JHP Pig-O-Rama June 7-9

[bubba]

Thought I would start the thread for the June hunt.  After my April and May plans changed by work and Mothers Day.  I will be going to the June hunt( God willing) (fingers crossed).  I am sending my info on monday.  I will be putting in for South area.  Hoping to get info from you guys going this weekend and in May.  Anyone else planning on going in June?

I will be in a Blue Chevy 2500HD with a cap.  ALso, planning on taking my travel trailer.  Four Winds Lite...  Hope to see some of you there.  Hopefully, we can do as well as the May group.

(Edited by bubba at 1:35 pm on April 11, 2002)


(Edited by bubba at 2:29 pm on May 15, 2002)

 

[bubba]

...bump...

 

[Speckmisser]

Jesse (Murillo AKA Bubba), you were asking about tips for your June hunt.  Well, bear in mind that just taking a hog off the ranch doesn't make me an expert.  Also, I really only hunted two spots.  The first spot I saw nada, the second spot is where I got my hog.  

I didn't cover a lot of the ranch, but from the looks of things, the trick is to get high and look down in the early mornings and evenings.  Don't be afraid to get in the truck and drive, either.  Like several other guys, the idea of road hunting was kinda strange to me, but it really is the best trick for covering ground.  The ranch itself is like 277,000 acres, and if you just pick a likely spot and hike it like I did the first morning, you could be missing out (or you could walk right into your pig).  Drive the ridges until you spot hogs, then if you can make the stalk or the shot, do it.  Otherwise mark where you saw the most and come back later.

What worked for me was to find hogs in the evening, mark where I saw them, then hump it in there at first light the following morning.

There's a lot of water on the ranch, even in the summer, but if you can spot an isolated spring (think dark green hillsides) you may have an advantage.  

Another very important tip...  if you're sitting in camp and one of the Tejon guides comes in and chats, don't be afraid to ask questions.  I don't know that they're supposed to give "tips" during the pig-o-rama,  but if they happen to mention areas that they might hunt if they were looking for pigs... well, it'd serve you well to listen.  

Other important tips...  carry LOTS of water.  It's already hot there in the daytime, and dragging a hog out of a hellhole is a bad time to realize you're down to your last swallow.  Dehydration and heat prostration are very real possibilities, especially with that dry wind sucking the moisture right out of you.  

It is fire season, so you'll have to get the exhaust certified.  The fire station is right there near the South gate, so it's not a big issue getting it done.  No charge, no fuss, just pull in and let the guy come out and check it real quick.  

Due to the turnout (something like 61 total hunters) and the low number of pigs on the desert side, they allowed us to hunt the entire ranch last weekend.  We weren't limited to just one area, although I don't think anyone who went all the way into the North side (One-track?).  Seemed to be plenty of hogs on the south side already.

It's an awesome place, and I had a blast just spending time there.  Beautiful country, lots of animals, and even some history.  Pretty cool.  You'll have a ball.

Good luck, and hope the weekend is as good for ya'll as it was for us.    

 

[bubba]

Thanks.  

I'm glad you had a great time and were successful, escpecially when you had a guest from such a long way.  Give my congrats to your brother.  Hoping to hook up with you up here soon.  I'm still working on getting access to the ranch in Livermore.  I'll give you a holler if I'm successful.  Like I said earlier, if you ever venture out and don't want to go alone give me a holler.

Thanks again.  

 

[One Track]

Speck:  You forgot one thing.  Take lots of rope.  500 feet is not too much.  If you have a winch, you're way ahead of the game. Also, if you see hogs from the truck, and set out after them - DON'T LEAVE WITHOUT YOUR PACK: water, knives, flashlight and some rope to start the drag.  You might end up a mile from the truck, in the dark. That's when the fun really begins.  Yee Ha!

 

[Speckmisser]

Oh yeah... rope!  

I think we ended up tying together five or six pieces and maybe ended up with a little over 100 yards, in addition to the 125' winch cable.  Still ended up carrying piggies a mighty long way.  

Next time I WILL have at least 200 yards of good line.  A tensile strength of 300-500 lbs is plenty, so you don't have to carry tugboat hawsers.  I think my main rope is like a 3/8" or 5/16" nylon.  100 yards of that is not a real burden, and it goes a long ways up a hill.  

 

[bowhunting fool]

