Tejon Top Hog Dog

[spectr17]

Jim Matthews Column

8/13/03

TEJON TOP HOG DOG: Don Geivet, the game manager at the Tejon Ranch, said the total harvest of wild hogs on the ranch will be on the order of 1,000 pigs by the end of the year. That will make it easily the No. 1 hog producing hunting ranch in the state.

"I know that last year from December to December we verified shooting 800 hogs, and we're on tract to shoot a heck of a lot more than that this year," said Geivet. "Look at the published pig numbers in the state [from 2002] and look at Kern County. More than 800 of those are ours."

The ranch has a variety of hog hunting opportunities, from complete guided hunts to five a non-guided weekend hunts, called Pig-O-Ramas, to be held next year.

While the ranch has held the price on the Pig-O-Ramas at $300 for one more year, all other hunt prices have gone up. Guided hunts are now $750 for one pig or $1,100 for two hogs. To add varmint hunting to a hog hunt, the fee is $100 additional. All guided hunts include food and lodging for the duration of the hunt. The ranch has five full-time and two part-time guides who serve hog hunters. Turner's Outdoorsman has also been running a series of weekend, non-guided hunt and the last one of the year concluded this past weekend, when seven hunters shot six hogs (including one hunter who bagged two). Andy McCormick, with Turner's, said these hunt averaged from 40 to 50 percent success.

McCormick said the slate of next year's 10 hunts has been set and the information is up on the website (or will be shortly), including reservation forms.

For more information on the Tejon's hunting program, contact Sandy Nickerson, Tejon Ranch Company, P.O. Box 1000, Lebec, CA 93243, or call (661) 663-4209. For information on the Turner's hunts, log on to their website at http://www.turners.com.

 

[RIFLEMAN]

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

TEJON TOP HOG DOG:[/b]

Dang it, you got me all excited when I read the "Hog Dog" portion of the post's title!

 

[One Track]

Nice that the price is staying the same for the POR's. With all the publicity, I think we will all need to turn around the apps very quickly. $750 for a guided hunt? Am I missing something here? Isn't it ten times more fun to hunt for your own hog?

 

[Orso]

Well, I am already planning on attending the JHP-POR next year that Speck is working on, but it looks like if they raise the price much past the $300, it may be my last time up there. $1100 for two pigs, WOW!! Plus $100 to hunt yotes...???

All I can say is....First time out at CR I had two shots on a group of 3 pigs, with a bow no less, and it only cost $15 to hunt for the day ($55 for the year).

 

[One Track]

CR sounds better and better everyday. Looking forward to hunting there someday soon.

 

[Maverick]

Originally posted by spectr17@Aug 14 2003, 09:21 PM
seven hunters shot six hogs (including one hunter who bagged two).

Is it me or does Matthews need to take a math class?

Or were there 7 hunters. Out of 7 hunters 6 of the hunters shot 1 hog. 1 of the 6 hunters shot 2 hogs.

 

[Maverick]

What is CR?
Camp Roberts?

 

[Orso]

Camp Roberts is an Army National Guard Base just north of Paso Robles, CA.

The following link will take you to the information which includes hunt dates, restrictions, costs, etc...

http://www.calguard.ca.gov/cprbts/HuntFishBrochure.htm

 

[Raybow]

I'm sure a guided hunt there is great, but $750? For around $650 (with airfair) you can fly to Texas, rent a car, pay for all meals, licences, tip the guide, hunt 4000 acres with just your buddy, and shoot a pig a day for four days. This was just archey only, but I'm sure a rifleman could do about the same.

 

[fpscabs]

Raybow
Do prey, tell us more.

 

[Raybow]

All right...

Most ranches in Texas charge around $75 per day, per hunter. This includes one pig a day (if you book for four days you can shoot four pigs in the first day if you care to), a stay in some sort of bunk house/cabin, and a somewhat guided hunt...that means the ranch manager pointing on a map where you should wander off to. Meals are not provided so go grocery shopping at one of 4000 Walmart Super Center you will find off of any highway, backroad or cowpath located in Texas. Plus, you should be able to count on eating pork after your first day there...famous last words.

Airfair is always cheap into Houston ($200-$250) if you choose your bookings right, but San Antonio seems to always be a bit more expensive. Even from Houston great pig hunting is only a few hours away, though, some of the best ranches are outside of San Antonio.

You will need a buddy or two to keep the rental car price down.

Take one large cooler (put all of your gear and cloths in it) and your bowcase/guncase as checked bags. When you get your pigs, pack them in the cooler and mail your clothes back to house for around $10. You cannot fly with dry ice so try to freeze your meat solid before you fly back. This way you only need a little bit of ice to for it to keep...it is not going to be in to cooler all that long anyway. Debone and trim all meat to keep the weight down, and you will be surprised how much pig it takes to get to 75lb weight limit most airlines have.

If you want to find a ton of ranchs just look under "hunting pig in Texas" on the internet. Some are better than others so do your research.

Plus, Texas is a whole different world than SoCal. so it is good to get away.

Good luck)))------->Raybow

 

[mrgadget]

Man, that sounds like a great trip!

Here's a small twist on the packing:

We bought two kinds of collapsable (sp?) coolers: one is just the kind with a strap that holds a case of beer plus ice, is soft sided, and folds flat. Stuff it in your luggage. We use these in the boat for duck hunting, fishing, etc. Only downside: no wheels. Not the best for airports.

The second kind is the type we use at the river: still folds flat, but is a rollalong. About $20 at Costco. You can carry these on, they ROLL thru the airport, and you can stuff them in an overhead bin.

We've used the first kind when hunting pheasants and quail in KS. Freeze the birds overnight, and you don't even need ice. Probably will opt for the rollalong this year, however....with plane changes, long lines, layovers, it just make sense to roll everything you can...especially if you're talking about rolling vs. carrying 70+ pounds of stuff.

Any recommendations on a place to go in TX from someone who has done it?

Thanks!

 

[Raybow]

I went to the Dos Equis Ranch in Hondo, about an hour southwest of San Antonio. We went in July for a spot and stalk hunt...can you believe not too many people want to hunt Texas that time of year. It was hot, but the mornings and the evenings were great. The first and second nights I took boars in the 200lb range and held out the rest of the trip for a trophy since I already had plenty of meat. My buddy made a bad hit on a huge sow the first night and we never found it until the last day of the hunt. That kind of took him out of it for awhile with that on his mind, however, he ended up putting a great stalk on a corsican ram the last day.

The ranch manager would not tell us what a big hog for the ranch was until we were done on the last day for he did not want us to go home empty handed. He then proceeded to show us pictures of live hogs taken the week before that went 450lbs+.

When I mean there are pigs there, I mean seeing 200 for the days we were there. The pigs and exotics could not have been wilder with the fences farther away than you would want to hike to, and carry something back. We stayed in trailer that was big enough to hold six people with ease.

You can find the ranch on the internet. If all else fails you can go to stickbow.com and look under the Texas forum for it with other places that have been great places to hunt. The last time I knew the ranch was archery only. Good luck, Raybow