wyemjohnson
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 25, 2006
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My brother-in-law and I headed to the Jack Ranch in the Cholame Valley near Parkfield for our first guided rifle hunt. We booked the hunt last December. Bert Claassen runs the operation and we requested senior guide Marc Tognazzini. We paid our deposits and got a confirmation with lots of good information. Two days before the hunt I contacted Marc and he said that he couldn't make the last evening of our hunt and would look for a replacement guide for that evening. On Sunday afternoon while we were driving to the hunt we called Marc and he said that Tony would be our guide for the entire hunt. Tony is a part time guide for the ranch hunts. He is positive, likeable, and has lots of energy, but doesn't get up to the ranch but a few times each month. We were disappointed by the switch of guides at the last minute and no contact by the outfitter. Other than this the operation is professional and the cabin and accomadations were more than adequate and it was great to be on a 80,000 acre ranch by ourselves away from all the hustle and bustle of the CA metro areas.
The hunt before us on Fri, Sat, Sun AM was 6 guys and they got 8 pigs. We were hoping for some action.
The hunt is done by truck with the hunters in seats in the bed of the truck in the open air. Tony drove us all over the ranch and we would glass at high spots briefly before moving on and covering lots of ground. Here is a view of one high spot.
Sunday afternoon we hit the cottonwood area and drove by lots of brushy draws and oak covered hillsides. Didn't glass up anything, but we spooked a herd of pigs rounding a bend in the road, and they ran under a hot fence into a brushy ravine and hillside. We jumped out and slide under the hot fence and down to the edge of the ravine. We could hear the pigs scurrying around in all directions but we couldn;t see them. After 5 minutes Tony spots a small black porker in the ravine behind a tree and some brush. I have to stand up and watch thru my scope, the pig moves to a small opening and I take an offhand shot downhill and fully expecting a down pig it runs off untouched! I'm surprised at the miss, first in 3 years with this rifle. Also my first offhand shot.
Monday we head over to the other side of the ranch, much more open country and see no pigs just beautiful vistas and countryside. MOnday mid-day we do one drive thru some brushy draw and I kick out a few pigs but only get to see their legs in the brush, no shot opportunites. Monday PM we hit another area and see nothing hear nothing.
Tues AM goes the same, late morning I start getting to walk down ridges and meet up with the truck at the bottom and on the 2nd try at this, spot a sow and 2 porkers running down a ridge. Just as they are about to go over the sow stops and I get a chance at a shot, and miss this one high too.
Tues early afternoon we start walking the draws and brushy ravines and kick out nothing.
We are down to the evening hunt and are hoping to avoid the skunk. We decide to hit the high points and glass the evening and not run around in the pickup, as the pigs must be truck aware at this point.
On our first hill vantage point we hear some pigs right below us quealing and tony heads down to flush them out and they almost run him over. They go left we go left, they zig, we zig, that zag and we miss them going over the opposite saddle ridge.
We head out to another high spot. We each look in different directions. As soon as the sun goes behind the ridge I spot some pigs in the distance feeding out. I start walking that way in hopes of getting over there before shooting light is over. About halfway there I turn to my right and spot a pig in the brush, drop to one knee and make a shot on the pig. It drops on the spot! Wow, that was close. Great way to end the hunt!
Is about a 180 pound dry sow with lots of fat.
The hunt before us on Fri, Sat, Sun AM was 6 guys and they got 8 pigs. We were hoping for some action.
The hunt is done by truck with the hunters in seats in the bed of the truck in the open air. Tony drove us all over the ranch and we would glass at high spots briefly before moving on and covering lots of ground. Here is a view of one high spot.
Sunday afternoon we hit the cottonwood area and drove by lots of brushy draws and oak covered hillsides. Didn't glass up anything, but we spooked a herd of pigs rounding a bend in the road, and they ran under a hot fence into a brushy ravine and hillside. We jumped out and slide under the hot fence and down to the edge of the ravine. We could hear the pigs scurrying around in all directions but we couldn;t see them. After 5 minutes Tony spots a small black porker in the ravine behind a tree and some brush. I have to stand up and watch thru my scope, the pig moves to a small opening and I take an offhand shot downhill and fully expecting a down pig it runs off untouched! I'm surprised at the miss, first in 3 years with this rifle. Also my first offhand shot.
Monday we head over to the other side of the ranch, much more open country and see no pigs just beautiful vistas and countryside. MOnday mid-day we do one drive thru some brushy draw and I kick out a few pigs but only get to see their legs in the brush, no shot opportunites. Monday PM we hit another area and see nothing hear nothing.
Tues AM goes the same, late morning I start getting to walk down ridges and meet up with the truck at the bottom and on the 2nd try at this, spot a sow and 2 porkers running down a ridge. Just as they are about to go over the sow stops and I get a chance at a shot, and miss this one high too.
Tues early afternoon we start walking the draws and brushy ravines and kick out nothing.
We are down to the evening hunt and are hoping to avoid the skunk. We decide to hit the high points and glass the evening and not run around in the pickup, as the pigs must be truck aware at this point.
On our first hill vantage point we hear some pigs right below us quealing and tony heads down to flush them out and they almost run him over. They go left we go left, they zig, we zig, that zag and we miss them going over the opposite saddle ridge.
We head out to another high spot. We each look in different directions. As soon as the sun goes behind the ridge I spot some pigs in the distance feeding out. I start walking that way in hopes of getting over there before shooting light is over. About halfway there I turn to my right and spot a pig in the brush, drop to one knee and make a shot on the pig. It drops on the spot! Wow, that was close. Great way to end the hunt!
Is about a 180 pound dry sow with lots of fat.
