The Hog Blog

I haven’t been turkey hunting this year.  I’m not gonna whine about it, because, honestly, I’ve done plenty of hunting lately… it just wasn’t for turkeys.

But while I’ve been sitting on my heels, my family and friends have been hard at it, chasing the thunder chickens all over the country.

To begin with, my brother got drawn to hunt the Roanoke River wildlife area  in NC.  He’s got that place dialed in for deer and turkeys, and does well there every year.  This year was no exception, despite unusually high water.  In fact, the water was so high, he actually set up and made the shot right from the canoe! 

There was another good tom nearby, so Scott’s going back on his birthday in a couple of weeks to see if he can fill his other tag.  Sounds like a perfect way to spend a birthday to me!

He didn’t have his good camera, so pardon the picture quality.

Another North Carolinian and Hog Blog reader, Brian (AKA Carolina Rig) also did well on State Game Lands.  Here’s his story!

A fellow hunter beat me to the parking lot of the permit only state gameland hunt Thurs and Friday morning.  He mentioned he had roosted a bird the night before, so I let him get set up where he wanted too, and backed off. 

I walked down the road and told myself if I hear anything, I’ll make the move, otherwise, I’m going into work.  About 5 minutes later I hear a bird sound off on some adjacent private land about a 1/2 mile away.  I wait for another gobble, then book it down to the very corner of the of the gamelands, which puts me as close to the bird as I can legally get, and set up.  I call, he replies. 

This goes on for a few minutes, during which time he has cut the distance between us in half.  He’s fired up now, gobbling at every sound in the woods.  Then he hangs up.  I quickly decide that I’ve got to mix it up a bit, so I stand up, run down the trail away from him about 50 yards and call.  I do this twice, and its all he can stand.  By the time I get back to my spot, I see movement.  He comes in hot, sees the pretty hen I’ve got out for him, and struts his stuff.  19lbs, 9″ beard, matching set of 1″ spurs.

Finally, here’s one more and I’ve got to say it’s probably one of my favorites so far…

I’ve written a time or two about my friend Matt, “De hog shootinest Gent’man”.  He’s shared a lot of pictures of successful hog hunts over the years, but this one really tops things off.  It appears that Matt and his “guide” (his daughter) went out the other morning and really put it all together in short order.  A big tom turkey and a fat boar hog went down and out for the count.  He said his daughter is working on the story, and if I can, I’ll share it with you all.  In the meantime, here’s the proud daddy and his girl.

Turkey season opened here in CA on March 27.  I usually have a tale or two to tell by now, as we crawl into the third week of the season, but as we can see, I haven’t even been out to call at the infernal critters.  I’ve neither hunted for my own bird, nor guided anyone this season. 

Some of this, of course, is my own doing.  I did just get back from Texas, and while I considered dropping $100 for a non-resident turkey tag down there, I opted out.  I did enough killing in the week leading up to the turkey opener, and by the time it came along, I was tired of cleaning and cutting. 

As far as making time to get out here in CA, that hasn’t happened either… and it may not.  I’ve sort of lost touch with a couple of my private land contacts (which is my own fault t00), and haven’t really done any public land scouting.  And let me tell you, trying to hunt turkeys on public land without a little homework is a real exercise in futility.  So, if there’s a turkey hunting tip in here for you, that would be it…  you can do well hunting public land, but you have to scout it out first. 

On the other hand, if you want a great success story, you can check out Holly over at the NorCal Cazadora.  From the sounds of things, she had a classic hunt this past weekend.  Read the story yourself, but I will say that’s a heck of a way to break in a brand-new shotgun! 

In the meantime, I’m sitting here with a handful of gear I’m still trying to review.  Over the last few nights, I did have the opportunity to get out and play with the new Quad Tactical headlamp from Princeton Tec. 

As some of you will remember, I’ve been on the search for a headlamp that will provide enough light to follow a blood trail  in the dark.  At the SHOT Show this past January, I spoke to several manufacturers, and most seemed eager and willing to send me a sample or two to try out.  Unfortunately, no one has really followed through. 

