DukeMaster
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Where: Mariposa county near Catheys Valley. Outside of Yosemite on a private ranch.
Who: Fouch Bros. guide service. Jesse,Jeremiah and John
the hunt: This hunt is not for the weak of heart and out of shape guy.We trailed on foot behind 3 amazing Louisiana Catahoula dogs as searched for recent scent up/down the hills and valleys of the ranches. Plenty of fresh rooting and poop all over. It was raining cats and dogs early in the am and cleared up during our hunt. The first section of property was a bust but there was plenty of sign. The next place had fresh rooting you could see from the road. We drove up to the stock pond and let the dogs out and they immediatlely picked up a trail anf it was up the hills we went. It still raining lightly and the trail was all rocky and muddy and the streams we crossed were getting a bit full. Wish I had on waterproof boots as my feet were soaked as were my pants. We reached a saddle between two ridges and rested a bit. Jesse took the dogs back to an area they had worked over heavily on the way up the hill as we positioned ourselves on the mountside to see if any pigs were moving around. John is pretty much half mountain goat as he went up the side of the opposite mountain almost in a jog. After a half hour Jesse came back with the dogs and said they didn't find anything. As he was telling us this John came down an excitedly told us he seen a hog and that it was being harassed by a herd of cattle near where we parked. We thought yes right, we just came thru there and he was probably seeing things. So down the hill we go. On the way down Jesse points out fresh sign in the form of a turned over cow pie they eat the bugs under them. We get about 200 yards from the vehicles and we see this group of cattle and holy schiznit there was this big pig in the middle and wherever she tried to go anywhere the cows would cut her off. So Jesse and I positioned ourselves above her on th hillside. John , jeremiah and the dogs went around below her to keep her from crossing onto another property as she was close to the fenceline. When the dogs got near the cattle all took off and the hog was nowhere to be seen. So Jesse and I descended the rest of the way down the hill and all of a sudden the dogs started baying. They were in this big tree with low lying branches and were going nuts.We got there and initially could not see a darn thing. Then Jesse spotted the hog way back by the trunk and we tried to position ourselves for a shot at the same time be clear of the dogs. The hog would start getting real agitated and charge the dogs and run back into the thickest part of the tree. Every time I tried to get a shot either a branch or a dog was in the way. Several times she cleared the tree while chasing the dogs but the dogs were to close. Onetime she came right at Jesse and I before running back into the tree. Finally she broke from the tree and ran up the hill we just came down from with the dogs and us in hot pursuit. Let me rephrase that , the dogs and guides were in hot pursuit. I was in lukewarm pursuit. after 20 yards I was thowing off my pack, jackets , waterbottles and nearly my rifle. With Jesse encouraging me politely to get my ass back up the hill . The hog stopped and wheeled around and charged the dogs which allowed me time to get within 30 yards of the ruckus Jesse told to draw down on the hog and when he said to shot squeeze off. As I draw down with my rifle , my heart is thumping from exhaustion and my legs are cramping up. The pig and dogs are going ape sh!t. The hog charged at the dogs again and when the dogs backed off Jesse yelled at my to take the shot. I squeeze off and just at the report of rifle Jesse yells NO!!!. I thought I just shot a $5000.00 dog but that was not the case. The hog squealed like a pig jumped in the air, hit the ground on its back, rolled over about 3 times got UP and took off with the dogs in pusuit and I thought Oh crap here we go again. This time I could see it was bleeding and the dogs cornered it near a small tree. Jesse released his youngest dog to get in the fray and the hog got ahold of one of the dogs so John and Jesse jumped in and grabbed the hog by the hind legs and wrestled it to the ground. Then john handed me a big long knife and Jesse hollered at me to finish her off. To stick it right behind the shoulder while he was holding on to her. I initially hesitated because in the back of my head if I stuck her and he let go it would get really ugly. So I(sorry to all you PETA members but this was my F'in hunt) stick her and dug it in her to try to puncture the heart. Blood shot out everywhere and she went limp. The guides and I just all sat down and looked at each other. The dogs were still trying to bite her. We then kenneled the dogs, took pictures and field dressed her. The guides told that was a really good sized hog about 180-200lbs she had big layers of fat on her. They said she was a pure russian as they've seen. John and Jeremiah drug her back down the hill to a tree near where we are parked and set about to skin her while Jesse fills out the tag and takes samples from her for a study at UC davis. My shot took out four or so vertebrae and severed the spine and she was still hauling ass, wow. Jesse cut out the tenderloins, backstraps and then quartered it for me. We then went back to his ranch house and changed out of the wet clothes, boots and warmed up by a roaring fireplace. We sat down to a lunch of home made chickens enchiladas and watched wild turkeys come down from the hillside as we ate. This was my first hog hunt and these guys to me were the ticket. I loved every minute of it and will always remember it. On my way home down hwy 99 I'm calling all my friends and family. Then arrange for my entire family to meet at my sisters house in San Marino for dinner. I slow roasted the backstraps in a marmalade, honey , pineapple glaze and served it with a wild rice dressing and steamed vegatables from my sis's garden. Everyone really enjoyed it and commented that the meat was outstanding and that I was nuts. The hog had long hairs on its back making it look razorlike when it was hanging. I'm going to take a couple advil and go back to bed now. I always thought semiconductor physics was exciting till this. will post pics when Jesse emails them to me. Oh yea, I shot it with my winchester 30-3094AE and a 170gr cor lokt bullet. thanks for the previous info.
