The Hog Blog

Well, actually, as far as my hunt was concerned, she sang at about 19:00 Saturday night.   I had to catch a plane to Raleigh on Sunday afternoon, so that cut my trip short.  Drove all night long,  got a short nap, and hit the air for North Carolina.  But everything leading up to Saturday night was pretty great, as always!

There are no pictures… or at least none by me.  On Friday afternoon as I was motoring over to my jumping off place, I spotted four condors circling lazily over the road.  They were only a couple hundred feet up, so I reached behind the seat for the video camera.  I’d made sure to charge both batteries on Thursday, prior to hitting the road.  I charged up the Olympus and Sony still cameras too.   I haven’t taken any pix in a while, so I’d be sure to be ready for this trip.  These condors circling would make an awesome intro for the weekend’s hunting video. 

But the video camera wasn’t in it’s regular place.  Neither were the still cameras. An image flashed in my mind… the picture of three cameras sitting on the counter beside the front door of the house.  All charged up and no place to go. 

Cursing my forgetfulness, I went on and started tracking up the canyon.  I’d decided to stick with the bow for this hunt.  I really don’t need more pork in the freezer, and I’ve been itching to do a bowhunt for months.  It’s a hard row to hoe, using a bow on this part of the ranch, especially with limited time to get it done.  I could stand a challenge, and looked forward to the opportunity to focus my mind on something besides the crazy shit that’s been my daily reality the last month or two. 

It happens fast when you’re bowhunting… at least it does for me.  I fasten the release around my wrist and shoulder the Cat Quiver and start up the canyon.  My bow feels light and deadly in my hand, a comfortable change from the heft of a rifle.  Even in the mid-afternoon, the light is dim where the creek winds through the deep, rocky cleft.  The breeze is cool and moist, and blows back in my face. 

Within 50 yards of the truck, I feel predatory.  My eyes widen and my nostrils flare.  Every little sound races through my ears and to my brain, to be analyzed and relegated to a category… wind, water, animal-but-not-game.  I love the first hours of a hunt.  I’m stoked.  I’m not tired yet, my legs and back are strong, and every shadow and bend in the trail holds promise. 

After two hours of sidehilling along pig and cattle trails, I was still in full bowhunt mode, but the sweat was running and my lower back was feeling the strain.  I was still a long ways from the bedding area I had in mind, but decided to stop and relax for a few minutes.  I dropped the pack and sat down on the edge of a draw.  I settled up against a tree trunk for cover, and knocked back a bottle of water.  I was getting more comfortable, but from where I was sitting I really couldn’t see any of the hillsides around me.  I decided to get up and move to a spot where I could glass the canyon a little better.

I got to my feet and slung the pack over my shoulders.  As I bent to pick up my hat, I thought I heard something.  My ears flashed back to predator mode.  Up the draw to my right I could hear the unmistakeable shuffle of pig feet.  I peeked around the trunk of a downed oak and was shocked to see four bristled, black backs moving directly down the bottom of the draw.  I eased an arrow out of the bow quiver and nocked it. 

At the rate they were going, they would come out below me at the ideal range of about 15 yards.  I watched as the lead hog, a perfect little 100lb boar, stepped behind the tree.  When he came out, he’d be directly in the trail.  I drew the bow and took a breath.  That crazy exhileration washed over me, shortening my breath and making my pulse pound in my ears.  In my mind, the whole thing was playing out perfectly. 

Pigs suck!  They never do what they’re supposed to do.  In the brief seconds he was out of my sight, that damned little boar turned up the hill.  Instead of popping out in a textbook position below me, he’d come out less than five yards away!  I tried to turn slowly at full draw, but he saw me (how could he help it?) and went on high alert.  I had to twist a long ways to get on him, but as the pin drifted over the kill zone, I started squeezing on the release.  Just as I felt the arrow turn loose, the hog bolted.  The 100gr Slick-Trick broadhead barely missed the tip of the flying tail. 

That’s right.  Yet another hog has felt the whistling wind of death and lived to tell the tale. 

Son of a bitch.

Read the rest of this entry »

Over the years since I started putting together these hunts at the Tejon Ranch, one of the most common questions I get is, “what should I bring?”

