Cummings Ranch Hogs

[btele4]

Hey guys,

I am headed on a hog hunt this weekend out to the Cummings Ranch (Wilderness Unlimited ranch access) in Kern County. Gonna take my girlfriend and try to get her first kill. Anyone ever hunted the ranch or have any info on what parts of the ranch may typically hold pigs. It's about 6,000 acres and I have never been there. So any pre-scouting info I could get would really help.

Thanks,

Brian
SD

 

[BOWUNTR]

Never been there but heard about it. It borders the north side of Tejon Ranch. Contact BOHNTR, he's hunted there. I would like to hear how you do. I'm interested also. Ed F

 

[btele4]

Thansk Ed!! I will let you know.

Brian
SD

 

[doccherry]

I've hunted Cummings many times and never took a hog. I saw quite a few, but almost all during the October archery season. In my opinion the best hunting is on the road that branches off to the right of the main gravel road about 1/2 mile beyond camp [I think it's called White Oak or Live Oak] and then curves back toward the highway, back past camp, climbing up the mountain and going to the end of the ranch. I don't have a map in front of me, but I think it's the NE part of the ranch. Anyway, once you get high up, there are lots of open areas to glass. Go all the way to the ranch boundary on this road and then scout the ridge that goes off to the right. The boundary fence runs along this ridge.

Also, if camp is still where it was a couple years ago, there is a very faint road that parallels the fence that encloses the farming operation where they grow barley or oats that abuts the main property, between the camp area and the main highway. Walk along this fenceline right at dark and go all the way, curving a bit to the right after a few hundred yards, to the boundary. Pigs come down at night and feed in the open fields.

If you take the main road that climbs way up the mountain and then drops down to abut the Tejon Ranch property, you may see a hog. I've only seen a few tracks but no pigs. Also, be sure the roads are passable because that mud turns to snot once it gets ahold of your tires.

Cummings is a long shot. If WU still has Twin Peaks up by Coalinga, it's a much better bet. If you can get it, send me an email and I'll tell you the location of a spring that draws hogs and deer that nobody seems to hunt.

Best of luck.

 

[btele4]

doccherry,

Thanks so much for all of the good info!!! I really appreciate your time and energy. I will give your advice a try at cummings and let you know next week.

As for twin peaks, yes WU still holds it, and I would love to know about the location of the spring as I plan to arhcery hunt the property this year. Do you have coordinates? Or I can send you a pdf map of the property...maybe you could mark it up for me?

Again I really appreciate you sharing your knowledge.

Brian
SD

 

[btele4]

doccherry,

my e-mail is btele4@yahoo.com. Send me a quick note and I will send you the map of twin peaks?

Thanks,

Brian
SD

 

[boarfighter]

i know cummings very well ive taken boarhunter their alot the right side of the ranch is the best stay to the right and toward the back the barly field isnt being planted anymore. when theirs snow go to the left side of the ranch theirs a faint rd off to the left its very hard to see but is the deep canion on the left after beaver pond that canyon holds the pigs when theirs snow.i know every rock on that ranch and if its been moved theirs very big deer their but pigs are far and few due to tejons extreem managment on them. p.s. "hunt-hunt-hunt get all the money we can while its good dont wory bought the hunters just get the money" thats a favorite saying buy someone their wont name names

 

[180pilot]

I live a few miles from that ranch. Hunted there with friend, owner, Kim Cummings years ago, before he leased it out to current operation. Ranch has a history of bad game management by succession lessees With disrepair of electric containment fences. And fines from DFG for shooting over bait (carrot drops from local grower). Too bad, a very beautiful hunk of Oak Savanna and Pine mountain. If a good hunting oriented management, company would take over, it could be one of the better areas near LA, like Tejon Ranch

What pigs are left, are noctural, and you will find them moving from the lower elevation to the high parts of the mountain at dawn. Only shot I got there, was by guessing where the troop would come out of brush and cross one of the lateral roads on their way up the mountain. Waited as 4 to 5 pigs crossed waiting for biggest boar. He was last to cross. Missed my 50 yd. shot because of a undetected, detached reticle tube in Leupold 2X on my Thomson Center pistol. Yes, Leupolds break too. There have always been rumors of sightings of very large Boars that stay well hidden on the mountain it seems..... Kim imported the original animals from Texas I believe.

