Between 2014 and 2023, the average annual number of fatal shark attacks worldwide was 5.8 vs. 19.7 fatal wild pig attacks. In 2024 alone, there have already been seven deaths from wild pig incidents. Chris Bennett shares the sobering realities of the growing wild pig population.
Watch out for the pigs
- Thread starter Mobuck
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GunnyGene
Hawkeye
Lot's of Chris Bennetts. Got a link?
Not surprised by that. USDA tracks the National population, and it keeps spreading every year. Here's what it looked like in 2023, and previous years.
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/operational-wildlife-activities/feral-swine/distribution
Looks like another failure on the border.... 
https://www.abc4.com/news/business/...airie-threatens-to-invade-northern-us-states/
https://www.abc4.com/news/business/...airie-threatens-to-invade-northern-us-states/
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You have to work hard at it to get attacked by feral swine.
Ticks and chiggers worry me more than wild hogs in the woods.
Ticks and chiggers worry me more than wild hogs in the woods.
Pál_K
Guns. I has it.
Build a wall. We will build a beautiful wall.
BearBiologist
Hunter
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- Dec 4, 2021
- Messages
- 2,984
Forget California unless you pay a guide. Very little opportunity unless you know where to go! Most productive ranches (Dye Creek, those in the Parkfield area, Monterey, Benito, and San Luis Obispo & King counties are leased to guides). Santa Barbara County is steep, hot, and, to quote fellow guide, "Everything bites=even the plants". I don't know of any sizeable herds in Ventura County. Lompoc, near Vandenberg AFB has some but, again, the private land is sewn up pretty tight. Most of the pigs in Los Angeles are in the Lebec area on the Tejon Ranch. They have their own Game Manager-it is the largest ranch in California!
Ft Hunter-Liggett is good in some areas and the Military does allow seasonal hunting depending on training requirements. Camping is available in Los Padres National Forest but campsites will be taken early. Beware of live ordnance! Roads may be impassably muddy and it will cost you $$$$$ if you get stuck (I did in my FJ40=when you get stuck in a Landcruiser, you ARE stuck!! Took 2 days and $300 to get unstuck!)
Stockdale Mountain has a pretty good herd(s) of wild pigs, as well as blacktail deer and Tule elk (no hunting elk w/o special permit). Stockdale is a LONG hike in (no vehicle access) and summer & early fall temps may be well over 100F. Winters can be well below freezing all day. Private landowners in the are will report trespassers and guides will also report anyone who ventures off the trail! In just one year of guiding in Parkfield, we busted 58 "hunters" illegally hunting. Success will mean packing your trophy on your back for miles! Also, the serpentine soil in the area contains asbestos. We'd patrol the roads each morning (we used the ranch for camping, bird hunting, etc.) and we'd encounter trespassers. When we came up, they'd toss their rifle or bow into the ravine and claim they were just out for a morning walk (No campsite or lodge for 6-10miles!). We'd simply walk back along the road until we found a bow or a rifle. They would claim it wasn't theirs, so we'd simply smash it against a tree.
BLM Warning:
"Private property surrounds Stockdale Mountain. Do not enter through private gates or fences. Access to the public lands at Stockdale Mountain is only by foot at the BLM Access Point and parking/staging area located at the north end (dead-end) of Slacks Canyon Road. Do not stop and trespass onto private property while on Slacks Canyon Road. There is no access to public lands at Stockdale Mountain from Indian Valley Road or Big Sandy Road."
Temperatures in general are only pleasant in the Spring and Fall. Winters are cold and/or damp and foggy. Summers hot and dry. Rattlesnakes abound.
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Tejon Ranch is an interesting outfit. They really, really need to control the pig population. But they insist you pay them and use their guide to hunt them. One reason they use is they want to protect their livestock. I hunted it once on an invite. Didn't cost me anything which was a good thing. The Guide couldn't find his butt with both hands and a flashlight at high noon. I figured they were probably scamming more than a few hunters.
I was successful at Hunter Liggett. It's been a few years so things may have changed. But, they seriously limited the number of hunters, and you had to come in after a certain time and leave before a certain time. Still, there were A LOT of pigs.
Los Padres National Forest is separated in two parts. The lower part (the previously mentioned LeBec / Frazier Park from the 5 freeway to the coast) has some but I've never had any luck there. The northern part has been more productive for me. But be aware, where the pigs are ain't for the weak. And, some of them get down right testy when you disturb their naps.
I was successful at Hunter Liggett. It's been a few years so things may have changed. But, they seriously limited the number of hunters, and you had to come in after a certain time and leave before a certain time. Still, there were A LOT of pigs.
