Anyone want to get a North Cal pig hunt together?

[shaginator]

For some reason I thought you guys were gonna go out over Memorial Day weekend and I had wrung my ankle really bad the week before so opted-out. Then I remembered "June 1", but the wife's sedan sprung a big leak in the water pump during a long trip and we left it behind and borrowed a car to get home.

Well, guess who has to go back down there to fix it?

I was really looking forward to meeting you guys, and on top of that seeing if we'd meet any other interesting people re: futures foundation, etc. That area is full of history... banditos, etc.; add to that the hogs and even maybe some Mouflons and I'm really not too happy I got extra chores to finish up.

I'm hoping things are gonna go well for you guys and you will want to get another gathering soon. Which reminds me I need to pick up a new license and tags!


(Edited by shaginator at 5:17 pm on May 30, 2002)

 

[Rocketman]

I won't be able to make it... Daughter's 13th birthday party this weekend. Good luck to the rest of you.
Ed

 

[shooter44]

I'm in the middle of a bunch of honeydos right now, but I may try to make it down there tomorrow.  I've never been to Clear Creek from the north side, just from the Coalinga Road side, so I hope I can find the area if I can make it.  Just wondering, what kind of vehicles do you all drive?  If you see a green Montero Sport with a Bush Cheney sticker and an NRA decal that's me.

 

[Speckmisser]

Hey Shooter,

Just follow the directions from earlier, and you'll have no problem.  I'm probably gonna be poking around in a big, silver Dodge 4x4 Diesel.  It's got a shell and a JHP sticker, but my guess is the dust will have obscured it.  

I have a stop or two to make earlier on Saturday morning, but I'll try to get over the ridge and find everyone later in the day on Saturday.  BigBubbaDaddy, you guys got a campsite figured out?  

It's gonna be hotter than hades, so be sure and bring plenty of water (and something better for after dark, if you like that sort of thing).  

 

[bubba]

I'm guessing you guys are settig up camp just past the town of New Idria and be on the east side of Clear Creek.  I will stop by saturday with some cold ones.  See ya saturday.

 

[Speckmisser]

So, then, WHERE WAS EVERYBODY?  

Spent most of Saturday afternoon looking for JHP stickers or hunters, but all I found was a bunch of dirt-bikers (complete with sound system in their campsite).  I ended up camping out on the spur where the old wooden structure is, so I could watch the roads coming in and still glass the bottom for pigs.  No luck on either count, but I drank all my beer, made a dent it the tequila, and went to bed early.  

Did anyone make it out there?  Did you hunt?  Do tell!

 

[Big Bubba Daddy]

I was there!  Where were you all?

So my buddy and I got up Friday afternoon.  We found the campsite Bubba suggested, no one was around and the place was full of trash and brass of all calibers laying around.  We did some target practice and then headed up the mountain in search of good pig environment (as if we would know it, both being pig rookies but oh well).  I'm still not clear as to where "pig valley" is.

We took the main fork in the road right at the entrance to Clear Creek to the left and headed in as far as we could go.  We found this little valley/cut and hiked in.  Thick thick nasty brush, tons of deer sign, and in the floor of the valley, coverer by at least a double canopy seemed to be pig scat and week old looking tracks.  The hike out was a nightmare and punctuated the fact that I need to get my ass on the track for some miles.

On the way in from 5 we stopped at this cowboy bar in the middle of nowhere.  Instead of turning left at the dead end towards New Idira, turn right, its just a 1/2 mile down (look for Cold Beer hand painted signs).  Really nice people, the owners name is Larry.  Anyways we met and got hooked up with a farmer who has been having pig problems and hunted his land Saturday night.  lots and lots of tracks, scat and rooted up sports, but in the end the little porkers where a no show.

Oh by the way, I was in a black Toyota 4 Runner if anyone happened to see us cruise by.  We bumped into a BLM officer doing his patrol and he said there where no pigs in the Clear Creek area, just not enough food to keep them around??

Anyone else have any better luck?  Anyone have a suggestion for another place to hunt?

 

[shooter44]

I never did make it down there.  Big Bubba Daddy, sounds like you got lucky even though you didn't get a hog.  Hope you got that farmer's phone number.  If he want's to get rid of some of those pigs, maybe he would be willing to have a JHP hunt there?

