Any Info on Laguna Mountain

[The Capps']

Hey guys, First post on my second account, I can't remember My fist account info. Anyway. The past two years I have taken a buddy from work up the the Los Padres NF, East of Pozo. We have trudged through with no avail in search of Hogs. I know everyone will say public land will not produce well, and to go find a guide. But I just don't see paying what most guides charge, a lot of money in my opinion. And I know they say some of the money goes to the land owner if the guide does not actually own the land that is being hunted. I just like the Idea of going out to the wilderness and trying to find something, not being led right to them. Ok so enough of that, This year I have been leaning towards Laguna Mountain kind of NW of Coalinga. Just curious if there is anyone that has hunted Laguna Mountain, if you might have any pointers. Is the only access the cleared parking lot south of the Hernandez Resivoir? What is the terrain like? I read somewhere that if you make it to the southermost part it neighbors the sweetwater plot. I have a Garmin Rino GPS that I take when I go out, So I can Plot the truck and make it back for sure. Like I said any info would be very much appreciated. We Back pack in and set camp where ever, make it a long weekend event. Oh and I read Somewhere too they said It was archery only no discharge of firearms, Is this true? If so I can't do it as I do not have a bow. Well thanks in advance for any help and thanks for reading.

Derek

 

[pkelly72]

I went pig hunting at Laguna Mt. 2 years ago. No luck. I talked with the BLM law enforcement officer and he said he hadn't seen any pigs there...

I went with a gun so I'm not sure about the archery only thing?

I spent a lot of time down at the clear creek camp ground. I am a firefighter and helped them do some controlled burns there for the past 3-4yrs. There are many turkeys and deer but I didn't see any pig. On hwy 25 just outside of Pinnacle NP I did see a lot of pig but it was private ground.

The terrain is fairly steep and rugged. It's a mix of grass, brush, and oaks. There are deer trails throughout it and they make it easy to get around.

I would be curious about your results if you go. If your interested, I might tag along if your looking for company.

 

[weekender21]

I pig hunted up there a few years ago, lots of rooting but no hogs.

 

[hatchet1]

capps,keep at it ,it will happen for you,by the way i can promise you that you are indeed correct that most of the money does in fact go to the land owner, most land owners know what they have and will be handsomely rewarded for there swine as long
as the general public is willing to pay to play.. post it up when you drop um

 

[Speckmisser]

Good info so far. I've hunted both Laguna and Sweetwater a pretty good bit, and it is a TOUGH hunt. A lot of the land at Laguna is danged near vertical, especially when you first go in, and most of the brush is dense chaparral that is way too thick to hunt through. The Sweetwater area isn't as bad, but it's small and the easier access means you'll see more people in there.

But both areas also have a lot of potential for someone willing to put in the time and effort consistently. Once you get back in there, there are some beautiful oak meadows and bowls. There are also some springs that could be a good spot for a bowhunter to set up (with a LOT of patience). The downside is that whatever you kill in there has to come out, so go prepared with backpack and knives.

The prime hunting is generally as far back as you can get, although you'll find tons of sign (and some very fresh sign) pretty close to the trailhead.

 

[weekender21]

speckmisser, that was my experience when I was up there in 2002. Lots of fresh sign close to the trail head but no piggy. At the time I was a pig hunting novice,looking back I would saw the rooting occurred at about 2AM! I bet some of those private areas have quite a few hogs on them.