Public Land Pig hunt in California?

[Ozymandius]

Spent 3 days in Fort Hunter Liggett and never saw a thing.  Anyone know of any public land with a decent chance at a hog?

[trad_bowhunter1965]

Public Land hog's in California are hard to come by, you can call Fish and game they also have a booklet you can get that has hog hunt information.

[Bjorn]

I echo what ca bowhunter said above-it is a sad commentary that with so many hogs in the state access is so tough. Lake Sonoma does offer PL hunting-it is largely boat access and at times resembles a bass derby.
Let us know if you find out different-I'll keep the sausage maker handy! Hey where'd she go!

[Raminshooter]

Ozy,

Hunter Ligget can be tough and I don't know what areas you were hunting but for bow hunters down that way the best luck has always been in the "no vehicle access" area...the one they refer to as the "Indians" area.

You can do OK at Lake Sonoma on foot and you can't spend a better day in the field with your bow than out there walking those hills.  The terrain is just beautiful and stump shooting opportunities abound.  With that said, if you hunt it try hunting out of Liberty Camp Ground. Yes, you can hunt from a boat if you have one but there is a ton of terrain you CANNOT see from a boat. Although the lake is surounded by huge tracts of private land that the hogs use as their refuge during the day there are stragglers that will hole up that you can find.  Just walk slow, get down off the ridge tops and use those glasses a lot and you could get lucky.
People underestimate hogs.  They are smarter than dogs and absolutely do not tolerate pressure before going completely out of an area and/or turning nocturnal. And although they are a little myopic, allowing you to get right up on them or have them walk into you at times,  when they are pressured they get real good at spotting "contour continuity deviations". In other words, they can spot you at a pretty good distance if you look like something that has changed positions on them.  
A lot of public land holds Hogs in California but the problem getting to them is from two issues:  (1) terrain, they will inhabit the ugliest nastiest terrain (12 foot high thick chamise and blackbrush) you ever saw making in impossible to reach them and/or (2) distance from your camp/vehicle to find them.  Many times where they are at they are so far away and in such an ugly mess of a spot that you would literally have to bring your knife and fork to eat them on the spot because you could not pack them all the way back.
All in all they are fun to hunt primarily because they get is out in such beautiful country.  Have fun no matter what you do.

[FrankM]

This is handy:
 http://www.dfg.ca.gov/publications/docs/pigguide.pdf

[Ozymandius]

Thanks everyone.  Like Raminshooter said, it's always fun just to get out.

[coaster500]

You can also head north and hunt Lake and Mendocino County’s (lived and hunted there for 26 yrs). Lake County has lots of public access. Cow Mountain holds hogs as well as the west side of Indian Valley. I've hunted Indian valley and used a boat to access land otherwise inaccessible, great fishing also.

For me, the best way to hunt hogs is develop a network of folks in areas you hunt; they keep an eye out for hogs and fresh sign in an area. Here on the Central Coast hogs can cover massive amounts of ground looking for food. The places I hunt public or private don't always hold hogs.

California is a tough place to gain access and public land is sometime made landlocked by private. If you hunt hard though there are public opportunities.

Good luck....

[NorthernCaliforniaHunter]

Access isn't impossible but hard in California. Talk to EVERYONE you know and when you do get a hog SHARE THE MEAT! You'd be amazed at how many people know someone who knows someone with land.
I have been granted access and have had several places to hunt for several years now by ALWAYS approaching the land owners with a win-win proposal. Fill their freezer, mend the fences, etc.

Raminshooter - let's get together again, bud! The new baby is on the way so I'll be tied up 'till July,  but I've got a few new honey holes we might find swine in (you obviously know the drill and what I mean by "might" find the swine!) LOL!