Speck and one track are right in saying bring plenty of rope because most likely you will shoot your pig down hill and they tend to roll even farther after being hit. Also beware that there are big Mountain lions on the ranch as I had one come to me and my pig in the dark .The pigs sometimes squeel to high heaven after being hit Hell would'nt you? and that tends to let the cats know a piggie is in trouble and maybe an easy meal so they will come at you. So a side arm would be a piece of security. And as they also said you can drive around till you see herds of pigs or the sometimes lone Big boar and try and stalk close enough for a shot, or do what we did Saturday evening and find a likely deep draw that can conceal and contain beds and that with lots of cover in a Riparian area and get up high and glass the last few hours of light and watch to see the pigs slowly come out and browes and root the hillsides they all seem to head up hill as they go, at least what I have seen there, so getting up high with a good pair of optics and look for the black specks that start to filter up through the trees and get ahead  or above them and try and stalk close especially if you have the type of windy days we did, you can easily keep the wind to your face. If you you know your gun you know it's limitations so you can account for how far you need to get to place a killing shot. just remeber they will roll down so ROPE, ROPE and more ROPE is the key unless you can quarter and carry, let me tell you just a hundred lbs of dead weight is unbeleivably heavy when it has to go up hill against rocks and dead branches we had to clear a path for my pig to slide through down in the draw from hell I shot mine in, and one tracks buddy Al is a hell of a strong man and we were struggling getting that sucker to the truck that one track incredibly got down a creek draw that no truck has any business being in ,but he did it. So bino's and rope will help out tremendously, and these animal are hardy and strong so a good well placed shot is the trick they do not want to die and will fight if cornered injured so place that shot well, and good luck I hope all of you june JHPers fill your tags.

 

[Floatuber]

Bubba,
I have my application in for the South side of Tejon in June.  Unless I hear otherwise from Barbara, I guess I am in.  I'll keep in touch as we get closer to June.

Floatuber

 

[300BOSS2]

This is bubba using home username:

Floatuber:  Welcome aboard.  JHP is an awesome place to hang out.  I've been to one JHP Turkey hunt and everyone I met has been great.  Looking forwad to meeting you.  Maybe we can set up camp in back area like its been done in past hunts at Tejon.  BTW, Barbara says its shaping up like the May hunt, so don't worry about space.  There were only 63 total hunters in May hunt.  Hoping the hunting during next couple of weekends doesn't turn all game into night dwellers, otherwise we will have to bust some brush to get em out, which probably means getting into these Hell Holes everyoen is talking about.  Looking forward to meeting you.

 

[bowhunting fool]

it's those first and last few hours of light that you need to concentrate on even in June, other than that after say 11:00 am go back to camp and take a nap till around 5:00 then hit the ridge lines again and glass, you will see pigs, the ranch is just loaded with them. Good luck to you all I can't wait till you guys fill your tags and post your stories. Good luck to you all.

 

[Qbn Hunter]

How much is the rama and is the success rate high?

 

[grtwythunter]

QBN-It's $300. The success rates varies, but last trip it seemed to run about 55-60%. If you have any more questions, JHP had a pretty good showing at the last two Rama's, so ask away.            Scott

 

[d trees]

Guys I was lucky to hunt the ranch a few years back before the pig o ramas in june back then you got to hunt for 500.00 and you got a month and a half to roam that ranch what a beatiful place we always had good sucess on the N/E and S/E sides of the ranch Glassing from a high ridge and spotting and then jumping in the truck driving the to the ridge in front of the pigs and stalking them before you run out of light lots of fun and like the other guys said lots of water and ROPE and watch out for the MOSQUITOS they can be terrible that time of year that last trip hunting there it was in the high 80's and there was 10 to 20 MO'S flying around your head and face mid day next trip I am buying  bug suit thats for sure, good luck .d

 

[Speckmisser]

D Trees is dead on about it being a beautiful place.  When you guys get out there, don't forget to enjoy and appreciate where you are.  As my brother and I were walking out on this one ridge, he commented, "This is like an episode from TNN Outdoors."  

At one point he sat down on a high spot and called his wife, just to tell her what he was seeing.

Not to say that any of you guys fall into this group, but I know some guys go out with so much focus on getting game, they forget to enjoy the environment around them.  That's a shame, especially when you're in a place like Tejon Ranch.  If you give it a moment, it'll take your breath away!

I wish I hadn't been so tired on Sunday, because I would definitely have liked to drive around and sightsee before I left.  That is an option for anyone who tags out early, and I believe it would be worth the gas to do it.  

 

[d trees]

Game I have seen on tejon Elk, coyote, hogs, bobcat ,turkey, a buddy said he saw antelope, and I think I saw more deer there than hogs its like stepping back in time and all just and hour and a half from LA its trully a special place, man do I miss that long season they use to have !!!! cant wait to get back there though good luck in june men and watch out for those giant sqeuters they have there and rattle snakes,d

 

[yurmomma]

Do they let you hunt with a muzzleloader or archery?

 

[One Track]

Yep.

 

[Speckmisser]

yurmomma,

They let you hunt with any legal means.  

Next time I go (now that I have a better idea for the lay of the place) I'm definitely bringing the Hawken.  While there are plenty of long shots, if you pick your spot you can close range with a little skill and a lot of luck.  

 

[bubba]

Took th erifle out yesterday, all looks well.  The count down begins 16 days to go.

 

[jrifenbark]

The April success rate wasn't that high for JHP (2/9?).  The pigs tended to run in large groups with 10 to 30 animals in one group.  Cody reccomended staying away from well used roads.  Makes sense.  I agree that glassing from an elevated position at dawn and dusk is best.  The pigs are in the deep, dark, foreboding, oak-ridden canyons.  Bear in mind, you need to get the pig out (something I didn't consider before dropping the hammer).

Plenty of Mule Deer.

Beutiful place.

Wish I were going.