6-30-2010

This morning I had the pleasure of guiding Bob and Travis Cloyd on a pig hunt. We met in Maxwell at 4AM and headed up to the ranch. Once all of the paperwork was complete we headed up to a high vantage point over looking the wheat field and awaited legal shooting light. 2 minutes into the hunt I spotted a loan boar working his way up the creek to his bedding area. I thought I knew where he was headed so Travis and I took off to try and cut him off before he got into the brush. The boar worked his way on to the backside of a little knob and we got set up and ready to shoot. The boar fed right to us and at 80 yards Travis put the hammer down. The boar kicked and ran out of sight. As we crested the hill he was piled up in a ravine not 30 yards from the first shot. This was Travis's first big game kill and I am pleased that I was able to be their with him. This is what makes my job so much fun. These guys were alot of fun to hunt with and I hope this was only the first of many hunts to come with them.

Andy

6-29-2010

It has been awhile since our last post and for all of the BLOG followers out there we are still hunting,but have had a few unfortunate things happen over the last week resulting in no pictures of the kill.

On 6-23-10 our client showed up with a 2010-2011 tag so we were unable to get him out in the field until his tag becomes valid on July 1, 2010.

On 6-25-10 we had a client stick a pig with his bow at a mere 24 yards. The shot was a little far back so we left the pig for over an hour before we entered the field for recovery. As soon as we started to track I knew we were in trouble. There was very little blood and alot of thick cover. We tracked this pig for over 3 hours and kept finding a little blood here and there but eventually the blood ran out. We went back the next morning with the dogs and looked again for a couple of hours but unfortunately the animal was never recovered. This is unfortunate but will more than likely happen to all hunters at some point in their hunting career.

On 6-26-2010 we had 2 clients out hunting for pigs. The morning turned out to be un-productive so we took them back out in the evening. 20 minutes before the end of shooting hours a group of 15 pigs made there way down towards the wheat field and we snuck to within 146 yards of them but they would not stop moving and the clients were not comfortable with the shot, so no rounds were fired.

On 6-29-2010 we had a hunter miss a nice boar at 175 yards. While we never did find another pig for him to shoot that day he did hammer a coyote at 75 yards.

This just goes to show that hunting is just that hunting! When dealing with mother nature there is never a guarantee that the hunt will end with the taking of an animal but as long as everyone has a good time I feel that the hunts were successful.

The Outdoor Adventures Team

6-19-2010

This morning I guided Beau Rodgers for his second pig hunt of the year with CICC Outdoor Adventures. As we were making our way down to our ambush site a group of 20 pigs crossed the road in front of us but we had to let them go as it was not legal shooting time yet. We continued down the hill to set up at a reservoir where we have seen the pigs water the last few days. We got set up and the wait began, as legal shooting time came and went we had no action, so we headed out to try and locate some pigs that were still out feeding. As we crested the first ridge I saw a couple pigs run down the hill into some brush and stop. We quickly formulated a plan and put it into action. I left Beau and his father Mark at the top of the hill in an opening while I walked around the bottom of the patch with hopes that the pigs would move up hill. As luck would have it the plan worked perfectly and the pigs heard me coming and walked right up the hill to Beau and Mark. They let the first couple of sows walk, as they had piglets with them. A couple of seconds later a dry sow trotted into the opening and Beau flat smoked her. She was moving pretty quick as she passed through the opening, but not fast enough to out run Beau's 7MM. He maid a perfect shot hitting her right behind the shoulders and dropping her in her tracks. This was Beau's second hunt with us this year and he has taken 2 pigs in 2 shots, the kid is a killer! Thanks guys for another great hunt. It sure is nice when every thing goes as planned.

