Elk hunting 2017

You ever hunt these?
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Nope, we don't have feral pigs yet. Sounds like a blast though. How edible are they? Barbecue edible or chili edible? Don't really know much about them other than some short articles I've read in various places. Fun to hunt and pretty destructive in large numbers is about all I know.
They are fun to hunt and they taste outstanding! Some people think because they are ugly they taste bad. Its the complete opposite. I'll eat wild pork over the store bought pork any day! I've only had it happen two times in my 40 years of pig hunting (and I've taken a lot of pigs .. I use to guide for them) and only two times did I ever get a big ole rank boar that wasn't good to eat. And you know it when you start skinning him. Other then that they are great to eat.
My wife loves to hunt them and even loves more to eat them.
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They are fun to hunt and they taste outstanding! Some people think because they are ugly they taste bad. Its the complete opposite. I'll eat wild pork over the store bought pork any day! I've only had it happen two times in my 40 years of pig hunting (and I've taken a lot of pigs .. I use to guide for them) and only two times did I ever get a big ole rank boar that wasn't good to eat. And you know it when you start skinning him. Other then that they are great to eat.
My wife loves to hunt them and even loves more to eat them.View attachment 25493
Oh man, now you've got me thinking about pig hunting in CA. What's the deal down there for out of staters? Are the licenses expensive? I suspect that I couldn't use my cast bullets on them in CA. Hmmm...

Wild game is better than store bought in most anything. There are exceptions, but generally.
 
Oh man, now you've got me thinking about pig hunting in CA. What's the deal down there for out of staters? Are the licenses expensive? I suspect that I couldn't use my cast bullets on them in CA. Hmmm...

Wild game is better than store bought in most anything. There are exceptions, but generally.
Non resident hunting license for California is $164.16. The non resident pig tag is $75.60. You can still use lead bullets here until 2019.
 
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Non resident hunting license for California is $164.16. The non resident pig tag is $75.60. You can still use lead bullets here until 2019.
OK, I've got to look into that some more. That would make a nice vacation. A little off roading, a little hunting, check out some local scenery & etc.

What do you hunt pigs with? A big bore rifle?
 
OK, I've got to look into that some more. That would make a nice vacation. A little off roading, a little hunting, check out some local scenery & etc.

What do you hunt pigs with? A big bore rifle?
Yes, I use my 300 Win mag for pigs. The problem about pig hunting in California, is that pretty much most of the pigs are on private property.
 
Yes, I use my 300 Win mag for pigs. The problem about pig hunting in California, is that pretty much most of the pigs are on private property.
So go for a guided hunt? I'd probably have to do that anyway, having zero experience hunting pigs.

The wife has a #3 in 45-70, and I've got my CZ 550 in 458 Win Mag that we shoot cast out of. That should work for pigs, shouldn't it? I should have my lever gun by next summer as well, and it'll be a big bore. 38-55 or 45-70. (Can you tell I like the classic straight wall cartridges?)

This is getting more interesting all the time.
 
So go for a guided hunt? I'd probably have to do that anyway, having zero experience hunting pigs.

The wife has a #3 in 45-70, and I've got my CZ 550 in 458 Win Mag that we shoot cast out of. That should work for pigs, shouldn't it? I should have my lever gun by next summer as well, and it'll be a big bore. 38-55 or 45-70. (Can you tell I like the classic straight wall cartridges?)

This is getting more interesting all the time.
What grain bullet are you shooting? You really don't want to use a brush gun for them, as some shots can be a ways out there, depending on the terrain and where you finally find the pig. Like any hunting. It could be close or a long ways out. Fall through the spring is the best time to hunt pigs. They are in better shape then. In the summer they tend to loose weight and pork will spoil very fast on warm days if you don't get it into a cool place very soon. I don't hunt them in the summer.
 
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What grain bullet are you shooting? You really don't want to use a brush gun for them, as some shots can be a ways out there, depending on the terrain and where you finally find the pig. Like any hunting. It could be close or a long ways out. Fall through the spring is the best time to hunt pigs. They are in better shape then. In the summer they tend to loose weight and pork will spoil very fast on warm days if you don't get it into a cool place very soon. I don't hunt them in the summer.
The wife is shooting 350 grain RNFP with a traditional express load. About 1,300 fps. I'm shooting a 405 grain paper patched RNFP at about 2,200 fps. My 350 grain loads go over 2,600 fps. Hers is accurate to about 200 yards. Mine is accurate to, well, I ran out of adjustment on my scope.
 
If either one of you are comfortable at 200 yards, then you should be good. I did let a 12 year old shoot my 30-378 Weatherby to take a pig at 400 yards once.
Weatherby's aren't known for their mild recoil. How'd the 12 year old like that?

We don't practice out past about 200 yards much. The wife gets a thrill out of shooting her 7x57mm at those ranges, but it's all target practice. The 458 has legs, surprisingly, but in order to shoot very far I've got to shoot across a canyon or in a buddies pasture. One's not particularly safe, and the other disturbs the cows. :)
 
Let me know if you get serious about this and plan on making a trip to Northern California for a pig hunt. I can point you in the right direction.
Thank you. There's a lot of if's at this point. It does sound interesting though. Interesting enough to brig it up to the wife anyway.
 
Awww c'mon what with the Quads @lowranger isn't that cheating ;) last time I went pig hunting we hiked them out on our backs...the hours hike seemed like 4 hours to be honest haha...plus uncomfortable as I'm only short haha.