San Benito Clear Creek, Curry Mountain, Griswold Hills, Panoche hills, Stockdale Mountain, Turney hills, Turkey, Pig, Deer, Quail, Dove hunting Maps, access and contact information
Our sponsor below has Hunting Clubs or Private Ranches in this area, please visit them
Access to hunting in San Benito varies, you may want info for access to join a network private ranches, hunting clubs in that area and statewide. They sponsor this blog and we highly recommend it, and your family can accompany you.
Griswold Hills Map Note darker shade is Wilderness area, light area is Griswold Wildlife Area
Hunting Clubs in California and Oregon private property ranches
Pig hunting on BLM land in San Benito County
Outdoors men, er, sorry, people, are thinking, Deer season is over, bird hunting is passe except turkey season which starts late March. But pigs are legal all year and bow and gun hunters looking for late winter and spring porkers.
California Boar hunting allows you to take as many pigs as necessary with a single pig validation. You don’t have to
pay a tag for every pig you get. You can hunt these all year but you will need
a valid hunting license and pig
permit.
California has two species of
wild pigs — Feral European and Russian
hogs located along the south Central in
Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo and Santa
Clara counties.
Adult Russian boar
reach 3 feet tall and can get to 350 pounds.They were introduced from Europe in Monterrey County in 1925 before reaching
into the Santa Lucia Mountain Range. Moved also now in the rugged area south
and west of the Carmel, west of King
City and on surrounding public lands.
The feral pigs, perhaps somewhat more numerous, are smaller but these boars can reach 300 pounds!
You will find them in
the south Coast and also in Mendocino,
Tehama, Glenn, Colusa, Sonoma and Lake county and into the foothills of the
Sierra. Private lands and hunting ranches are by far the most successful, and
we have a couple of web site below for all of these.
Pig hunting pressure
is less and pigs won't spook off the private ranch hunting land. Pigs
are known for having up to 3 big litters
per year and there are many and
growing. They avoid hunters because Pigs
are listed after primates and dolphins
as the next in intelligence, so if you think your dog is smarter, think again.
Their vision is poor,
they hear better than most animals, and
sense of smell is outstanding too. They use
their long snouts to sniff out danger, they have the ability to cover up to 20 miles without
stopping for rest.
February is the best time in California for pig hunting
because the hills are winter grass makes tracking and stalking conditions
superb. No doubt pigs taste better when
taken in late winter and early spring
because instead of acorns, their diet consists on shrubs, roots, fresh greens.
We will show you some of private ranches below on a couple of web
sites, where pig hunting is more successful. Success is 80 percent for most of these properties, while
public lands are much, much less productive. But, if you
don't mind spending the time, it seems pursuing pigs is a lot like hunting deer. Make sure you hunt with your face to the wind, and select your shot carefully, these
boar have tough, tough skin.
The hardest part about hunting pigs is finding them. It‘s
difficult to obtain permission to hunt on
private lands, because most hunting rights are
leased to guides. There are pig
hunting areas-Lake Sonoma, Spenceville, Cottonwood or Tehama state wildlife
areas, but with so much pressure and too few animals to for most boar hunters.
On Bureau of Land Management property that will only cost nada
and a lot of effort, and some accurate
shooting, eventually you will succeed.
Hunting in broadly named areas as mapped above is Panoche Hills, Tumey Hills, Griswold Wills, Clear Creek, Curry Mountain, Stockdale Mountain. We narrow these down to 5 choices below, but remember, there is a scattering of hunting clubs these areas, so watch for posted signs, and we have info about these at the web sites below.
BLM property along the south Central Coast in San Benito County:
1. Laguna Mountain. One of the
best pig hunting area is Laguna Mountain
is a good access for walking in. Boar Hunting groups can drive east on Coalinga Road in south San
Benito County to a parking lot high up at 2,800- feet elevation. Walk the rolling
hills for about one mile south to Miller
Canyon. We suggest making a a stand very early mornings and watch for pigs heading up the canyon. Hogs habitually will eat and hydrate
in the mornings then move up to the
thick brush during the day.
Hunters need to be aware of the
private ranches , some of which we have on the below web sites, that populate Laguna
Mountain. About 3,000 acres provides pig
hunting throughout Laguna Mountain.
3. Coalinga Mineral Springs. Pig hunters
have 9,000 acres of public land here for boar hunting. It has high slopes and rocky terrain with a 3 mile hiking trail t to the 3,558-foot
Kreyenhagen Peak. Also Hog Canyon, Echo
Canyon, Sulphur Creek and Oak Flat
should all hold pigs
4. Stockdale Mountain. Located at the end of
Slack Canyon Road northwest of Parkfield.
Try Pig hunting southerly to the Stockdale Mountain
5. Curry Mountain. Drive 6 miles
west of Coalinga on Highway 198. Access
is by foot through lands managed by the DFG along Highway 198. Curry Mountain seems almost
vertical and rough, but has a huntable number of boar.
6.Tumey
Hills Hunting area is part of BLM Vehicle Restrictions from Mid-April
to Mid-October. No vehicle access is allowed during this time period.[]From Interstate-5, take the Panoche Road exit. The first Tumey Hills access point is located roughly 3 miles from the Interstate
- Access Information: Obtain permits and access information from the Bureau of Land Management Hollister Field Office.
- Access Information: Obtain permits and access information from the Bureau of Land Management Hollister Field Office.
Contact Information for Management Areas Clear Creek, Curry Mountain, Griswold Hills, Panoche, Stockdale, Tumey Hills Wildlife Areas :
Phone Number: (831) 630-5000
Address: Bureau of Land Management Hollister Field Office, 20 Hamilton Court, Hollister, CA 95023
If you want a guaranteed, more or less, opportunity joining a hunting club or a day use property is
your best option over BLM lands, as we said above go to these sites for hunting club info or private hunting ranches.
We discuss pig hunting in various wildlife areas in California, emphasizing the challenges and strategies involved in tracking and hunting wild pigs. It mentions locations like Curry Mountain, Griswold Hills, Panoche, Stockdale, and Tumey Hills Wildlife Areas, highlighting the importance of understanding pig behavior and habitat.
