Lake Sonoma Hog Hunt Alert

[Backcountry]

Kentuck's report... they saw hogs and drew blood!

http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/index....pic=53812&st=0&

 

[Backcountry]

I found the Army Corp of Engineers press release for the current hunt period online.

U.S. Army pig hunt press release

As far as the hunts continuing beyond the end of February, there is good news and bad news.

The good news is that the flyer indicates, "The conduct of hunters during this hunting period will determine if future hunts will be held next fall". This suggests to me that future hunts have already been approved, providing slob hunters don't screw things up for the rest of us (or excessive complaints from PETA members).

Oh, the bad news... the flyer makes it sound like the hog hunting period will only be scheduled in the fall and winter. I presume this is to minimize hunter and non-hunter contact in the park.

Accordingly, it behooves all hunters visiting Lake Sonoma to be on their best behavior, especially when interacting with non-hunters. I myself ran into two British women on Tuesday who were hopelessly lost and I helped them get oriented and pointed back towards civilization. After I showed them my map and as they were about to depart they asked about my attire and if I was "hunting", with a bit of a grimace on their faces, and utter shock that (1) wild pigs were in the area, and (2) that I intended to eat whatever I arrowed. I can only hope that my gracious and helpful attitude towards them is remembered and that it helps assuage their prior ill-conceived image of “hunters”.

Cheers, Backcountry

 

[Kentuck]

I agree with Backcountry on the conduct of folks hunting there. I'm sure we are being watched very closely. If you go in a boat be sure not to attempt to take pigs from the boat and please obey the rules and be courteous of the other area users. This is in my opinion the best public land offering out there right now so let's not mess it up!

Kentuck

 

[PIGIG]

talked to the ranger last week and had him teel me exactly what they are expecting us to do.

if you go scouting on the off days friday, saturday,sunday please leave you bow in the truck.

you may fill out your papers after 12:00 am sunday night so you can get an early start on monday morning.

he even said that although you may scout from the boat it is probilty not a good idea do it. so do it from the other side of the lake or far from shore.

pack out what you pack in and more.

make sure you log out before you leave even if you seen or got nothing.

 

[Mel Carter]

I agree with Kentuck and Backcountry, be courtious to others on the lake, camp ground, parking lot or were ever and if you are fortunate enough to take a hog, don't dissplay it in a manner that will be offensive to other non hunters. As Kentuck mentioned, this is probably one of the best Public land hunts around, if not the best, lets do whatever we can do keep it open to the public.

pigig mention that you can fill out your papers after 12:00am on Sunday night. Maybe i'm just stupid but can you clarify this time for me? Does this mean you have to stay up until 12:00am, midnight, Sunday night to check in or do you mean 12:00am Sunday morning or which is also Midnight on Saturday. The reason i'm wondering is the next time i'm going over there will be on a sunday afternoon, I want to be able to check in when I pass by the visitors center on the way to the camp ground, I don't want to have to go back early Monday morning to do it.

Thanks,

 

[Backcountry]

Mel et al.,

I found Ranger Joel Miller's phone number in a post above (he manages the hunts/hunters onsite at Lake Sonoma)... its 707-433-9483, and his extension is 20 (after you press "star 8"). If anybody has specific questions, I'd suggest clarifying them with him, and not rely 100% on the second-hand information in this thread nor what the fake rangers at the front desk of the visitors center tell you. Yes, we’re all trying to help here, but after a couple of “I heard from so-and-so”, things can get a bit garbled and it’s best to error on the side of caution if you’re suspect.

I don't know who PIGIG talked to at the lake about late sign-ins on Sunday night, but for one thing, there is nobody at the check-in station on Sundays after 5pm so I don't know how they would be able to determine if one put their slip in the box after or before midnight. Moreover, what PIGIG was told was in direct contrast to what I was told by Ranger Miller, that if you're camping you may sign in a day in advance, with no mention of having to leave your campsite in the middle of the night. I think PIGIG was misled by somebody that didn’t know what they were talking about.

Also, as far as scouting from a boat, again, what I was told by Ranger Miller is in direct contrast to what PIGIG posted. Ranger Miller specifically recommended to me that scouting from a boat will produce more pig sightings than scouting on foot. This is common sense as you simply can glass more land from a boat. Further, there is nothing in the CA-DFG nor Lake Sonoma hunting regulations that forbid it. On the other hand, there are provisions in the CA-DFG regulations that forbid shooting from a boat under power or while drifting after being under power, and at Lake Sonoma you can not discharge a bow from a boat at all. Follow these rules and you’ll be fine.

