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Wild pig boom provides decent hunting on public sites
Tom Stienstra, San Francisco Chronicle
February 7, 2002
The question is this: Where can you hunt wild pigs?
For two years now, my son Jeremy, 14, has been jonesing for a wild pig hunt.
It started when he passed his hunter safety exam, was awarded his junior hunter license and then took part in range shooting, sporting clays and hunts for upland gamebirds.
But I didn't think he was ready for big game hunting. Now, I realize, he is.
And so are the wild pigs.
Not everybody is built for hunting, of course. But this kid is. He was born that way. And on his own, Jeremy's proved to me that he is safe, ethical and responsible. He knows the laws. He keeps his weapon clean and locked in a safe.
And he studies wildlife, conservation and techniques.
Wild pigs, meanwhile, are experiencing another population boom, especially in Monterey County's coast range foothills. Last summer's drought-like conditions caused low food production, and in turn, high mortality in many areas. This winter's high soil moisture content has solved that. Baby pigs are sprouting almost as fast as the weeds.
But where can you hunt?
California has very little public land with good pig hunting. Several areas with reputations for providing pig hunting are Tehama County Wildlife Area east of Red Bluff, Lake Sonoma wildlands, Cow Mountain Recreation Area near Ukiah, and Walker Ridge north of Cache Creek Wildlife Area. But the truth is that these areas offer very poor success, a lot of bushwhacking, and most people never see a pig.
But there are exceptional public sites. Two of the best are parcels of land run by the Bureau of Land Management: Laguna Mountain and Sweetwater Springs, in southern San Benito County. These are managed by the Hollister unit of the BLM, which prohibits vehicles, requiring hunters to hike, spot and stalk.
Said Jeremy, "That sounds good."
Private ranches with wild pigs also offer the best hunting opportunities. Most pig hunts cost $350 to $700, guided. Some include full weekends, with meals and rustic accommodations.
The best deal I could find in California is with Craig's Guide Service in Mendocino County, which charges $175 per day for self-guided hunts. That is where you and a friend are dropped off in an area with good prospects, then get picked up at the end of the day.
In a general survey of the state, the area with the highest number of wild pigs this spring appears to be in Monterey County, on a ranch near Carmel Valley called Turk Station. This ranch opened to pig hunting for the first time last month. Hunters were able to spot 50 pigs per hunt before picking one out.
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WILD PIG HUNT GETAWAY
-- Bureau of Land Management (BLM) -- For Laguna Mountain and nearby public land opportunities, send $4 for information pack to: Bureau of Land Management,
20 Hamilton Court, Hollister, CA 95023; (831) 630-5000; Web site not operable.
-- U.S. Forest Service (USFS) -- For northern Los Padres National Forest, request a Los Padres map and send $6 to: U.S. Forest Service, Map Sales, P.O. Box 587, Camino, CA 95709; (530) 647-5390.
-- Private ranches -- For Northern California, check Dye Creek Preserve in Tehama County, (800) 557-7087 or mumwildlife.com. In Mendocino County, check Craig's Guide Service, (707) 279-0422.
-- Private ranches, central California -- Monterey County: Turk Station Hog Ranch, Carmel Valley, (559) 935-1902, turkstationlodge.com; Easterbrook Ranch, (805) 463-2476; Boars' Breath Guide Service, (805) 543-6046.
-- Suggested weapons: .270, .30-30 or 7 mm rifle; .50 or .54 caliber black powder Hawken; .35 Remington Thompson Contender handgun.
-- Hunter education courses: Greater Bay Area, (707) 944-5576; Sacramento Valley/Central Sierra, (916) 351-0833; northern California, (530) 225-2003; San Joaquin Valley, (559) 243-4005, ext. 182.
-- Cost: Resident hunting license, $29.95; junior, $7.35; wild pig tags (5),
$7.95.
-- DFG hunting info: http://www.dfg.ca.gov/hunting.
-- DFG Pig hunting: http://www.dfg.ca.gov/coned/pigguide.pdf.
-- General info: DFG Headquarters, 1416 9th St., Sacramento, CA 95814; (916) 653-7664; http://www.dfg.ca.gov.
E-mail Tom Stienstra at tstienstra@sfchronicle.com.
