The Hunt Schedule picks up
Well, this past fall hunting season was slow, to say the least. Work, travel, and other such “reality” kept me from hitting the woods as much as I’d like. I promised myself I’d make it up to myself this spring…and so far I’m on it!
I wrote earlier about my hunt in February at the Tejon Ranch. That one sent me home without any hogs in the cooler, but it was still an awesome wild pig hunt with some great people. I’ve also got two more hunts planned for Tejon, a rifle hunt over Memorial Day weekend that ought to be a kick, and an archery hunt the following weekend.
Since thatTejon trip, I’ve been getting psyched up for a Texas hunt over the weekend of March 23-25. On this hunt I’ll be aiming for an Axis doe, and of course, for a wild boar or two while I’m at it. Gotta do my part to control those pigs down there, you know?
Well, over the weekend I started getting a little excited about turkey hunting. The birds are getting fired up, and it only took a couple of gobbles to get the juices flowing. Unfortunately, my favorite public land spot was discovered a couple of years ago and the number of turkey tracks has decreased due to the increase in people tracks.
On top of this, a friend of mine, Bob Lloyd, has decided to take up bowhunting, and has been hinting that he’d like someone (me) to take him out and show him the ropes. Now I love to take new people hunting, but I like to get them out to a spot where there’ll be good opportunities to at least see game. Nothing can ruin the experience for a new hunter more than trekking over mountain and draw all day and seeing nothing except boot tracks and old sign. You don’t need a kill every time, but if you want to get a newbie excited, get him into fresh sign and game sightings. The best way to do that in CA is to open the wallet and pay to play.
Fortunately, my friend, Chopper, has a 4000 acre, archery-only hunting property down near Hollister, CA. His place, Chopper’s Wild Hog Adventures has a great population of turkeys, as well as a bunch of my favorite critters…wild hogs! The turkey season usually books up early there, but I was lucky enough to call him just after a couple of cancellations. I hadn’t planned on another paid hunt this year, but it was too good to pass up. Besides, it would be worth it to see Bob take his first turkey, and very possibly, his first wild boar. A few phone calls, an email or two, and we were in!
So now I need to start clearing out the freezer and making some room for fresh meat!