To PIGIG’s credit, what he also mentions in his post about picking up all trash (even if its not yours), not carrying your bow on non-hunt days, and logging-out after your hunt is all correct and not in dispute.

I think some of the confusion is that hunters who are stopping in the visitor center may be speaking with “rangers” manning the front desk that are part-time employees getting paid minimum wage and that know NOTHING about hunting and are just making their conversation up as they go along. A guy I spoke with a couple weeks ago looked pretty official in his green “ranger’ish” uniform, but after I questioned him some, I find out he’s only been there two weeks, his title is “park clerk”, and he “doesn’t really know anything about hunting besides what’s printed on the maps”.

Guys, if in doubt, go with what Ranger Miller says, the CA-DFG code, and the regulations printed on the hunt maps, not what you read here (not even if you hear it from me

), it’s that simple. Ranger Miller is extremely pro-hunting and pro-hunter, and a very nice, knowledgeable guy to talk to on the phone.

Cheers, Backcountry

 

[Mel Carter]

Backcountry,
Thanks for the number, i'll give him a call and get all the details. Do you plan on heading over to hunt the lake anymore? Did you hunt this past week out of yorty creek or did you hunt somewhere else. Just kind of curious on how much land there is around the day use area to hunt incase I can't get my buddy to go, he's the one who has the boat. Hope to meet up with you guys again.

Thanks,

 

[Backcountry]

Mel,

Yes, I hunted the Yorty area on the same day you were up there with your son and Kentuck and his son. My report is back on the 2nd page of posts of this thread (dated Dec. 30th).

Is there enough land back there to keep you busy on foot....? Oh yeah!!! I hunted on foot with a buddy that day and even between the two of us, I think it would take many weeks to be able to cover everything that's available to us. Given that this hunt period ends February 29th and that most of us only have the luxury to hunt it a few more days (if that), you'll never see the same area twice (if you don't want to). Everywhere I walked I was never more than 10 yards from moderately fresh pig sign so you sure won't get bored walking around back in those woods. Just before last light we left Yorty and booked it over to Rockpile Road and same story... pig sign everywhere, and more ground than you could hope to cover on foot in months.

As for my next trip... some buddies of mine from my archery/bowhunting club plan to park trailers at Liberty Glen from the 20th to 22nd of this month (hunting only the 21st and 22nd). I'll try to get up there to hunt at least one day with them while they're there. I’m also planning to try to get up for a day (or two) in February but don’t have set dates yet. My schedule is fairly flexible… if you plan to go and want company (especially if you’re inviting me for a boat ride), with a few days notice I should be able to make it.

Cheers, Backcountry

 

[PIGIG]

backcountry
you are correct when you say i talked to a person in the visitor center.
i assumed he was a ranger i will call joel also and get the real story
thanks for the info
also me and a buddy are headed up to the lake the 16th through the 21st have a small zodic 11.5 feet it fits three a little tight but it can be done.

 

[Kentuck]

You all might want to check about hunting on the 19th. The rules said that there is no hunting of Federal Holidays and the 19th is Martin Luther King Jr's B-day holiday which I believe is a federal holiday. It would be worth a phone call. I would believe hunting on Feb. 16th would be out also as that is President's day.

Kentuck

 

[Backcountry]

Kentuck's right... I saw that posted at the visitor’s center... no hunting on holidays. I suppose they want a ranger around on hunt days in case of an "incident". Like I said before, call Ranger Miller when in doubt, as this rule is posted at the visitor’s center but is not printed on the first of the two iterations of hunt rules that are on maps I picked up at the visitor’s center; however, the latest map has been amended by hand with the statement “NO HOLIDAY HUNTS PERMITTED”.

Keep in mind this is a new program and there are going to be some inconsistencies until things get ironed out, so err on the side of caution.

Good eyes Kentuck!

Backcountry

 

[Mel Carter]

Backcountry,
I just talked to my buddy, and we also have the dates of January 20th - 22nd set a side, weather dependant. We will be at the liberty glenn campground, we will be in a motor home. As of right now it's only going to be the 2 of us, so if the weather holds for those days and my buddies schedule doesn't change, we will see you there. There will be enough room in the boat for 1 more, so if we meet up your more then welcome to join us. Do you happen to know if we can leave the boat in the water anywhere or do you need to launch on a daily basis? Thanks for your help.

 

[Backcountry]

Sweet Mel.. count me in for one of those days... I'll know more about my travel/hunt plans when that week gets closer. My two buddies that are going will have a trailer at Liberty Glen and I may stay with them to make it a two day hunt instead of just driving up for the day. I’ve got a spotting scope mounted on a gunstock that would work well for glassing from the boat.

Uh, I recall a post by MikenSoCo near the beginning of this thread about enjoying some camaraderie and post-hunt libations of the fermented cactus variety... you can bet we'll be the only folks in the campground those days, so it'll be pretty tough to get 'shushed' (but we could try). Mike, you reading this? What do you think?

Backcountry

p.s. I don't know about leaving the boat in the water. My guess is that there are provisions for that, but better call and make sure. Worst case, I'm certain you could pull it and then just leave the trailered boat parked in the launch area lot.

 

[Mel Carter]

Good deal then, I'll let my buddy know there will be one more. Keep me posted about your plans so I know to look for you.

Hey Kentuck,
See if you can make it up for this hunt.

 

[Mel Carter]

Well, I guess I should have talked to my girlfriend before making these dates for the hunt

She has plans for those days, so it looks like I'm going to need to change my hunt dates. I'll talk to my buddy and see if he can do a short trip next week, maybe on Thursday. If not, i'll need to push it out to sometime in February. Backcountry, the invite is still open if you want to show up. I'll let you know of the dates and if anything changes

 

[Kentuck]

Mel,

Thanks for the invite. I might try and go up on the 15th. I've got a friend that wants to tag along. I heard from a couple of guys over on a fishing website that someone took a 210 pounder there Monday. Got within 20 feet of it while it was napping. From the sounds of it, it must of been a boar because one guy said it was ugly as heck and the guy who shot it must have been awfully brave.

Kentuck

 

[Backcountry]

Originally posted by Mel Carter@Jan 7 2004, 12:35 AM
Well, I guess I should have talked to my girlfriend before making these dates for the hunt

She has plans for those days, so it looks like I'm going to need to change my hunt dates.

Mel,

Doh! We've all been there. I missed opening weekend of archery deer season last year for the same reason. Guys, we've got to get spines. For your sake, I hope these “other plans” aren’t a trip to outlet-mall-hell or watching a chick-flick.

If it makes you feel better, here's one of my favorite .wav files;

http://solazy.users2.50megs.com/sounds/32doh.wav

Next Thursday the 15th is looking OK for me... I'll clear it with The Almighty (*ah hem*... the girlfriend) and hope someone's got room in a boat (if not, I'm plenty happy to pound ground).

Cheers, Backcountry

 

[bayedsolid]

I missed opening weekend of archery deer season last year for the same reason.

You guys are killin me here. A man's gotta have priorities in life. lol Loved the .wav file though.

 

[Mel Carter]

Hey Backcountry,
I talked to my buddy and he's kind of up in the air for the 15th. If it looks like that date will work for you, let me know and we can meet up at the visitors center when we check in. In the mean time, i'll try another friend who also wants to get over there, he has a boat. Try to let me know as soon as you can regarding the 15th. I will be off of work the rest of this week due to family member passing away over the holidays, but will be back on the computer on Monday. I still have you number, so maybe i'll give you a call on the weekend and let you know if we have a boat or not. In any case, i'm ok with doing some walking from yorty creek or anywhere else you have in mind.

Kentuck, let me know if you go over on the 15th. I will probably go over, boat or no boat. Another 18 hour day won't kill me

Backcountry, about how long of a drive was it from the visitors center to yorty creek day use? That's were I will probably start out.

 

[Backcountry]

As of today, the 15th looks like a go for me. I'm hip to hook up and hunt together boat or no boat. Plenty of places I want to check out that don't need a boat and the day I already spent on foot back there in the Yorty area will come in handy.

From the visitors center sign-in area, it takes about 25 minutes to drive all the way over to the Yorty Creek parking lot.

FYI... last Sunday when I was up there it was ICY as all get out on Skaggs Springs road. We had it in 4WD and still had a tough time on those steep roads. Came across a couple hunters that had their Dodge Power Wagon and trailer with ATV all catywompus in the middle of the road, plum stuck right there on the pavement in 4WD, pointed uphill, as the sun's coming up. They had flares out and everything (i.e., getting the winch cable hooked up to a tree). Being the quick thinkers that we are (uh, actually we slid off the road at about 5mph with no steering) we put a couple wheels in the dirt and snuck past them no problem.

What I'm saying is, if its cold and icy, take exceptional care on the roads.

Cheers, Backcountry