the dirt is soft, loose and fluffy, and the grass under the rooted chucks is the same freshness/color as the surrounding grass. Same thing for the snow. But I do wonder will they hole up and stay to thick cover when it snows.

I never hunted hogs in the snow before. The only place I know that has hogs and snow is Tejon. We hunted Tejon only in May so no snow that time of year. Not sure what to tell ya about pig hunt in the snow, but I would guess it would be similar to elk hunting.

Yes you are right. If rain pours all night and stopped when morning comes, you can easily tell the difference between fresh and old. Depending on how long have the rain stopped and the hog activity, you can determine how far you are away from the hogs. If the rain stopped just half hour ago or still drizzling, and you see fresh rootings, it means you nearly stepped on them. If you see tracks on the trail, it probably means they are on the move and could be several ridges over. If rain stopped at mid-night and you find fresh signs at sunrise, it means they are still somewhere around but you have to work to find them. I would head for the thick stuff and hunt around the edge of the brush.

If there are too much thick stuff that you cannot cover the edges on foot, find where they headed in. Usually they come back out the same way in the evening.


Good Luck

 

[83Yota]

Thanks again, L2H!
I decided to put up the game cam out this year, and I hope I am thinking like the great L2H. I did find two spots where is appears they are heading in and out of, there are two nice saddles on the ridge going from brush to open grass and oaks. This appears to be the two spots I can find the most travel on. With all the grass growth, both trails are worn hard almost to mud/dirt. The brush and scrub oaks are worked hard at the entrance of both spots.
We will see in a few weeks if I get anything on the cam, my flash does not work anymore on the game cam so I will only be able to tell if they are moving through the day. There are a few biggins in the group from what I can tell, from the prints and marking on the trees.
Thanks again for the info, and even though I am getting frustrated with my efforts, it only grows my obession to tag my first ever elusive public land hog!

Once again great job on another PLH, you have got them figured out.

 

[Live2hunt]

83yota,
How big is the land you hunt?

 

[83Yota]

L2H,
The land is huge & rugged, but I have been focusing on a 9 to 15 square mile area. I have focused mostly on the one ridge line, but there is a second area that has a little fresh sign each time (I think a solitary boar) and it's about a 3 mile hike out to that spot.

 

[REM3006]

L2H,
We will be hunting in the snow again. According to my host it is a little bit harder this time because the games are more wild and moves a lot. More snow compare to last year. He said it will be a real hunt. Not a shoot out. By the way, I don't know what to do w/ the extra tag, my son cannot come. Ask Papa.
:hog chewing:

 

[huntingbret]

Congrats again. I wonder how many you'll tag this year.