Father's Day Hog Hunt at Cedar Canyon Ranch

Here's the video from our Father's Day hog hunt at Cedar Canyon Ranch near Tehachapi CA. Chris is the son and the dad is Eric (caninelaw on the forums).

On the first shot Friday night it appears to be high. I didn't see the pig Chris was shooting at leave the frame on the camera and thought he had been hit but you see the pig veers high in the frame and runs off. The shot was lasered at 221 yards and Chris had a little of an angle, 8 degrees maybe, uphill. 7mm Mag with Barnes GMX 139 grain I think they said.

On the 2nd shots Chris and Eric took Saturday night I was setting up the camera when that hog popped out and never got any video of that Chinese fire drill. It was an oh crap moment. It was almost the same setup as Ron's shot from last year, same hill except this pig was closer where Ron ended up shooting his 3rd and 4rth shots. This hog turned after being shot at and his back end seemed to buckle but no blood was ever found. Without video to review all I can think of is with the high sage he just made a clean get away without us seeing him go up the ridge.

The weather was almost perfect, staying in the low 70s and kind of cold sometimes in the shade. No snakes but the bugs were the usual pests.

Thanks to Eric and Chris, it was fun to see them work hard to get two hogs. This was Chris' first big game animal. Also huge thanks to Bill, Paul, Ryan and the rest of the crew at Cedar Canyon Ranch for taking care of us and searching for blood on those two shots.

P.S. Cedar Canyon is losing their lease at the end of 2010 so if you'd like to hunt this beautiful area call them now as they are booking for the fall hunts

You're Up Rookie. Ronnie's First Hunt.

We recently gave away a hog hunt on our Hog Forum from Cedar Canyon Ranch near Tehachapi CA. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that a brand spanking new hunter named Ronnie from Fremont CA was the winner. A "Rookie", "Norman New Guy", or "Fresh Meat" as we call them in the sporting world. Let the razzing begin.

I always enjoy watching kids and new older hunters discover how much fun it is to be out hunting. The awe and amazement on their faces is all the reward I need to keep me going. It's like teaching a kid to ride a bike when they pedal away and look back as if to say, "Look at what I can do now."

The affliction is spreading it appears, Ronnie's friend Paul, who came along to help out, is now studying for his hunter safety class.

Huge thanks to Bill Taylor who runs Cedar Canyon Ranch, Paul our guide and the rest of the crew. They were great hosts.

Enough yapping, here's Ronnie's hunt. The Rook did just fine.

New Year's Eve JHO hunt at Fort Hunter Liggett

This was our annual New Year's Eve JHO hunt at Fort Hunt Liggett near Jolon CA. The hunt was for hogs, quail and predators. Whatever we could find or track down. The weather was perfect for strolls on the oak covered hills, overcast with temps in the low 30s in the mornings going up to the mid 50s in the afternoons.

You hear a bugle sound retreat in the beginning of this video. Of all the time I've spent hunting FHL and training there in the military I've never heard retreat before. We were miles from the cantonment area and the wind was blowing the other way with a huge ridge between us and I could hear that bugle perfectly. Wild!

That's Eric (XDHunter) and REM3006 skinning the second hog, their "bald headed" boar. Rem3006 hit another big boar the night before and Eric tracked it late that night and the next morning but he said the hog wasn't hit that bad judging by the distance and the hills the big black boar covered.

My hunting partner Westy is seen at the end of the video creeping in on a bobcat we shot. There are several things I learned from trapping as a kid, you keep an exit picked out when wading in on a wounded bobcat. This one turned out to be dead but the hissing and spitting before it died puckered up both us a wee bit. Westy lost the flip of my two headed quarter so I got offer my encouragement from afar.



More info on hog hunting and FHL:

JHO FHL info page

JHO Hog Hunting Forum

CA Hog Hunting Info

Hog Hunting At The Earthquake Capital Of The World

This was a hog hunt at RNJ Wild Hog Hunts near Coalinga CA Sept 26-27 2008 with Rick (Westy), Eric (cahntr) and his dad Jim. Eric bought the pig hunt for his dad as a birthday present. How cool is that?

Temps were in the mids 90s which made for late evening and early morning hunts. We spotted a big boar Friday night but he got over a ridge before we could cut him off. Saturday after a morning hunt and siesta the other 3 and Randy the guide took off without their cameraman to check a close waterhole. They ran into a good group of hogs and ended up with 2 meat sows weighing about 140 lbs each.

