TRADITIONAL PIG HOTSPOTS
According to the DFG's 2003-2004 Wild Pig Take Report, at least 53 percent of the reported pig kill comes from the Central Coast. Surprisingly, however, the top two single counties are Monterey and Kern, which are in very different regions of the state.

To give you an idea of how this pig hunting works, 951 hogs were reported taken in Kern County last year, but only 14 of them came from public land. The rest were harvested on the sprawling Tejon Ranch, south of Bakersfield, where hog hunting has become a big deal in the last few years. Meanwhile, Monterey County reportedly produced at least 1,371 hogs, 108 of which were killed on public land -- namely, the Los Padres National Forest.

The DFG's wild pig report shows that roughly 28 percent of hog hunters were successful in their home counties. However, there are lots of counties where only a small handful of hogs are taken, and most of those are incidental kills by hunters looking for something else. In other words, of the hunters who deliberately hunt pigs close to home, most already reside in some of the most productive counties.

The best counties, aside from those in the Central Coast region, are Kern (951 pigs killed), Tehama (312), Santa Barbara (307) Fresno (183), Glenn (153), Colusa (100) and Shasta (80). Bear in mind that the reported take is one thing, and the estimated harvest is quite another. The DFG's only hard figures come from the tags returned by successful hunters, but for one reason or another, a lot of hunters don't return their tags.

HOTSPOTS FOR 2006
To flesh out this forecast, California Game & Fish contacted several guides to get an overview of hunting conditions in the areas where they work. Their predictions for 2006 are also seen below.

Because the Dye Creek Preserve has been around for 40 years and is one of the best-known places for wild pigs in the state, an update on this Tehama County property is a natural place to start. Two years ago, for a variety of reasons, the preserve's pig population was struggling, and hunting was put on hold for a season. Pigs were again fair game last winter, but only a few hunts were held.

The situation is about the same today. Multiple Use Managers (MUM), the outfit that oversees hunting on the 37,000-acre property, will conduct hunts for a couple dozen hogs during their season, which runs from December through May.

"The incredible acorn crop last fall really put fat on the pigs," says Gordon Long, MUM's operations manager. "The sows, being in excellent condition, had a good number of little guys early in 2005, so the future is looking brighter. Meanwhile, we've got enough mature pigs on the preserve to provide a few good hunts right now."

John Drew of Shasta Outfitters hunts on a 12,000-acre ranch that, like Dye Creek, also lies in Tehama County, but in a vastly different setting. "The hogs are abundant on the property we hunt," Drew says. "The sows went into spring acorn-fat and ready to raise their young. Production was real good, and I expect hunting will be excellent from winter through spring."

Jim Schaafsma of Arrow Five Outfitters in southern Trinity County, also had a glowing report about the ranches he hunts.