somisbow

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Here is a quick vid from my FHL trip from last weekend.

[video=vimeo;30490956]http://vimeo.com/30490956[/video]

Here is part 1 of the run down.

[h=3]Waiting on a Pig.... Part 1[/h]

So my weekend started out a little early last week, Friday morning to be exact and with my truck loaded with all the essentials pig sticking supplies I headed north to Forth Hunter Ligget in Paso Robles, CA. I was a pretty uneventful drive, except for the guy that I met in a gun shop that said he hunts Grizzly Bears in Central California....um ya how's that straight jacket fitting? Parents still give you coloring books for Christmas? So after the Funny Farm experience I jumped in my truck and arrived at the base.


I checked in, gave them my registration form and proceeded to pic a place that I was not planning on hunting, but they said the pigs have been moving in the area. So, I bit and changed all my plans and headed to town to try and get an internet connection and "scout" the area. So, my Grande black coffee and I finally settled on a guzzle that had, at least on google, a lot of game trails that lead by it. Plan intact I headed back to my camp site for Cajun Chicken sandwiches and a Stout. Then rest.

Morning came and I was the first one out into the field heading out to my spot. I arrived at early enough, or so I though. Still dark I walked down into my little valley and took up a vantage point, problem is that it was too high and too exposed. I was not even sitting down when "He" strolled up the valley. When I say he I mean a 250 to 300+lb boar who was now 130 yards below me and I am out in the open. As he turns to walk up a saddle I tried to slowly get ahead of him and seal the deal. No such luck, he is big and old for a reason. I got busted and he exited stage left in a hurry. No go for that morning hunt.

I did move down to a better set up where my large and incharge friend was headed too. After about 10 minutes I did have 6 does and 2 bucks roll through at 30 yards, but alas I did not have a tag for that area. over the next 5 hours I had road hunter after road hunter drive down the road and try and jump a deer. With no and highly pitiful results. Side note here, I despise road hunting. It is the underbelly of hunting if you can call sitting on your backside while you cover mile after mile of graded roads in pursuit of their targets. But this subject is for another post, the hunt is at hand.

I did see anymore pigs that morning or afternoon so I left and switched zones to an archery only, no vehicle area. Tranquility and peace rained through my soul. So the evening set went well, I jumped deer after deer after deer, it was so frustrating to be spot n' stalking deer to within 15 yards and not being able to shoot. But it was good experience for me for sure a big moral buster in may ways, I still had the skills to pay the bills. Good thing is there were pigs sign everywhere. Rooted up earth under every tree and the pungent smell of pig where ever I went. That afternoon I probably hiked 6 miles that afternoon before I hit my set for the evening. A good day a restful day, a "Man I was so close" day, but good all the same.



more to come..

The Bearded Boar
 

map

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Well, now you are hooked like the rest of us. It's FHL forever!


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somisbow

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Except for all the road hunters in some of the zones, it was great.

I had more deer in bow range than I could ever want.

But I will be going back. Good news is I talked to an old guy that was working on the side of the road as I was driving up there and he gave me permission to hunt 500 acres. Not a bad deal.
 

map

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If you need help hunting that 500 acres let me know. For many hunters FHL is a place to try out their 4X4. The tank roads are a lot of fun, and it keeps the animals moving.


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solus

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what area where you hunting fhl? Im thinking of heading out there next month for turkey/pig
 

Huntr Pat

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I ran into you by the pond in 10A while deer hunting. You were gonna sit till the evening.
 

somisbow

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If you need help hunting that 500 acres let me know. For many hunters FHL is a place to try out their 4X4. The tank roads are a lot of fun, and it keeps the animals moving.


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Map,
I very very very respectfully disagree with keeping the game moving. I sat for 5 hours in the same spot in 16a and watched jeep after jeep, truck after truck drive down the road and everytime the deer heard them they moved off into the thick stuff and came back 10 minutes later. I bumped the same deer out of the same bed 3 times in one day. I just feel driving your truck around looking for game is not how I want to hunt. To me it is not sportsman like to me nor respectful of fare chase hunting. It's funny because if DFG saw someone do what "most or many" people there do, they'd get ticketed. Road hunting my help you harvest game, but it doesn't mean your hunting.

Just my 2 cents.

Bearded Boar
 

somisbow

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Pat, ya I remember, how did the rest of your trip go?

Anything that afternoon?