Tom Stienstra, San Francisco Chronicle
February 7, 2002
The question is this: Where can you hunt wild pigs?
For two years now, my son Jeremy, 14, has been jonesing for a wild pig hunt.
It started when he passed his hunter safety exam, was awarded his junior hunter license and then took part in range shooting, sporting clays and hunts for upland gamebirds.
But I didn't think he was ready for big game hunting. Now, I realize, he is.
And so are the wild pigs.
Not everybody is built for hunting, of course. But this kid is. He was born that way. And on his own, Jeremy's proved to me that he is safe, ethical and responsible. He knows the laws. He keeps his weapon clean and locked in a safe.
And he studies wildlife, conservation and techniques.
Wild pigs, meanwhile, are experiencing another population boom, especially in Monterey County's coast range foothills. Last summer's drought-like conditions caused low food production, and in turn, high mortality in many areas. This winter's high soil moisture content has solved that. Baby pigs are sprouting almost as fast as the weeds.
But where can you hunt?
California has very little public land with good pig hunting. Several areas with reputations for providing pig hunting are Tehama County Wildlife Area east of Red Bluff, Lake Sonoma wildlands, Cow Mountain Recreation Area near Ukiah, and Walker Ridge north of Cache Creek Wildlife Area. But the truth is that these areas offer very poor success, a lot of bushwhacking, and most people never see a pig.
But there are exceptional public sites. Two of the best are parcels of land run by the Bureau of Land Management: Laguna Mountain and Sweetwater Springs, in southern San Benito County. These are managed by the Hollister unit of the BLM, which prohibits vehicles, requiring hunters to hike, spot and stalk.
Said Jeremy, "That sounds good."
Private ranches with wild pigs also offer the best hunting opportunities. Most pig hunts cost $350 to $700, guided. Some include full weekends, with meals and rustic accommodations.
The best deal I could find in California is with Craig's Guide Service in Mendocino County, which charges $175 per day for self-guided hunts. That is where you and a friend are dropped off in an area with good prospects, then get picked up at the end of the day.
In a general survey of the state, the area with the highest number of wild pigs this spring appears to be in Monterey County, on a ranch near Carmel Valley called Turk Station. This ranch opened to pig hunting for the first time last month. Hunters were able to spot 50 pigs per hunt before picking one out.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WILD PIG HUNT GETAWAY
-- Bureau of Land Management (BLM) -- For Laguna Mountain and nearby public land opportunities, send $4 for information pack to: Bureau of Land Management,
20 Hamilton Court, Hollister, CA 95023; (831) 630-5000; Web site not operable.
-- U.S. Forest Service (USFS) -- For northern Los Padres National Forest, request a Los Padres map and send $6 to: U.S. Forest Service, Map Sales, P.O. Box 587, Camino, CA 95709; (530) 647-5390.
-- Private ranches -- For Northern California, check Dye Creek Preserve in Tehama County, (800) 557-7087 or mumwildlife.com. In Mendocino County, check Craig's Guide Service, (707) 279-0422.
-- Private ranches, central California -- Monterey County: Turk Station Hog Ranch, Carmel Valley, (559) 935-1902, turkstationlodge.com; Easterbrook Ranch, (805) 463-2476; Boars' Breath Guide Service, (805) 543-6046.
-- Suggested weapons: .270, .30-30 or 7 mm rifle; .50 or .54 caliber black powder Hawken; .35 Remington Thompson Contender handgun.
-- Hunter education courses: Greater Bay Area, (707) 944-5576; Sacramento Valley/Central Sierra, (916) 351-0833; northern California, (530) 225-2003; San Joaquin Valley, (559) 243-4005, ext. 182.
-- Cost: Resident hunting license, $29.95; junior, $7.35; wild pig tags (5),
$7.95.
-- DFG hunting info: http://www.dfg.ca.gov/hunting.
-- DFG Pig hunting: http://www.dfg.ca.gov/coned/pigguide.pdf.
-- General info: DFG Headquarters, 1416 9th St., Sacramento, CA 95814; (916) 653-7664; http://www.dfg.ca.gov.
E-mail Tom Stienstra at tstienstra@sfchronicle.com.