 

[btele4]

Hey dudes,

We got pork! Went to cummings ranch and lucked out the first morning at 6:30AM. Nice young boar, about 140lbs dressed out. Got him right at first light..i just loaded the gun..walked about 100yds along a boundary fence near the northwest are of the ranch overlooking the agricultural fields below and then this lone hog popped up over the hill and onto the trail inf front of me about 70 yds...he was on the move...i dropped down prone...put the crosshairs on him...he was moving and just before he got to the brush line i pulled the trigger...he dropped..shot was behind the shoulder and out the neck...done!! There was a ton of rooting in the aea and you could see where they are coming up the draw/hillside below to cross the fence and head further up into thicker cover. My girlfriend was supposed to go with me but she backed out..so I was stoked i got to pull the trigger instead! Really cool looking hog, black and blonde hair hide, smaller tuskers, but real fat and healthy. Had prok chops last night on the grill wrapped with bacon and lathreed in sweet apricot sauce..they were awesome.

Thanks very much for the tips about cummings ranch guys, especially you doccherry.

Oh yeah..my camera batteries were dead..so i ahd to use the video camera instead..gonna try to figure out how to get a still image out o fthe video to post.

Regards,

Brian
SD

 

[BDB]

Congrats on the hog

 

[Speckmisser]

Congrats, Brian!

Sounds like a nice, fat hog.

Man... is it time to go to Tejon yet?

 

[BOWUNTR]

Right on. Congrats on your success. Ed F

 

[Soccer Dad]

OUTSTANDING

 

[bobby7321]

checking out cummings on wednesday with my pops. first time there. i've read the above posts so I have somewhat of an idea where to check out. Since its our first time there, most of the day will be just checking out all areas and getting a feel for the place. but any other advice on where to look would be appreciated.

thanks!

 

[boarfighter]

somethings kinda weard here the care taker darel said that theirs been know hogs reported taken their in at least 8 months " whoops " someone messed up -----poached a hog according to the ranch rules for reporting we dont need that thats how it gets stiffer laws and problems for us hunters. i know darrel and the cummings well and even the old care takers the herndons. so best advice is be safe obey the laws and have fun/success

 

[bobby7321]

yeah, obviously he's not been brought up to speed or something. WU update for the 15th said pigs were taken on cummings...

anyways i'll let you know how it goes.
thanks!

 

[btele4]

hey bobby,

i was lucky and got a hog not too long ago. if i were you i would do more walking than driving at first light. head over to the lowest boundary line south of camp and hunt as close to the boundary line as possible. my pig was headed uphill towards the boundary line fence from down below and was heading up accross the boundary fence to the thick hillside to bed down i am sure. there are some good openings on that hillside just uphill from the boundary fenceline gate along the road that would provide some good shots. just walk real slow and pick a spot to glass. be patient. the pigs move around a lot. thery are there and you will see sign of rooting and plenty of track.

good luck and may the wild hog gods shine upon you and your gun.

brian
sd

 

[boarfighter]

i wont knock wu but its funny how if you talk to the caretakers who see all the reports that are put in the boxes and would know because their their say one thing and yet wu reports different then what is realy happining not all the time but it happens alot i shot the cbh # 9 bear on public land and was asked to hold a wu sticker next to it for advertisment. point im no longer a member as of 3 years ago after that i killed alot their but makes you wonder whats realy going on.

 

[doccherry]

Boarfighter:

I was a member of WU for about 8 years. The first 5 years were good---high success, good ranches, few other hunters, lots of pigs and deer---but the last 3 were mediocre, at best. I also found what you found, specifically at Cummings. I'd read the WU website and see that hogs [plural] had been taken during the past week at Cummings and off I'd go, driving about 5 hours each way. The caretaker would come over to my camp and we'd chat. He would then tell me that no hogs had come off the property for a month or more and confided that the weekly reports were largely fabrication. This happened on several occasions and it happened at Palm Ranch and others. I was told that the owners of WU were trying to spread the hunters out among some of the less productive ranches because the savvy hunters were all trying to reserve the productive ranches and these ranches were becoming overcrowded. Whether that's true or not, I can't verify. But I can attest that the weekly WU reports were inaccurate.

The absolute best bet for Cummings is to time your hunt with the crops that are grown between camp and the highway. Once the crops green up, the pigs will come down at dark and feed until morning. Also, as with any WU ranch, make friends with the caretaker and they'll tell you where the pigs are, if indeed there are any pigs at all.

 

[boarhunter67]

I've noticed the same thing on WU properties regarding the discrepency among the reports and what the caretakers say. I always figured they were adding kills to the reports to make the ranches seem better than they are. Oh, well.