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Suzmar1997
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I dragged and I dragged and it was now pitch black and I had a long way to go. My legs and back were already sore from the first drag earlier in the day and side hilling it for quite a while. I got to a point where I was stuck. There were two ways to go, through the thick bushes or to my right which was an insanely angled hill. Of course I chose the hill and rolled my pig down and then got ready for the wildest ride of my life. I started slowly sliding down an before I knew it, my feet shot out from under me and I was flying down on the seat of my pants. I felt like Michael Douglass going down the hill in Romancing the Stone except I had a pig in front of me rather than a perky breasted blonde.
I was sliding and sliding and couldn't stop myself and then the rock to the tailbone hit. I didn't know whether to laugh my a$$ off or moan because it hurt so damn bad. Another 20 feet and I hit a bump (Jump) that sent me three feet off the hill and my left foot straight into a rock or hump. My left leg stayed in place while the reat of my body did a 180 around it. I was know sliding down the hill head first while my left knee was in the process of tearing. Luckily, my leg followed the rest of me before my ACL blew and I was able to slide feet first with a little gravity assisted summersault. I finally hit the end of my ride and laid there for a few minutes wondering if I could walk. My knee was sore but I was able to lift myself up and continue the drag.
I followed the draw down and had to zig zag between bushes and logs, etc. I got to a point where my straight shot down ended and I was stuck with a huge tree and a few drop downs blocking my way. I wasn't sure how far away I was from Bear Trap Road, but I figured it wasn't too much further. I figured I'd climb my way down and then hopefully remember where the hell I left her. I worked my way down and finally dropped into the creek and to the road. I was so stoked to finally be down that I just took my stuff off and took a huge drink. As I was resting and waiting for everyone to show up, I heard the sound of a diesel coming my way. It ended up being Dan (Deadducks) and his buddy (Jr.) and they were gracious enough to finish the drag for me (Which wasn't easy). Thanks for the help, I sure as hell needed it.
We got back to camp and finished the hogs and then ate dinner at about 1am. Kenny was getting something outta the cooler which perked up Brent (Onetrack) from his restless slumber. Pretty soon Brent was over and we got $hitfaced and told bull $hit stories for another two hours. Here's a photo of Kenny and my pigs.
I was sliding and sliding and couldn't stop myself and then the rock to the tailbone hit. I didn't know whether to laugh my a$$ off or moan because it hurt so damn bad. Another 20 feet and I hit a bump (Jump) that sent me three feet off the hill and my left foot straight into a rock or hump. My left leg stayed in place while the reat of my body did a 180 around it. I was know sliding down the hill head first while my left knee was in the process of tearing. Luckily, my leg followed the rest of me before my ACL blew and I was able to slide feet first with a little gravity assisted summersault. I finally hit the end of my ride and laid there for a few minutes wondering if I could walk. My knee was sore but I was able to lift myself up and continue the drag.
I followed the draw down and had to zig zag between bushes and logs, etc. I got to a point where my straight shot down ended and I was stuck with a huge tree and a few drop downs blocking my way. I wasn't sure how far away I was from Bear Trap Road, but I figured it wasn't too much further. I figured I'd climb my way down and then hopefully remember where the hell I left her. I worked my way down and finally dropped into the creek and to the road. I was so stoked to finally be down that I just took my stuff off and took a huge drink. As I was resting and waiting for everyone to show up, I heard the sound of a diesel coming my way. It ended up being Dan (Deadducks) and his buddy (Jr.) and they were gracious enough to finish the drag for me (Which wasn't easy). Thanks for the help, I sure as hell needed it.
We got back to camp and finished the hogs and then ate dinner at about 1am. Kenny was getting something outta the cooler which perked up Brent (Onetrack) from his restless slumber. Pretty soon Brent was over and we got $hitfaced and told bull $hit stories for another two hours. Here's a photo of Kenny and my pigs.
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Rancho Loco
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After quickly setting up camp, I hit the trail at about 2:00 Friday with a three pronged plan to tag out early: Look in some beds first, if nothing, glass up high near some water in another area, and then if nothing, check out some water at the end of a long canyon for last light. All three tactics have led to success in years past.
All three failed miserably - the beds were cold, I couldn't glass up any pigs at the second spot, and the water at the end of the canyon didn't have any recent tracks or rubs. I ended up on another ridge, glassed up some distant black dots on a far hillside at sundown, and drove like a madman at last light to find some cows munching on the hillside.
