Questions for Pig Giggers

[Bowmag]

First, thanks for all the great stories and pictures.
I'm on for the 5th hunt and I'm wondering what the bunk house and/or kitchen facilities are like.
More exactly, what do I need to bring for cooking, etc. I noticed all of the "dining" pictures are made outside under the balmy skies.
This is my first really organized larger hunt and I would appreciate any suggestions that would make it go smoother.
Hopefully the lousy weather will be gone by then but..... I'm about 50 miles away and they are forecasting snow again tonight. Maybe it won't get up that way.

[Fletcher]

I think it will depend on which cabin you get put in.  We stayed in the Fort's Clear Creek cabin over on the east end and it was pretty well equipped.  Frige, elec stove/oven, microwave, Mr. Coffee and utensils.  I don't recall an outdoor grill.  You might want paper plates, bowls and a pan or two.  I have no real idea about the west cabin.

BTW, good luck and enjoy!

[Seeza]

I don't mean to hi jack your thread BowMag but I'll be joining you that week and was wondering about getting around.  I am going down week #5 to the same ranch. I normally don't hunt using an ATV but wondering if I should bring one along considering the access shown here. Are ATV's welcome on the ranch or for this hunt?

[Bowmag]

Thanks, Fletcher. Maybe I'll get that one.
Looks like there was at least one or two ATVs on first week's hunt, Seeza. MAybe somebody who has already been to the Gig can chime in. Hopefully it will be a lot drier. My truck has pretty good ground clearance but not 4 wheel drive.

[robtattoo]

I can't comment on the bunkhouse situation as I was camping on week one.

However, I would HIGHLY recommend an ATV if you've got one. Unless the ranch has dried out considerably (I doubt it) a two-wheel drive truck would be less than useless.
I was driving 'The Beast' that Don, Curt, JC & the boys used for a day & even with very aggressive mud terrain tires & a 4-wheel drive, low ratio box we struggled to get to some places. At the river crossing we used on the last day, it took me 4 attempts & 25 minutes to get up the far bank which isn't actually that steep! A guy with no offroad experience could easily get into a lot of trouble on some of the roads. I don't mean to sound alarmist but 12-17 miles is a LONG way to walk for help! Cell service is spott at best & you really don't want to get yourself into anythig you ca't get out of by yourself. I would certainly recommend throwing a long handled shovel in your kit for those wonderful digging-out jobs    
75% of the roads are fine for a 4 wheel drive truck with good tires, but the other 25% have steep dropoffs, 2' deep ruts & the mud is like axle grease, both sticky & slick at the same time. If you value your paintjob at all, hitch a lift!  :D

Mind you, if you enjoy a bit of offroading fun (I really, really do!) & don't mind getting dirty, driving around the ranchis half the fun of the hunt!  :D

[Bowmag]

Thanks for the input, Rob. Sounds like some serious mud. Maybe I'd better go to plan B.

[Kevin Bahr]

I hear you may want to keep AAA's phone number handy, in case you need a tow truck.  
Seriously, the ranch roads had dried considerably by the time we left at the end of week 2. If they don't get any rain or snow in the next couple of weeks, you could probably get around with a two wheel drive vehicle.  I'd take a 4X4 though, just in case.

[Seeza]

Thanks guys, my F350 is 4x4 but a dually which sure doesn't help.  I'll hitch up the ATV's and probably leave less of a footprint then running around with my truck.  For me a big part of a hunt in the footwork but getting to the areas of the ranch is another story.  
Rob, I'll be carrying one of your fine knives as always and hope to bloody it again.

[Bowmag]

We've got another 3-4 inches of snow this morning. Weather radar looks like it might not be that bad up near the ranch but the storm is still moving.
Seeza, sounds like you've got it under control with vehicles.

[Guru]

Rob is right on!  Week one was a good test of any 4x4 truck....2wd's were all but useless.

I'd bet it wouldn't take much rain or snow to "cripple" things again...

It's an awesome ranch....good luck!

[Fletcher]

Seeza, a four wheeler would be handy and probably welcome as long as it's kept on the roads.  This is a big ranch tho, over a 15 mile drive across.  It would be a long ride.

[Seeza]

Thanks Fletcher, staying to the roads is no problem.  Hopefully things will be dry enough to get around in the truck.  I'm starting to get excited now, we leave in a week.

[Bowmag]

It's coming on fast, Seeza. I feel like I'm forgettng a thousand things that I need to do to get ready.
Are you camping or staying in a bunk house?
I did manage to borrow a friend's ATV so that should give us a little more flexibility in getting around.

[Seeza]

We are tenting, or sleeping in the ATV trailer if the weather is cold and nasty.  We are planning to head out from here on Thursday am and get down to your neck of the woods early to check out the countryside and poke around before we go out to the ranch on Sunday.

[Grant Young]

Guys, if the weather continues as it is it could be tough. If you are going to tent make sure you are prepared for some pretty cold conditions. We used Rob's tent (four-season- yeah, right) and it was pretty chilly. If I had flown as I did the year before I wouldn't have brought the just-in-case items that made all the difference. Barry and Gene loaned me a spare sleeping bag and I doubled up, so was okay. Great hunt all the same and I'd go again tomorrow. I'd take a heavier sleeping bag though.  Good Luck,  Grant