Tejon's guided hunts?

[muskeg]

I won't be in town on the late Jan (jhp)POR so I'm thinking about a guided hunt. We are looking at Jan 18th give or take a few days. I don't know if I want to drive the 3 hours up to the Paso Robles area and the only other hunt I can find (close in to Santa Clarita) is the Tejon guided hunts. They are a little more at $650 but room and meals are provided. Sandy said that hunters usually connect on the first evening out or the next morning.

Also is there a good butcher shop in the Santa Clarita area? I do know of a good one over in Simi where I took my Coues deer.

 

[DaMatRat]

Muskeg,

I too would be interested in knowing how the guided hunts are at the Tejon Ranch, I have read alot of articles about the Tejon Ranch in the Western Outdoor Newspaper and it sounds like a nice place to hunt?
I think it's about an hour drive from where I live the San Fernando Valley.

Regarding the butcher in Simi Valley; was it Green Acres?
I picked up my sow meat there yesterday afternoon, I really did not seem like a whole lot of meat ~ some ribs, some roasts, some boneless chops, but a lot of breakfast sausage!!
Cooked that up this morning with some scrambled eggs and biscuits ~ it was so 'Ono'!

 

[Speckmisser]

Muskeg,

$650 is an AWFUL lot of money for a guided pig hunt, even if it does include food and lodging. But then, Tejon is a really nice place, and I'm sure it'll be a top notch experience.

I have no doubt whatsoever that the guides will put you on a hog your first evening out. After talking to a couple of the guys there during POR last spring, I believe they know where every herd is, where they'll be at, say 0930 on a Thursday morning, and what they ate for dinner last night. They're pretty intimate with that property and the critters that live on it.

 

[muskeg]

Jesse .......

I know that $650 is on the upper end of things. But how much extra costs on a $400 or less Central Coast hunt? Motel ($60 to $100), meals ($50+ plus the hassel) and 3 hours driving each way. But the extra costs are split between my son and I. But you all know how that goes, I'll pick up the tab.

Tejon is about 30 to 45 minutes. Just bring your gun and a half rack of Full Sail pail ale. Sounds better all the time.

You guys have a had this drought about long enough. It will be pouring rain on my trip, I know it. How is hunting on Tejon in the rain? I wonder if the guides have wet weather spots to hunt?

Rat ......

It was 'green acres'. I had them do some grind for me. But this time I'll need the whole hog worked up. Is there a better butcher in the area?

Johnnie

 

[Bishop]

If the cost dosen't bother you I can't think of a better place to go on a guided hunt.
The ranch is some of the nicest country I've ever seen.
I've heard nothing but good things about the lodge and food.
The guides and everyone involved in the hunting program are very friendly and helpful people.
And, there are pigs everywhere!
And while your out hunting, you'll see deer, elk, turkeys, golden eagles, Calif. condors, maybe even some bears or mountain lions.

 

[mudhen]

Went on a guided hunt two weeks ago - we had from Sunday afternoon to Tuesday morning to find our hogs. We had our hogs by 6 p.m. Sunday - had a great dinner - left Monday morning - back to work by Monday noon.

Overall, it's just a super place to go for several reasons:

- If you are taking a novice hunter
- Want to shoot a bow or other close-range weapon
- Don't have a lot of time to scout other properties
- Don't have the time to drive up to the coast and hunt for several days
- Easy access for disabled hunters

Or maybe you just want to have a great time, stay in a nice lodge, learn something from very good guides, not totally bust your butt, and probably get a hog of your choice.

I have hunted hard - spent countless days in San Benito & Sonoma County searching for hogs - I enjoy the success that comes from hard work - but I also hunt with many people who do not enjoy in the physical discomfort that usually comes with typical hard hog hunting.

It's also a great deal of fun watching the other animals; deer, bobcats, elk, etc. And the evening drive when the hogs seem to come out of nowhere is just amazing - we saw over 100 hogs just on the drive back to the lodge.

If you don't mind spending the money - the place is great - absolutely nothing bad to say.

mudhen - CA

 

[Hoghunter]

Hey Muskeg
I went on one of their hunts 4 years ago. The Hunt was a great hunt, The sleeping accommodations were ok,The food left a little to be desired.If you do go see if you can get Darrel for your guide. He's their senior guide and very good at it.If you tell him what your looking for he will help try to find it for you.The only draw back is he,s hard of hearing.The other guides are ok but I don't think they know the ranch as well. My 2 cents.
Good Hunting Hoghunter

 

[DaMatRat]

Mudhen,

Sounds like you had a great time however were you at all disappointed that your hunt ended so early (within the first few hours of being there)?