I was lucky enough to contact the marketing folks from Princeton Tec, and after learning what I had in mind (waterproof, bright, lightweight), he suggested the Quad series.  The Tactical is a camo version of this light, and because I’m a hunter, that was his choice to send me.  So let me start off with the only slightly negative comment.

Making small tools (lights, knives, GPS, radios, etc.) in camouflage patterns is a neat gimmick, but it’s really not practical.  Think about it.  Camo is designed to blend in with the background cover so that it’s practically invisible.  So if you drop something, or lay it down… and it’s camouflaged… it can be a real problem to find.  I think this applies especially to lights, since you’re most likely to drop it or lay it down in the dark.  In my opinion (and experience), small tools should always be brightly colored so they’re not so easy to lose in the woods. 

That’s really a general comment, though, and not a specific knock on Princeton Tec, because otherwise, this light is really close to exactly what I was looking for. 

It’s waterproof to a meter, which means it should be fine in the heaviest of downpours, and will probably survive a drop into the duck marsh while setting decoys (a fate that has befallen several of my previous lights).  I haven’t dunked this one yet, but it did get soaked in my pack on that last Tejon hog hunt and didn’t even flicker. 

It’s lightweight, at 101 grams (a little over 3.5 ounces), even with three AAA batteries in it.  The AAA batteries, by the way, are also important to me.  I’ve seen some really great lights out there, but they run on proprietary batteries that are not only expensive, but they’re also hard to find.  I want to be able to pick up batteries at any gas station or grocery store.  It’s also an LED light, which means I don’t have to deal with finding and replacing bulbs.

The light is fairly bright, with an output rated at 45 lumens.  A critical feature of this lamp is that the light is regulated, so that it provides full brightness as long as there is battery power.  Ordinary flashlights tend to fire up at full brightness, and then constantly dim as they burn.  Now I don’t have the equipment for testing the actual output or any of that… and I’m not interested in going to those lengths.  I know what works, and with this light set at its highest setting, it’s bright enough for most blood trails.  I would probably have to fall back to my lantern or the big D-cell Mag-Light for a tougher trail, but the Quad is adequate.  It’s definitely plenty for finding your treestand or duck blind. 

One feature of the Quad Tactical is that it comes with colored lenses, so you can change the light output to red, green, or blue.  The light body holds one additional lens, and the others come packaged in the box with the light.  This means, if you’re like me, you’re going to lose the two lenses that aren’t attached to your light.  With that in mind, it’s a good idea to decide what you’ll use most, and attach it to the light from the get-go.

The red is good for following a trail without blowing your night vision.  The green offers a similar benefit, with the added bonus that the softness of green light will not spook game.  The blue light is supposed to aid in blood trailing, although in my own experience, the jury is still out on that.  I’ll be trying it next chance I get, but I haven’t had to follow a blood trail in a while.

Personally, for the most part, I tend to just use the white light when I use light at all.  Still, I’ll be experimenting with the blue light a little more on upcoming hunts.  I’m intrigued by the possibilities.

Boy, that’s probably the dumbest topic title I’ve done in a while.  Oh well, it rang in my mind and now I’ve shared it… 

Anyway, true to form, after walking several miles and several thousand feet of elevation gain and loss, I’m sitting here getting ready for another work week.  The ice chest won’t need to be cleaned this afternoon, and my butchering tools will stay in the drawer.  Porky evaded me once again. 

The world is full of “what-ifs”, and such was this trip.  IF I had been using a rifle instead of the Mathews, I could have killed several pigs.  I practically ran one down in the road yesterday morning, but there’s no way I could have leapt from Petunia, unlimbered the bow, nocked an arrow, and got a clean shot at him as he boogied up the ridge.  IF it were gun season on the ranch (it opens next weekend) I would have had the .44 on hand, and would have had no problem taking that boar.  Likewise, the group of 15 that fed down across canyon from me.  At 200 yards, they remained oblivious to me as they fed on an open shelf, in the wide open at 1100 hrs.  I could have plopped down with the rifle and a rest and taken my pick.  With the bow, I have to get a little closer than that.  Unfortunately, at about 150 yards, I practically stepped on a group of deer who proceeded to bolt right through the feeding hogs.  At last glance, the hogs were just shy of Mach 1, and disappearing back over the high ridge and headed toward the safety of the property line.

