Coming Soon! New Book on Hunting Boar Scheduled For Release

A new book on hunting wild pigs in California and beyond is on schedule for publication in the second half of November. The author of the new “Hunting Boar And Wild Pigs - The Definite Guide To More Successful Boar Hunting” (ISBN Number 0-89532-066-5) is known for his first book on wild pig hunting which appeared in the early Nineties. He is also the main contributor to his unique boar hunting blog “Wild Boar Hunting In California And Worldwide” which blends factual information on boar, wild pigs and hunting with a wide ranging plethora of sometimes outright hilarious boar related stories from around the world.

The new book Hunting Boar And Wild Pigs - The Definite Guide To More Successful Boar Hunting retains much of the valuable information of the previous book and its proven general structure but adds new dimensions of in depth information about wild pigs and true boar here, at home and abroad that “free” boar hunting websites do not dare disclose to hunters for obvious reasons.

Most importantly, the emphasis of the book shifted from enumerating wild pig locations, private ranches and hunting guides throughout California to a thorough study of boar and wild pigs, their habitat, their habits, how to locate and hunt them. Much of this knowledge, though crucial to hunting success, is jealously and closely guarded by successful hunters and professionals alike. If you ever hunt Fort Hunter Liggett or go on an unguided hunt on a private ranch, you will need it!

Information on wild pig locations and hunting opportunities on private land are still part of the book, except that now embedded links take you with a click of your mouse to relevant websites with up to date information. And just in case something went wrong with the linked site, major linked data is also available as an appendix to the book.

Additionally, we have taken this concept yet one step further. Our unique boar hunting blog has over time discussed numerous aspects of wild pig habitat, habits and hunting methods in great detail. Almost each of these highly informative subjects deserved to be part of a book on hunting wild pigs - were it not for the fact that by including them all our practical guide to boar hunting would become a monstrous, unwieldy tome on boar and hunting wild pigs.

Therefore, we decided to include links to related blog posts when called for or when the post is adding to and expanding a chapter of the book.

As with our first boar book, the upcoming book is a work in progress. We will update it, consider reader suggestions, follow the latest developments and keep the book up to date as much as possible.

Please check back here soon for the publication date and price details.

Excerpts from the Foreword to the book are here.

John London

Florida Police Shoot Praying Boar

Was he looking for salvation or for food?

Florida police shot a 200 pound wild pig close to the annual fall festival of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Pinellas Park. The boar did not disturb the festival in any way according to a report in the Orlando News/Associated Press from October 19, 2009.

Shortly after receiving a report of a wayward wild pig, police spotted it and attempted to cage it without much success. The boar also seemed immune to the favorite toy of police, a taser gun.

This was not the first time that Pinellas County police had to deal with a wild pig. Another 200 pound sow attacked a woman and a police officer in April of 2009. It was captured and destroyed.

I wonder what that wild pig was doing at a fair organized by the Catholic church? Was his soul tempted by the alluring smell of food prepared at the fair? Most likely.

Or did he intend to convert? Less likely.

PJJ

Wild Pigs In San Diego County – Hunter Bags 240 Pound Evidence

Back in April of 2009 I reported on wild pig sightings in San Diego County near a water reservoir for the City of San Diego. The report was based on an article by Ed Zieralski in the web edition of the The San Diego Union Tribune. At that time the evidence consisted of a picture of at least 17 wild pigs in rough terrain. The photographer claimed to have shot the picture from his boat.

On October 09, 2009 and on October 13, 2009 the author published two articles about the first wild pig harvested by a hunter in that particular area of San Diego County. The hunter, John Ogle, was bow hunting deer when he accidentally spotted a small herd of wild pigs in the distance. The boar were however too far out to use bow and arrow. Therefore, he quickly returned to his car and retrieved a rifle leaving boar and arrow behind.

After stalking the feeding boar, just as they were dropping out of sight behind some rocks, he fired a shot at the last and largest of them. Cautiously approaching the spot where the wild pig should have fallen, he was most surprised to find a large boar. It was the first boar he has seen in San Diego County in 38 years of hunting there. And a big one too: 241 pounds when weighed at the butcher shop.

It had 1¾-inch tusks and a 15-inch tail according to the lucky hunter. He quickly declared it 'of the European strain'. Despite the black color, this boar is most likely a wild pig and not a European boar. Unless the nearby Indian tribe released purebred Eurasian boar in to the wild and there were no feral pigs around for them to mate with. Looking carefully at the head and snout of the boar, I do not believe that this is a European boar. Unfortunately, only the hunter himself could tell us details about the coat of the animal.

Four days later Ed Zieralski reported on another wild pig sighting in that general area. This time the boar was spotted by Willard Lepley, a former supervising ranger, on the southwest side of a lake. The former ranger finds it difficult to believe that the boar already made it this far up from the area close to their original release. But there it was – a real live wild pig.

This is good news for any wild pig hunters in San Diego County and a mixed bag of news for the owners of private ranches. While expressing concerns about the destruction wrought by the boar, the ranchers are eagerly getting their rifles ready to deal with any malfeasant immediately. No doubt, a small army of boar hunters will closely follow to assist them.

