The Hog Blog

Feels like the first time
Feels like the very first time
Foreigner

I remember my first deer like it was yesterday, even though it was danged near 32 years ago that this young man, armed with his first shotgun (a 20ga Revelation pump) knocked over a trophy class unicorn. 

I don’t know a single hunter who doesn’t remember that first one.  Now here’s a chance to write about it and win a little something for your efforts.  Head on over to Her Outdoors Blog and post up about your first big game animal, or maybe just your first time hunting.  Doesn’t matter so much.

Make it a good story, and get it posted by Sept 18, and you stand to win a fat Cabelas gift card!  Then come back and tell me how you spent it on a hog hunting trip! 

Hey folks, I don’t always post up when I find a new blog to add to my blogroll.  As is pretty evident, that blogroll has swelled pretty well over the past couple of years, and while I wouldn’t add anyone I wouldn’t read, I have to admit I don’t have time to read them all on a daily basis anymore.  It’s a shame, because there are some pretty bright lights out there, and it makes me kinda proud to be among their number.

But today I’m adding a blog and wanted to let folks know about it.  The Ethics and the Environment blog is a great read so far, and from the looks of things, I expect it’s gonna continue to get better.  It’s a great area to focus on, and not one that a lot of people spend much time discussing.  As sportsmen, though, hunters and fishermen, we live by the credo that we are the “first conservationists”, and for the most part it’s true.  But a lot of times, I don’t think folks know what that means.  Take some time to read what our friend Josh is writing over there, though, and I think it’ll come clear.

And yeah, Josh is the same Josh that comments so regularly here on the Hog Blog.  Hopefully his new blog won’t get so successful he forgets to come by and visit us from time to time. 

Good work, Josh!  Keep at it! 

This is new, and I don’t know if it’s something I’ll make a regular feature, but I just wanted to take a moment to offer up a salute and thank you to a great source of hunting and outdoors information and news, JR Absher’s Outdoor Pressroom. 

Today as I was browsing around for ideas and news, it occurred to me how often I find what I’m looking for at the Pressroom.  Sometimes the listing will send me off on a trail for more related information, and sometimes I’ll take it straight from the source.  I don’t know about other bloggers, but that’s a huge help sometimes when the ideas are running a little short. 

Of course, I use RSS feeds and Google News Alerts too, and those are great… but I wanted to throw this shout of thanks and appreciation to Mr. Absher and his great site! 

Just thought I’d have a quick look around and mention that, here at the HogBlog we definitely don’t have a corner on the porcine pursuits.  Some of my blogroll friends are out there filling the freezer too.

For example Jeff at Lowcountry Hunting is whacking and stacking them down in South Carolina.  Here’s a little instructional bit he just wrote about hunting near water as the weather warms up.  Check it out here.

Not sure what this one is all about, but that’s often the case when I drop in to visit Rex’s Deer Camp Blog.  I know he’s got some hogs running around that place, though, and one day I’m gonna have to catch a plane out there and see about helping to remove one or two from the habitat.

Of course you already know the NorCal Cazadora has put her toe in the pig hunting pool, and I think she’s about ready to dive on in too.  She’s written, not only a lead-in and a two-part story about the hunt, she just posted up a really good post-mortem as well.

Rich Fletcher, a near-neighbor and hunting landowner often writes about hunting hogs on his blog, however this post is about a different kind of hog… the warthog.  These suckers sure are ugly, but they’re ugly in a kinda cool way.  I can see why the trophy hunters like them, but I guess I’ve never really heard anyone talk about eating one.   I bet they’re good, though.  Anything that ugly has gotta taste good. 

That’s about it for now, although if you’re out there chasing wild hogs, send me your story and pictures.  I don’t have any cool giveaway stuff right now, but if it’s appropriate, I’ll certainly put you on the HogBlog! 

Just a short entry today to introduce one of my new additions to the blogroll, Jesse of the Turkey Scratchin’s blog!  Jesse’s another CA hunter, videographer, and Internet raconteur (as well as entrepreneur… just digging these French words today).  Some of you may know him from Jesse’s Hunting and Outdoors.  Yupp, that’s THE Jesse.  His is something of a combination blog and vlog (video blog), and while turkeys are his passion, his topics run the gamut in the outdoors.