Not that it was a bad trip, because there’s seldom a bad hunting trip… it was really nice.  It was my first solo hunt in quite a while, and as much as I enjoy guiding and taking people hunting, sometimes it’s really good just to get out there and not have to think about anyone else’s experience.  It was relaxing just to walk and hunt, and enjoy all the things you see on a beautiful, cold November morning.  There were grouse, band-tailed pigeons, quail, eagles, coyotes, tons of deer, and lots of smaller critters.  The salamanders were on the move, an annual event I’ve been told, and there were times when it was hard to walk without stepping on one. 

And there was pig sign… oh brother, was there pig sign!  The recent rain had softened the ground, and the hogs were taking full advantage of it.  Hilltops were rototilled, and tracks and scat littered the ground.  The only problem was, for the most part, I was consistently where they were, instead of where they are.  Tracks are great and all, but they’re best when they still have pig feet in them.

Anyway, it doesn’t really matter if I killed a pig.  I still have two freezers loaded with meat.  I was actually hoping for a turkey, for Thanksgiving, but they were pretty scarce up there this weekend.  I thought I heard some once, but never could locate the danged things.  I don’t think I tried all that hard anyway.  It was just good to go, to be out there.  I need that sometimes.  I think we all do.

Well, I’m outta here for the weekend.  Gonna head back to the Hedgepeth Ranch (Golden Ram) in Sonoma County for another go at the hogs and maybe a turkey with my bow.  The weather is kinda messy right now, but it should blow out tonight, and tomorrow could be a really happening day. 

Well, wanna make God laugh?  Tell him your plans, right?  We’ll have to see.

Until Monday…

He was coming in hot, gobbling his fool head off.  In his lusty rush, he didn’t even notice as I snaked the barrel of the Remington 870 out the window of the blind and took a careful aim.  At about ten yards from the blind, he stretched his neck to gobble one last time, and I covered his head with the muzzle and squeezed the trigger.

Here’s where things get a little odd… at least to me. 

The gun went off, just as it always does.  The blast caused me to blink, as it always does.  And when my vision cleared, as it always does, the bird should have been laying there flopping its last… as they always do.

Except, as you may have gathered by now things didn’t go the way they always do.  In fact, from the time I pulled the trigger, nothing went exactly as it always does. 

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You call.

He responds.

You call again.

His calls are getting closer.

Your heart beats faster, spurred by the primal urgency in his responses.

And then he appears… regal and proud, he marches into sight.

Now’s your chance.  You raise the gun slowly, covering the bright red head with the muzzle… and in a flash and bang, your prize is on the ground, a few stray feathers drifting down like snow on the morning breeze.

Well, I hope that’s how things play out for me this weekend, as I’m off to Deedy’s Bryson Hesperia Resort, for what will probably be my only turkey hunt of the year.

Well, I don’t know about ya’ll, but I’m ready for a break from the discussion about the lead ammunition ban.  Not that this isn’t an important topic, and a discussion that needs to be carried on… but if we let ourselves get bogged down in political issues, we start to lose sight of why we’re here… and that is, to HUNT! 

I’m fortunate in CA, because I can hog hunt all year long.  I break up the hog hunts with deer hunting, a little waterfowl, and, come springtime, turkey hunting!  And that time is almost on us! 

The hills are alive with the sounds of locator calls, as hopeful and eager hunters hit the field in search of roost trees, dusting grounds and strut zones.  The greening countryside is starting to wake up with gobbling, and the big toms are starting to bully the jakes. 

Soon, the show will begin in earnest (especially if this weather holds), and the fighting and gobbling will intensify.  Camo-clad nimrods will filter through the oaks and field edges in search of the horny long-beard, hoping to lure them to a sudden demise with the lusty calls of lovelorn hens. 

OK, enough of the attempt at artistry… 

Holly, the NorCal Cazadora put it into words a lot better in a great piece she just did for the Sacramento Bee newspaper.  Get yourselves on over there and give it a read. 

