Pig Down

Back to the ranch chasing pigs again today. We hunted yesterday evening and saw some but they were on the move and gave us the slip. We hunted our ass off this morning and we were blanked. Called it quits at noon and were headed out when we rounded the corner and ran into a herd of pigs. They walked over the hill so we grabbed the guns and scrambled after them. As we topped the hill there they were at less than 100 yards! Matt was able to drop a nice sized meat pig! Just goes to show you it's not over until you are out the gate!

     

Regina's archery pig

A buddy of mine called and had a bunch of pigs working one of his grain fields and knows how Regina loves to bow hunt, so off we went. We got to the ranch early and spotted a couple pigs right off the bat that gave us the slip, so we sat and waited for more to come down. About an hour before dark a small herd made there way down towards the grain field and Regina was able to stalk into 40 yards and make a perfect shot! The pig went about 75 yards and tipped over in the creek, game over! She made a great stalk, great shot, and ended up with a perfect sized  meat pig! 

CWA Vetrans pig hunt

 We were lucky enough to be asked to guide the very first veterans pig hunt for the CWA hunt program. We met at the Colusa Casino at 4:00 PM and made our way up to the ranch. It was pretty hot out and I figured the pigs would be headed for water. We worked the top end of the ranch and didn't see much but as we made our way into the lower brush country we ran into a group of pigs. They bolted and headed down the canyon and we watched as they went over the top. As soon as they were out of sight we took off after them. When we got to the top of the ridge we took off on foot and quickly found the group of pigs out feeding at 250 yards. We had time and they were working towards us so we waited. When the pigs got to 150 yards the guys let them have it! They each had hit a pig and we gave them a little time to expire and started tracking. We ended up finding one that night but had to come back in the morning for the other. It was a great hunt, and some great time with a couple guys who fought to serve our country.

 

Hogzilla down!

We had one hell of a hunt this morning!! We hit the ground running this morning and were on top of the ridge in the dark and searching for the pigs. We started walking down a ridge towards an area that has had a lot of sign the last few times I've been to the ranch. We had walked close to a half mile glassing into the draw when Hogzilla showed himself! At first glance I knew the pig was big, and we had him at 200 yards.  After a quick discussion with Patrick he wanted to get closer so off we went. We started to close the gap and lost sight of the pig for awhile. I knew we would be close when we saw him again so I had Patrick turn his scope down to 3X and lock and load. As we started to crest a small knoll I knew the pig would be close and sure enough there he stood at a mere 42 yards! I got Patrick set up on the shooting sticks and told him to go ahead when ever he was ready. As he eased the safety off the pig heard it and looked up but went right back to feeding. Within a few more seconds Patrick touched the trigger. At the shot the pig took off side hill at full speed. No tell tell slap was heard and the pig never even buckled so we weren't sure if he was hit or not but Patrick said the shot felt good. We quickly got on the trail the pig was using and could see his dig marks but not a drop of blood. We stayed on tracks for 150 yards or so when we looked up and there he lay, down for the count or so we thought! As we approached the downed pig I could see he was still breathing so I racked a round in my .45 and was just about to hand it to Patrick when all of the sudden the pig was on his feet and coming straight towards us!! It was now or never, I drew down on him and started shooting, hitting him in the head 6 of 7 shots before he collapsed at our feet! It was damn exciting and an experience I am sure Patrick won't soon forget. The pig ended up being a big boar, 300+ pounds with 3 inch cutters. The best part of the whole thing was Patrick's 6 year old son and father got to watch the whole stalk unravel through binoculars. What a great hunt and an impressive trophy.

Back at it

 Hit the wetland again today and for the weather, or should I say lack there of, we still had a decent shoot. Quite a few birds around early but the flight didn't last very long. We ended up 8 and let a few get away. Either way it was a good day in the blind with good company.

Trifecta!!!

Today was one of those days! We had a hell of a time finding the pigs but when we did these guys flat got it done! Al was the first to strike anchoring his pig with an incredible 550 yards shot, not bad for a guy who had not hunted in a few years!!!! Paul and Jarrod got it done as well, doubling up on a pair of boars at a mere 50 yards! We spotted a big group of pigs and put a text book sneak on them. At 100 yards they were ready to shoot but I wasn't so we kept sneaking and I finally decided at 50 yards to let them shoot. When the smoke cleared they both looked at me and said "I thought you were going to get us close enough to kill them with rocks". I've seen both these guys shoot and by no means did we need to get any where near that close for them to get the job done but I was having fun watching them look at me like I was nuts so we pressed on! We had a great time on the hill today and I'm sure you will see these guys on the blog again before too long.  

Double down on pigs

We hit the hills early this morning with Dave and Matt in search of some pigs to fill their freezers. The morning started out particularly slow with us only seeing one group of pigs that eluded us but we stayed at it. We had just cruised past the cabin headed to check a few reservoirs when we looked up and spotted a group of pigs feeding in the flat. After a quick stalk the guys picked out a couple shooters and the war started! When the smoke cleared Dave had a nice sized sow down and Matt had a handful of brass! It was warming up so we got the hide off of the pig and went to go check some ponds. The first two we checked yielded nothing but as we topped the dam of the third pond it erupted with pigs and Matt laid the hammer down on a nice sized eater! The pig fell dead in its tracks and we quickly loaded it and got it skinned and ready for their trip home. It was a great hunt with a couple of great guys!