Anyway, get over and check out Turkey Scratchin’s, if for nothing else but to get a gander at this post, his exciting tale of battle and bravery as he confronts the enemy in his own backyard!  That’s right, move over Bill Murray, because Jesse has his full arsenal focused on one very ornery pocket gopher! 

“Did you hit him?”

“I’m not sure. I think so!”

“He’s running!  Hit him again!”

“Dammit!”

“Did he go down?”

“I didn’t see.”

“Well, let’s go look for him.”

It all started with an email asking for a link exchange. 

I received an email from John, over at the Hunting with Jim video blog (vlog), asking if I’d be interested in providing a link to their site.  As I always do befor adding any site to my blog roll, I clicked over to see what these guys are all about.  The site was funny and irreverent, and also included some very nicely done video work. 

I emailed back with my compliments on the site and a promise to connect.  I don’t remember the details of the next several email exchanges (and you probably don’t care anyway), but I think they asked some questions about hog hunting and I offered to take them on their first hog hunt.

In the meantime, through conversations with Holly, the NorCal Cazadora, I found out that she and her boyfriend, Hank, were members of the Golden Ram Sportsmen’s Club… the same club I belong to.  We talked for a while about meeting up for a hunt if we could coordinate schedules, but it was starting to look like we’d never get it all together. 

In the meantime, we all (Holly, Jim and John, and myself) continued to keep in touch on our blogs, and the topic never died.  Then John dropped me a line to tell me that he and Jim would be available the first full weekend in June.  It worked for me, and Holly found out that she could be there as well. 

I called Golden Ram and made reservations at the Cholame property.  The barley was ripe and the hogs were turning up to mow it down.  We had a place to hunt, a date, and a reasonable chance to see hogs.  We were set!

Then things got better.  My friend (and regular participant here on the Hog Blog), Michael Riddle called to ask if I’d be interested in coming out to his place, Native Hunt, to help him out.  At the ranch, he has a herd of pure European wild boar for hunts, but he has seen a couple with undesirable traits and wanted to cull them.  One of them in particular was a really nice boar, and he wanted to use it for a full-body mount.  If I were interested, I could come do the shooting. 

I told him I was already going out with Holly and the guys from Hunting With Jim, so I didn’t know if that would work for him or not.  Since they were both (Jim and Holly) new to hog hunting, it could provide an interesting experience for them… but I sure didn’t want to presume on his hospitality.  “The more the merrier,” Michael said.  “Bring your friends.  I’m sure we’ll find something for them to shoot!”

And with that, it was on… 

Read the rest of this entry »

It’s been a while since I’ve posted up a Porcine Press, but it seemed like today was a good day.  The main reason, of course, is that I’m on the road and needed easy content.  The other reason, was this article I found in, of all places, Forbes magazine online! 

In the article, the writer is a New York journalist who’s never done any hunting of anything more substantial than, as he puts it, a lobster at the supermarket.  On assignment in New Guinea, he somehow finds himself embarked on a wild boar hunt with some native folk.  Pretty cool, and very well written. 

In other pork-related news, Pennsylvania has made it official, feral swine can now be shot on-sight as pests.  Some of you may remember the fiasco when some folks with an anti-hunting agenda challenged the state’s responsibility to protect wild boar as game animals.  The initial attempt was made to stop preserve hunts, but it turned into a real mess as the state suddenly found itself in the position of creating a whole new set of regulations governing feral hogs and wild boar.  This relatively recent article from the Allentown Morning Call online edition lays out the details of the ruling, and what it means to hog hunters in the Keystone State.

There’s a lot more going on out there.  If I get a chance this weekend, I’ll offer an update to this edition of the Porcine Press.  If I don’t… well… we’ll catch up next time content is slow and I’m not hunting. 

A lot of folks haven’t got much good to say about the California Department of Fish and Game, but I think they do a pretty darned good job with very limited resources. This new column, written by Carrie Wilson, is a great tool to reach the public and provide good info.