It’s actually a pretty good question, and as this year’s big trip looms (I’m hitting the road tomorrow night), I thought this was a good time to give it a go. 

First, we’ll dispense with the basics, Guns and Ammo, Optics, Gear, and Vehicles. 

Guns and Ammo: 

I’ve written about this before, but my recommendation is a centerfire rifle in .270 or larger.  Sure, a smaller rifle will kill hogs.  A rock will kill a hog.  But stepping up to something with the range, accuracy, and power of at least a .270Win gives the advantage of a versatile round that allows you to kill a large hog cleanly from powder-burn range to a couple hundred yards.  Especially at places like Tejon, where the terrain varies so widely, it’s good to be able to take the shot you’re presented instead of the shot you’d prefer (within reason, of course). 

You’ll need to be shooting lead-free ammo, so you’ll need to find the kind that shoots best in your personal rifle.  Options are currently, ETip, Barnes, Hornady GMX, Lapua Naturalis, and Remington Copper Solid.  I’ve been real happy so far with both the ETips and the Barnes TSX.  I’ve yet to try the others, however, I have seen good results from the Lapua.  Keep in mind that Tejon Ranch has a total ban on lead ammo, and you are not permitted to possess any on the property… period.  Make sure you clean your vehicle out before you arrive.

A lot of folks want to know about handguns.  I don’t recommend carrying a handgun as a “backup”, simply because it’s generally a lot of extra weight.  If you choose to do so, however, remember that it must be loaded with lead-free ammo even if it’s not your primary weapon.  I do keep my .44mag in the truck, particularly in case I decide to go hunt the bedding areas.  I also carry it if I’m called to help out on a bad blood trail.  But when I take the handgun, I generally leave the rifle behind.  There’s just not much need to carry both, in my opinion.

If you want to carry a handgun for primary, I recommend a .44mag orlarger.  Again, I’ve written about this at length elsewhere, but the bottom line is that it takes a lot of oomph and penetration to bring down a big hog.  Most of the semi-autos and such are designed for lighter rounds that don’t pack the foot-pounds you’ll need for a clean kill. For example, the .40 and .45acp are fine for finishing shots, but not recommended for big game hunting. 

Optics:

No western hunter should ever hit the field without a pair of quality binoculars.  Buy what you can afford, of course, but you won’t be sorry if you spring for the best you can manage.  I like at least a 10×40 (ten power with a 40mm objective), because that’s plenty of power to glass the shadows and draws, but it isn’t so powerful you can’t hold it steady without a tripod.  An 8-power glass is workable, but I wouldn’t bother with anything less.

You don’t need a spotting scope for this kind of hunting unless you’re specifically after trophy boars.  I’ve tried using one twice now, and it really was just more hassle than benefit. Binos worked just as well. There are plenty of good opportunities to use one though, if you feel the need.  There’s lots of open country and cross canyon vantage points.

Rangefinders can be helpful, although in general I think they’re over-rated for rifle hunters.  I have made good use of the rangefinder in my Leica GeoVid, especially with visiting hunters.  If you’re not used to estimating range in this canyon country, a measured distance can be good for the confidence.  Most folks tend to over-estimate anyway, but my rule is, if it seems “iffy”, then get closer or find another hog.  In my opinion, if it’s too far to hold dead on, then you don’t need to take the shot.  You can do better, especially at a place like Tejon Ranch.

Trail Gear:

Most of the hunting at a place like Tejon consists of spot and stalk.  You’ll seldom be more than a mile or so from the vehicle, so an extensive pack isn’t really a necessity.  When I leave the truck, I usually have about a liter or liter-and-a-half of water, a few trail bars, and some striking paper.  I also carry a signal whistle, two skinning knives and a sharpener (a hog is tough on a knife), a game bag or a couple of pillow cases, and several yards of parachute cord (550 cord).  There are also usually a few odds and ends, including some rudimentary first-aid stuff, but that’s the critical content.  All of this fits in a medium sized fanny pack, or in the tactical thigh packs I use.