Who: Fouch Bros. guide service. Jesse,Jeremiah and John
the hunt: This hunt is not for the weak of heart and out of shape guy.We trailed on foot behind 3 amazing Louisiana Catahoula dogs as searched for recent scent up/down the hills and valleys of the ranches. Plenty of fresh rooting and poop all over. It was raining cats and dogs early in the am and cleared up during our hunt. The first section of property was a bust but there was plenty of sign. The next place had fresh rooting you could see from the road. We drove up to the stock pond and let the dogs out and they immediatlely picked up a trail anf it was up the hills we went. It still raining lightly and the trail was all rocky and muddy and the streams we crossed were getting a bit full. Wish I had on waterproof boots as my feet were soaked as were my pants. We reached a saddle between two ridges and rested a bit. Jesse took the dogs back to an area they had worked over heavily on the way up the hill as we positioned ourselves on the mountside to see if any pigs were moving around. John is pretty much half mountain goat as he went up the side of the opposite mountain almost in a jog. After a half hour Jesse came back with the dogs and said they didn't find anything. As he was telling us this John came down an excitedly told us he seen a hog and that it was being harassed by a herd of cattle near where we parked. We thought yes right, we just came thru there and he was probably seeing things. So down the hill we go. On the way down Jesse points out fresh sign in the form of a turned over cow pie they eat the bugs under them. We get about 200 yards from the vehicles and we see this group of cattle and holy schiznit there was this big pig in the middle and wherever she tried to go anywhere the cows would cut her off. So Jesse and I positioned ourselves above her on th hillside. John , jeremiah and the dogs went around below her to keep her from crossing onto another property as she was close to the fenceline. When the dogs got near the cattle all took off and the hog was nowhere to be seen. So Jesse and I descended the rest of the way down the hill and all of a sudden the dogs started baying. They were in this big tree with low lying branches and were going nuts.We got there and initially could not see a darn thing. Then Jesse spotted the hog way back by the trunk and we tried to position ourselves for a shot at the same time be clear of the dogs. The hog would start getting real agitated and charge the dogs and run back into the thickest part of the tree. Every time I tried to get a shot either a branch or a dog was in the way. Several times she cleared the tree while chasing the dogs but the dogs were to close. Onetime she came right at Jesse and I before running back into the tree. Finally she broke from the tree and ran up the hill we just came down from with the dogs and us in hot pursuit. Let me rephrase that , the dogs and guides were in hot pursuit. I was in lukewarm pursuit. after 20 yards I was thowing off my pack, jackets , waterbottles and nearly my rifle. With Jesse encouraging me politely to get my ass back up the hill . The hog stopped and wheeled around and charged the dogs which allowed me time to get within 30 yards of the ruckus Jesse told to draw down on the hog and when he said to shot squeeze off. As I draw down with my rifle , my heart is thumping from exhaustion and my legs are cramping up. The pig and dogs are going ape sh!t. The hog charged at the dogs again and when the dogs backed off Jesse yelled at my to take the shot. I squeeze off and just at the report of rifle Jesse yells NO!!!. I thought I just shot a $5000.00 dog but that was not the case. The hog squealed like a pig jumped in the air, hit the ground on its back, rolled over about 3 times got UP and took off with the dogs in pusuit and I thought Oh crap here we go again. This time I could see it was bleeding and the dogs cornered it near a small tree. Jesse released his youngest dog to get in the fray and the hog got ahold of one of the dogs so John and Jesse jumped in and grabbed the hog by the hind legs and wrestled it to the ground. Then john handed me a big long knife and Jesse hollered at me to finish her off. To stick it right behind the shoulder while he was holding on to her. I initially hesitated because in the back of my head if I stuck her and he let go it would get really ugly. So I(sorry to all you PETA members but this was my F'in hunt) stick her and dug it in her to try to puncture the heart. Blood shot out everywhere and she went limp. The guides and I just all sat down and looked at each other. The dogs were still trying to bite her. We then kenneled the dogs, took pictures and field dressed her. The guides told that was a really good sized hog about 180-200lbs she had big layers of fat on her. They said she was a pure russian as they've seen. John and Jeremiah drug her back down the hill to a tree near where we are parked and set about to skin her while Jesse fills out the tag and takes samples from her for a study at UC davis. My shot took out four or so vertebrae and severed the spine and she was still hauling ass, wow. Jesse cut out the tenderloins, backstraps and then quartered it for me. We then went back to his ranch house and changed out of the wet clothes, boots and warmed up by a roaring fireplace. We sat down to a lunch of home made chickens enchiladas and watched wild turkeys come down from the hillside as we ate. This was my first hog hunt and these guys to me were the ticket. I loved every minute of it and will always remember it. On my way home down hwy 99 I'm calling all my friends and family. Then arrange for my entire family to meet at my sisters house in San Marino for dinner. I slow roasted the backstraps in a marmalade, honey , pineapple glaze and served it with a wild rice dressing and steamed vegatables from my sis's garden. Everyone really enjoyed it and commented that the meat was outstanding and that I was nuts. The hog had long hairs on its back making it look razorlike when it was hanging. I'm going to take a couple advil and go back to bed now. I always thought semiconductor physics was exciting till this. will post pics when Jesse emails them to me. Oh yea, I shot it with my winchester 30-3094AE and a 170gr cor lokt bullet. thanks for the previous info.
