Camp Five Outfitters expects its clients to kill 250 pigs this year off 60,000 acres.

On a smaller scale, guide Eldon Bergman, who is based near Paso Robles, has chased wild hogs for 43 years, probably longer than any other guide in the state. According to Bergman, hogs on the properties he hunts seem to be just about everywhere.

"From October through May we saw hogs in bunches of 10 to 40 nearly every time out," Bergman said. "Hunting wasn't always easy, true, but that's hunting. I think 2005 is going to be a very productive year."

In the northern California, Tehama County was tops with a reported harvest of 312 pigs. Shasta and Humboldt counties were second and third, respectively. Over all, this region accounted for 9 percent of the statewide harvest in 2003, and things are looking up for 2005, according to guide John Drew, who hunts in western Tehama County.

"Conditions are good for the hogs right now," he said. "I was surprised to see how well they fared with virtually no acorns last fall. And this year, with what looks like a bumper crop, the pigs should really be happy and productive."

In 2003, the big news in this region occurred when the oldest, and most successful, pig-hunting operation in the area, the Dye Creek Preserve, closed down its guided hog hunting operation for lack of pigs. The news in 2004 was definitely brighter. The Dye Creek hog population, while not what it once was, is climbing once again, and there will be limited hunting on the preserve this winter.

INFORMATION SOURCES Where to get more hog-hunting information? Check this list! The Department of Fish and Game’s Hunting Guide For Wild Pigs In California is online at www.dfg.ca.gov/coned/pigguide.pdf. Get a printed copy by e-mail, publications@dfg.ca.gov, or phone, 916-653-2225. For a list of licensed hunting guides, contact the DFG’s License and Revenue Branch, 3211 S Street, Sacramento, CA 95816; phone 916-227-2271. Two excellent books take in-depth looks at pig hunting in California. First is Bob Robb’s newest offering, Hunting Wild Boar In California — Vol. 2. An autographed copy costs $19.95. Order from Bob Robb Books, P.O. Box 771083, Eagle River, AK 99577; e-mail robb@alaska.net. Safari Press published Gary Kramer’s The Complete Guide to Hunting Wild Boar in California. Order an autographed copy for $19.90 from Gary Kramer, P.O. Box 903, Willows, CA 95988; e-mail gkramer@cwo.com. Jim Matthews’ California Hog Hunter is a quarterly newsletter with the latest scoop on pig hunting throughout the state. To subscribe or purchase a single copy, contact CA Hog Hunter, P.O. Box 9007, San Bernardino, CA 92427; phone 909-887-3444; e-mail cahoghunter@earthlink.net. The Bureau of Land Management sells a packet of central California hog hunting maps for just $4. Write the BLM at 20 Hamilton Ct., Hollister, CA 95023; phone 831-630-5000. Big Game Hunting Maps is a private company that offers a special California wild pig packet covering 28 pig-country BLM areas. Contact BGHM, 6288 Marlborough Dr., Goleta, CA 93117; phone 805-967-4482; or online, www.biggamehuntingmaps.com. — John Higley

According to Gordy Long, operations manager for Multiple Use Managers, the outfit that runs the hunting program, the lack of pressure has been good for the hogs. "Right now we're seeing some healthy young pigs and quite a few adults, including some great boars," Long said. "Starting in January 2005, we're going to take 30 or 40 hogs and we'll see what happens after that."

In southern Trinity County Jim Schaasfma of Arrow Five Outfitters reports excellent pig-hunting success last winter and spring. "Last year we didn't have many acorns, but the pigs over-wintered well and stayed in better shape than we expected," he said. "This year the acorns are there and we expect to take 60 fat hogs on our hunts from February through May."

The 14 counties of the Sacramento Valley-Central Sierra region accounted for only 7 percent of the statewide harvest, but more than 100 hogs were taken in Glenn and Colusa counties. That's quite respectable when you learn that their harvests in 1994 were 21 and 34, respectively.

In the San Joaquin Valley-Southern Sierra region, nine counties produced 26 percent of the statewide take in 2003. Especially notable was Kern County, where 987 pigs were reported killed, mostly on the sprawling Tejon Ranch.

Don Geivet, resources manager for the Tejon, is still amazed by the number of pigs on the property. "It's hard to put a number on the pig population," Geivet said, "but there are plenty of them. Last year we ran 300 guided hunts and held five 'Pig-o-Ramas' where we let guys camp on the ranch and hunt on their own for two and a half days. There's also a bowhunting operation on the ranch which is quite popular. Last year we took around 1,000 pigs and I expect we'll do the same this winter and spring."

As for the guides who helped with this article, you can contact them as follows: Camp 5 Outfitters, (new number) 805-238-3634; the Tejon Ranch Company, 661-663-4208 or www.tejonranch.com; Arrow Five Outfitters, 707-923-9633; the Dye Creek Preserve, 530-527-3588 or 800-557-7087; Eldon Bergman, 805-238-5504; and Shasta Outfitters, 530-200-3278 or www.shastaoutfitters.com.