Tejon tips for the newbie

[wmidbrook]

Hi, I was wondering if any of you Tejon veterans have any tips on the ranch to share with those of us who'll be new to the area?

--Area boundaries - so we can start pouring over topomaps
--Longest/Average shot op distances

Seems like most success postings I've read are from guys working canyons. Is this true?

Is there much opportunity to get away from jeep trails? If so, what areas?

Are muzzleloaders or archery tackle allowed on the POR hunts?

Thanks guys~!

 

[Speckmisser]

Bill,

Don't know that I'm much of a "veteran" after only a couple of trips, but I can help a little.

First of all, to the maps... someone on here posted the quads you can use. I don't know them. There are a couple of areas I like, and I don't need a map to get there anymore...ever since Grtwythunter and I took the scenic route down off the hill last year.

Actually, I WILL be buying the $11 map from Barbara when I arrive this year. I forgot last time. It was useful, with the GPS and a topo map when Scott and I were trying to find a way down.

Shot opportunities will vary a LOT. My Tejon pigs have all come within 100 yards. But I saw Dilprxo have a shot at a conservative 250-300 yards. On that same trip, I passed on a boar at what I estimated to be 400+ yards.

The ranch is real particular about driving off of the established roads. There are a ton of canyons and ridges there that you will HAVE to walk to. It's still a good bet to drive and spot from the roads, but you can sure leave the roads behind if you want to.

You can hunt with any legal means. I always think about bringing the smokepole, but I always chicken out at the last minute and stick with the regular rifle.

 

[One Track]

Big W:

I've never had a topo or a ranch map. Though, it would be nice to have a ranch map. Speck answered all your questions very well.

Most of the roads are on top of the ridges. To get away from the roads, you are going steep and deep - in some cases, (not all,) over a mile down. All canyons are incredibly steep. I mean, you are just about crawling out. Like the angle of an extension ladder. That's definitely where the pigs live, deep in heavy cover. We always hope to catch them out feeding near the top of the ridges. This makes for somewhat easier recovery. My quads are burning today. We went deep. I mean real deep. If you have two vehicles, you can set up a drive. Leave a truck a few miles down the ridge. Drive the other to the top and work the canyon. One guy in the bottom and a guy on each sidehill watching the opposite slope.

Some Tejon trips don't call for such agressive tactics. Some hunts find you getting lucky and catching hogs crossing over the ridge tops, or feeding near the tops. (I usually don't get that lucky.) Not the case this past weekend. Last May, we had at least 8 shot opportunities on hogs that were not all the way down in the bottoms.

I think these hogs are catching on. Truck = Death. If they see or hear a truck, they are off and running, or hiding. I worked Speck's hot spot real hard this past weekend. The hogs were in there, but they were not feeding out. Those boys can explain the recovery status in this area, which is similar to most every "last ditch effort" hot spot.

I've shot my pigs from 10 yards to 252. This past Sunday, people were so hard up, they were taking 1,000 yard shots. I saw people doing this. Not my style, but that's how frustrating it was by Sunday. I did switch from my -06 to my 7mag thinking I might be wanting to reach out to 400. (I can't believe I'm saying this. Last year, I was harping on people for not stalking to within a 100 yds.)

Hope I was able to help visualize a little.

I can tell you this with the utmost confidence: You will have a blast!

 

[fairchase]

Mytopo.com puts out a good map and that's what I took last year when I went.
I got the most use out of that map before I ever left home. Then when I started driving around the ranch it all clicked in my head, almost like I had been there before. And ya, I be shooting a muzzleloader.

 

[DILPRXO]

Hi Wmidbrook...
I believe Speck and Onetrack are right on the money with they're advice to you. I by no means a veteren..I've been on 3 trips to Tejon and about the only thing I've learned is how much I DON"T know about that ranch.

The shots average about 200 yards. I took the long shot Speck mentioned in his post..I took my January hog at about the same distance but I also knocked one down at about 125 yards and the one my buddy took in January closer to 100. One Track is not exagrating about the steepness of the terrain or being like an extention ladder..its so steep the pigs will actually roll down them after taking a hit. I was trying to avoid that in January..looked like that boar was on a nice flat cowtrail but he fell.. looked like a gaint black bowling ball going down that slope..must have rolled a quarter mile before he stopped. We were down in that ravine for hours with him.Whatever you can do now to build up your legs now will help you out. A quality packframe and 100 feet of good rope are worth their weight in gold in that situation.

