Trad Gang
Topic Archives => Memorable Hunts => Topic started by: wtpops on March 14, 2009, 10:31:00 PM
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Well guys im back early from my Tejon Ranch pig hunt here in California, have a lot of pics and a story to tell. Im trying to edit some of the pics to help with the story so bear with me as i go, hope it helps if not you'll get the idea.
Got to check in about 1:00 pm on Friday. Met Maddi the very nice young lady in charge of setting up the hunts and from what i understand is a very good deer hunter herself. Met up with the guides and other hunters and hit the road. Went in through the south side. you start smiling when you get about here...
(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f85/wtpops/SDC15134.jpg)
A little ways in we ran into this little critter. I have never seen a bagger this light in color.
(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f85/wtpops/SDC15139a.jpg)
You sure could tell spring is here.
(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f85/wtpops/SDC15140.jpg)
We made it to the cabin, i have no idea why i didn't take any pics of the cabin, it is five star accomodations. There were 4 of us hunting, 2 were from Colorado, one from San Diego. My guide was Steve, he hunts with a recurve also. Got done with all the intros, got a bunk picked and changed into hunting gear. Steve and i took off about 4:00 pm by 5:00 we were starting to see pigs, it was a sow with about 5 or 6 footballs. We made it way up on top of a ridge and had to get out and walk to a spot he wanted to look at. We got about half way in there and the wind did a 180 so we did a 180 and started back for the truck, no sence in wasting day light when you know thier going to wind you. Here are some pics of the walk in.
(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f85/wtpops/SDC15142.jpg)
(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f85/wtpops/SDC15143.jpg)
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Keep it coming.
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Back in the truck and Steve wants to go back down and check a flat area where we saw the sow and pigletts. Just a note the Tejon Ranch idea of a flat area is A LOT differant from my idea of a flat area :saywhat: . Any way we get above the flat and start glassing it and see a lone hog across the canyon (he is the highest red dot in the pic) feeding from right to left. Even from this distance he looks to be a huge hog. Steve asked do you want to kill him i responded with a Hell Ya. He puts the truck in 4X4 and starts down to the bottom of the canyon, we get the truck parked at a creek crossing right in the bottom, get unloaded and geared up. We start up the canyon face, i would say hill or mountian but those terms dont apply here :help: anyway we start up the canyon face (the red dotted line) and make it to a spot we should be able to see the hog but there is no sign of him we decide to start back down and about a quarter of the way down we see another single hog up to our right (the highest blue dot) we decide to try for him (blue dotted line) as we make our way across the face, he is feeding his way from right to left. He enters the round patch of live oaks, we follow right behind him, come out on the other side of the trees and there is no sign of him. We had the wind but it was purity noisy going through the trees.
(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f85/wtpops/SDC15149a.jpg)
So now were sitting there looking around and all the way across the canyon we see a group of 14 hogs (red dots lower left) we plan a route, side hill 45 degrees down into the creek and then side hill 45 degrees up. This should land us just under them, my only worry at this point is daylight is starting to fade. Well we no more get 75 yards and clear of the round patch of oaks we look up to our left and see about 7 hogs feeding in the open (red dots uper right) so now we try to decide which bunch to go for. I decide to go for the ones across the canyon, less up hill and closer to the truck. We take three steps and see another group not more that 150 yards up the hill just feeding away and enjoying them selfs (black dots). No brainer here and off we go on a stalk (green dotted line) we side hill across the face and drop into a little finger, this puts us out of sight of the hogs. We turn stright up hill and make our way as close to the last bit of cover there is. We turn right out of the finger and make our way to the last tree. Light is fadeing fast, I cant breath and my up hill leg is dead.
(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f85/wtpops/SDC15149b.jpg)
I catch my breath and start the final stalk(blue dotted line) for the single hog that is about 60 yards lower and 60 to 65 yards from me. Steve stays by the dead oak tree and watches the hole thing unfold. Im makeing up ground slowly, staying low trying to look like a hog. I cut the distance between us in half. Right about now the boar looks up and stares right at me, i can hear him chewing on the grass in his mouth, he must have a itch in his ear, he starts shaking his head and i can hear his ears flap back and forth hitting the side of his head. Im losing light fast i may have 10 min left at the most. Then it happens he starts feeding right at me (black dotted line) he picks his head up and stars me down again, im sitting on my left hip, bow in my left hand arrow nocked, i start tearing grass out of the ground in hopes the sound will make him think im a feeding hog. I dont know if it worked but he put his head down and fead right to me again. I brought the bow up about half way and up his head came, he looked at me and then turned boardside. Up the bow came, back to anchor and the arrow was gone. Not enough light to see the arrow fly but the sound of the hit made me smile and turn to steve with a thumbs up. Upon impact he took off on a dead run (red dotted line) We followed a light blood trail for about 70 yards and then it turned straght down hill for ten yards where we found him on his back.
