SDHNTR, One Track and coues tear it up

[Jagermeister]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Coues @ May 22 2006, 03:53 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Brent had several pigs in range, none were big enough to shoot.[/b]

??? Suckling pig? Head shot? No? Ask Dave (BigDog) about "too small" pigs.

Great story - nice shooting too!

George

 

[One Track]

No doubt. It was a very cool weekend. Lots of hogs. I didn’t see any of the monster 400 pounders. But, that’s okay. My freezer is empty and I wanted a good eater.

I dragged my hunt out to Sunday morning. We got up to the hills about 1pm on Friday. We checked out the secret loop, with no sightings. So, we moved on to my secret honey hole. In two minutes, we had a dozen oinkers moving way down in the bottom. Steve and I moved down the ridge a 1/2 mile, and then dropped into the canyon. We set up at 258 yards for a cross-canyon shot. However, the largest hog was maybe 100#. We passed. Didn't want to end the hunt in the first hour. I heard Nate's shot about ten minutes earlier and knew the jackpot was taken.

We moved down the ridge and farted around for awhile. Two other trucks were across the canyon at my secret glassing spot. How dare they! It was like WWII over there. They ended up with two hogs and a wounded third. When they packed up, Steve and I moved in. We glassed up a very fat sow, with piglets, and a few other groups out in no-mans-land. About where Coues likes to hunt. We changed ridges and set up on another secret honey hole. It was starting to rain and was getting real dark for 6:30pm. The hogs started coming out. We had a dozen or so across the canyon, with a few real porkers. I was going to saddle up and go after them. But, Steve asked, "Why do you want to shoot your load on the first day?" So, I pondered. Then, I spotted Nate's truck at the top of the other ridge. Tim and Teddy were glassing from up top. I blinked my headlights and waved my arms like a mad man until they started moving downhill. They got the message. They had a mile to go. They arrived at pig central at 10 minutes 'til 0 dark 30. The hogs spotted them first, at 30 yards, and booked outta there.

Saturday morning found us at one of another one of my secret honey holes. We had a dozen or so pigs feeding nicely down in a little valley. We got out of the truck and the wind was wrong. We circled downwind and stalked in. However, they had disappeared. I put my buddy Steve on post in case they came out of the thick stuff. I took Tim to a different ravine. As Tim and I were approaching where we could see into the bottom, I had Tim get his shooting sticks out of his backpack. I just had a feeling. We snuck up to the edge and wammo, there they were. Twenty hogs feeding, strung out from 30 to 50 yards. Tim set up, hands shaking, and shot. Nuttin'! He wasn't ready for a follow up shot and they booked. I held off as these hogs were also 100 lbs. and smaller. I wanted a 150 meat pig.

Meanwhile back at the little valley, the hogs we were looking for earlier started popping out. Steve put a bullet through a boar's heart at 280 yards. Great downhill shot. I ranged it. 279. I was able to drive within 100 yards of that one. It dressed out at 140#.

As we started down towards the south gate, my truck was making some very bad noises. We traced it to a broken emergency brake at the rear driver-side wheel. Something got through the backing plate and tore up the e-brake. We drove into Gorman sounding like the Clampets. He pulled the wheel, cleaned out the thrashed scrap metal of an e-brake and we were on our way in 30 minutes, and $40 later. Very cool. The pit in my gut went away.


We hit the hills about 3:00 on Saturday afternoon. We saw absolutely nothing until 7:30. Nate was across the way and blinked his lights and pointed downhill. That’s the scene where Coues took his hog. It was right in my not-so-secret-anymore honey hole.

At the campfire Saturday night, stories got a little crazy, jokes became very animated, the fire was hard to walk by without falling into it, smack talkin' was at an all time high, and the night didn't end until about 2am. Apparently, in my sleep, at 4am I found the OFF button on a cell phone alarm. At 5:15, Steve woke up and said that it was getting light outside. I jumped up and Tim, Coues and I were on the road by 5:30. At 5:45AM three hogs decided to walk across the road about 150 in front of the truck. I killed my hog five feet from the road. 138# at the scale. Tim shot. Nuttin’.

We continued up to the high country and Coues glassed up a group of hogs about 2 miles away. I knew the area and drove down to start a stalk. We worked our way down a ridge that paralleled where I hoped the hogs would be. A friend of mine knows this ridge well. We actually call it “(insert his name) Ridge.” So we walk down the ridge and pop up where I think we should. I glass what I thought was a few hogs bedded under a tree. I pointed them out to Eagle Eye Coues. He didn't think they looked like hogs. Tim looked through is $25 binos and was certain it was just a log. I gave in. However, I knew the hogs were there earlier and that they could be bedded under the canopy. So, we sat for about 20 minutes until it started to rain. I didn't like being up so high with rain looming. So, I popped a few 9mm rounds into the dirt, and guess what? That log jumped up and ran over the ridge. Pigs came unglued. Twenty hogs busted out of there quicker than Tim could get on them. I said to wait as sometimes the smart hogs will hold up a little longer than the little guys. Sure enough a few minutes later a big 250 type hog slowly walked out from under the canopy and up to the ridge top. I told Tim to kill it a few times. He finally pulled the trigger. Nuttin'. The hog then turns and starts walking back towards us. I'm telling Tim to shoot. But, he wasn't ready for a back up shot. Then, the big hog sauntered over the hill. We went and spent a half hour looking for sign of a hit. Nuttin'. That's when we decided to pull the pin. We headed for the barn.