The wild pigs have made it as far as they have gone only because their presence was not widely known. Therefore, they were not subjected to much hunting pressure. They also prosper in an area that is difficult to access not only because of the rough terrain but also because of a lake, Indian land and private ranches. A hunter needs access to them in order to get to the boar.

While our lucky hunter reportedly has access to at least one of the ranches, it will become more and more difficult for other hunters to follow in his footsteps and secure access for themselves. That's good for the boar and, paradox as it may sound, good for boar hunters as well. The worst possible scenario is that hundreds of frustrated boar hunters descend on that small part of San Diego County and overrun tribal areas and ranches driving the wild pigs into the relative safety of private land. Boar that stay behind on public land would soon be shot out completely like on almost all public land in California.

And that is why I am keeping this post just a little vague when it comes to the actual locations of the wild pigs in San Diego County.

PJJ

Reconquista? Boar Wars in Texan Subdivision

Working on my new book on wild pigs in California I chanced on another interesting article about wild pigs terrorizing American subdivisions. My last post about the subject involved subdivisions and front yards in rural California. This article reports about wild pigs in a subdivision in east Texas.

Now, hunters know that Texas has much bigger problems with the abundance of wild pigs than California. There are good reasons for the saying that every parking lot in Texas has its own resident wild pig. Boar in Texas number up to an estimated 3 million. California has only about 800,000 or so. But nobody knows for sure.

However, one thing is certain: Because of the high number of wild pigs in Texas and the damage they inflict, hunting laws and regulations for the taking of hogs are more liberal than those in California. Baiting, shooting over baited areas, automatic rifles, night vision, night vision scopes and military style equipment are all used to harvest boar in Texas. And they are all illegal in California.

California and Texas have however one thing in common: Fierce and often exceedingly emotional opposition from animal rights groups to harvesting big game. Some of these groups want nothing less than to forbid hunting completely.

But what about 'areal boar control' from helicopters with shooters gunning down innocent wild pigs with only one purpose in mind, complete eradication of all things wild pig, I ask the animal rights activists.

If they cannot stand the shriek of a boar when mortally wounded, how can they not man the barricades to defend innocent cute little wild Miss Piggies against ruthless murderers in the sky?

Texan men, I thought, are manly men courageous enough to confront a foe face to face.

Wait. Yes, there are still brave men in Texas willing to mix it up with wild pigs – with the help of their brave dogs and a knife.

Read how, where and why here.

PJJ

Acorns – Manna From Heaven For Wild Pigs

Fall in Central California is the season for festivals, fairs and harvest celebrations. The great number of such local events in rural California allows that conclusion. Surprisingly many are centered around acorns, especially in the oak lands in the foothills of Central California. Native Americans used to harvest and process them into food and so did European peasants.

Nowadays, both have easier and tastier ways of satisfying their need for food. That is good news for wild pigs. Boar rely to a great extent on acorn mast to build up energy for the cold winter months. Sows use the energy from acorns to produce healthy litters. In fact, the better the acorn harvest the more piglets per litter a sow will produce. Good mast years are often followed by years in which wild pig sows produce multiple litters. 'Mast' is not only acorn mast but includes nuts (as in walnuts, black walnuts, etc.), hickory nuts and others.

Not all acorns from oak trees are created equal. Some are sweet and others have a bitter taste. This may have been important to humans in the past, but for wild pigs it does not make a bit of a difference. They gobble them up equally fast. If there is a shell, they crush it and spit it out.

Until the last mast is found and eaten, wild pigs congregate under mast producing trees right around this time of the year. In your front or back yard, in parks, agricultural areas and, of course, in their natural habitat, the oak lands in the foothills of Central California.

This gives local hunters and those with a good knowledge of a geographical area a big advantage over hunters without such information. Since wild pigs go to great lengths to find and dig up mast, this is the time of the year when a hunter can also find them easier on public land – as long as it has oak or other mast bearing trees on it. A hunting guide or a good friend with local knowledge now comes in very handy and improves your chances for success considerably. So gear up for some wild pig hunting before this premier food is gone and the wild pigs have dispersed again.

Yet, before you get all excited and run away into the wilderness to get your very own mast-finished wild pig consider this: California is now in its third drought year. In years with little rain mast producing trees do not bear a good harvest of nuts and acorns. Whatever mast drops to the ground is picked up, dug up and crunched up in little time. Then the wild pigs are again raiding agricultural areas and the front yards of people.
Many boar will not be able to build up enough reserves to survive the winter well. Consequently, wild pig populations will most likely shrink. Less boar make fewer new boar. That is good news for farmers, ranchers and many others. But it does not bode well for the average wild pig hunter in California.

I have not seen any 2009 figures for acorn and mast harvests in the California's wild pig heartland. If you recently visited private land to hunt wild pigs and have information on the quality and quantity of mast, please share it with us.
Oh, and before I forget it: Mast-finished domestic pig meat sells for a premium price in many countries of the world because of its delicious taste. It is also healthier for you because it is lower in saturated fats. The meat from wild pigs harvested at the end of the mast harvest is no exception.

PJJ