Speck, FT, BC, Kentuck

[Backcountry]

Ack! It's early...

 

[SacFireJT]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Backcountry @ Nov 11 2006, 02:50 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Ack! It's early...[/b]

And wet out there too

Good luck

 

[BDB]

No reports as of 2:14. BC was going to call me when they were done and it was only suppose to be a morning hunt. Hopefully that's a good sign!

 

[Arrowslinger]

We need some updates..........BDB, call Backcountry and see what's up.

I just got back from 6 hours of cold and wet public land hog hunting.....of course the one bird hunter i ran into saw 2 on his walk in. Oh well.

 

[MikenSoCo]

Well, I'll break the bad news. No meat hangin', not even a hog spotted. I'm pissed. My pride is bruised. We covered almost all my best spots. With the sun out after a rainy night, I thought the hogs would be out and about. To make things even worse, this(me) moron shattered his rear window in his truck while loading the ATV

I want a rematch!!!

 

[MikenSoCo]

Hey I don't know what happened to those guys... the last time I saw them, they had dropped their packs and bows and were walking off hand in hand with nothin' on but their camo boxers

 

[BDB]

That's a bummer Mike, next time !!! How about the turkeys were they around?

 

[Speckmisser]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (MikenSoCo @ Nov 11 2006, 09:12 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Hey I don't know what happened to those guys... the last time I saw them, they had dropped their packs and bows and were walking off hand in hand with nothin' on but their camo boxers

[/b]

Dangit... and I just got my Polar Fleece &#153; G-string back from the dry cleaners too!

Anyway..too bad nobody got a pig, but there ya go...

Well, part of me feels vindicated at having missed the hunt, but the other part (the bigger part, honest) is bummed that nobody brought home the bacon!

Mike, you always take it hard when your guests get skunked... but trust me, the opportunity to get out there and the generosity of your invitation FAR outweighs meat in the freezer. It's hunting, and I don't think anyone who you have invited to that place has any other expectations. High hopes...yeah... but no expectations.

Hopefully I can be there for the rematch.

 

[Kentuck]

Well I thing I'm recovered. Being in the middle of probably the best night's sleep since getting back from Idaho the alarm goes off at 3 am. Got up, packed some last minute things and hit the road. Poring rain in Concord. Just as I start to get on the freeway it hits me. DUH! Forgot my bow! U-turn back home. Thank goodness I live close to the freeway. Back on the road. Meet Mike and BC just before 5 and we head out. Get to the property and start the hike up. I'm realizing more and more how out of shape I am or maybe wore out from Idaho but as usual BC is leaving me in his dust. I should have remembered that from our LS hunt a couple of years ago. That boy can hike! Mike was holding his own too! I think I should change me id to slow-poke. We were greeted with a starry sky as we hiked in and hopes of hogs out drying out danced in my mind. We hit the whole property and while there was sign everywhere we didn't see a hog. Did jump a couple of really nice bucks. Right in a spot that Mike said the bucks like. Made it back to the truck tuckered out that was for sure.

Stopped in Petaluma to get something to drink and nap a little. I think I woke up about two hours later! Made the rest of the drive easier though.

Thanks Mike for the great opportunity. You don't get 'em without going and I really appreciate your hospitality. You're a good man for doing so.

PS I'll let BC tell about trying to hop that helicopter.

 

[Backcountry]

I had a great time, but as Mike posted and Kentuck confirmed, no pigs were seen. There was sign here and there, but not much was fresh. All of the pig scat I examined indicated they most recently had been eating mostly grass.

Conditions were excellent though... the rain stopped right as we arrived at the ranch at about 5:30am, and by 6:00am I could see the moon and stars and i was able to hike up the hill without even using my headlamp. It was just cool enough to keep from overheating, yet not so cold I wished I had a jacket. The rain made sneaking around in the woods a real delight! I absolutely love being in the woods right after a rain, when a breeze ruffles the trees and the spatter of rain could drown out the most clumsy of hunters.

I saw a few deer, one nice heavy buck, no turkeys, a bunch of wood ducks and mallards in the ponds, and a pope & Young class blue heron.

Sorry to hear about the rear window of the truck...not sure how that happened since we never even needed to unload the quad. No worries about the lack of pigs this time. You don't know how much I appreciate just being out in the woods, freeing my mind from everything except my role as a predator. I took a few pictures of the woods while sneaking around since the forest just seemed so warm, so rich, and so alive, right after the rain stopped and the sun came out, and I'll post up tomorrow.

I was incognito yesterday afternoon as I stopped briefly at a friend's house in Santa Rosa, then realized I was exhasted and needed about 15 hours of sleep. BDB, got your message but my phone was in the back of the truck in my pack.

See ya next time Mike... I'll see if I can't get your bow in better shape... FYI, there's a product called string wax... sorry to spoil the surprise, but it's what you're getting for Christmas from me!

Backcountry

 

[BDB]

Glad to hear you gys are OK. After Mike's post and the no call on the cell, I had images of you and Monty wondering lost in Yorty creek hand in hand in camo thongs. I didn't sleep well with that image last night

And you don't even want to see the t-shirts I was going to have made after not hearing anything

Glad to hear you had a good time. Bummer about the hog sightings (or lack of). We had the same deal a few days earlier at Lake Sonoma. Chit happnes when your chasing pigs.

Mike, good on you for organizing it, you deserve a double thumbs up even with no pigs seen. I'm sure they were gratefu for the chance, as I have been when you invited me!!! You'll get on 'em, hopefully next time !!

 

[Backcountry]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BDB @ Nov 12 2006, 09:09 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Bummer about the hog sightings (or lack of).[/b]

You know me well enough to know I wasn't bummed, at all. I love seeing new places and sneaking around in the woods alone, in the dark, in the drizzle, wondering what that noise is... is it rain, is it a tree bending under the weight of all that water hanging on the leaves, is it a cat, is it a pig, is it...? To me, there's nothing more stimulating than being a hunter, except of course potentially being hunted, and in pussified America the possibility of that actually occuring is so remote that when there's a chance of it being real, it gives a bit of zest to my otherwise comfortable life at the top of the food chain.

As for the evening wear and being stranded on a remote ridge with Kentuck... what happens in Sonoma County stays in Sonoma County.

Backcountry

p.s. Do us a favor BDB, post a picture of that heart shot... mid-morning me, Kentuck, and Mike met up on top of the ridge and were having a snack and we got to talking about the hog you hammered right in the ticker... there's a pic somewhere ain't there, with a nice little X marking the spot?

 

[BDB]

Here ya go. First hog I ever saw and first one I ever shot. Been down hill since then (the shooting I mean)

 

[MikenSoCo]

Hey guys, just back from 5 days in Yosemite w/ 65 8th graders

Kentuck and BC, great guys.... We didn't have enough time to do the property justice, next time. And the ATV.... I pulled it out to check on another ranch I watch in the area. The brake lever slipped out of my fingers while loading and, well, you know the rest