I went back to camp without seeing a pig, but enjoyed the cold beer waiting for me in the icechest, and watching the parade of pigs going onto the rack. By the numbers and stories it was obvious I was just unlucky - it sounded and looked like the ranch was crawling with pigs. And of course, reports were coming in of Speckmisser in the process of yet again hauling his pig out of a bottomless hole in the deepest darkest corner of the ranch.
Saturday morning was completely different - I was seeing lots of pigs in my headlights right off the bat on the drive up the hill. At one point I had to do a triple take to realize the steer running ten feet next to my truck was in reality a giant black boar. It was just turning light out, and a too early to shoot by law, so I had to just watch him cut in front of me as I slowed to a stop, and then run down the hillside at a leisurly pace.
I glassed up high in one spot but the wind was wrong, and then moved down and glassed a ridge in another with no luck. I decided to move to another ridge with proven success by others - but totally new to me. On the way there I chatted with Hronk and his buddy who reported just seeing some fat ones right on the road at the first spot I hit that morning - Doh!
I parked near the top of a long main ridge at 8:00 and made my way to the top of a finger ridge to glass across the tops of other finger ridges and grass filled bowls that steeply drop a thousand feet to the bottom of a canyon. A half mile away past a couple of finger ridges and in a bowl, I glassed up two pigs munching away on the thick grass. I watched for a few minutes to see if they were moving, and did my calculations. They seemed to staying put, and as the sun came up and the temperature increased, I figured this would be the last chance of the morning if I took off after them. I took a swig of water and went after them.
The pigs were on the same elevation as me, so that meant I needed to cut sidehill back into a draw, back out to the edge of a finger ridge, back into another draw, and back out to a group of oaks where I would have a clear shot into the bowl where the pigs were munching away. This of course meant I needed to sidehill a mile to go a half. About twenty-five minutes later I crept up over the last finger ridge under the cover of an oak to see an empty bowl - no pigs. I made my way across where they were feeding and took note of their breakfast. I moved out to the edge of the next ridge, glassed, and found them moving down the next finger ridge, 400 yards away. I decided to take up the chase. There was no way to close the distance with them steadily moving downhill so my only hope was to get to the bottom first, and cut them off before they could make their way across the canyon into the thick bedding areas on the other side.
I made it to the bottom with what I figured just minutes to spare. I set up against a thick oak tree and tried to calm my breathing and pulse. Much too quickly for that, both pigs popped out of a narrow draw into view a hundred and fifty yards away. They moved into grass, and the only clear shot I had was the head and neck of the first one - I aimed for a neck shot, relaxed, squeezed the trigger, and clanked the shot over it's head. I jacked the next round and snapped off another clean miss as it raced back into the safety of the draw. Figuring my morning hunt was over, I stood up and walked out from behind the oak to make my way fifty yards to the road where I would wait to hitch a ride back to camp. I barely made a step when five pigs blast into view from the draw running full speed towards my position. One broke off from the group and angled straight at me. I raised my '06 and easily put a TSX in it's forehead at 20 yards. The sow went down so hard it put a dent in the dirt. The four surviving pigs ran past me, followed by another ten busting out of the draw - boars, sows and babies of all sizes. I raised my rifle to my shoulder and said "bang, you're dead, you too, boom, pow, you too..." as they ran past at 20 yards on the hillside next to me.
I decide to drag it a bit closer to the road so I could flag down the shuttle service, and not even ten minutes later, Hronk and Keith drove up to give me a hand dragging. I started gutting, and they drove down the road to see if Keith could connect on a pig. I finished up gutting, and Eric Meyer showed up to give me a ride back to camp where I could skin my pig and some beers.
Thanks to Hronk and Keith for the help dragging, and Eric for the ride back to camp, and then back up to rescue my truck before it became a scratching post to the twenty or so cows who had surrounded it.
All three failed miserably - the beds were cold, I couldn't glass up any pigs at the second spot, and the water at the end of the canyon didn't have any recent tracks or rubs. I ended up on another ridge, glassed up some distant black dots on a far hillside at sundown, and drove like a madman at last light to find some cows munching on the hillside.
I went back to camp without seeing a pig, but enjoyed the cold beer waiting for me in the icechest, and watching the parade of pigs going onto the rack. By the numbers and stories it was obvious I was just unlucky - it sounded and looked like the ranch was crawling with pigs. And of course, reports were coming in of Speckmisser in the process of yet again hauling his pig out of a bottomless hole in the deepest darkest corner of the ranch.
Saturday morning was completely different - I was seeing lots of pigs in my headlights right off the bat on the drive up the hill. At one point I had to do a triple take to realize the steer running ten feet next to my truck was in reality a giant black boar. It was just turning light out, and a too early to shoot by law, so I had to just watch him cut in front of me as I slowed to a stop, and then run down the hillside at a leisurly pace.