The column will run every Thursday, and will address topics brought up by outdoorsmen throughout the state. If you have a question for the DFG, drop her a line and who knows… maybe your question and answer will appear for the entire state to read!

Here’s the first installment. (I haven’t decided if I’ll feature it weekly or not.  That will depend on the input from you, dear readers.)

California Outdoors Q&As
New Outdoors Column Debuts

This is the first edition of a weekly column from the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) in which readers with questions about California’s fish and wildlife can get some answers in print. Each week we will select a few interesting questions to answer that may deal with topical issues, those sometimes confusing regulations, unusual observations, and most likely, a lot of fishing and hunting. In addition, we will provide information on where to go to hunt and fish on public land and to enjoy all of the unique outdoor opportunities that California has to offer. Stay tuned!

Question: I was listening to an outdoor radio show last weekend where the host was telling his audience that salmon smolts from Coleman and other Central Valley hatcheries were being released from the acclimation pens during daylight hours - into the maw of thousands of seabirds and other predators. The discussion was over why these smolts could not be released during darkness. First, is it true that they are being released at daylight? If so, why? If not, wouldn’t it be wiser to release them in the dark, say two hours before daylight? I speculated that small fish would simply ball up until daylight for safety but perhaps releasing them at night is a good idea. Got an answer? (Frank G.)

Answer: Great question! This concept has actually been tested before
and we’ve found from previous experience that releasing the fish at night serves no advantage for several different reasons. According to Senior Hatchery Manager Armando Quinones, here’s how this whole smolt transport, introduction and acclimation process works from the hatchery to the Bay …

First, the fish hatchery trucks are prepared with 1,200-2,800 gallons of fresh, cool, well-oxygenated water. Salt is added to the water to help calm the fish for the journey and to prepare them for introduction into brackish water. The smolts are then loaded into the trucks and driven to San Pablo Bay where there are two acclimation net pen sites.
The tide cycle at that time of day will be the determining factor of which net pen is used.

The hatchery trucks then back up to the pens and each offloads their shipment. Up to six trucks may load into the net pens that have five different compartments. The pens are then covered with netting to prevent predation from any waiting birds, or the escape of any of the new possibly disoriented jumping fish. The fish are then allowed to settle and acclimate in the pens to the new water conditions for between one to three hours. Once the tides are right and flowing out to sea, the nets are towed out into the deep water channel, and the smolts released.
By doing it this way, we have found the greatest survival success rate.

As for your question regarding why not to release the fish at night, previous studies with striped bass and other fish introductions have shown no advantage. Operating at night poses a safety concern for the staff and requires the use of big flood lights to be used when working in the darkness. Adding lights into the equation actually draws greater attention from any potential predators as they are then drawn in to see what all of the excitement is about. Many of the potential predators are nocturnal feeders, and by adding light to the operations, we’d actually be tipping them off and congregating them to the operation.

Maybe most important to this whole situation is that operations are going extremely well this year just as they are. We have successfully transported and introduced nearly 12 million smolts into the Bay to date, and our goal is to assure a survivorship and return of 1 percent of this total. A certain degree of mortality is inherent in any process but our greatest goal is to get these fish past all of the obstacles within the Delta system and the many water diversions that they would otherwise encounter.

Of course, we can’t control what happens once they get to the ocean.
But, by giving them this extra advantage of getting them past many of the obstacles and assuring that they don’t get lost along the way from their natal streams, we’re giving these fish their best opportunity for survival. If all goes well and ocean conditions improve, we hope to see a bumper crop return of these smolts as spawning adults by 2011.

Statewide Free Fishing Days - June 7, 2008 and Sept. 27, 2008. The Department of Fish and Game wants to see more people out fishing, and so each year the Fish and Game Commission sets aside two days when fishing licenses are not required. On these two Saturdays only, everyone can give fishing a try without having to purchase a fishing license. Just remember, all regular fishing regulations still apply (such as bag limits, size limits, gear restrictions, fishing hours, etc.) and the appropriate report cards are still required for everyone fishing for abalone, steelhead, sturgeon, spiny lobster or salmon in the Klamath-Trinity River System. Free Fishing Days provide a great, low-cost way to encourage families, friends and everyone who’s interested in trying some fishing an easy opportunity to do so.