Jake

6-17-2010

This evening I had the pleasure of guiding Doc Sufi, from Sacramento, California on a pig hunt. We do not offer afternoon hunts to often but with 2009-2010 pig tags getting ready to expire this would be the only chance for Doc to get out. We got to the ranch by 7:00 PM and rode up to a high vantage point over looking the wheat field and the surrounding valley. Within minutes we spotted a lone boar moving into the wheat field, but he was moving too fast and did not allow us enough time to get in front of him so we just watched as he croosed the flat and got into the wheat. Throughout the evening we saw 4 other pigs cross the valley and enter the wheat, however, they were simply moving too quickly to get in front of them. At 8:45 PM I looked down below us and caught movement coming through the trees. It was a group of 12-15 pigs and we were off to the races with little shooting time left, we had to move quick. We headed down the ridge and positioned ourselves directly above the pigs that were now rooting around in the pond below us. With one last check of the watch we still had five minutes of legal shooting time left, so Doc settled his cross hairs on the biggest pig and let one fly. He made a perfect shot and the sow dropped in her tracks. The rest of the group ran about 50 yards and stopped to look back at their fallen comrade and that is when Doc put the hammer down on another nice sow. Both of the pigs fell within 50 yards of each other and we were able to drive the ranger right down to them and load them up. The first sow weighed roughly 130 pounds and the second 100 pounds. He was after some good eaters and that is exactly what he got. This was a quick hunt but the results were the same, another happy client.

Jake

6-15-10

Today I guided John Pierson to his first ever wild pig. This morning we sat on a high vantage point where we could see the wheat field hoping to spot some pigs moving back into the hills and have enough time to get on them. At first light we spotted a group of 4 pigs at a reservoir below us and it looked as if they were going to come right to us. Within seconds we saw another group of 6 pigs headed to the same reservoir followed by 3-4 more pigs that were still out in the flats. While glassing into the canyon to try and spot any of the pigs headed our way I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and turned to see another 6 pigs making their way out of the wheat field and across the road to a neighboring ranch. After watching the canyon for 30 minutes it was evident that the pigs had taken a wrong turn some where between us and the reservoir, so I elected to get moving in hope that we would spot them again. We could not find any of the pigs so we headed further into the ranch to try and find some more targets. As we descended the next ridge we spotted a lone boar working his way down the fence line. We immediately took off on foot and closed the gap to 150 yards. John got set up on the shooting sticks and let one fly which sailed over the pigs back. The pig then turned a ran towards us turning broadside again at 100 yards. John let another round fly that missed it's mark by inches. As the pig was still visible John loaded another round and fired a third round. Luck was on the pigs side as he made it into the brush un scathed. Oh well you can't get them all, right? We then loaded up and were making our way back to where we started and I decided to give John 1 more chance to redeem himself. John then said that some how in the middle of the stalk he had lost all of his extra rounds and only had 1 shell left but we decided to give a small brush patch a try any how. I set John up in the bottom of a saddle and I walked back to the top hoping to push a pig down to John. As luck would have it I pushed a 180 pound dry sow right down to him and he killed her with 1 well placed shot at 50 yards. After the high fives and pictures we headed down to the barn and got the sow skinned and loaded for the trip back to Sacramento. John was a great guy and we had a lot of fun. As John left he decide he wanted to book another hunt for July, however, he was going to hit the range and hone his shooting a bit first. All in all it was another fun hunt leading to John's first wild pig kill after wanting 1 for over 30 years. Thanks again John for the great hunt.

Andy

6-13-2010

Today I guided Tim Martin and Rich Vass of Castro Valley, California on a pig hunt. We started the morning sitting on a point over looking the wheat field. Almost immediately after arriving at the glassing point we could hear pigs snorting and squealing down in the wheat. After another 10 minutes or so we heard the pigs walking through the water in the creek that borders the wheat. At this point I told the guys to get ready as it sounded as if the pigs were on the move and would surely be coming out of the creek bottom soon. The pigs must of sensed danger because they never came out of the creek and showed themselves. Just as we were getting ready to make a move and get further up into the hills 4 nice sized pigs made a break for the hills never offering us a shot, so off we went to try and relocate them. As we neared the top of the second ridge I looked down and spotted a lone pig just feeding around in the shade of the canyon. With the wind in our favor we took off on foot to try and close the distance and get a shot. When we first spotted the pig it was a long ways off but not moving too quickly. Before we knew it we were within 200 yards, but with the wind in our face we decided to see just how close we could get. We began sneaking closer and closer eventually getting to within 68 yards of the hog before Rich put the smack down with his 7MM. The pig was quartering away and the shot was perfect entering right behind the ribs on the left and exiting in front of the right leg. The pig ran about 75 yards before crashing to it's death in the bottom of a small creek. The pig ended up being a dry sow and tipped the scales at 250 pounds. We continued to hunt after hauling the sow out of the bottom of a nasty canyon, but by that time it was getting hot and we decided to call it quits and get the hide off of the pig and get her into the cold box. These guys were both great hunters and a true pleasure to spend a day in the hills with.

