Suzmar1997
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 7, 2002
- Messages
- 191
- Reaction score
- 2
Just got back from the Nov. 13 Lake Sonoma Pig Hunt. Left Monday morning and arrived at the lake in the afternoon after a long 9 hour drive. We launched the boat near the Marina and my father and his friend shoved off for Yorty Creek as my buddy and I drove the car to off load the rest of our gear at Yorty after the first load was delivered at Thumb Campground. We arrived at the thumb campground to be greeted by a beautiful shoreline of thick mud. We set up camp and looked forward to a successful day of scouting the area on Tuesday.
We slept in a little later then we liked to, but got up and shoved off to scout the area. We checked the area to the NE of the arm we were camping on and began climbing the mountain to glass the area from above. We arrived at the top and saw numerous areas that looked great. We glassed the area for quite a while and observed one side of the hill having a ton of fresh sign (Rooted). We waited a while and decided to check other areas keeping this side as a definate option.
We then boated to the most nothern part of the lake and began walking the area. We saw numerous deer, including a beautiful buck and lots of pig sign in the area, but no piggies. We were just about to check another area when the rain hit. It came down in sheets and it was off to the campground for shelter. We had to take a trip to Yorty Creek to drive into town and pick-up more gas for the boat and ran into a fellow JHP'r (Scott) at the campground on the Yorty Creek arm of the lake. Unfortunately, it was raining pretty good, so the convesation didn't last long but we both had scouted and didn't see any pigs for the day. Scott was gracious enough to offer his open slot to one of the two guys in my group that weren't hunting and I'd like to thank you for the generousity. We headed back to camp and planned on hitting the tent earlier for the next days journey.
We were sitting in our camp at approximately 4pm with just a little drizzle at the time and we spotted some movement approximately a mile away on the hillside we scouted that morning. With the poor lighting and weather it was tough to first make out whether it was deer or pigs but we soon realized they were pigs rooting the hillside we thought about returning to for the hunt. This pretty much decided we'd hunt that area the next day.
We woke up at approximately 0300 and got our gear ready for the hunt. We shoved off and began routing or course through the obstacle course of the Skunk Creek in total darkness. The trip was rough as our flashlights were low on power and the flood light my friend had was rechargable and did not run off the cigarette lighter, just recharged from it (Which takes approx. 10 hours). For those of you who haven't been up there its loaded with submerged and partially submerged trees. We finally reached the check-in and headed back to our spot. We landed on the shore and headed up to the hillside where we saw the pigs the day before. Almost to the area we crested the hill and observed a gate with the dreaded sign. The area was of course posted and we thus followed the fence line to our area.
The area opened up again and we observed half a hillside freshly rooted, tracks, scat etc. We followed the fence and observed a break in it under a rut, with hair stuck to the barbed wire. This looked like the only place they could cross in the area and we thus decided we'd wait for them to come to us. While we sat waiting for the pigs to come two hunters showed up in the same area. They stood out in the rooted field for approximately 30 minutes looking around, until one of our hunters let them know we were already there. They appeared to leave and then 20 minutes later showed up again, deciding to walk along the fence and in front of our partners position. They continued up the hill along the fence until they crossed my friend's and my rifle anxiousely waiting for the pigs to cross the fence. We let them know we were also up on the hillside, and figured they would be on there way to another spot. Nope, not them, they continued up past our position to the top of the hill (Which is fenced off and posted). I don't know about you, but if that was me and 3 hunters were already strategically placed on a small hillside, I think I would have the common sense to leave the spot to them and find my own.
We waited for the pigs to show but had no luck up until about noon when we decided we had to leave to head home. It's tough leaving an area knowing its just a matter of time before the oinkers show-up. Well, we got into our boat, drove by our hunting friends from the top of the mountain (Who were heading back up seeing we were leaving) and packed up camp and headed off to Yorty Creek to drop the first load off into the car. While checking out we were informed that 2 boars and 2 sows were brought in at that point. My buddy and I headed for the Marina in the car while my Dad and his friend went back to camp in the boat for the last load of gear. They ran into Scott who ran into some pigs to the North and took a small meat pig. (Congrats)
Well sure enough while loading the last of our camping gear a shot rang out from the area where we were, followed up by another shot a few minutes later (Figures). It hurts to give up a spot you know will produce, but that 9 hour drive home kinda won that decision and ultimately cost us a pig or two. All in all besides the weather being bad and us getting skunked it was a good trip. Tons of deer, eagles, and fish that we never had a chance to catch due to the rain and the scenery there is great. We were a little dissappointed that the Army Corp. property lines were so close to the lake in many spots and the great looking locations were of course behind posted fences. (Was like being at Carrizo lol).Better luck next time I guess.