Los Padres National Forest is separated in two parts. The lower part (the previously mentioned LeBec / Frazier Park from the 5 freeway to the coast) has some but I've never had any luck there. The northern part has been more productive for me. But be aware, where the pigs are ain't for the weak. And, some of them get down right testy when you disturb their naps.
BearBiologist
Hunter
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I only hunted Tejon on a turkey hunt. The Game Manager at the time was son-in-law of a DFG Biologist I knew and had bred my first GSP. The Regional Director (friend to all of the above) of the Wild Turkey Federation got my wife a tag w/o going through the State drawing and special permission for me to call for her and video. We had a good shot lined up on the last morning until some yo yo tried to "sneak" up on one I was calling down from a roost. He slammed his car door, and the gobbler took off!
It's been 20 years since I hunted in Cali and at that time Tejon was trying to seriously eliminate the pigs, which were almost all east of I-5. I never got a pig at Hunter-Liggett myself, but both my brothers did. I did get several deer on special drawings on Hunter-Liggett and actually was drawn twice for Grizzly Island Tule elk hunts (got one cow and one 7x8 Bull, which is hanging on the wall at the local Sportsman's Warehouse). The bull fed us through my grad school years (along with a couple of pigs I took in the Parkfield area).
The only pigs we have in NJ are the liberal idiots in Trenton. That aside, you mentioned you have the firepower and since I’ve never done any pig hunting will a .223 do the job or something more like a 30-30 is needed. Appreciate your reply.
Bad Barlow
Blackhawk
And the pigs will pay for it!
A .223 to the noggin will do the job.
My brothers and I used to hunt them with 22 magnums using FMJ bullets. But that was before the internet.
Hogzillas do exist, but your chances of encountering one are slim, they don't get to be giants by being dumb.
.223 is more than enough for the typical pig if you hit the target.
I don't know if a .223 is the right gun, but this is what I have for them:
.450 Bushmaster w/ IR Scope (after taking this pic, I swapped the scope mount for a quick release cantilever and I have a red dot for daytime, also on a quick release)
Chiappa 1892 .44 Mag
A Ruger Scout in .450 Bushmaster that will arrive next week.
And for back up, two Blackhawks in .44mag:
contender
Ruger Guru
Boy, those ..44 Rugers look like they were abused children!
You have to be vigilant when coming back to add corn to feeders and traps. I've had them stay right there in dense brush 40 yards from a trap. When they made threatening noises I dropped the sack and got the heck out of there.
BearBiologist
Hunter
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I was once chased back to my truck by a sow with offspring while scouting on the ranch we hunted in Parkfield.. Didn't want to drop her because of the babies.
- Joined
- Dec 24, 2014
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- 589
Well I've been doing my part-eat more beacon 
GunnyGene
Hawkeye
One of my neighbors owns several thousand acres in OK, which he leases out to a cattle rancher. That property has a growing pig population which he goes out to help control 2 or 3 times a year. His weapon of choice is a .308 AR10 equipped with thermal.
The SBH sat under the front seat of my Father-in-law's truck for I don't know how long. My Brother-in-law was an armorer for Idaho State Police and was able to clean off all of the rust and get it back to functional. It may not be the prettiest bell at the ball, but she shoots like a dream. The flat-top was a recent purchase and the pictures do not do it justice. It came with after-market stag grips which I absolutely hated. Recently bought the factory grips for it, but have not had it out to the range since to see how she feels now.
GunnyGene
Hawkeye
You wouldn't make any friends in MS by letting them go, and might even have a visit from a State game warden to explain to you what the goal is.
gatling
Blackhawk
That Chiappa 1892 is a beautiful firearm. You hit the wood lottery on that one.
BearBiologist
Hunter
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In Cali, they are a game animal, and you have to have a license and tag(s) to hunt pigs. I also had Guide License #134 in Cali. The rancher made $100 for every hog killed by a client and split with the guide another $200 for a trophy fee for large boars.
Early on, there was no real limit. Only a license was required, and many farmers/ranchers allowed easy access. Then guides started buying hunting rights until it became about the only way to be sure of getting a nice hog. I started out as a client, became friends with the guide (a one-man operation) on several annual hunts, hunted elk together, families knew each other, etc. After a while, he needed some help on a hunt and asked me to help out. Became friends with the rancher and his wife, we bought a lease together (the guide bought half). He started calling me to help out when he had hunters and suggested I get my own ticked so I could guide customers when he couldn't. After a while, I was either assisting or conducting hunts for him about twice a month. I got laid off at my regular job, got a chance to go back to college and grad school getting my degrees in Biology. We could do personal hunts (2 hogs, 1 deer, quail, dove, and rabbit per year. While in school, a big mule deer, one or two hogs, and an elk were what we lived on.