  

April Fools Day Pigs

This morning I hit the hills with Robert and Tim in search of pigs. We had no more got to the first gate from the cabin and I spotted a group of pigs feeding in a flat, so we put a quick game plan together and made our move. The creek allowed us to stay down low and out of sight as we closed the distance and when I thought we were close enough we came up over the rise and had them at 50 yards. The pigs had no clue we were there and the guys got set up and ready to take the shots. On the count of 3 they both fired and to my disbelief nothing fell!! The pigs took off up hill and out of sight but were confused at where the shooting came from and headed back down hill towards us. Robert settled in and took the shot sending one of the pigs squealing into the brush while the others scattered! We opted to leave the hit pig for awhile and went to find another for Tim. From along ways away we spotted a lone boar working his way uphill and I thought I knew where he was headed, so off we went. We got to an open hill side where I figured we would spot the boar, but no matter how hard I stared through the binos I just couldn't turn him up. We then headed back down hill to see if he had stopped short and sure enough we found the old warrior feeding in one of the flats. Again we were on foot and in hot pursuit!! It didn't take long to close the distance but as we neared the flat the old boar figured something was wrong and headed down the draw. The next time he popped out in a clearing he was 250 yards and I stopped him with the old coyote howl and Tim touched one off. It was an incredible shot at just over 250 yards, free handed he hit him right in the back of the head dropping him in his tracks!!!

The easy part was done, now we had to figure out how to get him out of the roadless canyon which proved to be quite the ordeal but after a few hours the trophy lay in the back of the ranger! The old battle scarred boar was loaded with cuts, scars, and split ears. He definitely had ruled the ranch for quite some time. We eventually made it back to the first pig and after a short tracking job, Robert was standing over a 150 pound boar, perfect for eating.

The guys had a great time and assured me that they would be back!       

Filling Freezers!

Took a break from the sturgeon fishing and headed out to fill another freezer! We got to the ranch in the dark and set out in search of some pork! We looked high and low without much luck until we spotted this guy and 5 of his friends tearing up one of the flats down in the valley. They were a long ways off but in a good spot for a stalk so off we went. We covered most of the distance on the ATV and then closed in on foot. As we crested the last rise there they were, a mere 25 yards away!! The wind was perfect and they had no clue what was about happen. One shot from Scott's trusty rifle and he was standing over a perfect sized pig for eating!! It was a nice change of pace and by all the rooting on the ranch looks like we have several herds of pigs working it over.

In search of pork!

We did not offer many pig hunts last season due to low animal numbers but decided to offer a few this season. Based on the sign we are seeing on the ranch there is a pretty good population of them up there. I met Mike in Arbuckle and we headed for the hills to see what we could find. We got up on a high ridge and were making our way along it glassing down into the valley. On the fourth stop I looked down and spotted a lone boar feeding on the edge of a brush patch. The boar looked to be 300+ pounds and we tried to put a stalk on him but could only get as close as 300 yards due to terrain and Mike was not comfortable with the shot. I was trying to find another way to close the distance when the boar slipped into the brush, never to be seen again. We jumped on the ranger and went in search of more. As we were driving along I looked into the bottom of the ravine and spotted a small group of pigs feeding on the brush line. We bailed out and got set up on the sticks but Mike was blinded by the sun in the scope. I quickly took off my hat and shaded the scope the best I could and it worked. Mike got the biggest pig of the group in his sights and touched one off! The shot was perfect and the pig dropped in it's tracks, a perfect head shot at 175 yards! The pig was in the bottom of the canyon so we hiked down and mike helped me get it up on my shoulders after a quick gut job and up the hill I went. The pig was a nice sized sow around 235 pounds!  

Fire Repair Has Started!

 Our ranch was badly burned in the fires of 2012. The fire swept up the canyon from highway 16 and decimated roughly 4500 acres of prime habitat on the ranch! Since the fire was out I have been working diligently to whip the ranch back into shape slowly but surely, as time and conditions would allow. Today I started the fencing project to repair all of the fence on the ranch that was destroyed during the fire. When all said and done we will have replaced roughly 54,000 lineal feet of 5 strand barb wire. Prior to starting the installation of the new fence I have run all the old fence lines with the dozer so that we can now access the fence at all points, which will make the installation much faster. I hope to get all of the fence repairs completed by the end of 2014 so that we can go full speed ahead with our pig hunts moving into 2015!!  

12-11-13

We decided to give the wetland a try this morning since the rice has been a little slow. I met up with Bill and Bob and we headed out to see what we could get done. As we got to the blind I could hear alot of birds and as legal shooting time came I wasn't disappointed. There were alot of birds milling around but they sure were stubborn and did not want to play the game. Slowly but surely we picked away at the singles and pairs ending the mornings hunt with two nice limits of ducks. The guys shot well today and the birds that listened did it right!!

Justin

4-23-10

I really do agree with the old adage about a photo being worth 1,000 words! However when I receive a client testimonial to back a photo, it's worth becomes invaluable.

The following e-mail was sent to us from Brett Nystrom who hunted with CICC Outdoor Adventures Guide, Andy Smith on April 19, 2010. The “4-19-10” titled post details his particular hunt while the testimonial that follows in this post gives accolade to the quality of services that the Outdoor Adventures Team provides!

Enjoy the read,

Regina

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Casey-

I would like to thank you and the Outdoor Adventures Crew! It was apparent from the start that you guys are true professionals. I hadn't hunted with a rifle in quite a few years and it was truly an unforgettable experience. What a great day, start to finish! It was a real pleasure hunting with my guide, Andy. What a great guy!

This was my second hunting experience with Outdoor Adventures, (Turkey Hunt 2009), and I'm sure there will be more in the future.

Thanks Again, Brett Nystrom