Uncle Scored some land!

[Lab&Citori525]

Hey fellas,
I am Casey, I'm usually scouring the upland game bird section of the forum for good stories and info. My uncle informed me he just purchased some land in locally west of Rancho, he said that there is a lot of deer, a lot of upland game, some pig hunting, and best of all an artesian well on hundreds of the acres. He extended his invite to hunt it with the upmost forwardness. (considering I am most definitely his favorite nephew!) Now as upland comes to a close all of my hunting clan wants to do a pig hunt. I know that there is a tag to be purchased as a resident for $21.86, there is no daily bag or possession limit, open all year round. Now, I have printed the private land entry permit, purchased the tag, and fueled the truck. Where do I go from here? This weekend we will scout not hunt, what should I look for? Stay close to the water or cover near water? Which animal should differentiate itself from the others? Camo and scent blocker? Any info would greatly be appreciated and I will make sure to return the favor when you start looking for birds. Thanks Gents
Casey

 

[JustGuy]

Why scout and not hunt? If you see a pig you won't shoot because you are scouting and not hunting, right?:rotflmao: Does the pig know that you are safe?
Anyway, you are lucky one. Do not forget your rifle and a knife. Good luck an post your report.

 

[bryanthoyos10]

Look for waterholes, mudpiles, and rooted up grass and any signs that the pigs leave on trees (mud,scrapes)..IMO i would use scent blocker and obviously look for signs of pig tracks

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[jbcaptain11]

drive around all the roads before you start and look for sign then do what bryanthoyos10 said ^^^

 

[Lab&Citori525]

Only reason I wanted to scout and not hunt: Didn't want to shoot a female that might not be able to provide for her young or knock out a fertile male that may be the only one around for a ways. Like I said this is new territory for me, I had to go get a damn rifle strap. Bryan and Jb I think that's my plan. Hit all the roads the truck can take, take a good google earth print out and get a basic understanding of the topography. So, what is the typical good pig? trophy? youtube has only so many videos of guys hunting these pigs on public land non-planted, non farm-raised. All good information guys thanks...keep eyes down (not used to that), look for muddy pits, scratches on the trees, and split hoof tracks. Got it.

 

[CottonwoodHunting]

If you can do some scouting without spooking the pigs then go for it. Where I hunt, its pretty dense foliage with pig bedding areas, so I might walk a mile only seeing some sign and then the next thing I know, I spook a group of pigs out of their bed without even seeing them (but I can hear them in bushes) and then they're off running, and pigs can over a mile when spooked, and its hard to know when they will come back to the same exact area.

You should try to figure out if the property is where the pigs go to feed, bed, or both, or if they're just crossing the property to get to/from food/bed on other properties.

Since it sounds like you're really taking your time and doing this right, you might even put some trail cameras out if you can identify any animal paths aka hog highways... to see which direction they're going and when.

 

[eoats]

This thread is exciting to think about. As a newbie, looking forward to many more posts about it.

 

[Beastmode]

Cover ground and keep the wind in your face.

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[JustGuy]

What territory are we talking about? How many acres this parcel have?

 

[Live2hunt]

Find high ground and put the bino to work during early morning hours. Then find the thickest brushes in the property and look for tunnels going into brush. Edges of thick brush with tunnels are good for evening stake out spots.

 

[thewolfman]

If u know where the water sources are at...start there...check there for tracks...drive the whole ranch to check for crossing areas...I m hoping u can tell the difference between deer tracks and pig tracks..

Once u know the area...examples... where the water source... where the food source... and where the bedding areas are at....u than can get on a high point and glass...or if there's a high traffic of pig crossing... u can post there...I don't recommend going into the bedding areas...u can bust them out of the country...there's a lot more to it but you ll learn as u go...hope this helped alitle... Goodluck

 

[KTKT70]

or call wolfman when u find the hog tunnels. he will crawl in there and get dinner. Nerves of steal. Or maybe a little crazy too. lol but dam if he don't eat well ig-laughing: :archer green:

 

[CottonwoodHunting]

or call wolfman when u find the hog tunnels. he will crawl in there and get dinner. Nerves of steal. Or maybe a little crazy too. lol but dam if he don't eat well ig-laughing: :archer green:

Lol... too bad theres no knife hunting allowed in cali... otherwise that might actually work...