We slept in a little later then we liked to, but got up and shoved off to scout the area. We checked the area to the NE of the arm we were camping on and began climbing the mountain to glass the area from above. We arrived at the top and saw numerous areas that looked great. We glassed the area for quite a while and observed one side of the hill having a ton of fresh sign (Rooted). We waited a while and decided to check other areas keeping this side as a definate option.
We then boated to the most nothern part of the lake and began walking the area. We saw numerous deer, including a beautiful buck and lots of pig sign in the area, but no piggies. We were just about to check another area when the rain hit. It came down in sheets and it was off to the campground for shelter. We had to take a trip to Yorty Creek to drive into town and pick-up more gas for the boat and ran into a fellow JHP'r (Scott) at the campground on the Yorty Creek arm of the lake. Unfortunately, it was raining pretty good, so the convesation didn't last long but we both had scouted and didn't see any pigs for the day. Scott was gracious enough to offer his open slot to one of the two guys in my group that weren't hunting and I'd like to thank you for the generousity. We headed back to camp and planned on hitting the tent earlier for the next days journey.
We were sitting in our camp at approximately 4pm with just a little drizzle at the time and we spotted some movement approximately a mile away on the hillside we scouted that morning. With the poor lighting and weather it was tough to first make out whether it was deer or pigs but we soon realized they were pigs rooting the hillside we thought about returning to for the hunt. This pretty much decided we'd hunt that area the next day.
We woke up at approximately 0300 and got our gear ready for the hunt. We shoved off and began routing or course through the obstacle course of the Skunk Creek in total darkness. The trip was rough as our flashlights were low on power and the flood light my friend had was rechargable and did not run off the cigarette lighter, just recharged from it (Which takes approx. 10 hours). For those of you who haven't been up there its loaded with submerged and partially submerged trees. We finally reached the check-in and headed back to our spot. We landed on the shore and headed up to the hillside where we saw the pigs the day before. Almost to the area we crested the hill and observed a gate with the dreaded sign. The area was of course posted and we thus followed the fence line to our area.
The area opened up again and we observed half a hillside freshly rooted, tracks, scat etc. We followed the fence and observed a break in it under a rut, with hair stuck to the barbed wire. This looked like the only place they could cross in the area and we thus decided we'd wait for them to come to us. While we sat waiting for the pigs to come two hunters showed up in the same area. They stood out in the rooted field for approximately 30 minutes looking around, until one of our hunters let them know we were already there. They appeared to leave and then 20 minutes later showed up again, deciding to walk along the fence and in front of our partners position. They continued up the hill along the fence until they crossed my friend's and my rifle anxiousely waiting for the pigs to cross the fence. We let them know we were also up on the hillside, and figured they would be on there way to another spot. Nope, not them, they continued up past our position to the top of the hill (Which is fenced off and posted). I don't know about you, but if that was me and 3 hunters were already strategically placed on a small hillside, I think I would have the common sense to leave the spot to them and find my own.
We waited for the pigs to show but had no luck up until about noon when we decided we had to leave to head home. It's tough leaving an area knowing its just a matter of time before the oinkers show-up. Well, we got into our boat, drove by our hunting friends from the top of the mountain (Who were heading back up seeing we were leaving) and packed up camp and headed off to Yorty Creek to drop the first load off into the car. While checking out we were informed that 2 boars and 2 sows were brought in at that point. My buddy and I headed for the Marina in the car while my Dad and his friend went back to camp in the boat for the last load of gear. They ran into Scott who ran into some pigs to the North and took a small meat pig. (Congrats)
Well sure enough while loading the last of our camping gear a shot rang out from the area where we were, followed up by another shot a few minutes later (Figures). It hurts to give up a spot you know will produce, but that 9 hour drive home kinda won that decision and ultimately cost us a pig or two. All in all besides the weather being bad and us getting skunked it was a good trip. Tons of deer, eagles, and fish that we never had a chance to catch due to the rain and the scenery there is great. We were a little dissappointed that the Army Corp. property lines were so close to the lake in many spots and the great looking locations were of course behind posted fences. (Was like being at Carrizo lol).Better luck next time I guess.