I glassed up high in one spot but the wind was wrong, and then moved down and glassed a ridge in another with no luck. I decided to move to another ridge with proven success by others - but totally new to me. On the way there I chatted with Hronk and his buddy who reported just seeing some fat ones right on the road at the first spot I hit that morning - Doh!
I parked near the top of a long main ridge at 8:00 and made my way to the top of a finger ridge to glass across the tops of other finger ridges and grass filled bowls that steeply drop a thousand feet to the bottom of a canyon. A half mile away past a couple of finger ridges and in a bowl, I glassed up two pigs munching away on the thick grass. I watched for a few minutes to see if they were moving, and did my calculations. They seemed to staying put, and as the sun came up and the temperature increased, I figured this would be the last chance of the morning if I took off after them. I took a swig of water and went after them.
The pigs were on the same elevation as me, so that meant I needed to cut sidehill back into a draw, back out to the edge of a finger ridge, back into another draw, and back out to a group of oaks where I would have a clear shot into the bowl where the pigs were munching away. This of course meant I needed to sidehill a mile to go a half. About twenty-five minutes later I crept up over the last finger ridge under the cover of an oak to see an empty bowl - no pigs. I made my way across where they were feeding and took note of their breakfast. I moved out to the edge of the next ridge, glassed, and found them moving down the next finger ridge, 400 yards away. I decided to take up the chase. There was no way to close the distance with them steadily moving downhill so my only hope was to get to the bottom first, and cut them off before they could make their way across the canyon into the thick bedding areas on the other side.
I made it to the bottom with what I figured just minutes to spare. I set up against a thick oak tree and tried to calm my breathing and pulse. Much too quickly for that, both pigs popped out of a narrow draw into view a hundred and fifty yards away. They moved into grass, and the only clear shot I had was the head and neck of the first one - I aimed for a neck shot, relaxed, squeezed the trigger, and clanked the shot over it's head. I jacked the next round and snapped off another clean miss as it raced back into the safety of the draw. Figuring my morning hunt was over, I stood up and walked out from behind the oak to make my way fifty yards to the road where I would wait to hitch a ride back to camp. I barely made a step when five pigs blast into view from the draw running full speed towards my position. One broke off from the group and angled straight at me. I raised my '06 and easily put a TSX in it's forehead at 20 yards. The sow went down so hard it put a dent in the dirt. The four surviving pigs ran past me, followed by another ten busting out of the draw - boars, sows and babies of all sizes. I raised my rifle to my shoulder and said "bang, you're dead, you too, boom, pow, you too..." as they ran past at 20 yards on the hillside next to me.
I decide to drag it a bit closer to the road so I could flag down the shuttle service, and not even ten minutes later, Hronk and Keith drove up to give me a hand dragging. I started gutting, and they drove down the road to see if Keith could connect on a pig. I finished up gutting, and Eric Meyer showed up to give me a ride back to camp where I could skin my pig and some beers.
Thanks to Hronk and Keith for the help dragging, and Eric for the ride back to camp, and then back up to rescue my truck before it became a scratching post to the twenty or so cows who had surrounded it.
gottahunt
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<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Suzmar1997 @ May 28 2007, 09:24 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>
Mark
Congrats on the successful hunt (Kenny & Carl too). Just wish I could have been there to witnes the Romancing the Stone ride
Mark
Congrats on the successful hunt (Kenny & Carl too). Just wish I could have been there to witnes the Romancing the Stone ride
Rancho Loco
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Brent! Did you guys recover?
Little Woman
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Congrats to all
Sounds like you all had a great hunt.
LW
Sounds like you all had a great hunt.
LW
wyemjohnson
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awesome hunt and stories, congrats to all
Tejon ranch is by far the most beautifu l and challenging pig hunt i've ever had. it was a lot of fan specially sharing it with fellow jho'ers, veterans and first timer.
The hunt started after settingup camp under a big oak tree on the north end with four other jho members.
talk a little bit of old hunting experience and sharing a few tips from the pros. where the good hunting spots are what time to go and some strategy for the hunt.
At 3:00PM i headed out to look for a spot phil told me that produce pig year after year for him and other merbers, i found the place and it was really a beautiful spot lot's of deer and a glimps of a sow and her baby's. but ........ with one arm on a sling i'am not going to shoot a pig on that hell hole and retreve it by myself.
I drove to a few other promising spots high vantage poits to another and saw nothing but cows.lots of them red black white but no pig. i get back on my vehicle and hit the next spot that jesses told me at the orientation meeting with Barbara. it's about 7:00pm when i saw a good size wallows with lots of sighn that recently being use, look around for trails and go above it and foud two promising bedding area.
