Outfitter

[velvet55]

Looking to get my brother on a hog for his birthday, hes turning 17. What is a good guide that doesn't charge too, too much? Man, some of the prices guys ask for pigs are unreal. Or willing to pay a trespass fee for access if someone has something on here?

 

[voidecho]

Where? Price range?

 

[THE ROMAN ARCHER]

Here we go again. ....tra

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[sabershooter]

Try looking.for.guides around lake Sonoma

 

[Scarney19]

Nolan Twisselman Outfitters. Reasonable price which includes lodging

 

[KTKT70]

Here we go again. ....tra

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hey Gator J.... at least this guy has been around a year and its not his first post. LOL

 

[voidecho]

...and he's asking for recommendations on a guide, not someone honey hole.

 

[Wolfe]

Bitterwater Outfitters is great. I think they are around $700. I do not know if that is too much but it is less than Tajon

 

[THE ROMAN ARCHER]

I apologize, I was having a flashback moment, I just sensed someone was looking for a cheap hog hunt but truthfully arnt we all until one day i woke up and realized there really is no such thing out here. what I mean is it seems when it comes to pig hunting in ca. , U have pay to play it's not cheap to be an outfitter and even though they do charge a lot the profit margin is minimal compared to the monthly cost to mantian a ranch. I truly understand because i have learned a long time ago there really is no such thing here in ca. and it's not just the cost of the hunt it's the cost of gas and food and logging on top of that.
What I mean is there really isn't a cheap way to score a hog hunt unless u hunt public or blm.
Most outfitters want an average of 600 for a weekend with no guarantees.
Then u don't even get a 2 full days of hunting a typical weekend hunt starts 12 noon on Fridays till 12 noon on Sundays.

After I made my little comment in post #3, I personally pm'd saberhooter and asked him to past the criags list add for velvet55 to help him out. ah u guys didn't no that of course.

My suggestion to anyone looking for an inexpensive hog hunt is to do a jho group hog hunt.

One of our outstanding members Mel C. does a jho group hunt every year around this time he starts putting it together with George M. of pig hunting inc. which boarders the back side of Lake Sonoma which is a Fantastic 22,000 acres to explore your hart out for pigs with the most breathtaking views and I have participated once myself and had a blast. People have had some great success on these hunts especially newbies.
This is one of the best ways to get an inexpensive ca. Hog hunt, I believe the average cost is around $450. each For the weekend not bad at all.

Now the other great benefits of doing a jho group hog hunt is finally meeting each other for the first time and getting to know each other better and share hunt strategies or learn more about pig hunting then u ever knew. This is invaluable believe me. And there's nothing better after a day of pig hunting is when everyone gathers around the campfire for some of the best chow and hunting stories u will ever experience. Let me tell u after sharing a weekend of pig hunting with some great people u will have more knowledge and insight and a special bond and connection with each other like never before, great way to start networking with each other for future hunts solo or group or just with a good buddy.

Yes I can be a little bit of a hard@$$ at times, but what do want I am originally an Italian from New York, I hope that explains it all....lol...tra
Developing bonds! I wish I c old post all the photos of my great jho group hunt, I have plenty of them.
Great moments with great jho friends!...tra last photo is from Mel group pig hunt-( wild pig inc. 2012)














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[CottonwoodHunting]

...what I mean is it seems when it comes to pig hunting in ca. , U have pay to play it's not cheap to be an outfitter and even though they do charge a lot the profit margin is minimal compared to the monthly cost to mantian a ranch. I truly understand because i have learned a long time ago there really is no such thing here in ca. and it's not just the cost of the hunt it's the cost of gas and food and logging on top of that.
What I mean is there really isn't a cheap way to score a hog hunt unless u hunt public or blm.
Most outfitters want an average of 600 for a weekend with no guarantees.
Then u don't even get a 2 full days of hunting a typical weekend hunt starts 12 noon on Fridays till 12 noon on Sundays...

tra, I'm really glad you posted that. From an outfitter's perspective, its really hard to keep prices down. Before I could even book a client I had to pay $700 for insurance, $500 for licenses to the DFW, $800 to the Secretary of State for my LLC, not to mention my truck payment is $220/month plus the dues I pay to the Ranch. The expenses keep coming. It seems like I just paid the Secretary of State and now I'm writing a check again for $800 due April 15th.

My first client last year sent me his deposit to book his hunt. Turned out he had some hard times and had to push the hunt back a month. Then, he had a family emergency and had to cancel the hunt. At that point, I looked at his deposit and realized it wouldn't even make a dent in my expenses, so I wrote him a check and refunded his deposit because I felt it was the right thing to do. Its my goal to offer affordable hunts (but also to stay in business, lol) so this year I decided to only book bigger groups so my outfit could make more $ while keeping the price per-person down. Its also my goal to give each group the best chance at pigs so I only book one hunt per month, as to not over-pressure the Ranch. Here are the results this year so far:

January - 3 Hunters, 3 Pigs
February - 4 Hunters, 5 Pigs
March - 2 Hunters, 2 Pigs

I really have to thank asaxon, mischief209 and huntingbret from here on JHO for giving my business a chance. My next hunt is booked for April 18th and I'll be sure to post those results on JHO.

