two questions

[Jean]

Okay, here goes.

I am working toward getting permission to hunt pigs on this land but I don't have it yet.

We drove down to see our friend and the ranch on Friday where the pigs are a problem. We gave her our permission slips and liability releases. She is in negotiations with her landlord over some other issues and does not want to complicate matters right now. The other side of it for her is that the pigs endanger her livestock. So it's in her hands and all I can do is keep my fingers crossed.

One thing, and this one troubles me. In one corner of the property we hiked on there was a medium sized boar who was alive but could not get up. I suspect he had a run in with another boar over a sow or something like that. My friend said he was there the day before. We walked up behind him (about 10 yards away) but where the wind would carry our scent to him and talking all the time. He lifted his head and flicked his ears. That was all he could do. While we were very sad to leave him disabled on the hill like that, that is what we did. We could have been observed if we put him down and I don't want to lose my gun, my truck, my hunting license over a mercy killing. Not to mention get my friend in trouble with her landlord.
I talked to some folks at DFG in the Monterey office. They said we did the right thing by leaving him lay. Sure seems like an odd version of "right" to me.
I had my .460 rowland pistol (stowed legally) in the truck.
Would you have put him down? I didn't because I feared the ramifications for myself and my friend.

Also, does anybody know where to find the information on depredation permit on the ca dfg website?

Thanks for your thoughts,

Jean

 

[Lurediver]

Put a knife in it's heart.

 

[Glass eye]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Jean @ Dec 22 2006, 12:15 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

I talked to some folks at DFG in the Monterey office. They said we did the right thing by leaving him lay. Sure seems like an odd version of "right" to me.[/b]

A few years ago a bear was hit by a car near Foresthill (D4) and was flopping around when a truck pulled over and a guy got out and mercy killed the bear and then drove away. The F&G was looking for him and it was on the news and newspapers that they wanted any tips from the public as to who he was. You'd of thought he was guilty of abducting a child or some other terrible crime.

 

[hogwild757]

You did the right thing, because what if someone was watching from a distance. You would have gotten into deeper and may risk the chance of not being able to hunt. Who knows you might get that chance later if the lanlord allows it.God luck!

 

[cam188]

Sometimes laws need to be overlooked if they are not ethical this country was not founded on turning a blind eye to what is RIGHT to do.
Take it down without gun fire and in the evening and leave it there for the bugs and yotes to clean up.

Just my 2 cents

 

[Jean]

Much of this ranch can be seen from the road and it is in the peoples republik of Santa Cruz County.

Thanks for your thoughts and ideas.

 

[PIGIG]

if a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it does it make sound?

NO

same as that hog if it was on the neighbors you would have not knowen.

protect your future there!! walk away

 

[NCahuntinfool]

I would have tried to get a hold of the owner. If I couldnt of reached him I would have contacted F&G. They may not have done anything but you never know. When I was younger we had a deer get tangled up on a barbed wire fence. We called F&G and they sent someone out to check it out. There was no way the deer could have survived without loosing it's leg so they shot it and disposed of it. I dont know if they would do the same thing with a pig but I dont see any reason why they wouldnt. And if you cantact the land owner and tell him about the situation then there is a good chance that maybe they will see you are not out there to tear up thier land and fences. Then they might be more willing to let you hunt on the property. A couple of days ago I went duck hunting with a friend of mine in a place that we have been hunting for about 16 years. On the way out a guy on a horse stopped us and told us that it was private property and they were not letting people hunt there anymore. We appoligized and told him we have been hunting there for years. He said that people were tearing up the fences and letting his cattle out so they quit letting people hunt there as of this year. Again we appoligized and he let us go on our way. We are allways carefull and dont tear up the property that we hunt. When we got to the fence we had to cross we unloaded the decoys out of the cart and lifted everything over and as we got almost to the truck the guy comes up to us again and said he could see we were not the to tear his property up and from now on if we want to hunt there he said we can park on his property by some corrals and go over the levee and hunt. So now just the two of us have permission to hunt the backside of this lake.