Iwent up another ridge and glass the surrounding hillside and no pig.i spend the final 30 minutes of the day planning for the next day hunt.
I head back to camp prepare some food share some stories and hit the sack.
The following morning i woke up early with pain on my shoulder took a couple tilenol and headed to the ridge that i found the day before,i park the vehicle on the side of the road and wated for the first light .as soon as set the vipod i saw a pig working its way up the canyon towards to my left, rage him at 350yards
a delema for me again.I check the wind and its on my favor perfect... now i have to wait for him to come up.
I range the spot where i'am anticipating him to cross and it is only 75 yards
but the wind is blowing on my face aperfect set up.As soon as he crest the top of tha saddle he looks at my direction and stop i put the dot on his chest and slowly pull the trigger the 300 acubond find its mark and the sweet soud of a pig squil echos the canyon but....... he did not drop. got his liver and with his guts out and still run 300yards to his bedding area.
I waited for about twenty minutes before following him on his bedding area crowling on my hand an knees with a glock on my hand, found him dead 60yards more down below with no guts at all.clean the rest of the boiler room and start dragging the pig up, i only manage to drag him 10 feet and stop and decided to go back to camp and ask for help.
I rest for a while and phil and i went back to the spot and make a plan for the retrival. all i can say is ....if they told you to bring some rope you better bring some rope!
We both crawl down to the pig and start pulling it up, and about fourty yards we stop, phil decided that we need petunia's help we put together our rope 300yards for phil 100feet fr me
and pull him out . phil took some pictures and head back to camp and skin it .he estimate it's about 180lbs clean.
Thank's to BRENTfor helping me skin my pig, to rancho trowing away the head and skin, to phillip for the retrival, and to my fellow JHO member in camp.
TILL NEXT YEAR !!!!!!!
The hunt started after settingup camp under a big oak tree on the north end with four other jho members.
talk a little bit of old hunting experience and sharing a few tips from the pros. where the good hunting spots are what time to go and some strategy for the hunt.
At 3:00PM i headed out to look for a spot phil told me that produce pig year after year for him and other merbers, i found the place and it was really a beautiful spot lot's of deer and a glimps of a sow and her baby's. but ........ with one arm on a sling i'am not going to shoot a pig on that hell hole and retreve it by myself.
I drove to a few other promising spots high vantage poits to another and saw nothing but cows.lots of them red black white but no pig. i get back on my vehicle and hit the next spot that jesses told me at the orientation meeting with Barbara. it's about 7:00pm when i saw a good size wallows with lots of sighn that recently being use, look around for trails and go above it and foud two promising bedding area.
Iwent up another ridge and glass the surrounding hillside and no pig.i spend the final 30 minutes of the day planning for the next day hunt.
I head back to camp prepare some food share some stories and hit the sack.
The following morning i woke up early with pain on my shoulder took a couple tilenol and headed to the ridge that i found the day before,i park the vehicle on the side of the road and wated for the first light .as soon as set the vipod i saw a pig working its way up the canyon towards to my left, rage him at 350yards
I range the spot where i'am anticipating him to cross and it is only 75 yards
I waited for about twenty minutes before following him on his bedding area crowling on my hand an knees with a glock on my hand, found him dead 60yards more down below with no guts at all.clean the rest of the boiler room and start dragging the pig up, i only manage to drag him 10 feet and stop and decided to go back to camp and ask for help.
I rest for a while and phil and i went back to the spot and make a plan for the retrival. all i can say is ....if they told you to bring some rope you better bring some rope!
We both crawl down to the pig and start pulling it up, and about fourty yards we stop, phil decided that we need petunia's help we put together our rope 300yards for phil 100feet fr me
Thank's to BRENTfor helping me skin my pig, to rancho trowing away the head and skin, to phillip for the retrival, and to my fellow JHO member in camp.
TILL NEXT YEAR !!!!!!!
One Track
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I'd venture to say that the May '07 JHO Ham Slamma Jamma was the "most outstanding" thus far. Not only was the hunting very good, the company was in good spirits and sportsmanship was at an all-time high. Great trip for sure.
Great stories from you hardcore huntin' machines. You too Rancho.
I had a blast. It was great to meet some new JHO members and too tip a few with some old JHO members. Rancho Loco as well.
I don't know what the final tally is. (Speck?) But, it was an incredible hunt. I think we're probably at 18 for 26 hunters. And, a few of those hunters weren't really trying, as they have Explorer passes and can kill next week if they so choose.