While I never carry enough gear to fill a frame pack, I do carry one most of the time.  I have a tendency to drop my animals in some fairly inaccessible locations.  With a frame pack and some game bags, I can bone out a hog and lash it to the pack frame for a relatively easy recovery.  I never try to drag an animal, unless I’m really close to the vehicle.  An added benefit of the frame is that it makes carrying the little bit of gear I have a lot easier… I just lash the fanny pack to the frame. 

One other note on recovery… I always try to have several hundred yards of rope back at the vehicle.  In many cases, it’s possible to drop a long rope to your animal and let the vehicle do the heavy lifting to pull it out of a deep canyon.  You can never have too much rope.

Vehicles:

Tejon is a very accessible place, and can be hunted successfully from a two-wheel drive vehicle.  In fact, some very productive areas can be reached from the paved road.  There are several good roads, particularly when the weather is dry, so a regular pick-up truck or SUV can get around quite well.  I would recommend something with a little extra ground clearance for the dirt roads.  A decent, short-wheelbase, 4wd vehicle can access every road on the ranch in dry weather.  Some of the trails get pretty steep, and in places there’s some deep, dusty sand, so you’ll need the extra boost of a 4wd.  Long-bed pick-ups can get around pretty well too, but some roads get real tight and turning around can be a problem. 

When the weather is wet and snowy, however, it’s a different deal.  The high roads are often blocked by drifts, and the muddy lower roads can turn into real quagmires.  The clay and stone soil get slick as Vaseline, and will pack the treads of most off-road tires in no time.  In these cases, you’ll need a really good off-road vehicle combined with an experienced driver to access some areas… other areas should simply be considered inaccessible.  Get out and use the boot leather.

Recently, Tejon has started to allow the use of “side-by-sides” or UTVs, such as the Polaris or Kawasaki Mule.  These vehicles are useful and economical, but they generally don’t offer a lot of ground clearance.  An experienced driver can probably get them into some pretty tricky areas, but it’s also pretty easy to get yourself into a real bind. 

I recommend bringing along some self-extraction gear, such as a winch, hi-lift jack, come-along, and recovery straps or cables.  But even more importantly, bring along some common sense.  Every year the ranch has at least a couple of folks who end up going over the edge, and several more end up calling for the off-road wrecker service.  In at least a couple of cases, vehicles have had to be abandoned for several days until the weather permits an extraction. 

Oh, and the standard aphorism for driving at Tejon: “If the road starts looking really bad, stop and go back.  It will NOT get better around the bend.”

So what else?  Read the rest of this entry »

It’s Monday morning.

I hate Mondays, but this one is particularly dreary. I’ve been trying really hard to get re-motivated to everyday life, and honestly, I didn’t realize how much I’d set aside over the last couple of weeks. Now I’m trying hard to wrap my head around a new job, which involves revising training for a product I know very little about in a very short time. I’m taking over from a full-time employee who has gone out on maternity leave, and I was supposed to meet with her to get a “brain dump” two weeks ago. Unfortunately, two weeks ago I was in NC, and now she’s gone out on her leave without being able to meet with me. Talk about coming in cold.

Revising and updating a training program isn’t unlike remodeling an old house. You understand the mechanics of construction, but no two carpenters build something the same way… not to mention the fact that no house ever goes up exactly according to the architect’s plan. Little changes are made along the way to address variations in grade or mistakes in layout. The house may look like every other house on the outside, but when you start peeling off the sheetrock and siding, that minor upgrade can take on a whole new aspect.

The new gig also has me travelling a lot, right off the start, and that’s put a monkey wrench into other things, like guiding… not to mention catching up on the home front after my unplanned absence in NC. I’m feeling a bit off-balance, to be honest, and a foggy Monday morning isn’t helping at all.

What’s this got to do with hunting? Not really a damned thing. It’s simply my reality these days, and one excuse for letting the blog sit idle for so long… again. I’ve looked at it every day, but I simply haven’t been able to muster the energy to jump to the admin panel and click the “Add New Post” button.

I thought I’d do something yesterday about Mother’s Day. I mean, I’ve written a lot about my dad, but my mom has an equal place on the dais of my lifetime heroes. She’s an incredible lady, and that’s not just because I “have” to say that because I’m her son. It’s true. Her strength and resolve in the face of all sorts of challenges are an inspiration. She has always encouraged me to take my own path through life, even when that path deviated from the trail she’d have chosen for me. She supported me fully, even at times when I really deserved to be set adrift, and she’s always been there to help pick me up when I busted my butt… whether falling from a horse or falling from a bad life decision.