The campground is nice but primitive..there is a few outhouses and gambels..the big thing is there is no running water so you have to bring your own, the ranch is cool about letting you go out mid day to Lebec to resupply if you need to.

I guess my best advice to you would be to keep your hunting pack light, your camp kit heavily supplied and excerise your legs as much as possible.

This place is to a hunter ..what going to Disneyland is to a kid...your gonna have a blast.

Take care

 

[Speckmisser]

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

This place is to a hunter ..what going to Disneyland is to a kid...your gonna have a blast.[/b]

That's about the best description of Tejon I've ever heard!

Dead on, too. Good one.

 

[vandal968]

I still need a decent backpack and binoculars for the Ham Slam. I think I'm ok on all my other gear.

Any recommendations for a frame backpack?

thanks,
c

 

[wmidbrook]

Looks like I'm going to find a lot out once out there....sure would be good to review some topo maps before hand to get a feel for the lay of the land. I realize not all jeep trails and such will show on it, but most water sources (year round/seasonal) will.

Wondering if tejon has crops that are coming up that time of the year that might pull a lot of the hogs downhill towards their fields?

Anyway, it certainly sounds like a little chunk of hunter's heaven!

 

[Speckmisser]

Bill,

Were you able to find the posts that give the map quadrants? You should have beau coup topos available to research.

Water sources aren't scarce. In addition to springs, the place is a working cattle ranch so there are water troughs all over the place. The CA Aqueduct also runs right through the ranch (although a lot of it is enclosed in pipes).

I don't really remember any croplands, with the exception of a vineyard back toward the front gate.

 

[wmidbrook]

Yeah finally got it~!

I had to use "+map + tejon" in my search string since Tejon is reference so frequently here!

I'd rather pour over a map than watch T.V. I'll get several hours of good entertainment out it.....

I should have been a cartologist~!

http://www.jesseshunting.com/images/tejon-...-pig-o-rama.jpg

http://www.jesseshunting.com/images/tejon-...-south-gate.jpg

here piggie, piggie piggie sewwwieeeee

 

[One Track]

Disneyland - nail on head. Good one.

I always suggest this. Bring as much rope as you can. I am up to about 1,000 feet.

"A$$, GAS, or ROPE - Nobody Rides for Free!"

 

[rusman66]

Yeah and just for the record, when I hunted and road with onetrack I provided GAS!
NOBODY gets my rope!

 

[oneclearshot]

This place is to a hunter ..what going to Disneyland is to a kid...your gonna have a blast.

"I Like It...I Like It" !

 

[oneclearshot]

Hey Mid, Don't worry bout' nuthin' Buddy...I've got PLENTY o' rope AND a front bumper winch...if you nail somethin' down in a canyon...we'll get'er out! Or maybe not... It's gonna be fun tryin' though and GREAT fitness!

 

[vandal968]

That's a really nice scan of the South side map. I printed it out on the large-format plotter at work about 24" tall and looks great. Going to hang it on my office wall and scare the tree huggers.

c

 

[Hogskin]

Originally posted by rusman66@Mar 16 2004, 09:29 AM
Yeah and just for the record, when I hunted and road with onetrack I provided GAS!
NOBODY gets my rope!

Rusman,

You're pretty emphatic about the ROPE, but pretty much silent on the "other items". Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

 

[Speckmisser]

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

Different strokes for different folks, I guess.[/b]

Hey Frogskin.... what's green and says, "Who's your daddy?"

 

[Hogskin]

I'm a gentleman so I won't answer that. But, Lordy, if I did, you'd have screwed with me for the last time.

 

[oneclearshot]

OneTrack, That was a Kickin' email response you sent me this A.M., I'm still laughin' Gettin' both of us in the same camp is gonna be "Hell-ta-Pay" for some poor folks! But I'm lookin' forward to goin' afield with ya' cause that's when things serious up...(can't "cap" the sentence like I told ya' this mornin', cause this is a family Forum and I got to much respect for Jesse, to do otherwise!

 

[DILPRXO]

With The 2005 hunt only a month away..dredged this one back up..Time to get fired up