Edit:
https://www.fieldandstream.com/conservation/california-law-lifts-restrictions-feral-hog-hunting/
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Yes I did. It's a blast to shoot also, although last time I did I ran into some issues.
- Had a reload case separate in the chamber
- The front site came off of the barrel
- The aftermarket rail loosened up
Currently it is at my gunsmiths getting fixed and making sure everything is as it should be.
contender
Ruger Guru
thinckley,, I'm glad to hear the one was rescued & restored as much as he did. The other one does look better,, but looks like it too had a rough time in the past.
Stags can be "rough" to handle when shooting heavy loads for sure.
Stags can be "rough" to handle when shooting heavy loads for sure.
The grips that were on it were for a NM and had an extra alignment pin hole drilled that was a bit too big so not only were the grips to big, but they had a small amount of play in them. Every shot was a knuckle buster.
I am not a collector of pristine safe-queens (yet). Every gun I own gets shot, gets used, and despite the collectability, has a purpose... even if that purpose is a second gun in an "existing" caliber. (OM BH in .30 Carb to match the IBM M1 Carbine... I am in IT, how can I not own a gun made by IBM?!?).
As a side note... that SBH is what sent me down the OM Blackhawk rabbit hole
It just feels good, every last bit. The grip, the weight, the hammer, the 4 clicks, the trigger, the recoil. I have only felt love stronger than that three times in my life; my wife, and my two kids (so far, leaving room for eventual grandkids).
contender
Ruger Guru
"As a side note... that SBH is what sent me down the OM Blackhawk rabbit hole
It just feels good, every last bit. The grip, the weight, the hammer, the 4 clicks, the trigger,"
This explanation is exactly why so many of us do enjoy the Old Models so well.
Now,, we've drifted far enough.
Wild pigs can be a big problem in so many ways. Sadly,, too many with a problem feel the greed,, eerrr,, need to profit over proper controls. People pay me to fix wildlife problems,, when all they would need to do is address the root of the problems, and do prevention methods to drastically reduce issues.
I have houses,, where the construction is poor, and animals find their way in. Once in, homeowners find out they have unwanted wildlife has found the openings left by crappy builders. They have to hire me to fix the house and remove the critters.
Or, we have places that create wildlife sanctuaries, (gated communities, restricted access, etc) that allows animals to breed, and live under protection from many easy controls. Then, when they have a problem,, they either call me, (in the case of smaller animals,,) to trap & kill them, paying me to do so. Or if it's a big game animal,, (bear, deer turkey) they have to get the State or Feds involved.
Animals have a basic instinct of survival. They will live in an area where they are not threatened or molested. They will invade homes or property, finding a good food source, and an easy place to make a home for themselves, and do not care about humans. Because the very humans they should fear have turned into Disney trained monkeys. (My apologies to the monkeys.)
Pigs are no different. They can & will find a food source, and a place to live where they aren't bothered,, and they will reproduce.
It just feels good, every last bit. The grip, the weight, the hammer, the 4 clicks, the trigger,"
This explanation is exactly why so many of us do enjoy the Old Models so well.
Now,, we've drifted far enough.
Wild pigs can be a big problem in so many ways. Sadly,, too many with a problem feel the greed,, eerrr,, need to profit over proper controls. People pay me to fix wildlife problems,, when all they would need to do is address the root of the problems, and do prevention methods to drastically reduce issues.
I have houses,, where the construction is poor, and animals find their way in. Once in, homeowners find out they have unwanted wildlife has found the openings left by crappy builders. They have to hire me to fix the house and remove the critters.
Or, we have places that create wildlife sanctuaries, (gated communities, restricted access, etc) that allows animals to breed, and live under protection from many easy controls. Then, when they have a problem,, they either call me, (in the case of smaller animals,,) to trap & kill them, paying me to do so. Or if it's a big game animal,, (bear, deer turkey) they have to get the State or Feds involved.
Animals have a basic instinct of survival. They will live in an area where they are not threatened or molested. They will invade homes or property, finding a good food source, and an easy place to make a home for themselves, and do not care about humans. Because the very humans they should fear have turned into Disney trained monkeys. (My apologies to the monkeys.)
Pigs are no different. They can & will find a food source, and a place to live where they aren't bothered,, and they will reproduce.
