Remerciez-le!

Remerciez @Admin pour avoir partagé cet document gratuitement, de la manière la plus simple, en partageant sur les réseaux sociaux.

3 Guide To Hunting Wild Pigs in California Guide To Hunting Wild Pigs in Califo

3 Guide To Hunting Wild Pigs in California Guide To Hunting Wild Pigs in California If you are interested in wild pig hunting in California, this guide will provide information on hunting methods, hunting areas, necessary equipment, and the legal requirements for hunting wild pigs. Revised August 2001 STATE OF CALIFORNIA Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME L. Ryan Brodderick, Director WILDLIFE PROGRAMS BRANCH David S. Zezulak, Ph.D., Chief Written by: John Waithman Design and Layout: Lorna Bernard Alison J. Kenward Cover Photo: K. Longmore Public Lands Maps: Vikki Avara David Snider MaryLisa Lynch Guide To Hunting Wild Pigs in California 4 5 Guide To Hunting Wild Pigs in California Table of Contents General Background....................................................................................................................................................................7 History as a game species in California............................................................................................................................... 7 Natural history......................................................................................................................................................................8 Physical description ......................................................................................................................................................8 Basic biology..................................................................................................................................................................9 Habitat requirements....................................................................................................................................................9 Behavior. ........................................................................................................................................................................9 General Hunting Considerations and Requirements...............................................................................................................10 Safety...................................................................................................................................................................................10 Equipment checklist........................................................................................................................................................... 11 Ethics. .................................................................................................................................................................................. 11 Required licenses and tags.................................................................................................................................................. 11 Legal status of wild pigs and general hunting laws. ............................................................................................................ 11 Legal methods of take ........................................................................................................................................................12 How to Hunt Wild Pigs.............................................................................................................................................................12 Methods of take .................................................................................................................................................................12 Firearms.......................................................................................................................................................................12 Recommended calibers & bullets weights..................................................................................................................13 Archery........................................................................................................................................................................15 Reported wild pig harvest by county.................................................................................................................................. 16 Estimated pig harvest on public v.s private land................................................................................................................ 18 Methods for locating wild pigs. ...........................................................................................................................................19 Hunting techniques for wild pigs.......................................................................................................................................20 Stand hunting (posting). ..............................................................................................................................................20 Spotting and stalking. ..................................................................................................................................................20 Still hunting. ................................................................................................................................................................20 Group hunting............................................................................................................................................................ 21 Hunting with dogs. ...................................................................................................................................................... 21 Tracking....................................................................................................................................................................... 21 Locating shot animals......................................................................................................................................................... 21 Dispatching wounded animals...........................................................................................................................................22 Where to Hunt Wild Pigs..........................................................................................................................................................22 Hunting area options. .........................................................................................................................................................22 Private land . ................................................................................................................................................................22 Wild pig range in California. ..............................................................................................................................................23 Public land. ..................................................................................................................................................................24 Care of Game.............................................................................................................................................................................25 Field dressing......................................................................................................................................................................25 Care of meat. .......................................................................................................................................................................25 Disease considerations. .......................................................................................................................................................25 The Final Reward: Wild Pig Recipes.........................................................................................................................................26 Public Lands For Hunting Wild Pigs . .......................................................................................................................................28 Northern California — North Coast...........................................................................................................................28 Sacramento Valley — Central Sierra............................................................................................................................29 Central Coast..............................................................................................................................................................29 San Joaquin Valley — Southern Sierra. ........................................................................................................................35 South Coast.................................................................................................................................................................39 Glossary .....................................................................................................................................................................................40 Sources of Information.............................................................................................................................................................. 