Her strength has never been more evident than during the last 14 years, as she’s cared for my dad. Always hopeful for positive change, she nevertheless stood fast through his decline. A lot of folks would have been completely justified to hand over that caregiving to a nursing facility years ago, but she tried her best to provide until it was, finally, physically impossible for her to handle him. The things she went through, and the toll it took… yet here she is, still the loving, positive person I’ve known my whole life.

So I tried to frame all of this in my head yesterday, but nothing sounded quite “right”, and none of it seemed to fit the Hallmark Card atmosphere of the “celebration” of Mother’s Day. Hopefully my phone call yesterday served the purpose.

But all is not doom and gloom, and there’s hunting on the horizon!

Thursday night, I’ll hit the road for Tejon Ranch and a long-awaited hunt with several folks from the hunting forums. As a first, I’ll be taking the 15 year-old son of a friend along as a junior hunter. Payton had the chance to tag along on a couple of deer hunts last fall and the bug bit him pretty good. He attended one of the California Waterfowl Association youth camps at Grizzly Island to get some basic training and earn his Hunter Safety card, and then ran right out to get a license. I got him out for pheasants a time or two, but I haven’t, unfortunately, had the time to spend with him at the range with the centerfire rifle. We’ll get a little trigger time prior to the hunt, though, and I expect he’ll do pretty well.

Following that hunt, it’ll be off to NC for two weeks of work in Raleigh. No hunting on that trip, but it will give me a chance to visit with family a little bit. I’ll try to keep things going while I’m there… I’m sure there’s some kind of hunting news, issues, or topics to occupy my downtime in the hotel room. 

What’s going on with all of you folks?  Chasing hogs?  Hunting turkeys?

What a difference a week makes!

After the previous weekend’s tough hunting at Tejon Ranch, with nine hunters coming away with only three hogs, I was a little concerned going into the past weekend’s hunt.  However, on this last hunt, there were a number of different factors involved.  

First, the weather turned cold and wet.  The beautiful, sunny days of the previous hunt quickly became pleasant memories when the rain and fog bored into the hills.  The persistent, icy rain turned the roads into sloppy goo and worked its way right through the best gear.  Even before the rain, the cold wind on Friday night nearly drove me off of my favorite ridgetop. 

The bright side is, the changing weather got the animals moving.  We started spotting pigs by 1130, right out of camp on Friday, and when the fog allowed any visibility at all, we continued to see hogs.  During the previous hunt, hogs were moving almost completely at night, leaving a frustrating amount of sign but heading back to their beds before first light.

The other big difference was the group of hunters on this trip.  The previous trip consisted of nine guys, only two of whom (myself and Ron Gayer) had any experience on the ranch.  Few of the others had much hog hunting experience, especially not in a place like Tejon. 

The group this weekend consisted of 12 guys, mostly long-time hog hunters who have been coming to Tejon for several years.  They came with “honey holes” already picked out.  They knew how to get to the good spots, how to hunt them, and in the end, it all paid off.  The group rolled out of the gates on the last day with a total of 10 hogs for 12 hunters.  Everyone had taken at least one shot (a couple of guys took more than one shot). 

For me, a big part of the pleasure this weekend was hunting with my friend, T. Michael Riddle from Native Hunt.  I’d told him for years about how much I loved hunting the Tejon Ranch, and he said he’d always wanted to get out there.  I think Michael quickly found that everything he’d heard about the place was true.  It’s simply a phenomenal piece of land, loaded with all the bounty and beauty Nature can provide. 

After a couple of false starts, we were able to hang both our tags on a couple of fat sows.  (I’ll write a little more about those false starts over on the Native Hunt blog.) 

And then there were pork chops, and there was much rejoicing!

Wow. 

I was told a very long time ago that there is no “sure thing”.  And I get it. 

Even so, when I head out to Tejon, I have a pretty high level of confidence that I can not only kill a hog myself, I can take several other hunters to hogs as well.  My track record there is pretty danged good. 