I won't have photos up until Tuesday. I killed on Friday night and my friend Steve killed on Saturday morning. It was awesome. Just for the record, I hadn't even opened a beer before I called Buckeye with the news. I was stone cold sober. I had just bow killed a 225 lb. hog, drug it a hundred yds, and walked a mile uphill to the truck. I called Bucky while I was still gasping for air and high on adrenaline. That must be why he thought I was buzzed. Now, about four hours later...well that's a different story.
Thanks to Jesse for all the prizes, and raffle items. And, big up to Speck for putting this hunt together for the fourth time.
Oh, winner of the "best bartender" award goes to Rancho Loco from Nor-Cal. Not only does he rescue chickens from the Humane Society, he pops a damn good beer and passes a killer bottle of tequila. Cheers amigo.
Great stories from you hardcore huntin' machines. You too Rancho.
I had a blast. It was great to meet some new JHO members and too tip a few with some old JHO members. Rancho Loco as well.
I don't know what the final tally is. (Speck?) But, it was an incredible hunt. I think we're probably at 18 for 26 hunters. And, a few of those hunters weren't really trying, as they have Explorer passes and can kill next week if they so choose.
I won't have photos up until Tuesday. I killed on Friday night and my friend Steve killed on Saturday morning. It was awesome. Just for the record, I hadn't even opened a beer before I called Buckeye with the news. I was stone cold sober. I had just bow killed a 225 lb. hog, drug it a hundred yds, and walked a mile uphill to the truck. I called Bucky while I was still gasping for air and high on adrenaline. That must be why he thought I was buzzed. Now, about four hours later...well that's a different story.
Thanks to Jesse for all the prizes, and raffle items. And, big up to Speck for putting this hunt together for the fourth time.
Oh, winner of the "best bartender" award goes to Rancho Loco from Nor-Cal. Not only does he rescue chickens from the Humane Society, he pops a damn good beer and passes a killer bottle of tequila. Cheers amigo.
Hey XDHunter, thanks for leaving the water and the chicken, but what happened to the carne asada dude?
Unfortunately, I didn't get a pig this year, but it was still a great hunt and a good time had by all! Now I'm going to have to check out Bryson's to satisfy my pig jones!
Unfortunately, I didn't get a pig this year, but it was still a great hunt and a good time had by all! Now I'm going to have to check out Bryson's to satisfy my pig jones!Rancho Loco
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<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div>
Salud right backatcha...Thanks big-time for the Carnitas lunch.
Salud right backatcha...Thanks big-time for the Carnitas lunch.
Metdawg44
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Great stories and congrats to all. I've got to get in on one of these pig slams, sounds like an awesome time. I can't believe that the grass was as green as it was in some of the photos. I would have thought that by this time of year that everything would have been brown.
loadsprayer
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I have not stop talking about my first boar hunt. I would like to thank speck for putting this together, and all the great guys that I met during the hunt. Most of all, I learned what it takes to hunt these amazing animals , and I will not forget the experience.
I want to thank one-track and his buddy Steve for teaching me the ropes, and having the patience to help out a newbie...
Bag a buck this Fall Pal!!
Well, I did pass up on few shots due to wet sows, and I had the opportunity to shoot the gun late Saturday, but we ended up not finding the pig.
I'm hooked and will be back in December for the next Tejon hunt....Be Cool..
I want to thank one-track and his buddy Steve for teaching me the ropes, and having the patience to help out a newbie...
Well, I did pass up on few shots due to wet sows, and I had the opportunity to shoot the gun late Saturday, but we ended up not finding the pig.
I'm hooked and will be back in December for the next Tejon hunt....Be Cool..
Suzmar1997
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Q2, we didn't run into any rattlers, but I know of at least one that somebody else saw. We saw quite a few gophers and king snakes and the mosquitos weren't too bad. I usually get devoured by them and only had a few bites. Good luck next week.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Suzmar1997 @ May 28 2007, 09:07 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>
Thanks for the reply! Been there many times in June/July when the Mojave Greens were fairly thick and the skeeters were crazy bad. I'm the same. If someones gettin skeetered, its me! Thanks again.
Thanks for the reply! Been there many times in June/July when the Mojave Greens were fairly thick and the skeeters were crazy bad. I'm the same. If someones gettin skeetered, its me! Thanks again.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Q2Dude @ May 28 2007, 08:44 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>
Anyone?
[/b][/quote]
Specmisser and i saw one on the road going up squirrel canyon.be careful next weekend.
Anyone?
[/b][/quote]
Specmisser and i saw one on the road going up squirrel canyon.be careful next weekend.
