- Thread starter LobosTony
- Start date
Speckmisser
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Hey Tony,
Welcome to the list.
Pull up a stump and chat awhile. That's the best way to get the info you're looking for.
Well, either that or hit the search function to see the thousands of posts about hunting the Central Coast. But that's not nearly as fun or productive as getting to know the good folks on the list, and letting them get to know you.
Welcome to the list.
Pull up a stump and chat awhile. That's the best way to get the info you're looking for.
Well, either that or hit the search function to see the thousands of posts about hunting the Central Coast. But that's not nearly as fun or productive as getting to know the good folks on the list, and letting them get to know you.
Norcalihunter
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Cant say I've hunted any areas out there, I'm sure somebody else here has.
Just wanted to say welcome to the board!
Just wanted to say welcome to the board!
Zippy the Pinhead
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One well-known operation in the southern part of Monterey county is Boaring Experiences, LLC.
Their Web site:
http://www.boaring.com
This is a first-class operation, and many who post here can vouch for their excellence, including myself. You can see some pictures I took from a hunt with them a couple of weeks ago:
http://www.tundrasolutions.com/photopost/d..._MKL_pig_05.jpg
http://www.tundrasolutions.com/photopost/d...ard_pigs_01.jpg
All those pigs were around 100-120 lbs.
Since this is your first time, unless you can find a more experienced hunter somewhere who will let you tag along on a hunt, I think you would be wise to go with a guide.
When you find what the typical guide charges, it may seem expensive, but upon reflection it is probably worth it, especially for your first hunt. Hunting isn't rocket science, but it's good to have someone help you climb the learning curve.
More to it, when you hire a guide, you're really paying for access. If you look at the statistics collected by the DFG, about 90% of wild pigs taken in California are taken on private land. That statistic is statewide, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn that 90% of the pigs taken in Monterey County were taken on private land.
You could hunt on public land, too. Living in Monterey County, you're a whole lot closer to Los Padres NF, for example, than I am. You can discern from the map below (somewhat dated; the quadrangles refer to the topo maps which cover the regions in question) that Monterey County is a good place generally to hunt pigs.
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/hunting/pigtags.gif
But my own experience with the public land in Monterey County (Los Padres NF) is primarily what motivated me to hire a guide so I could hunt pigs on private land. I have memories of taking armed hikes, er... hunting wild pigs in terrain like this:
http://www.tundrasolutions.com/photopost/d...lderness-01.jpg
More to it, one of the daunting things about my own hunting education was field butchering my first deer. In spite of the fact that my friend and I had a gambrel and a stout oak to hang the buck from, and in spite of the fact that we had studied books and video tapes on field dressing game, it took a *long* time to get that deer ready to be packed out. OTOH, now I can appreciate how nice it is to have a guide who is, for all practical purposes, a professional hog coolerizer, among other things.
My own recommendation would be to consider your circumstances. If you can afford it, hire a reputable guide and study pig hunting under the supervision of that guide. Once you have gained some experience that way, you may want to consider buying a good GPS unit, a few topo maps, and the other necessary equipment, and try a few armed hikes in Los Padres or elsewhere.
Their Web site:
http://www.boaring.com
This is a first-class operation, and many who post here can vouch for their excellence, including myself. You can see some pictures I took from a hunt with them a couple of weeks ago:
http://www.tundrasolutions.com/photopost/d..._MKL_pig_05.jpg
http://www.tundrasolutions.com/photopost/d...ard_pigs_01.jpg
All those pigs were around 100-120 lbs.
Since this is your first time, unless you can find a more experienced hunter somewhere who will let you tag along on a hunt, I think you would be wise to go with a guide.
When you find what the typical guide charges, it may seem expensive, but upon reflection it is probably worth it, especially for your first hunt. Hunting isn't rocket science, but it's good to have someone help you climb the learning curve.
More to it, when you hire a guide, you're really paying for access. If you look at the statistics collected by the DFG, about 90% of wild pigs taken in California are taken on private land. That statistic is statewide, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn that 90% of the pigs taken in Monterey County were taken on private land.
You could hunt on public land, too. Living in Monterey County, you're a whole lot closer to Los Padres NF, for example, than I am. You can discern from the map below (somewhat dated; the quadrangles refer to the topo maps which cover the regions in question) that Monterey County is a good place generally to hunt pigs.
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/hunting/pigtags.gif
But my own experience with the public land in Monterey County (Los Padres NF) is primarily what motivated me to hire a guide so I could hunt pigs on private land. I have memories of taking armed hikes, er... hunting wild pigs in terrain like this:
http://www.tundrasolutions.com/photopost/d...lderness-01.jpg
More to it, one of the daunting things about my own hunting education was field butchering my first deer. In spite of the fact that my friend and I had a gambrel and a stout oak to hang the buck from, and in spite of the fact that we had studied books and video tapes on field dressing game, it took a *long* time to get that deer ready to be packed out. OTOH, now I can appreciate how nice it is to have a guide who is, for all practical purposes, a professional hog coolerizer, among other things.
My own recommendation would be to consider your circumstances. If you can afford it, hire a reputable guide and study pig hunting under the supervision of that guide. Once you have gained some experience that way, you may want to consider buying a good GPS unit, a few topo maps, and the other necessary equipment, and try a few armed hikes in Los Padres or elsewhere.