Good company. 6 for 8. Multiple chances. Great weather. Incredible skinning rack. Thank you RichW. We camped right next to the new JHO rack and put it to good use. I think somebody carved our handles and hog weights into the post.

If you would like to check out my honey hole, just let me know.

 

[easymoney]

Great job, good stories and photos... Wild boar in California, doesn't get much better...

 

[Speckmisser]

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

Me and Nate were erecting, err scratch that, setting up our tents when the wind changed direction briefly and directed a wave of horrifying stench in our direction. Seems some genius decided it would be cool to leave a rotting hog hide in the camp area. Thanks for that! That was really COOL! I love maggots! We got rid of that and quickly finished to tents.[/b]

Just a note... that hog hide did NOT come from the JHO group, as the camp area was scoured from one end to the next on Sunday evening, and again on Monday morning before I pulled out. I figure you guys probably knew that already, but I wanted to make it clear.

Brent, I was digging madly for your cell # on Friday. I suddenly remembered where you could go kill your big hog in winch cable range of the paved road... but it looks like ya'll managed that without me. I'll save that spot for next year.

Congrats to all of you, ya bunch of tale-tellin' fools! Enjoyed reading every minute of it.

 

[joe90605]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Coues @ May 22 2006, 03:53 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

I now realize that the thing had slid all the way down to bottom, through the oak brush, and landed directly in the road. SWEET![/b]

 

[beastslayer]

Amen - That's not JHOers rotting carcass. I found two within our camp the day we arrived. I saw how diligently JHOers have been picking up the trash (and somebody else's).

I'm proud of this bunch!

 

[Coues]

I'm Sorry, I was not implying it was a JHO hide.

 

[Speckmisser]

No offense taken, Jeff.

I just know that us regular posters aren't the only ones who read this site, and wanted to make sure I put that clarification out there.

 

[Zbearclaw]

Sounds like a great weekend, too bad there wasn't a need to pack one out of the deepest canyon in Cali.

anyone know how the Northies did out there?

 

[Rancho Loco]

Awesome job guys.

 

[Freedivr2]

Excellent recaps, gentlemen. Sounds like a hoot of a weekend! Nates got a nose for game, doesn't he?

BTW Nate......."any time, any place skin my hog for some beer", eh? You're on, buddy........6/10, Frank's place, how's that? 300 mile drive plus a hangover.......hehehehehe. I'll be there waiting...........

Next time you guys go, I want in. Yep, even if some of you do like Coors....

 

[upperEA]

Congrats guys

Looking back on it Brent I should have taken you up on your offer and stuck around another week.

Man that ranch is something to see. I see where it becomes a love hate relationship, those hills kick your arse but that place is one incredible chunk of dirt....

 

[larrysogla]

The California Central Coast is one magical, enchanting place. From the ridges of Tejon to the hills of San Jose, the terrain and the oaks and chaparral and the cool coastal breezes just ups the excitement in being alive. It is awesome.............and wonders of wonders, those hills and grasslands have a lot of wild pork breeding and fattening. 'Nuff said.

 

[BOWUNTR]

Way to go guys

Great stories and pics. I wanna go! I always thought that Tejon would be shot out with all that pressure. Sure doesn't seem like it. Congrats. Ed F

 

[One Track]

Thanks y'all. I too thught it would get shot out. There are more pigs right now, than I've seen in the past three years. Very awesome.

Ed, there's an archery hunt on the northside June 9-11. I'll be there with Bearclaw. There might be spots available.

 

[SDHNTR]

I thought that too until I really hunted there. Those canyons (like the kind Coues likes to hike into) are so gnarly that nobody in their right mind would attempt to access them. And there are pockets that are really not accessible from the road, at least not by any sane person. Then there are canyons so brushy that a hog could live it's whole life in there and never see the light of day. Combine that with the fact that majority of the hunters there seem to road hunt or never venture more than 100 yards from their vehicle. You are right that a lot of hunters visit the ranch but I think that there is enough sanctuary, and the terrain is rough enough, that it would be next to impossible to shoot that place out. At least not in any given year with good water and feed, and not just by sport hunters. That being said, I really hope the Tejon folks don't get too greedy, or more greedy than they already have. Aren't they supposed to limit each side to 50 hunters?

 

[BOWUNTR]

Thanks for the invite OT but I'll be Mr Mom that weekend, earning brownie points for the upcoming season! Are the archery hunts back in Tejon Canyon? Has that area been rifle hunted since they closed the archery hunts? I'm definately interested but am thinking more like next winter when things slow down a bit (kinda). I've never paid for a hog hunt but would fork out some $ to learn the ropes from JHO's best

Ed F

 

[Coues]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (SDHNTR @ May 23 2006, 09:01 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Those canyons (like the kind Coues likes to hike into) are so gnarly that nobody in their right mind would attempt to access them.[/b]

It's doesn't have to be fun, to be fun.

 

[One Track]

Ed:

I think they did away with the archery only area. This hunt if for the entire northside, possibly. I've never hunted the northside. So, I'm hoping to dig up some quality intel.

 

[Speckmisser]

OneTrack...

The archery only hunts are being re-instated on the old archery only area. Tejon will manage them now, instead of the other fella (Don Smith or something?).

There is the hunt in June, and Barbara said they will start booking archery dates in Feb. The archery hunt is a pretty enticing opportunity. Hronk and I were talking about setting up a JHO archery hunt there for 2007. As soon as I get a chance to talk to Barbara and get more detail, I'll provide the info here.