(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f85/wtpops/SDC15152c.jpg)
Here's a pic of first blood found...
(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f85/wtpops/SDC15144.jpg)
Well we started rolling him down to the creek, with him getting hung up in brush it took about 30 min to get him to the bottom. When we got their there was a 40 to 50 foot drop off to the creek below so we sat him up for some pics before we dropped him off the cliff. He was about 225 with 2 to 2 1/2" cutters. Apparently he was quarting to me a little bit on the shot. That is the exit wound in the pic, i hit him right in the sweet spot and had fletch sticking out on the enterance and broad head sticking out the exit that was between the second and third rib from the back. Shot took out lungs and liver. Here's a couple of pics of the brute...
(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f85/wtpops/SDC15145.jpg)
(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f85/wtpops/SDC15148.jpg)
Once we dropped him off the cliff we made our we down, took care of the field dressing then headed back to the truck. We left him over night, it was no where near safe enough to try to drag him out in the bottom of that creek at night. O I ended up taking a bath in the creek on the way out
Pics of recovery comming up...
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:thumbsup:
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Congrats
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Thanks for shareing your trip with us .good job best bedtime storie I have had in a while good night.
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:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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Great story and pics! Congrats on the bruiser hog.
Bisch
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Congrats :thumbsup:
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Thanks guys here is the end of the story.
Well its Saturday, slept in untill 7:30 got up and hit the road to get my pig out of the creek. We had about a 300 to 400 yard drag right through the bottom of a flowing creek.
Pulled up parked and geared up and started our walk up the creek. Here is a couple of pics going in, you can see why we waited untill day light...
(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f85/wtpops/SDC15153.jpg)
There was 2 or 3 spots like this one we had to get around. If you look close you can see Steve in the middle of the pic. Notice how steep the walls are..
(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f85/wtpops/SDC15154.jpg)
We made it to the boar and noticed something we had not seen at night while in the creek. You history buffs will like this. This is a late 1800's cabin, it has three stories. The only way in our out of here was by mule.
Check out these pics...
(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f85/wtpops/SDC15155.jpg)
(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f85/wtpops/SDC15174.jpg)
The door on the lower left is the lower story...
(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f85/wtpops/SDC15156.jpg)
Im standing in the doorway of the second and main story..
(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f85/wtpops/SDC15172.jpg)
This is the entreance to the top story , it looks looks a bunck house floor..
(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f85/wtpops/SDC15169.jpg)
Pic of one of the bedrooms on the main floor...
(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f85/wtpops/SDC15164.jpg)
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Check out his door hinge. They put this thing on in the late 1800's and the door is still not sagging. Thats a hinge right there...
(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f85/wtpops/SDC15171.jpg)
Here we are just about back to the truck. A pic of steve draging the back half of the boar, im trying to drag the front half with out falling in the creek again...
(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f85/wtpops/SDC15176.jpg)
Well I had a blast this was a great hunt and i earned every bit of this hog. It makes for a great hunt and memory when you can say that..
Hope you enjoyed my hunt.
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Awesome! keep it coming
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Great way to tell the story.
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Were the guides aware of the cabin on the property ?? Awesome hunt and story, congratulations...
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Congrats Rick.
Great story and pics were awesome. :notworthy:
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As everyone has already said, excellent!
Definitely not how I imagine Cali but that's just beautiful country there.
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Originally posted by DBerrard:
As everyone has already said, excellent!
Definitely not how I imagine Cali but that's just beautiful country there.
The surfer girls are in the cabin....LOL!
What a beutiful place! I've been to Northern California when I was a kid and the memory is still vivid.
That cabin is incredible! I wonder when it was abandoned? It looks to be in a realistic restorable condition. Beautiful.
Congrats on a great time and thank you for the pictures.
Andrew
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That's good stuff right there!! :thumbsup:
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Congrats on the fine boar :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
The pictures of the cabin are something else. My imagination started running wild with thoughts of what it must have been like back then.
