A day loaded with pork

California’s wild hogs have a long bloodline, extending back to the 18th century when explorers and settlers introduced domestic pigs and allowed them to run free. Prolific breeders, the pigs established themselves throughout the state, with the heaviest concentrations extending from Mendocino to San Luis Obispo. Though pigs thrive in many habitats, they seem to prefer oak woodlands and grasslands. Wild pigs are longer and thinner than their domestic ancestors, with smaller hindquarters and more powerful shoulders. A mature boar can weigh between 175 pounds and 350 pounds -- and bagging one isn’t easy. “You just don’t walk out and find a pig,” says Susan Herrgesell, a program coordinator for the Department of Fish and Game. “You must be downwind. They’ll smell you, hear you and see you.” More than a hundred hunters have registered for a Wild Pig Hunting Clinic on Saturday sponsored by the Fish and Game department and the Pacific Coast Hunter Education Assn. The class covers pig biology, how to stalk pigs and methods of hunting (from rifle and handgun to bow and arrow and muzzle loaders). “You have to go to the area before the pigs arrive,” Herrgesell says. “Then you have to watch when the pigs come in, early in the morning and at dusk. It’s a lot of work and a lot of time.” But, she says, it’s worth it. “Wild pig is delicious,” she says. “It doesn’t have a gamey flavor.” The class is held at Ft. Hunter Liggett in Monterey County from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cost is $30, which includes pig recipes and a barbecue lunch. Call (530) 225-2319.

-- Janet Cromley