Oh well, Rick got his new nickname "Dryfire" out of the debacle of him trying to kill a pig, AGAIN. It may have been a good thing the cameraman wasn't there to document his misses, scope on 10x for a 40 yard shot, dryfires, short stroking of rounds etc. The group said Rick was shaking like a hound passing a peach pit trying to hammer that pig. The Rookie Jim did just fine though.

Sunday we hit the world famous Parkfield Cafe in Parkfield CA for a tasty tri-tip sandwich lunch. Parkfield is the Earthquake Capital Of The World. "Be Here When It Happens!" is their motto. Well, we were there and it didn't happen. They also have a huge sign inside that says "If you feel a shake or quake, get under your table and eat your steak."

Camcorder was a Canon GL-2

Huge thanks to Randy Mapel of RNJ Wild Hog Hunts. Randy worked his butt of to get us on hogs and then skinned them out to boot. More info on RNJ Wild Hog Hunts at
http://rnjwildhoghunts.com/

More info on hog hunting in our Hog Hunting Forum

Big Boar Taking A 7mm Rem Mag In The Boiler Room

This was a hunt at Fort Hunter Liggett in March of 2005 with Rick (Westy). We were actually trying to roost some turkeys when Rick spotted some hogs down below us. Another turkey hunter spotted the same hogs and stalked them for a shot below us. He missed and the hogs ran up the ridge to Westy where he wacked the boar.

On the slo-mo you can see two puffs of dirt from the 7mm Rem Mag hitting the hog and then exiting the hide on the far side.

Boar weighed 275 lbs. on the Fort scale and didn't have much for ivory, maybe an inch.

Rifle was a Ruger 700

Camcorder was a Canon GL-2.

SLAP CRAZY Award for this week

Every once in awhile I bump into someone who's wired just a bit different. What mortals quake in fear over these folks wade in with a goofy smile on their face. "They just ain't right", as one buddy describes them.

This week's award goes to this fella down in Louisiana doing hog depredation in a flooded rice field. He was new to the game and started out with a rifle and somehow ended up using a Cold Steel spear at night in close quarters. Did I mention he goes in barefoot? Wielding a spear is also tricky in that if you miss a vital spot you're holding on to one pissed off pig that is within easy striking distance.

All this in the dark in high grass so you can't see squat until you're on it. That takes some sand.

JHO Ham Slam Tejon Ranch CA May 2008 Part 2

This is our annual Ham Slam at the beautiful Tejon Ranch near Lebec CA, 1 hour north of Los Angeles CA.

29 hunters this go round with 20 taking hogs with gun and bow.

This video has Cody's hog, climbing up Specmisser ridge behind Petunia. Bob's (hronk's) pig. Glassing up a hog for Scott (grwhthunter). Jesse's (ozzstriker22's) pig. Wild oats.

We have hunts at Tejon several times a year so if you would like to attend or learn more about hog hunting please check in at out Hog Hunting Forum here

More info on the Tejon Ranch here

Camcorder was Canon GL-2 with Century Optics 2x tele lens for long shots. Bogen 3130 tripod.

JHO Ham Slam Hog Hunt At Tejon Ranch CA

Got part 1 of the JHO Tejon Ranch Ham Slam video done. It was a cold winter like hunt. Deepest/longest haul would go to Speckmisser or Rancho that I saw. Saul (bodega) gets honorable mention for his recovery.

I missed getting any kills on the tape. Got Scott (grtwhthntr) sneaking on some bedded and feeding hogs coming in part 2

Really missed going on the hunt with gnn961 and huntsndives Friday. They had the classic here comes hogs, gun jams story. By the time I got to Bear Trap after check in everyone had tore out for the ridges. Just a big dust trail up the mtn. This video has some blowed up hearts, 7mm Barnes bullet recovery by the Ammo Doctor hisself, Rancho Loco and more. No vehicles over that I know of, at least no ones admitting to any rollovers and all the roofs looked in good shape when I left.

No snakes, no ticks, no poison oak yet discovered so it was a good hunt. I still curse those that entice us fat guys down over the lip on the ridges into those hell holes, I could hardly walk today. Dayum thighs muscles are locking up bad. Downhills are the worst.

Missed the usual carne asada lunch at Los Pinos at the top of the Vine. Someone snuck out I hear and went.

Part 1 comin up