No, unfortunately it wasn’t my hunt, as I don’t head out until next weekend, but a bunch of my friends from JHO (Jesse’s Hunting and Outdoors) headed down to the Tejon Ranch over the past weekend to chase wild hogs with sticks and strings (and yeah, they all use training wheels on their bows … but I’ll let them slide for that).
Well, I had little doubt before the weekend that these boys are hard-core hunters, but their success in the snow and mud up there speaks volumes for their skill and willingness to work hard for the game. Due to the recent bad weather, many roads on the high ridges were pretty much inaccessible, so the fellas put the boot leather to the rocks and did it the hard way. Now walking around in that steep country can be a challenge, even if you’re only carrying a bow and a few arrows. But coming back out of those hellholes with a dead boar in tow… that’s rough work. It takes some gumption to head out on foot in that stuff, knowing you may be bringing back a critter that weighs as much or more than you!
If I got the count right, I believe there were eight hunters up there. Five of them tagged out, which is pretty darned good odds for archery hunters… especially considering that the average archery hunt at Tejon yields about 30% success.
In the photo to the left is Kirk Edgerton, JHO ProStaffer and long-time bowhunter with a really nice boar. Look at the fat on this sucker! This was one of the larger boars taken by the group. At 243lbs, field dressed, this may have been the biggest boar of the weekend. A conservative estimate is that field dressing removes approximately 1/3 of the body weight, making this a pretty big boar indeed. Another hoss of a boar was brought in late Sunday night that may have been even larger, but most of the group had already rolled out by then, taking the scale with them.
My friend Brent Hill also weighed in with a hefty boar that came in to the scales field-dressed at around 184lbs. Considering he took this animal inside of 10 yards with nothing but a bow and arrow… pretty good stuff, man! That’s hunting!
A couple more nice boars were taken, as well as a few “meat pigs.” The next photo is Nate Treadwell and his kill, showing a great view of the snowy countryside. I’m hoping some of that snow is still there when I make my trip next weekend!
Tejon archery hunts are one of the best deals going in the CA market right now. For $450, you get a full weekend (Friday noon through Sunday night) of hunting, a cabin to stay in, a ranch representative (usually one of the guides) to offer suggestions and directions, and all meals…cooked up by the ranch rep. Pretty much all you have to do is show up and hunt.
For more information on these hunts, contact the Tejon Ranch offices in Lebec, CA and ask about the wild pig management hunts.
Nate
That is some sweet hunting right there. I wish I lived a little closer so that I could get in on the action.