Need some advise

[Dirk J]

Hello,
Going hog hunting for the first time in feb. wondered if anyone has hunted Williams hill. If so any pointers and if that area is not good, know anywhere else in the Paso Robles area, I also heard of some hunting in and around the area of Pozo. Thanks for the help

Dirk j

 

[Kickaha]

Hi Dirk and welcome to Jesse's! Good to have you on board.

I've read several reports saying there are hogs that travel between the ranches up there. On a previous trip to FHL, I was talking to a local and he said he gets 2-3 hogs every year up there. Based on all that, we drove up to Williams Hill on our way back home one trip. VERY steep terrain. VERY bushy terrain. You won't go far unless you're willing to crawl. The local guy used dogs and now I know why. While there may be pigs in there, I'm not sure you'll have any luck without dogs.

I haven't explored any other public areas near Paso Robles (besides FHL) yet. Maybe others can come up with a few places that aren't quite so rough as Williams Hill.

 

[JungleBoy]

Ahh.... William's Hill.....

Been there a couple of times, and Kitchaka nailed it....

Once I was crazy enough to actually hike all the way down. Saw some old sign (but as mentioned earlier, it is VERY hard to traverse and cover a lot of ground, because of the terrain). On the way back up the hill, I was actually VERY VERY GLAD that I did not see/hunt a boar, as I had a hard time 'crawling' myself outta there!

By the way, if you decide to hike down, and decide to use some plants to 'slow you down', make sure they are not poison oak!!! A buddy and I used the plant technique in early morning hours (still somewhat dark), only to find out later that they were poison oak!

All in all, it probably holds some hogs, and it is not hard to see why. They can bed down 10 feet from you, and you won't even know it.... that's if you can manage getting to withing 10 feet of them in that steeeeeeep brush choked hillsides.

 

[Boar Tracks CA]

Hey there!

That is some nasty country there, you might want to try Big Sandy by Paso

 

[HOGHUNTER714]

I've never hunted Williams Hill, but I talked to some locals that hunt it. They all said the same thing. Very Brushy and VERY Steep. They used dogs as well, and without the dogs, it would be a TOUGH hunt. I currently got the book of all the BLM land to hunt wild pigs in california...They list Williams Hill in there...Dont think I'll try it though.

 

[easymoney]

Iam not new to JHP, but have never posted before.
I always read about all the people who seem "to see pigs around Pozo or Paso Robles". Yes, there are a great many pigs, more than all of the hunters on this site could ever take.... BUT, they are all on private land. The few that wonder onto what little public land there is, are taken by pure luck. Places like Williams Hill and Big Sandy are also pure luck and very tough hunting. I have lived in and hunted this area for over 30 years and always run into the new guys at the parking lots or gas stations that have their tails between their legs. It is very hard if not impossible to gain access to the private ranches, as they either don't allow any hunting at all or they lease out to guides. I would suggest anyone who thinks about hunting this area hire a guide as it will insure the access needed and they can put you into pigs... Otherwise try Camp Roberts or FHL.

 

[Kickaha]

I completely agree with easymoney.

My brother and I went scouting around Pozo one weekend. It got to be almost funny. We would see an area a little ways off that looked promising. When we arrived, it was posted. Then another area that looked terrible. Yep, you can hunt there no problem. You can pretty much tell what land is private and what land is public without the fences and no hunting signs. If it looks like good habitat, it's private. If it looks like no self-respecting pig would set foot within 100 miles of the place, it's public.

I'll probably eventually hire a guide just to see what it's like. But, without yet trying a guide, I don't think I'd like it. It seems more like the guide is the one doing the hunting and I'd just be pulling the trigger. I know it's still a hard hunt that can leave you winded. For me though, finding the critters is where 80% of the fun is.

 

[Speckmisser]

Hey Kick,

Are you considering one of the Pig O Ramas? That's an opportunity to do it yourself, but on a property that has lots of pigs and pretty good odds.

There are some other places that have a similar setup, you pay an access fee and do the hunt yourself. That's a good bet for someone who doesn't want a guide to do the hunting for them.

However...

I have only used guides a couple of times so far, and my experience isn't what you describe. On a guided deer hunt, I actually left the guide with another hunter and covered promising ground on my own. The guide and I crossed paths a couple of times, and spent a few hours in one area working together.

The experience I wrote up on Wednesday was similar, although I spent a lot more time directly with the guide. I relied a lot on his knowledge of the land, but I did as much "hunting" as he did, looking for sign, following tracks, and scanning.

The only negative guided experience was a hunt where we used dogs, and in that case the dogs did all the hunting and we did all the chasing. A nice cross-country race, but not exactly the kind of hunting I enjoy.

I think the experience with a guide should be determined by the hunter. A good guide does exactly that... he guides. If you know what you're about, he should serve as a well-educated hunting partner, leading you to an area and helping you with the actual hunting. But if you just want to follow him through the woods and wait until he finds you an animal, a good guide should be able to handle that as well.

A lot of people seem to be under the impression that a guide leads you to the animal, points him out for you, and says, "Shoot." I'm sure that may happen occasionally, but from the guides and customers I've spoken to, that's usually not the way it works out.

 

[Dirk J]

Heh Kick,
Bro I'm just going for it, Williams hill or anywhere I just want to get away. If i see something great oh well I'll try FHL, or something esle, I tell you about my adventure when i get back and i wont have my tail betwenn my legs maybe some poisen oak but not my tail and if by LUCK i get hog I'll send you pictures and some meat.