Thanks for sharing :clapper: :clapper:
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I may have enjoyed this story more than any other here on tradgang. Great job with the photos, arrows, dots, etc. Oh, and congrats on a fine hog.
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Wonderful scenery, and a very cool cabin!
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Thanks for sharing,great story and pictures.Congrats on a fine boar.
Terry
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Absolutely awesome! Great pics and story. Well done!
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Great story! Great use of pics...Congrats :clapper:
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Sweet hunt! :clapper:
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The graphics on the pics are awesome. Really help the story. Nice to see the OTHER pics too. The deep walls around the creek and the awesome cabin pics. Nice all around story. Thanks for sharing.
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Great story! Thanks for sharing the cabin pics. What a shame it couldn't be restored.
i started breathing hard and my legs felt dead when i saw the pics of the "face" of that canyon!
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Great pics and story.
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Great pics and great story. :thumbsup:
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Congrats on that BIG pig!! Great story and pics as well!
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:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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Northern California Hog hunt, top on my dream list! Thanks for sharing your adventure. That cabin is really neat. Look at the size of the planks in that door!
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Congats Pops! You are a killing machine.
We are headed to Bryson's Ranch the week after next. Letcha' know.
Nice hog (again)! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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what a time out :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :clapper: :clapper:
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Excellent hunt!!! My knee is almost good enough to have another go myself! Dang that's inspiring!
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Congrats Rick! The only way this hunt could have been tougher was to shoot that big boy on the LAST hour of your hunt! Tejon is like a whole nuther world!
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Wow that Tejon is something to behold. What do they charge to hunt those invasive pests if you dont mind me asking. That was a great story with the pics etc. Really well done. Like I was there myself...guess you may have saved me a few bucks
Thanks for sharing that..
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That is an awesome story of an awesome hunt! Congrats!
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Originally posted by Randy Morin:
Wow that Tejon is something to behold. What do they charge to hunt those invasive pests if you dont mind me asking. That was a great story with the pics etc. Really well done. Like I was there myself...guess you may have saved me a few bucks
Thanks for sharing that..
They have several differant packages.
A 1 on 1 fulley guided hog hunt is 1,000, it is guaranteed, if you dont get an opportunity at a hog you come back for free. this hunt is hands off all you bring is your gear. They put you up in a cabin, feed you and take you out find the pigs, get you in close, retreve the hog, shin it.
This is the hunt that i was on but i won it in a raffle, Paied 60.00 for the tickets :goldtooth: If a guy had the disposable income it may be worth it. they treat you and feed you like a king.
They have a simi guided hunt they give you a place to camp, they will have 1 or 2 guides for 8 to 10 people, they draw you maps on where to go and will help retreve game. 500.00, might be cheeper for archery.
Then they have the management hunts, all do it your self, they give you a place to camp and you are on your own. 300.00 for archery. This is the one i will most likely be doing in the future.
Here is the post of a hunt the Kingwouldbe put together for us tradgangers i think its going to be an annual event.
http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=062389;p=1
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Awesome pictures and descriptions.that cabin door hinge is an awesome find living history there. congrats on a nice hog
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Congrats WTPOPS.I loved your story and pic.Did the other three hunters kill anything? :clapper: :clapper:
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Great Pics!
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Great story! Congrats! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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Thanks for sharing.
Todd
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Nice job and those pics were awesome.
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Originally posted by DELTA:
Congrats WTPOPS.I loved your story and pic.Did the other three hunters kill anything? :clapper: :clapper:
Yes they did, one more was takin on Friday afternoon the same time i took mine. Another two were takin on Saturday morning and one hunter had one more tag to fill. With the amount of pigs i saw i have no doubt he filled it.
The other three hunters were using rifles.
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Great story :thumbsup: and a great HOG :notworthy: Congrats!!!
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I was on that hunt in JAN that KINGWOULDBE put together.I was impress with the quantity of hogs that we saw.Dont you have pigs in Coalinga?
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Congratulations! Great story and PICS....Love that old cabin....Don and Skyler
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Rick
You put alot of effort into getting that hog, and thanks for putting in extra effort to share it with us, it felt like I was with you the whole time!!!!!
Awesome work and Congratulations!!!
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great story.that cabin is just way to cool.man people had it made back then.work the land and hunt for your food,i sometimes think i was born in the wrong century as i long for times like those.......great story and thanks for sharing.
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Not sure where I was....but I missed this one.
CONGRATS SIR!!!!!!! :clapper: