What's for dinner?

[manteca3]

Howdy All,
I'm always wondering what do pigs on public land ( or that have no access to farmer's fields) eat? I've read that they eat acorns, crane fly larvae, manzanita berries and even sand crabs. I've seen pigs eating barley and lima bean plants.
But I'm getting ready to do a hunt down in the Santa Maria and Vandenberg areas and I wonder if anyone knows what they are eating this time of year and so, where to focus my scouting.
Thanks.

Manteca3

 

[BlackMax]

Manteca3, this time of year (spring and early summer) their diet can be up to 90% vegetable matter - foliage/herbage and roots/stems. Various grasses, bulbs, mushrooms, tubers can make up a significant portion of this. As a result, they can be more widely dispersed this time of year. Barley and other crops will be consumed when available. They are omnivores and will eat insects, worms, and grubs and will also eat carrion and kill small animals including lizards and snakes. Fruit and seeds (acorns for example) will make up as much as 60% of their diet beginning in the early fall.

 

[manteca3]

Thanks BlackMax. With a wide range of food and many water holes available this time of year, it makes it even harder to track down these elusive critters on open land.
Good luck with your hunting.

manteca3