Stupid Questions

[Kickaha]

Hello there,

I’ve been reading this forum for a couple months now and have gone through a good bit of the material on this site.  This looks to be one of the premier hunting sites on the net and probably THE premier site for California.  

My brother and I have been shooting for about 30 years (target and plinking) but have never hunted.  We were planning on starting out pig hunting at FHL in a month or two.  We already have our FHL vouchers/permits.  

At any rate, I have a few questions that, since they never seem to be brought up by others, will probably be viewed as being obvious.  Although the answers may be buried in some government handout, I have yet to find them (add to that that most sites with such information are currently down and it only gets worse).  So if anyone can help a newbie, it would be most appreciated!

    1. Do you have to leave evidence of sex on animals in California?  On pigs too?

    2. How does one do this if they field dress, skin, quarter, and bone out the animal in the field?  Or do most of you leave that work for when you get back to camp or home?  I guess there’s the obvious answer that one could keep the individual "parts", but it would be difficult to keep them attached.

    3. There’s a California publication that says that one should bury the innards of pigs because they might pass along diseases to other animals.  Do most of you bury the stuff or do you leave it for the other critters?

    4. If two hunters go out, can they both get by on one book of pig tags or do they each have to buy their own book?  I really doubt we’ll be that lucky the first time out.  I doubt even more that my back would be willing to carry out more than one at a time.

Thanks for any answers!

 

[feelinducky]

Kickaha, Welcome to Jesses Hunting Page.  It's late so just a couple of quick answers for you.  Keep checking back because people here really know their stuff and are very happy to share information.

1) No, doesn't matter.

2)Try to get the pig gutted, skinned and cooled ASAP.  They tend to spoil quicker than deer.  If you skin in the field bring some cheese cloth to wrap the pig in.  I believe that FHL still has a cold box for hunters to use I think it's about $3-$4 a day

3)  Some say bury the innards so animals can't ingest the lead from bullet fragments.  I believe that it is the condor they are tying to save but I'm not sure.  Someone will reply if I'm wrong.

4) Each hunter must have his/her own set of pig tags that will correlate to their California hunting license number.

Hope this helps, like I said earlier welcome and keep checking back.  You should also try looking at Jesse's information on FHL he has quite a bit of information on the web page.

(Edited by feelinducky at 12:05 am on Feb. 5, 2002)

 

[jackrabbit]

Get a copy of the California Dept. of Fish and Game regulations for hunting mammals wherever you get your hunting license and pig tags and read them thoroughly on your down time, they actually get pretty complex.  Even though there is not a requirement  for proof of sex, like in Colorado, there is a requirement to show antler points on regular deer tagged bucks.  Unless you have an either sex tag for deer, you are limited to a forked horn (branched on one side) or better.  If you get into hunting pheasant or ducks, then you also need to be able to identify species and save attached wings for sex identification.  Same goes for turkeys re male/female and beards.  When I bone out deer, I still have to save the head and rack for identification, until I get it home -- but I'm not even quite sure how legal that really is, since I suppose if I butchered everything into small cuts in camp, a warden would not necessarily know if I included a doe in my stash of butchered buck meat.

 

[Kickaha]

Thanks for the replies!

I do have a copy of most all the California hunting booklets I could find, including the fur-bearing mammals booklet (just so you don't think I'm too lazy to read).  I have come across several instances where a certain rule was mentioned in one publication but not in another.  Very frustrating.  

I knew this group would know the facts and sure enough!

 

[kellyg]

Welcome Kickaha! You and your brother will have a great time hunting even if you don't get any game! My brother and I (both in our 40's) started hunting together about 10-15 years ago and it is the best time ever to explore the hunting experience with family. I am in Texas so I am not at all familiar with the California rules but there is a great bunch of guys here from Cali and they will help you out all they can. Good luck and let us know how it goes!

 

[Speckmisser]

Welcome aboard, Kickaha!

Feelinducky pretty much nailed the answers right on.   Don't feel too stupid to ask any question about this stuff.  Most of the guys here are very generous with that kind of info (just don't ask for secret spots).  Everybody started out at the same place... knowing nothing.

Besides, the only time you really look stupid is when you're standing by the warden's truck getting a ticket because you didn't ask a question in advance.  

Good luck at FHL, and welcome to hunting!

 

[Kickaha]

Thanks kellyg & Speckmisser!

Here's another one....

I usually go shooting when it's nice weather -- little wind, no rain, late morning.  If it doesn't look good outside, I'm inside (at least as far as shooting goes).  I've resigned myself to not being as picky with hunting.  Which means that I may be hunting when there's a heavy fog or drizzle.  

So what do people do to protect their rifles in these situations?  I don't recall seeing anything at Turners, Cabelas, or seeing this discussed here.  Do you let water drip down the barrel and into the action?  Can't be.  

Thanks again for the welcome!

 

[Speckmisser]

Kick,

The weather's not gonna hurt your rifle or the ammo, so I wouldn't worry too much about that (unless you hunt blackpowder).  If you do get wet, of course you'll want to clean it up and oil it when you get home.  But I've hunted in everything from thunderstorms to blizzards, and as long as the muzzle is clear of solid obstructions (ice, mud, snow, etc.), there's no problems.  

If you have a scoped rifle, I'd keep the lens covered, just to keep it clear.  I haven't bought any yet, but I'm planning to get a set of flip-caps for mine.  Seems like a good idea for anyone who's gonna be out in the weather.  

The important thing in foul weather is to keep yourself warm and dry.  Go ahead and spend what it takes to get a good set of hunting gear (if you don't have it already).  It'll be worth the cost a thousand times over when you can sit out the nasty stuff in relative comfort.

By the way, most browsing game (like deer and pigs) tend to be most active before and after storm systems, so you'll definitely want to be prepared for weather.

(Edited by Speckmisser at 12:02 pm on Feb. 11, 2002)

 

[Kickaha]

Thanks Speckmisser,

That seems odd to me, but as I have no (immediate) intentions of hunting in anything more than a light sprinkle (let alone thunderstorms or blizzards), everything should be okay.

I need to get flip-caps too.  I have them for another scope and like them a lot.