 

[YOUNG BUCK]

aaarrrggghhh...tough decision. As a hunter you know what the right he thing to do is. Unfortunately our fine state and it's bylaws don't always support what's RIGHT.
For what it's worth, thats good thinking Jean and hopefully you have earned yourself a hunting hole!

 

[spectr17]

I'd of shot the pig myself. Couple years ago a buddy had a doe run into his truck and she broke her legs bad. As she was dying in the ditch we called the local warden to get permission to shoot her. He said he'd call us back. After 5 minutes of watching that doe struggle and bawl we finally shot her, the warden be darned. The warden finally called back an hour later and said yeah, go ahead.

He issues us a tag number for the doe.

Next day the same warden and his pal raided our camp like we were some sort of poaching ring. I made sure and mention to him that we called him first that next time we wouldn't even bother calling the dumb arse.

Doing what's right isn't always the legal thing to do.

 

[Rancho Loco]

If it were me...

Since I didn't have permission to hunt the property, and since it appeared to be of a "natural occurance" and not a car strike or other man-influenced injury, I'd walk away.

Sometimes nature's a hard life and death.

But then again - if it were in sight of a road, good chances are it was hit by a car. The landowner should be contacted by the lease-holder for instructions before contacting DFG.

And don't make any assumptions about Santa Cruz - not many fans of wild pigs here.

 

[Redneck75]

No doubt about it...put it down. Hell, I'd rather be put down than left out there to die like that. I believe you said he'd already been there for a day. If you're worried about shooting the gun, use a knife. I've cut the throat of deer several times when they were tangled in the fence or run over. If you don't have a knife, a big rock to the noggin would get it done. May not be as pleasant or as quick as just shooting it but it still beats leaving it to suffer for hours or days. I wouldn't risk getting caught trying to transport the animal afterwards though. I hate to see it go to waste but it's not worth losing hunting licenses over it.

 

[larrysogla]

When you think nobody is around or nobody is watching is when somebody with binoculars is enjoying the countryside scenery and just so happens to spot you putting the hog out of it's misery. It is always a risk and in my humble opinion not worth all the legal trouble. I would just walk away. Wildlife is always at the mercy of injuries and old age. Some animals slowly starve to death because old age has worn the teeth away and can no longer bite or chew. It is always a risk to put away wildlife without a DF&G permit. Just my 2c of course. 'Nuff said.

 

[DEERSLAM]

Walk away. Nature can be very harsh.

 

[357tracker]

I can sense what you were/are feeling. I have put down two deer in the early Spring while hunting shed antlers. Both deer showed signs of starvation, ie. ribs showing, not enough energy to run from me or even attempt crawling away. I agree that nature is ugly at times. I just couldn't watch the suffering or walk away. Tough decision particularly in your scenario. Best of luck with permission and may your next trip there be a fulfilling one.

 

[bhrhunts]

here is the dep permit info from Fish and Game

 

[Live2hunt]

Errrr........just think of it as a human. If you see a guy laying there still conscious after getting mauled by a bear, one leg gone and you have a gun in your hand, are you going to put him out of misery?


L2H

 

[el_vaquero]

L2H, I need more info to answer.....is it someone I like or my boss? JK Really, if a guy is still conscious after being attacked by a bear I would think getting him medical attention rather than facing a murder charge would be appropriate.

I would have to leave it until getting permission from landowner or F&G. Nature is not always pleasant.

 

[ditto231]

Walk away is the best thing you've ever done.

Do you want other hunters to put you out of missery if you happen to break a leg or something in the woods?

 

[Jean]

Thank you for your responses and I apologize for not getting back to you sooner. I called my friend to check on things and she said the pig was gone. No blood trail, no gut pile, he'd gotten up and moved elsewhere. All I can guess is that he felt like crap for a few days and stayed in the same place. It's a big fat mystery to me.

I wish the pig well, at least until I get the chance to kill him proper.


Jean