This may possibly go down as one of my favorite bowhunts of all time. We all hunted really hard and had very good success and quality. We had 11 of us in our group on the 277,000 acre ranch. We killed 7 hogs, one lost, and everyone had shots. This is like hunting hogs in sheep country. Everything is either straight up or straight down. Packing a hog out in pieces is very common. We were also limited in where we could get to due to the snow and mud. Lots of hiking up and down. This is not your average hog hunt. No fences, no feeders or bait. Just wild, fair chase hogs in some of the roughest country, and most beautiful, on the planet. Those of you who have hunted Tejon know what I'm talking about. This was a semi guided hunt with one cook/guide to point us in the right direction.
4 of the hogs that were killed were trophy boars, with 2 legitimate 300lb giants.
My buddy Ed and I hunted Friday evening only to have a good herd in a perfectly stalkable location bust out on us after we bumped a herd of elk that then spooked the hogs. We couldn't get where we wanted to go due to snow so we did a lot of walking. Saw a few hogs off in the distance where we had other buddies already in position. The evening ended with one more lone hog spotted off in the distance.
Ed and I then head out with Steve (our bad boy guide and babysitter for the weekend) Sat. morning to hit the secret spots. At first light we got right up on 3 hogs. Since I had my bow already in hand, I got out and put the sneak on. I got almost there before the wind got switchy and the hogs got nervous. I took a longer shot and the hog was 10 feet away by the time my arrow landed. We then went all the way out to the desert. For those that have never hunted this part of the ranch, it's crazy. Looks more like snake habitat than hog habitat. We get on a herd that busts and heads up a canyon. There were 7 or 8 hogs with one fatso bringing up the rear and falling further and further behind. They made the mistake of heading up the one drainage with a road in it. We booked it up the road and the main group had already passed through, but fatty was still lagging and we got in front of her.
It was Ed's turn to shoot as fatty worked her way up the creek bottom. He hits full draw and I do too just in case. As he hits his back wall, I hear a clink, followed by some muffled curse words as his arrow falls off the rest. I have a shot but am waiting for Ed. Then I hear a "take him" whispered from somewhere to the side of me. Turns out it was Steve. I shoot and connect on a lousy shot, but one that seemed to hurt her quite a bit. She runs up the creek another 25 yards in thick willows as I run up for a follow up. She stops and looks pretty sick, but I sling one that connects high on the shoulder and buries into the spine. She dropped right there.
A great time was had by all.
http://www.wildernessathlete.org/ because the most important piece of equipment you own is YOU!
4 of the hogs that were killed were trophy boars, with 2 legitimate 300lb giants.
My buddy Ed and I hunted Friday evening only to have a good herd in a perfectly stalkable location bust out on us after we bumped a herd of elk that then spooked the hogs. We couldn't get where we wanted to go due to snow so we did a lot of walking. Saw a few hogs off in the distance where we had other buddies already in position. The evening ended with one more lone hog spotted off in the distance.
Ed and I then head out with Steve (our bad boy guide and babysitter for the weekend) Sat. morning to hit the secret spots. At first light we got right up on 3 hogs. Since I had my bow already in hand, I got out and put the sneak on. I got almost there before the wind got switchy and the hogs got nervous. I took a longer shot and the hog was 10 feet away by the time my arrow landed. We then went all the way out to the desert. For those that have never hunted this part of the ranch, it's crazy. Looks more like snake habitat than hog habitat. We get on a herd that busts and heads up a canyon. There were 7 or 8 hogs with one fatso bringing up the rear and falling further and further behind. They made the mistake of heading up the one drainage with a road in it. We booked it up the road and the main group had already passed through, but fatty was still lagging and we got in front of her.
It was Ed's turn to shoot as fatty worked her way up the creek bottom. He hits full draw and I do too just in case. As he hits his back wall, I hear a clink, followed by some muffled curse words as his arrow falls off the rest. I have a shot but am waiting for Ed. Then I hear a "take him" whispered from somewhere to the side of me. Turns out it was Steve. I shoot and connect on a lousy shot, but one that seemed to hurt her quite a bit. She runs up the creek another 25 yards in thick willows as I run up for a follow up. She stops and looks pretty sick, but I sling one that connects high on the shoulder and buries into the spine. She dropped right there.
A great time was had by all.
http://www.wildernessathlete.org/ because the most important piece of equipment you own is YOU!