Would you mind telling me/us a little more about your guided hunt at the ranch?

Did you get to harvest the pig you wanted?

Did your guide have you fire a few rounds to zero in your rifle before you actually begin to hunt?

What are the accommodations like, are there several hunters crammed in to one lodge/room?

Is it 1 hunter per guide?

Finally, what was the total cost of your guided hunt?
If you would rather shoot me an email with this info please do ~ damatrat@earthlink.net

Thanks.

 

[mudhen]

No regrets in shooting a hog within a few hours - it was our first time at Tejon - the shot was totally my choice - being hot & very dry, the hogs were not overly plentiful during shooting hours. With the first Tejon hunt over - I will probably be more selective next time.

The guide drove us around looking for hogs - once sighted, we stalked and decided if it was a desired hog - the shots were close and lethal.

The guides were great - they will talk about hogs the entire time if you want - they will describe what the ranch has to offer - they will share tips & tactics - I very much enjoyed just listening to these guys.

I shot a 135 # sow - just starting to fatten up - the meat was just about perfect - the ribs were edible - no complaints. My buddy shot a 160 # boar with neat little tusks - it was exactly what he wanted and it was starting to fatten up too - the guide called it a 150# boar on a 200# frame due to the dry conditions. The guides skinned & cut the hogs up for us - they did nice work.

Yes, the guides have you shoot a few rounds before hunting.

We stayed in the newer lodge - the room was fine - there were only us two hunters & two guides - good food - nice accomodations - but I hear it can get crowded.

We only needed one guide for both hogs - the other guide was scouting - we would have gone 1 on 1 the next day if needed.

The total cost was $650 per hunter + $10 for the insurance policy.

Remember - they guides will ask you what you want to do - for the same $650 you can hunt the whole time and be as selective as you wish - we just wanted a rather quick hunt - if you want to hike all day and spot & stalk totally on foot, the guides will set you up. You can use a bow, shotgun slugs, rifles, handguns, etc.

They really want you to have a good time - it's almost too good to be true - but the $650 doesn't exactly grow on trees. This is a hunt you want to do on a special occasion - take a business client, your spouse/kid/sibling/etc., someone that can't hike too hard - or just treat yourself to a great hunt.

Touring the ranch is actually the best part of the trip - it is an amazing place.

mudhen - CA

 

[DaMatRat]

Thanks Mudhen for answering all the questions.

Several people have also asked me about the cost of my recent hunt, and what I can say is that hog-hunting is a fairly expensive hobby/past-time.
However for me and my first guided hunt it was money well spent!!

I am already saving for my next hunt!

$600 ~ 2-day guided hunt
$175 ~ 2-nights @ Paso Robles Travel Lodge
$ 60 ~ Meals
$ 40 ~ Gas
$ 35 ~ box of Winchester FailSafes
$ 75 ~ Butcher (Green Arcres in Simi Valley)

$985 Total cost of guided pig hunt!!

 

[SDHNTR]

I hunt with another great guide in King City. Name and number available upon request.

Weekend hunt Fri. pm - Sun. am $400 no trophy fees
Tip $40-50
Motel 6 for 2 nights $45
Gas from San Diego $45
Food $40
Tags $8
Butcher $50
Misc. $20

Costs like gas and motel split between 2 guys.

Total=$650 but I do the butchering myself. Money well spent in my opinion. The most fun I can think of for a weekend.

 

[Muskeg JR]

I can't wait till Jan

Are we going on quadrunners or by pick up? Sounds like a good hunt for my buddy Fred ..He has M.S. and could use a good hunt and a great time Is it a good hunt for disabled hunters?

 

[jrifenbark]

I also used Green Acres for my hog. We jsut brought it in two coolers and the butcher did the rest. We got steaks, fillets, and sppicey italian sausage. The butcher seemed really happy to do it. It costed about $70.

 

[Hook]

Muskeg,

There is a butcher in Santa Clarita, it is Dave's Meats on Lyons Ave. Just bring it in already skinned. He does an excellent job for about $75. He's done a hog and a deer for me.

Have you decided where to hunt yet? If time is a issue, than Tejon might be the best bet. Let me know what you decide.

Good luck