41 Guide To Hunting Wild Pigs in California 6 7 Guide To Hunting Wild Pigs in California General Background Table 1. Average Wild Pig Harvest Per Decade in California Decade Average Annual Harvest Average Annual Hunter Numbers 1960-1969 8,940 13,820 1970-1979 22,710 27,260 1980-1989 40,120 40,100 1990-1999 30,222 34,558 Wild pig in grasslands. DFG staff photo. History as a Game Species in California Pigs (Sus scrofa) are not native to North America and did not exist in California before the early 1700s. Spanish and Russian explorers and settlers introduced domestic swine to California and allowed them to forage freely, es pecially in the fall, to take advantage of fallen acorns. This practice allowed many pigs to become “feral.” Since those early days, the odd domestic pig has escaped and been added to the wild population. In the 1920s, a Monterey County landowner introduced the European wild boar, a wild subspecies of Sus scrofa, into California. European wild stock from this introduction bred with the estab lished feral pig population, resulting in a wild boar/feral domestic pig hybrid. Prior to the mid-1950s, wild pigs were unclassified un der state law. During this period, wild pigs could be killed with no restrictions. In 1957, the wild pig was designated as a game mammal by the State Legislature. To manage this resource according to the goals established by the Legislature, the Fish and Game Commission established hunting seasons, bag and possession limits, methods of take and conditions for using dogs. Fish and Game Code (FGC), Sections 4650 through 4657, were added in 1992. They require hunters to possess wild pig license tags to hunt wild pigs. When a wild pig is taken, hunt ers are required to place the tag on the carcass, answer the questions on the other portion of the tag, and return the tag to the California Department of Fish and Game. This requirement provides the Department with wild pig harvest information and funding for the management of wild pigs. The number of wild pigs taken before the mid-1950s is unknown. The Department initiated the Game Take Hunter Survey in 1957; at first the estimated wild pig harvest was relatively low (see Table 1). Beginning in the mid-1960s, both the harvest numbers and the number of counties where wild pigs were harvested have steadily increased. The lower average harvest in the 1990s prob ably reflects the effects of the long drought that started in the late 1980s, which reduced pig populations. Wild pigs currently exist in at least 56 of the state’s 58 counties. Guide To Hunting Wild Pigs in California 8 Natural History Physical Description Legally, any pig that is not branded or confined is considered a wild pig. However, most hunters have a physical de scription in mind for the term “wild pig.” Table 2 describes the generalized physical difference between typical domestic and wild pigs. The appearance of many wild pigs falls somewhere in between the examples. Table 2. General Physical Differences Between Wild and Domestic Pigs Domestic pig. DFG staff photo. Wild pig. DFG staff photo. Physical Characteristic Wild Pigs Domestic Pigs Hair Abundantly covered with Sparsely covered with short hair course, long hair Ears Relatively small, erect, and hairy; Relatively large, floppy, and tufted at the tips hairless Tail Covered with hair; tasseled at Sparsely haired and curly the end with long, course hairs; and straight Body Lean, shoulders higher and wider Back flat, body wide and uni- than hindquarters; razor-backed formly thick Tusks Long and sharp (if unbroken) Relatively short Head Longer snout, flat profile Shorter snout, concave profile Color Predominantly black or pied, Usually uniformly white, russet, sometimes russet or pink Young Often dark with horizontal Same uniform color as parents stripes 9 Guide To Hunting Wild Pigs in California Basic Biology Reproduction — The wild pig population has the po tential to triple every year. When conditions are optimal, wild pig sows can produce two litters of five to six piglets per year. The breeding rate is highly dependent on environmental conditions. When environmental conditions are unfavorable (e.g., drought or crop fail ure), birth rates are lower and mortality of young wild pigs can be quite high. If these conditions are par ticularly severe or predation is exceptionally high, the population will decrease. Food — Wild pigs are omnivorous and consume a wide variety of available foods, including both plant and animal matter. Their food includes acorns, grasses, forbs, berries, bulbs, tubers, invertebrates, reptiles, birds, eggs, and animal carcasses. In general, wild pigs feed on: grasses and forbs in the spring; mast and fruits in the summer and fall; and roots, tubers and invertebrates throughout the year. Habitat Requirements As long as water and some cover are present, wild pigs are found in many habitats — woodland, chaparral, riparian, marshes and open grassland. They are comfortable on flat to very steep terrain. They do not tend to inhabit deserts, high mountains with substantial winter snowfall, alpine areas, or intensive agricultural areas where cover is scarce. In California, they are most abundant in the oak woodlands interspersed with grassland. Behavior As with all game species, wild pig behavior tends to change as hunting pressure increases. Where hunting is a rare occurrence, wild pigs are active in the daytime, though they become less active in hot weather. With moderate hunting, they bed down around sunrise and become active again in the late afternoon. When they are heavily hunted, they gen erally feed only at night. Depending on the density and abundance of cover, wild pigs tend to leave an area where hunting pres sure becomes severe. Female wild pigs are generally considered so cial, not solitary, as they are usually found in family groups. As they approach one year of age, boars are often seen alone, though they sometimes join family groups during breeding. Wild pig in grassland habitat. DFG staff photo. Guide To Hunting Wild Pigs in California 10 General Hunting Considerations and Requirements Safety Firearms are designed to be lethal; great care needs to be taken while transporting, cleaning, and hunting with them. The 10 basic rules of firearms safety are as follows: (1) control the direction of your firearm’s muzzle, do not ever pull a firearm towards you by the muzzle; (2) identify your target and be aware of what is be hind your target (e.g., do not take skyline shots); (3) treat every firearm as if it were loaded; (4) be sure your barrel is free from any obstruction and that you are using the correct ammunition; (5) unload firearms when not in use and carry fire arms unloaded except when actually hunting; (6) never point a firearm at anything you do not intend to shoot; (7) never climb a fence or tree, or leap a ditch with a loaded firearm; (8) never shoot a bullet at water or a flat, hard sur face; (9) store firearms and ammunition separately, away from children and careless adults; and (10) do not drink alcohol or take drugs before or while shooting. For those hunters who plan on using archery equip ment, the following rules need to be considered: uploads/Geographie/ hunting-guide-pig-pdf.pdf