* * *
Carrie Wilson is a marine biologist with the California Department of Fish and Game. She cannot personally answer everyone’s questions but will select a few to answer in this column each week. Contact her at CalOutdoors@dfg.ca.gov. Review archived columns at www.dfg.ca.gov/QandA.

I’ve been following a relatively new addition to my blog roll of late, Rich Fletcher’s blog, Observations of a Land-owning Hunter.  He lives and apparently hunts just about 30 miles to the east of me in Livermore, CA. 

When I first came to live in CA, about 12 years ago, Livermore is one of the places I looked into as a home.  It was pretty rural there, and my wife wanted a place closer to her work by the San Francisco Bay, so I abandoned Livermore and bought a place here in town.  Livermore has grown a lot since then, but even now there is still great deer and turkey hunting in the nearby hills… which are, unfortunately (for me), all private property. 

I guess at one point the hunting opportunities were even bigger there, and hogs were often on the meat pole.  While there aren’t as many hogs there these days, Rich had the opportunity to get time in the field during the heyday, both as a hunter and as a part-time guide.  As a landowner, he still gets out for some pretty good hunting.  You can read some of his hog hunting tales for yourself on his blog.

On the blog, he’s also got some great information for folks interested in going in with a group of friends/partners to buy a hunting property.  This is good stuff, because the complications of such a partnership can cost a small fortune and even ruin a friendship if you don’t plan appropriately and set the ownership up properly. 

Check him out if you get a chance.  Good stuff.

This just in… I’ll post in its entirety.  Read, learn, and get active.

U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance

Sportsmen Alert!

For information about the following message, please contact:

U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance

801 Kingsmill Parkway, Columbus, OH 43229

Phone: (614) 888-4868     Fax: (614) 888-0326

Email: info@ussportsmen.org       Website: www.ussportsmen.org

May 9, 2008

 

Urgent – Action from Journalists and Outdoor Industry Required

The following is being issued on behalf of the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA):

Every member of the outdoor industry needs to contact their congressman or congresswoman and respectfully request he or she become a co-sponsor of H.R. Bill 5502.

If passed, H.R. 5502 will greatly reduce the fees and bureaucratic red tape individual journalists and small media crews must pay and cut through to film on public lands in the United States.

The bill is currently in committee. (See details below)

The House Committee on Natural Resources is waiting to hear from the Department of the Interior (DOI) and Department of Agriculture (DOA) regarding the language of the bill.  Neither DOI or DOA is in favor of changes to the existing law.

Congressional co-sponsors for the bill are vitally important.  Without them, this bill could die at the committee level and the current law, which is confusing and economically unfair to journalists, will remain in effect.

Review the H.R. Bill 5502 on the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA) Web site.

Contact Your Congressman/Congresswoman and ask them to co-sponsor H.R. Bill 5502.

Filming on Public Lands Bill

H.R. 5502 (”The POMA Bill”) was filed in February by Congressman Dan Boren (D-OK) and Congressman Don Young (R-AK), members of the House Committee on Natural Resources.

The bill, should it get out of committee and pass the legislature, would direct the Secretaries of Interior and Agriculture to create an annual permit for individual photographers or film crews of five or less who photograph on public lands.  The annual permit would replace the exorbitant, arbitrary fees currently assessed for filming, photography and sound recording on public lands.

Passage of this bill will create a uniform process for working media, save the media dozens of hours of time and thousands of dollars and ensure the continued coverage of public-land opportunities and wildlife and public land-use issues.

POMA has worked closely with Representatives Boren and Young on this issue, but to ensure a positive outcome, we need your help.

For more information, contact POMA Executive Director, Laurie Lee Dovey at lldovey@professionaloutdoormedia.org, 814-539-6030.

The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance is a national association of sportsmen and sportsmen’s organizations that protect the rights of hunters, anglers and trappers in the courts, legislatures, at the ballot, in Congress and through public education programs.  For more information about the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance and its work, call (614) 888-4868 or visit its website, www.ussportsmen.org.

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