And, when you’re done, make sure you post up a supportive comment or two… let the editors know that hunters read the Bee, and appreciate positive stories about our sport.

Well, the turkey hunt was tough, but my hunter went home with his bird.  Without going into too much detail, it was a learning experience for the both of us, I think… at least I’m certain I learned a lot as a guide, and I sure hope he learned a bit as a hunter and a client. 

As a guide, I learned that you have to take control of the hunt from the beginning, because if you let the client take over you’ll be run ragged and frustrated.  I made that mistake this weekend and it made me look pretty bad.  It’s important to give the customer what he wants, but you have to decide where the line is drawn between letting him learn the hard way and doing what it takes to ensure that the hunt ends with success. 

As a guided client, there’s a golden rule that you should always observe.  Don’t try to guide the guide!  The guide is the expert.  He (or she) knows the animals in the specific area… their behavior and their eccentricities.  The guide knows how to hunt those animals.  When the guide suggests a tactic or a location, it’s best to go with the suggestions. 

Sure, ask questions.  You can even challenge the guide’s recommendation.  But do so knowing that, when all is said and done, you are the customer.  Most guides will give you what you want, because you’re paying the bill.  Very seldom will your request be flat-out denied, so you’d do well to consider carefully before going contrary to the guide’s advice. 

If you want to do things your own way, why would you pay so much for a guided hunt in the first place?  Hunt public land, or pay a tresspass fee for an unguided hunt on private property.  To do otherwise is a waste of your money, and of the guide’s energy. 

Anyway, that’s all I have to say about that.  As much as I may enjoy it, I have to remember that guiding is a job.  It’s not about me. 

Meanwhile, during the weekend I got an email from my little brother, Scott, back in NC.  He got drawn this year for the limited entry turkey hunt on the Roanoke River, and couldn’t wait to share his success.  Two turkeys in two days… one of which was this really nice tom, sporting an 11-inch beard and 1 1/2″ spurs! 

He said that the area was a madhouse of gobbling and fighting birds, including two toms who were gobbling their heads off at each other across the river!  Sure sounds like fun to me!

So, I guess I’m officially a professional turkey hunter now, so I am qualified to offer the following turkey hunting tips.  Read carefully, because I’m about to give you some guaranteed ways to get your turkey!

1. Call aggressively!  Sometimes you really need to lay on the calls.  Don’t hold back, because the birds are coming and they’re coming strong!
2. Keep the calling to a minimum.  Don’t call too much, and keep it soft and quiet. 
3. Don’t call!  Turkeys get called to much.  Get their attention then shut up! 
4. Sit tight!  Be patient and the turkeys will come to you.
5. Be mobile.  If the turkeys don’t come to you, you have to go to them. 
6. Use a blind.  It keeps you well hidden wherever you are, and may be the only way to get close to pressured birds.
7. Use only natural cover.  Blinds stick out, and may spook pressured birds.
8. Use a super-tight choke.  It concentrates your kill zone.
9. Avoid the extremely tight chokes.   They concentrate the shot too much.
10. The final tip to guarantee a turkey?  Go to the grocery store.  This is hunting dangit!  There ARE NO GUARANTEES!

Hope that helped!

See all you Hog Blog friends and readers on Monday!

Well, it’s another weekend in the woods for me, as I’m back down to the beautiful Bryson Resort to try to make another turkey hunter happy… and maybe find some hogs too! 

It promises to be a busy weekend, with six hog hunters and one turkey hunter on the resort.  The critters are here, and we’ll have three Bryson guides, plus the likely assistance of Tom Willoughby (well-known, long-time, Central Coast hog guide) to make it happen, and I hope to be bringing some tales of success, along with photos and maybe even some video if I have time.

Deedy has put wireless internet in down at the Resort, one more luxurious amenity in these beautifully appointed cabins.  This is NOT roughing it, I can tell you!  So anyway, if things go well, I will update you, good readers, as things turn out.  The hunts officially start tomorrow afternoon, and will run through the weekend. 

Until then, it’s time to do some scouting and see what’s out there!