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Huntr Pat

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I walked 3/4 length of 16B from the recycling center to the other end of the Airstrip then slowly work my was back. saw a bunch of Elk 1 deer. There were a bunch of people in the river bed and didn't see me sneak just pass them. I did run into some guys whom had a bear sighting with cubs in 16. Went home early sunday morning. Going back saturday AM and give a try. Great video I could see you talking but the music drowned it out.
 
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somisbow

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I wish I was closer Id go every weekend. I think the deer and pig patterns are off right now, with the full moon game is nocturnal and has limited movement during the day. Right after I saw you I had 6 does and button buck come within 10 yards of me along the road. I had to wave my arms so one would not run over me. Good stuff.

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map

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somisbow,

FHL was my motivation for purchasing 2 brand new CJ5 Jeeps. I used to fold down the windshield and drive the tank roads real slow. That has been common practice since 1968 when I first started hunting at FHL.

Nowadays, we have TA's 13E and 29 for walk-in hunters. Plus, TA-29 was only designated a walk-in during recent years. We used to drive right onto 29.

Did you find the Archery Entrance for 13E that I had marked on my map? That should be one of the first places that a bow hunter should check out.


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somisbow

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I did hunt 13e and still had a jeep drive through it. My style of hunting is different, i like spot n stalk or stilling on a ground blind at times. I talked to a few guys saturday morning who in zone 16a did not see any deer, I saw 12 by 7am and didnot even move. Just because everyone hunts that way doesnt make it right. I love jeeps and 4x4s mind you and I use them to get to some of my hunting spots, but I leave them on the road and hunt on foot. Just my preference. Next time Im hitting up 29 and 13a again. The spray field has a ton of game in it, just need the moon to cooperate.


Just my opinion, people will hunt how they want to hunt,

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spectr17

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Love the video Tony. FHL is some much fun to cruise around.

Call the LEs if you see some clownshoes driving in 13E. I wonder how they got in there? Any gates left open or dummy locked?

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somisbow

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Love the video Tony. FHL is some much fun to cruise around.

Call the LEs if you see some clownshoes driving in 13E. I wonder how they got in there? Any gates left open or dummy locked?

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Called Jake at the Shack and he let the Warden know, you can drive through there via 13w by the spray field and the pond. I did consider giving the guy a flat tire, but then he would have been there longer changing his tire.

I had a good experience for the most part there, I really love hanging out in the campground and talking to all the hunters. It was like Jesse's hunting but face to face. But it only takes a few "clownshoes" to make for a rough experience. Next time I will just get so deep into the brush where there is no road and no one in their right mind would want to go except for the pigs. But that's just me.

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THE ROMAN ARCHER

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another cool video, thanks for sharing! havent done FhL yet, one of these days.....tra
 

solus

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Somisbow I'm going for turkey wanna join?
 

Live2hunt

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Somisbow,
If you registered to hunt 13E and you went into the spray next to 13W, you were very lucky you made it back out without running into a LE and lucky you didn't try to call a LE to the scene to report the jeep that you saw drove by. That would have cost you some fine and suspension from hunting FHL.
 

somisbow

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Somisbow,
If you registered to hunt 13E and you went into the spray next to 13W, you were very lucky you made it back out without running into a LE and lucky you didn't try to call a LE to the scene to report the jeep that you saw drove by. That would have cost you some fine and suspension from hunting FHL.

Sorry switched my letters around, I was hunting 13w. 13e was a Jr hunt this weekend. My mistake, to set the record straight I was hunting in 13w, the Archery only walk in only area.

My mistake.

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map

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somisbow,

I think you need some improvements in map reading, but your video is the best I've seen yet. Do I have your permission to add it as an attachment to the Cabela's RECON HUNT site?


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somisbow

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somisbow,


Nowadays, we have TA's 13E and 29 for walk-in hunters. Plus, TA-29 was only designated a walk-in during recent years. We used to drive right onto 29.

Did you find the Archery Entrance for 13E that I had marked on my map? That should be one of the first places that a bow hunter should check out.


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Map,
This is where I got messed up, I just looked at your message and said 13E. The changed the maps that they hand out for 13W and it no longer says where the designated parking is. My map reading is okay, I found a 250+pig in ten minutes on saturday with your map of there as well as Google earth. Not a bad place.

As far as video, I have a bunch of pics and videos that i took of certain areas if you want them too. But yest you can, if you want to.

Tony
 
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