What do I need to go boar hunting in N. CA (have location)

[Pendragon]

My Father in Law called me yesterday and told me that someone he knows through his business (he owns a construction supply warehouse and knows all kinda people) said he would take us boar huntin.

My problem is - the most powerful gun I have is my .45 1911. Technically it is legal in CA to hunt with any centerfire gun and with hot lead rounds, it could be feasable, but certainly not optimal.

I have seen the single shot 12guage guns at Wal-Mart for like $85 and I think I could use one with slugs to get my piggy.

I am so broke it aint even funny - whats the absolute minimum gear I should get to go get me a piggy?

This is on a large private ranch (but this aint shootin pigs in a pen) so getting around is no problem.

What kind of knife do I need and what else is essential?

I know I need to get a license and tags - no problem there.

Some hiking boots and proper clothing - check.

A bag to hold my bacon - check

Any advice? Is a single shot 12ga with a 1911 as backup reasonable? I am talking about 100yard or closer shots.

 

[Bruz]

I am so broke it aint even funny - whats the absolute minimum gear I should get to go get me a piggy?

You can kill a pig with a .22 if ya hit em right, but it is not recomended and it does not sound like you have much experience? I would not use anything under a .30 caliber as pigs are tough skinned and tough, hard to kill. I use a .308 to be humane and to give me the best chance not to have the pig run off and get lost. I would not use an $85. gun for anything, and would not use a shotgun if I am expecting shots of 100 yards. Consider borrowing a rifle, or buy a good used one. Forget about knives and stuff, the experienced hunters you are hunting with will have that stuff. If this is your first license I wanted to warn you that California now makes you take a class before you get your license, and alot of the classes do not start till March or April. Have fun and good luck!

 

[444]

You could certainly invite one of you good buds from the internet that would be happy to provide you with any number of suitable rifles.

 

[redneck]

Well I can't see any problems with using a single shot long gun as your primary since you've got a .45, and you'll have buddies along to cover you. You might have to make a group effort though rather than claiming the kill yourself. You know, you take your shot and a buddy helps out if your shot doesn't drop it.
Those little NEF shotguns are supposed to be reliable as anything. If you can get one that handles brennek slugs well I think you'd be off to a decent start, and yes they can be found in the $80-$100 range.
I believe NEF makes the same gun set up in rifle calibers (actually is the same gun, you can swap barrels) so you could probably get one in a rifle caliber for close to the same price and extend your range a little. Although the right slugs in the right 12 gauge should get you out to 100 yards decent.

Another thought is to spend about $200 and get a good pump 12 gauge. Or if you only want to shoot slugs, mossberg makes a 12 gauge slug gun thats supposed to be pretty good for about the same price as a pump gun. Bolt action with a 5 or 6 shot box magazine and a rifled barrel. Its not too hard to find a used pump gun in good shape for a decent price though.

 

[SemperFi83]

I have taken large boar (over 250 lbs) taken with 45 ACP. I took this one (just under 300 lbs) in Tennessee last year with a .357 (6" Python). Took multiple shots; even though all were in the kill zone and you could cover the group with your hand. My backup gun was a 45 Gov't model (can you tell I'm a handgun guy?).

On that same hunt one guy used a .454 Casull and that took 4 shots (placement wasn't as tight).

I would DEFINITELY not go with a single-shot ANYTHING no matter the caliber, especially if this is your first time. FMJ in .357 will punch right through, but FMJ in 45 ACP does a good job.

 

[SemperFi83]

Better Pic

Better pic of same boar above - PDF.

 

[Zorro]

Possibly borrow a .30-06 class rifle from your brother in law?

Or maybe a pump 12 Gauge shotgun?

 

[Pendragon]

Thanks guys.

I am not really worried about using a single shot long gun. I would have my Valtro on my him and there would be a couple other guys and one has a dog.

I actually would not mind using the .45 and I think I am a pretty decent shot out to 25 yards, maybe even 35 but I worry about muzzle energy at that point.