 

[300BOSS2]

I went there saturday in th eafternoon.  BBD, I guess you guys had left already.  I was stopping by to say hi and brought some cold ones, but since no one was around I just did some sight seeing and left.  BBD, do you have an invitation to return?

 

[Speckmisser]

Dang, BBD!  Talk about rookie luck!  Seems to me that most of us daydream about running into a situation like you had at the Panoche Bar.  Invited to hunt on private land?  By a stranger!  How cool is that?

I guess you guys had already rolled out before I got there Saturday afternoon.  I am betting the campsite you guys saw was where the dirt-bikers set up their village.  Jesse (300 BOSS), what were you driving?  While I went off to look for everyone, someone drove out onto the ridge where I made camp and walked around.  Fairly big, aggressive tires...

Saw the BLM ranger too, but he was staking out that campfull of dirt-bikers.  I imagine he has his hands full.  He's probably right about no pigs (or not enough to be worth the effort).  

The closest thing I saw to hunters was a couple of guys in a little blue pickup truck.  They drove up to one of the hills and did a whole lot of shooting.  They were still shooting at sunset, so I'm guessing they didn't hunt.  

Anyway, it was nice to get out there.  I didn't see any fresh looking pig sign in any of the places I looked, but there were TONS of deer.  I'm guessing they'll disappear in about two months, but they were sure plentiful this weekend.  

We'll have to try to coordinate a little closer next time... and pick a cooler weekend!  

 

[bubba]

Speckmisser,

I was driving a blue Chevy 2500 HD.  No big tires though.  I did park and take a look around.  I was on the road that forke dto the right.  I was there around 7:30 ish

 

[1SoCalHunter]

I know I am probably a little late, but did this hunt take place already? If not, count me in, if yes, post some nice boar pictures and some stories to go along with them :smile-big-blue:

 

[Speckmisser]

Yupp, 1SoCalHunter, you're a day late and a dollar short.  With the heat upon us, we probably won't have another one soon.

With the exception of BigBubbaDaddy, I don't think a lot of actual hunting happened... I made a morning stalk on Saturday morning, but all I found was coyotes, old trails, and dry wallows.  

No pix here.

 

[1SoCalHunter]

Speck:
But it seems like this hunt was poorly organized, because for what I read, a lot of people went but nobody hooked up together at the meeting point.
The concept of getting a hunt together it's great and I would love to participate on the next one, but definitely has to be better organized.
Changing the subject a little, did anybody applied to X9A deer zone for the draw as a first choice like I did?

 

[Speckmisser]

1socal,

You are hereby nominated to organize the next one!  :smile-big-blue:

 

[1SoCalHunter]

Gee Speck, you are putting the burden on me :nope-blue:, I'll probably get everybody lost anyway :smile-big-blue:.  Now on the serious side, I wouln't mind at all organizing it and putting it together, but somebody else would have to pick the area to hunt, because I don't know too many good areas with lots of pigs.  Whenever you guys are ready to go, let me know, I was born ready to hunt :smile-big-blue:

 

[Speckmisser]

1SoCal,

I should probably tell you that one of the reasons so few people got really organized for this hunt is that there are NO areas around Clear Creek Management Area with "lots of pigs".  At least not on the public land.  There are certainly pigs, and some spots offer better hunts than others, but this time of year, in that part of the country, there just ain't a lot to really support a "group effort".  If you were to plan a serious hunt, you'd do well to keep your group really small (two or three hunters, tops).  

Like a couple of the others, my main purpose for going was to meet up with some of the guys, and put some faces with the names.  Well, that and knocking back a few choice beverages around the firepit at night.  That's a danged good reason to get me out into the woods, but it may not be motivation enough for a serious hunter.  

And ya never know.  I did a lot of glassing on Saturday evening, and if I'd seen pigs, my attitude would've changed pretty quick.  

 

[1SoCalHunter]

I'm like you Speck, I go out to have some fun and have a good time, now if I bag something, that's a bonus.  I can't wait to go out on the next JHP hunt or get together and meet everybody.