But the real clincher was that this weekend’s success wouldn’t just depend on my fortunes… former Tejon guide, Ron Gayer came along to join the fun.  Ron knows this place like almost no one else, and he was more than willing and happy to help out.   In addition to hunting some hogs, Ron was hoping to shoot some footage for his series of educational videos, called “The Guide’s Guide To Hunting.” 

And there was even more great news… the weather, always a major gamble in February, was as close to perfect as it could ever be.  With clear nights in the mid-thirties and sunny days with temps around 60, the snow melted off of the ridges and wet roads dried out.  (Many of the ranch roads can be absolutely terrifying when wet.)  It was no problem accessing my tried-and-true spots. 

Hog sign was everywhere.  Where the snow had recently receded, the fresh ground was shredded by rooting snouts.  There were cattle trails that looked like solid mosaics of hog tracks.  Scat littered the ground.  There were even places where we could smell the danged things!

So when I rolled out with Fabio and crew this past weekend, I felt pretty sure I’d have a stack of hog photos to put up today.  But, I guess it was not to be. 

It wasn’t for lack of trying.  We covered a lot of ground, both on foot and by vehicle.  We glassed high and low.  We pushed the bedding areas.  We hiked and sneaked and drove and even crawled a little bit…

And we did see a few hogs.  A few shots were fired.  A few hogs were scared.  But when all was said and done, the nine hunters in our group were only able to connect on three hogs.   All three were really good boars, but for a group this size, and with these conditions, I expected to easily come out with about 60% success.  It was probably the toughest hunt (for finding hogs) I’ve ever had at Tejon.  Ron was a little surprised as well. 

But that’s hunting.  We did have a great time, though, and that’s what counts. 

I’m heading back down this coming weekend for a little redemption.  T. Michael Riddle will be coming down with me, for his first visit to Tejon.  Yeah, I know, he’s got his own place with plenty of hogs, but the allure of a place like Tejon Ranch goes way beyond killing pigs.  After hearing me go on about it, he had to come out and see it for himself.

For anyone else who may want to get down to Tejon, I’ve got another hunt going in May.  This will be a much bigger group (25-50 hunters), but there is plenty of ranch to spread out.  Cost for the hunt is $450/per person (plus a $13 insurance policy), and each hunter will be allowed to take one hog.  Youth hunters (12-16) hunt for half-price.  This is an unguided hunt, but there are usually plenty of Tejon veterans willing to help out with strategy and suggestions for places to hunt. 

There is no lodging provided in this deal, but there’s a great camping area that’s suitable for everything from tents to motor homes (no hook-ups, though).  For those who don’t want to camp, there are a couple of motels a few minutes from the ranch. 

If you’re interested, and would like more details, shoot me an email.  Make sure you include the words Tejon Hunt in the subject line.

Man!  Has it been that long?  It seems like forever since I’ve been hog hunting, and this trip couldn’t come at a better time. 

I’m heading out tomorrow afternoon, driving south to the Tejon Ranch.  I’ll be joining several friends, including Fabio (I’ve guided Fabio over at the Native Hunt ranches a time or two), and we’re planning to put the serious smack-down on some hogs.  I was particularly fortunate that my friend, Ron Gayer wants to join us on the hunt.  Ron’s video series, The Guide’s Guide to hunting, is going well, and he’s hoping to shoot some new video on this trip. 

Of course, it doesn’t hurt anything that Ron was also the Head Guide for the ranch for many years.  I’m looking forward to having him along.

I wish I had cooler stuff to write about right now, but work has been pretty intense lately and it’s taken its toll on the blog.  I’m happy to be busy, but at the same time I’m really glad to be getting back into the field.

Hang tight, and I’ll be posting up stories (and if the weather holds, video) of the hunt!

The sixth annual JHO Pig-o-rama at the Tejon Ranch is now in the history books.  Twenty-nine hunters came together on Friday, May 22nd, for a couple of great days on one of the most beautiful ranches in the state, and did their best to help manage the burgeoning wild pig population. 

When all was said and done, and our last group of hunters came back to camp on the last day, our group had taken 12 hogs, ranging from approximately 225lbs to 5olbs.  It was not our best showing, but by all accounts, even the hunters who came home empty-handed had a great time.

One of the things I always enjoy about this hunt is the opportunity to spend time with new hunters, or at least new hog hunters.  I think I get as much fun out of helping them and watching their excitement as I do out of hunting and killing my own hog.  As often as possible, I try to help out with information and guidance where I can, and usually try to take one or two of the new hunters to some of my “honey holes”.  It’s hard to describe the look in the eyes of the new hunter when he or she has just shot that first wild hog.  For me to play a part in that experience is a very satisfying (and somewhat addictive) feeling. 

With this in mind, on Friday night I took to the field with a new friend, Jack.  Jack had been asking around about a guided hog hunt, and my friend (and semi-annual elk guide) Rick, recommended that Jack give me a call.  I told him I don’t really have any properties of my own to guide, but if he was interested, I’d be glad to recommend another operation, like Native Hunt or Bryson-Hesperia resort. 

As we talked a bit more on the phone, though, I learned that what he really wanted was the opportunity to go out with an experienced hunter and learn more about hog hunting.  I told him about our annual JHO hunt at Tejon, and he locked right onto it.  I offered to help him get started if he joined the fun, and he signed up right away.  Read the rest of this entry »

This is a tough one, because I just received two press releases that are equally relevant here.  Since they’re both kinda long, I’ll put a “jump” here so they don’t take up the whole page… we have a couple of great discussions going that I don’t want to lose.

So, here ya go… click the link and read on!  It’s worth the effort! Read the rest of this entry »

My friend Michael Riddle just sent me this news article from the LA Times, regarding Tejon Ranch’s development plans and the uproar they’re causing amongst environmentalists. 

As you will see when you read the piece, the environmentalist community is at definite odds over the apparent willingness of several key organizations to sell out to Tejon Ranch’s program.  Under the terms of the agreement, Tejon will develop a small percentage of their properties, and will guarantee the remainder (almost 90%) will stay undeveloped.  How this will all impact the hunting programs (wild hogs, antelope, deer, elk, etc.) remains to be seen. 

Under the accord unveiled in May after two years of confidential negotiations, Tejon Ranch Co. will preserve 90% of its holdings in the Tehachapi Mountains, about 60 miles north of Los Angeles.

In exchange, a coalition of environmental groups, including the Sierra Club, Audubon California and Natural Resources Defense Council, will not challenge massive development projects on the remaining 10% of the Tejon property.

Of course, this isnt’ enough for some of the more strident “protectors” of the natural habitat.  Nothing short of 100% preservation would suit them, and even that wouldn’t be enough for many.  Never mind the fact that this is, after all, Tejon Ranch’s property.  Forget the idea of property rights and ownership, and the common sense argument that, really, the Ranch shouldn’t have to do any damned thing at all to appease any special interest group. 

No, these folks are rallying around the condor to advance their preservationist (not to be confused with conservationist) agendas.  They could care less who the land belongs to.  And that’s unacceptable. 

True, Tejon Ranch has a large piece of property which encompasses an awful lot of wildlife habitat.  To lose this would be devastating to many species, possibly including the condor.  Under their acclaimed “stewardship” of this land, it would behoove the Ranch to take care of it and preserve as much as possible. 

But on the other hand, this is a business we’re talking about, and for a business to survive, it has to turn a profit.  Raw land isn’t very profitable unless you’re selling it.  They have to do something, and Joe Public has nothing to say about that. 

Tejon has climbed into bed with some strange and conflicting bedfellows to do this development project and make it as palatable as possible.  Of course it’s all about appeasing the most powerful of the environmental organizations, but as I’ve wondered before… can you really appease these people?  Or will it turn out, as things progress, that the more these organizations get, the more they will want? 

It doesn’t bode well, unfortunately.  We’ll see where it goes. 

Yeah, I know… it’s been so long now it’s hardly relevant.  And honestly, the footage isn’t all that great.  But I promised, and I need to start finishing these video series (unlike the last Colorado elk hunt video).  So here goes.  If you’ve already forgotten part 1, you can see it here.

Now for part 2.