Jake

6-5-2010

Today I had the pleasure of guiding Jim and Joe Thomas from Arbuckle, California on a pig hunt. We started the morning by sitting on a point over looking the wheat field. Within 10 minutes of sitting we caught a glimpse of 2 nice boars leaving the wheat and heading back up into the hills. I thought I knew where they were headed so we took off to get above them and get set up before they got to the ambush spot. Unfortunately they must have chosen to bed down closer to the wheat or slipped up another small wash never to be seen again. We continued to move throughout the ranch and glass in the shady spots, but were un able to turn up and more pigs. After a short break for lunch we were back at it. This time I took the guys to some of the brush patches that usually hold pigs and got them set up. I then went around the other side of the patches and began to try and push the sleeping pigs from their beds and out into harms way. This tactic proved to be in effective as well so we headed back to the wheat to get set up for the evening hunt with hopes that some pigs would come down into the wheat to feed. At 7:30 PM I spotted a group of 4 hogs over on the neighboring ranch that looked as if they were headed into the wheat, however, they hung up in a small gully and did not come out. As I was looking back over to where we lost sight of the group of 4 pigs Joe said "here comes one". I turned around and looked west and sure enough a lone pig was headed right to us down the fence line. We positioned our selves right next to the fence and let the pig come to us. At a mere 20 yards Jim and Joe doubled up on the pig hitting her right in the ear. Once she was down we continued to glass until the end of shooting light but that was our only oppertunity and the guys made the best of it. The sow was roughly 175 pounds and will be a great eater. Another successful hunt for a couple of great client's. Hopefully they will be back again, as they were great guys and a lot of fun to hunt with.

Jake



I have attached a email that I recived from Jim Thomas following their hunt and have posted it here as I believe that it is a great testimonial to the level of professionalism and effort our guides put fourth to make your hunt a success. I hope you all enjoy.
Thanks, Casey

Hi Casey

I just want to take a minute to express my appreciation for the great job that Jake did on our pig hunt on 5 June.

We met Jake at 4:15 AM as scheduled and he immediately impressed us.

Jake had us follow him the ranch, checked our licenses, tags, filled out the required paper work, asked us if we had any limitation on what we could do and then provided us with snake chaps as he highly recommended that we put them on. After loading our equipment we headed out just before the sun came up and went to the first of many spots to watch for the pigs, we saw one immediately, it was at 289 yards and moving away quickly. We did not take a shot as the animal was moving quickly and I hesitated. We saw a couple more great looking animals heading in the same direction and the game was on. We were unable to head those animals off and spent the rest of the day covering every nook and cranny looking for more.

We saw some amazing things and enjoyed talking with Jake who had some great stories and provided great advice and information. It is obvious that Jake truly loves doing his job and has great respect and admiration for you. Throughout day Jake impressed us in many ways as he ensured our safety, provide the required information to the local Game Warden that just happened to be in the area (good thing Jake had taken care of the paperwork before we were able to drink our first cup of coffee) and that we were having a good time.

Jake worked very hard all day and never gave up. At 7:59 PM Jake asked me what time it was and that is when my son Joe saw a nice pig coming our way, Jake immediately checked the wind, put together a ambush plan and started getting us into position for a shot. When the pig came into view Jake told us to wait for a second so we would have a better shot then told us to shoot, the pig dropped in its tracks at 20 yards. As we all shook hands and slaps on the back Jake informed us that we still had time to possibly get another chance and that we needed to pay close attention to the hillside. Jake took care of the animal, made sure all paperwork and tagging was completed, led us to the shop where he skinned and helped us wrap the carcass so we could get it home and was still working at 11:00 PM. when he suggested that we go ahead and leave so we could finish caring for the carcass and get to bed before daylight.

Jakes attention to detail was very impressive and made this our trip of a lifetime. I have only written about 10 letters in my entire life and knew that I was going to write one now to let you and Jake know just how impressed we were with every aspect of our hunt. This was the first guided hunt that we have ever been on and I am glad that we are fortunate enough to have you as our outfitter and Jake as our guide. We are already talking about our next trip as my son told me that he is now definitely hooked on Big Game hunting.



Thank you very much.
Jim Thomas