I charge $250 flat price per person plus $200 kill fee. That includes two nights lodging on the Ranch, with check-in Friday at noon and check-out Sunday at noon. If you mention this thread, I'll make it check-in Friday at 6 AM and check-out Sunday at 6PM (thanks tra for the tip). I need 4-6 people in a group to book the hunt. I provide transportation on the Ranch, but field dressing & skinning is on the hunter. It comes out to $450/person assuming each person takes one pig. If you want any more information just message/email me or look at my website. I'm not trying to spam up this thread too much so I'll shut up now

 

[sabershooter]

Never mind

 

[THE ROMAN ARCHER]

Well my good friend has a large ranch operation and use to outfit for game animals so I know how tuff it is now days to mantian and run a ranch. And now with hay skyrocketing if u Have cattle on they ranch it cost big time just to feed them and now with the water situation it doesn't help at all either. It's very stressful to be owner operator now days, and just like everything else in ca. The cost just keep going up, why do u think I left this greedy state, it's slowly going to he77 and the politicians are going to drive ca. Into the ground. And Ca. Itself is doing great, but the people supporting it not that great.
Let me tell u no issues like that at all here, I never been this happy looking at ca. From the outside view now I feel sorry for anyone who stays, just saying.

And I am glad Erik that u too are offering JHO members a great deal with proven success
, u can't beat that people. Good luck with your hunting guide operation!

And for newer hunters who don't know why hunts are usually 12 noon Friday till 12 noon Sunday is usually the morning of a hunt u have to get settled in and some orintatation before u hit the field especially large group hunts.
and the reason 12 noon Sundays is the norm shut off time, most outfitters have another job and sometimes they have to be up early come Monday morning so u can't have people killing pigs just before sun set and u loose them u can be up all night tracking so hence the early cutoff time....tra

 

[montana13]

Erik,

How many acres is your hunting area?

 

[CottonwoodHunting]

Erik,

How many acres is your hunting area?

The acreage we hunt is approximately 2,000 acres. It doesn't sound huge but keep in mind the style of hunting we do. A better measure is distance. We hunt a semi-dry seasonal creek that runs 4+ miles through the property. A morning hunt typically covers 2 miles of they dry-creek and an afternoon hunt typically covers the other 2 miles. Once spooked, pigs can travel over a mile. Its not unusual to spook a pig during the morning hunt and see the same pig again during the afternoon hunt. Its also not unusual to see a group of pigs run across the property line into our neighbors property, never to be seen again. We don't do spot & stalk. We push through pig bedding areas. You might be walking half a mile without seeing anything and then the next thing you know, you're 10 yards from a boar. Its not unusual to only catch a glimpse & hear a snort before the pig is "running like a cheetah" only to quickly disappear into thick bushes. 99% of the shots taken are at pigs while they are running. This is why I do hunts with groups (4-6 hunters). With a group this size we can strategize together-- using some hunters to push pigs out of their bedding/bushes and other hunters to block their escape. Pigs are even smarter than dogs though, so you never know where they will turn.

They're out there...

 

[slanttop357]

tra, I'm really glad you posted that. From an outfitter's perspective, its really hard to keep prices down. Before I could even book a client I had to pay $700 for insurance, $500 for licenses to the DFW, $800 to the Secretary of State for my LLC, not to mention my truck payment is $220/month plus the dues I pay to the Ranch. The expenses keep coming. It seems like I just paid the Secretary of State and now I'm writing a check again for $800 due April 15th.

My first client last year sent me his deposit to book his hunt. Turned out he had some hard times and had to push the hunt back a month. Then, he had a family emergency and had to cancel the hunt. At that point, I looked at his deposit and realized it wouldn't even make a dent in my expenses, so I wrote him a check and refunded his deposit because I felt it was the right thing to do. Its my goal to offer affordable hunts (but also to stay in business, lol) so this year I decided to only book bigger groups so my outfit could make more $ while keeping the price per-person down. Its also my goal to give each group the best chance at pigs so I only book one hunt per month, as to not over-pressure the Ranch. Here are the results this year so far:

January - 3 Hunters, 3 Pigs
February - 4 Hunters, 5 Pigs
March - 2 Hunters, 2 Pigs

I really have to thank asaxon, mischief209 and huntingbret from here on JHO for giving my business a chance. My next hunt is booked for April 18th and I'll be sure to post those results on JHO.

I charge $250 flat price per person plus $200 kill fee. That includes two nights lodging on the Ranch, with check-in Friday at noon and check-out Sunday at noon. If you mention this thread, I'll make it check-in Friday at 6 AM and check-out Sunday at 6PM (thanks tra for the tip). I need 4-6 people in a group to book the hunt. I provide transportation on the Ranch, but field dressing & skinning is on the hunter. It comes out to $450/person assuming each person takes one pig. If you want any more information just message/email me or look at my website. I'm not trying to spam up this thread too much so I'll shut up now

I feel for you, i know that 800 bucks all too well i am through with that $hit and the IRS omg i dont even want to think what i paid them sob,s over the course of 10 years.