 

[Bubblehide]

Lab&Citori525, If your up for it, I'll offer to meet up with you and camp out at the ranch for the weekend to show you what I am able. I am not looking for an invite, nor do I expect one, I will not be hunting, I will not bring a weapon. This is just a straight up offer to teach you what I am able to during a short weekend campout.

 

[freezer]

I don't mean to sound like a wise guy but I would order a couple books on pig hunting. The second thing I'd do is check out Google Earth. These two steps will save you a lot of frustration. If you have a Garmen or other GPS dvise you can use Google Earth to pin point good areas and boundries then store thisdata fr future use. Good glass is a must! Good 8x binoculars and a good spoting scope can sure help you cover a lot of ground. Pigs have bad eye si so ght, camo isn't needed but their sence of smell is fantastic. It is crytical to work into or across the wind. One trick I use is to have six inches of dental ribbin (not floss, too thin) hanging from my gun barrel. It's a constant indicator of wind direction. Good luck.

 

[8steeltown]

Cool tip freezer

 

[Rusty123]

I would bring a gun and be ready just in case... You never know when a pig will show himself to you. Keep the wind into your face. I've snuck pretty close to pigs quite a few times with the wind right. You can stay close too as they don't see that well. However, they are GONE if they smell you or hear you. DFG has a pig hunting guide on the web site. http://www.dfg.ca.gov/Hunting/ I've hunted with a guide that only shoots the boars. Their observation is that sows continue to pull boars onto the property. If the sows leave, however, they are out of pigs quickly. I would bring a sturdy rope that you can drag with if you get one. Getting those guys out of a deep canyon can be difficult. Congrats on the great land score and good luck!

 

[Lab&Citori525]

Thank you for the offer bubblehide I'm sorry I missed your post but I will be in touch. I went out early Saturday morning and was caught off guard by a few early events. First off, the gate was open so I’m guessing someone has been hunting or 4x’ing so I locked the gate with one of my own padlocks after pulling my truck in. At this point I'm a little vexed, I'm under the influence that my pristine untouched hunting land may have been spoiled. I stepped out to take a breath and look around. Suddenly I hear a very familiar sound “Chi-qui-taa, Chi-qui-taa” I'm surrounded by quail this was uplifting but still a little sad since the season just ended. I jumped in and started to roll out to the trailhead. I’m about 1.5 miles in and my buddy smacks me in the arm, there was a few doe crossing in front of me at 200 yards. We glassed each one elegantly prance over the road and into a gully, we are starting to get jumpy. Still cruising, we find the small creek that leads to the well; we want to stop and cook but were still hopeful for a pig. "another hour, bro?", excited best friend "I'm not stopping till I get one....bro!" He has first shot, we road hunt some more and look for signs while dropping pins on his new iPad topographic maps (AMAZING TECH!).
Truck stops, we jump out into a beautiful wooded area with a large creek running through it. We pull up a log and whip out our cooking gear and start the feast. I think I was explaining the pig habits that you guys informed me of and half way through ...snort, aOOOrrrorooor, grunt, crunch, crunch. I whip my head around and look at my bud, we scramble for guns and gear, maybe too quickly. Maybe twenty seconds later we’re treading water slowly and crawl up over a hill to glass the small dyke. I can hear the pig covering the ground in front of us but I can’t see him. The air seemed still, but there was no way to tell, we rushed in the excitement. We wait, and wait, and here little to nothing of anything.
This was the extent of how close we got to see a pig last Saturday. It was extremely exciting. The idea of hunting something larger with four legs really thrilled the both of us, the fact that they are there made the trip for us. We definitely had a great time and it was a learning experience. I appreciate all the tips guys and ill let you know about the weekend after next.

 

[Bubblehide]

That sounds awesome. It sounds like your in a game rich area, which will hold game well, as long as it's not over used. You might want to talk to your uncle about posting some no tresspassing signs. Just in case your not, you will want to carry written permission to hunt the property.

 

[Skeej]

Not pretending to be an expert but note that the one person who got the pig on two separate Vandenberg hunts was she who sat on the side of a hill and glassed for hours, first to see where they were moving from bedding to food. Me on the other hand spent two days pushing thru bushes, crawling thru tunnels, hiking miles in sand, and at best heard scurrying sounds and a bad smell...and all I got for it was a good case of poison ivy.

Get a good spotting scope and be patient. Some say they know the difference between a truck and a guy with something on his shoulder. I dunno, but stomping around in thick brush with no idea where they are will likely just push them onto your neighbors land, and they may not be back for awhile.