I would be using hard cast bullets - either 200gr RN or 200gr SWC loaded up pretty hot. - 900fps, maybe high 900s ...?

I will look for a NEF single shot rifle in .308 or 30-06

Thanks again.

 

[BenW]

Although people use them, I wouldn't take the .45ACP as my main gun on my first hunt. After you see what it's about, you might want to give it a try on subsequent hunts. I've always used my 788 in .308 but on my next hunt will probably go for either my Great Plains rifle or one of my milsurps.

If you have a buddy that can loan you a rifle, that's your best ticket for a cheap alternative. Otherwise, I just got a sweet Schmidt Rubin K31 for $90. Check around and you'll see that these are accurate as heck. Ammo is a bit expensive. Other alternatives might be one of the Mosin Nagant variants out there that are also dirt cheap with plentiful, cheap ammo. From my experience, you can expect a shot at anywhere from 20 to 100 yards, more often closer to 20 than 100 (you might see some out past a 100, but might want to think twice about them, depending on your firearm and skill).

If you're on a big ranch, are you being guided? If so, you'll probably be driven around in a truck or something until you find a good area to walk around and hunt. You can throw a daypack in the truck and take essentials with you in a fanny pack while you're hunting. This varies depending on the guiding style at the particular ranch.

For gutting and butchering, I get by just fine with a Buck 110 folder, a little hatchet, and a saw. Again, if this is a guided hunt, the guide will gut your pig for you if you want, or at many places they'll help you learn to do it yourself (the preferred alternative in my opinion -- teach a man to fish and all). You should check with the ranch before you go. Bring some good binos with you.

 

[444]

Not to hijack the thread but does anyone have any information on a good guided hunt like this ? I have talked to a number of people who have gone on their own, but I would prefer a guide.

 

[Snorkel Bob]

http://www.jesseshuntingpage.com/forums/
has tons of great information on Cali hunting and guided hog hunts

 

[BenW]

Snorkel Bob beat me to it. One of the best places to get info on hunting the Tejon Ranch too. Tejon Ranch is the place in CA with probably the highest probability of getting a hog unguided and cheaply -- though I managed to fail at my one attempt there.

 

[Art Eatman]

Do they have garage sales in your part of the world? Any old hunting knife with a blade of no more than 5" will work. Associated with your knife is the usual sharpening stone. The simplest are those with dimensions of some 2" by 5", give or take a half-inch, with one side fine and the other side a bit coarser. If the knife doesn't have a sheat, an old piece of garden hose, split long-wise and held on by a wrap of tape will work.

I'm a professiona po'-boy.

Small hogs eat better than big hogs. Small hogs are easier to kill than big hogs. 60-pound shoats are yummy. IOW, you wanna shoot the ones that are less tall as to shoulder height.

There are a couple of threads in the Hunt forum at TFL on how to gut a deer. The only difference between gutting a deer and gutting a hog is that the hog's hide is tougher.

You can learn just as much--if not more--from watching experienced folks hunt'n'shoot as you can from stumbling around on your own. Either way can be fun, if you just don't get in a big hurry to get to some other part of the mountain.

Unless you're pretty experienced in playing sneaky-snake in the boonies, you'll see many more critters while sitting still than when stomping around being in motion and making a racket. You just gotta figure out the best place to sit.

, Art

 

[BenW]

Unless you're pretty experienced in playing sneaky-snake in the boonies, you'll see many more critters while sitting still

Yes, I should have clarified that in my post. If you're on a guided hunt, the walking you'll generally be doing is from where they park the truck to where the guide leads you and tells you to sit down and shutup.

If this is unguided, hopefully one of the guys you're going with has been there before. Going someplace without scouting it out first (even if only the evening before to look for watering stops or good feed and routes thereto) can often make a trip less than fruitful. Though as far as I'm concerned, any day that you were out hunting, whether you bagged something or not, is successful.