Dirk J

 

[wavesfr]

Hey dirk I have hunted williams before. It is pretty rough. I know it's all about getting out & hunting having fun. I feel the same way. As long as I am outside it's great. But dude you're right there at fhl. I would go there instead. Trust Me it's way better than williams. (wavesfr)

 

[Dirk J]

Thanks wavesfr,

I think I going to try FHL gotta any pointers, and info as in the rocess of registering. This my first time hog hunting, excited as hell

 

[Kickaha]

Speck,

Yes, I'm going to try to make one of the PORs this year. Maybe March if I can swing it. Sounds like a blast. BTW, you mentioned other similar ranches where you pay an access fee. Do you have any specifics on those?

My view of guides is based entirely from reading about the experiences of others (both here and in other forums). And that's only from reading the posts I was interested in, not an exhaustive review. I'm glad to hear you say that that view isn't all that accurate. As I said, I planned on going out with a guide eventually anyway just to see what it was like. Now I have hope for a better experience.

Dirk,

Sorry for sounding so negative. I know a few people who got very turned off after seeing some of the public land. They still buy all their pork at the local market. I think they had unrealistic expectations. While changing their expectations may not have made a difference in their case, it might in someone else's.

The bottom line is that people can and do get pigs on the public land you mentioned every year. And while most of it is very rough country, if you're willing to "pay your dues", you'll be rewarded. And if you do take a pig out of Williams Hill, you'll earn the instant respect and admiration of everyone on JHP.

As for FHL, that has its own unique set of problems. First, the habitat is 1000% better than anywhere else in CA other than private land (and maybe Camp Roberts). Access to the training areas is generally pretty good, although if has recently rained, you'd be advised to stay on the main roads and walk in.

Now the bad parts.

(1) They allow WAY too many hunters (IMO) in each training area. When you eventually start figuring out the pig's habits, you'll soon find out that others have figured out the same thing and are already hunting where you were thinking of going.

(2) They have a rule of not entering the training areas until 1 hour before sunrise and being out of the training areas at 1 hour after sunset. Unless you want to ignore their rules, that limits your possibilities. Let's say you're a decent way in and get a pig near the last shot time (30 minutes after sunset). Now you've got to clean it, drag the sucker to your truck, and get out within 30 minutes.

(3) The open training areas vary from week to week. So let's say you spend all weekend in training area #2 and have some good leads on some hogs. They might not open up training area 2 again for six weeks or more. More important though is that you don't know what will be available on the days you're available to hunt.

(4) They're not open every weekend. You generally don't know whether they'll be open for the upcoming weekend until the Thursday before the weekend. Sometimes sooner (like around the Elk hunts), but mostly not. So if you're planning on heading out anyway, it's good to have a backup plan available. It's also a good idea to call them again right before you leave to make sure it's still open.

Again, just trying to give you a realistic expectation of what to expect. If they would cut down on the number of hunters, it would be almost perfect. But I still like it and still go every chance I get.

For other (anti) FHL stories, see these links:
http://www.jesseshuntingpage.com/forums/in...ST&f=16&t=24287

 

[Speckmisser]

Kick, you wrote:

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div>

Yes, I'm going to try to make one of the PORs this year. Maybe March if I can swing it. Sounds like a blast. BTW, you mentioned other similar ranches where you pay an access fee. Do you have any specifics on those?

My view of guides is based entirely from reading about the experiences of others (both here and in other forums). And that's only from reading the posts I was interested in, not an exhaustive review. I'm glad to hear you say that that view isn't all that accurate. As I said, I planned on going out with a guide eventually anyway just to see what it was like. Now I have hope for a better experience.[/b]

The first place I can think of that does do-it-yourself hunts on private land is the Williams Brothers ranch near Coalinga. $300 for two days, including a "rustic cabin" to stay in. The reviews there have been mixed.

Tejon also offers some packages. There is a ranch not too far from me in SF Bay area, but I can't think of the name of it. Best bet would be to shop around.

Have you been to the ISE Show in your area? That's a great opportunity to talk to some guides and get a better picture of what they offer. It's a chance to ask those questions that bug you, and get some honest answers. Of course, it's up to you to filter the honest answers from the marketing, but I found most of the guys to be pretty straight up.

Check out Hog Hunter magazine. You can also see back issues and guide reviews at http://their website.

Sure hope you can make the March POR. It definitely is a blast, based on my virgin trip last year. I'll probably make it an annual event for sure. It's worth every penny, and there's always the chance that you'll get that big pig and take the $500 jackpot. That'll pay for the hunt and the trip, with probably a little left over for a nice dinner. Not a bad deal.

Oh, by the way, Dirk. A bunch of JHPers are gonna be at FHL over Presidents' Day weekend (also Valentine's day, so you guys make sure and buy some flowers and chocolates before you leave home... or you'll be sorry!). I think you have time to get your pass and make that trip if you want. It would be a good opportunity to leverage some of the veteran's knowledge of the territory.

 

[Dirk J]

HEh thanks for the advise guys fhl is where i am heading how long does it take to get a weekend pass sent to some in Socal. I plan to be there on the 8th of Feb.

Also thanks for the invite specks but presidants weekend is for Glammis, time to eat the some sand.

ONE LAST THING MY FELLOW HUNTERS IS........... GO RAIDERS.

Dirk j