My two day guided hunt lasted 15 minutes

[Carolinadx]

A little back story here, I have always been a DIY kind of guy when it comes to hunting which has definitely yielded mixed results. I starting hunting in high school with my buddy, and we would run around the public lands of central/coastal California with archery equipment and no idea what we were doing. We would see pigs but never got close to shoot anything but piglets which I chose to pass on. Years went on and I would occasionally try for pigs but stopped a few years back, though continued to buy tags each year just in case. Well this year I turned 30 and decide to go on my first guided hunt ever and figured I would opt for a pig to try and complete that long term goal. So I reach out to the guide, scheduled a two day hunt, and prepped and provisioned accordingly. Night before I drive three hours to car camp, and get up at 0400 to meet the guide, we drive about fifteen minutes to some private land and gear up. Guide says we should check out a pond really quick that was right near the farm house where we had parked. So we hoofed it for about five minutes and I shot this pig at the pond. I can't argue with my success but I was kind of looking forward to the full two day experience. Oh well. Just wanted to share my story, figured you guys might appreciate it.

Rifle is a Bighorn Origin that I built with a Proof barrel in a Manners EH1 and topped with a Meopta Optika6 3-18x56. Ammo was the factory Barnes Vor-TX 6.5CM load shooting 120gr TTSX. Pig was a little over 200lbs.

Nothing compares, well done

 

[orkan]

I'd hang out and shoot rocks and camera hunt. Make my guide earn that pay check.

For sure! I'd be getting pics and video... hunt predators, etc.


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[Blacktailer]

I lived in Paso for 20 years. Shot lots of deer on my place but didn't have any pigs (no surface water). Went pig hunting with a couple of guides and sometimes there were lots of pigs and sometimes we couldn't find them. That's a nice pig, sounds like you paid your dues on other hunts. Take the win! Congratulations.

 

[armbar]

A little back story here, I have always been a DIY kind of guy when it comes to hunting which has definitely yielded mixed results. I starting hunting in high school with my buddy, and we would run around the public lands of central/coastal California with archery equipment and no idea what we were doing. We would see pigs but never got close to shoot anything but piglets which I chose to pass on. Years went on and I would occasionally try for pigs but stopped a few years back, though continued to buy tags each year just in case. Well this year I turned 30 and decide to go on my first guided hunt ever and figured I would opt for a pig to try and complete that long term goal. So I reach out to the guide, scheduled a two day hunt, and prepped and provisioned accordingly. Night before I drive three hours to car camp, and get up at 0400 to meet the guide, we drive about fifteen minutes to some private land and gear up. Guide says we should check out a pond really quick that was right near the farm house where we had parked. So we hoofed it for about five minutes and I shot this pig at the pond. I can't argue with my success but I was kind of looking forward to the full two day experience. Oh well. Just wanted to share my story, figured you guys might appreciate it.

Rifle is a Bighorn Origin that I built with a Proof barrel in a Manners EH1 and topped with a Meopta Optika6 3-18x56. Ammo was the factory Barnes Vor-TX 6.5CM load shooting 120gr TTSX. Pig was a little over 200lbs.

Who was your outfitter?

 

[cabelasken]

Congrats on a nice hog!! We've been going out with guides near King City and on three trips we've had 100% success on hogs ranging from 150 to 335 LBS. As sows can have litters 3 or 4 times a year, the population seems to be doing very well. The farmlands provide good feed and the springs and creeks keep the hogs healthy. When we first started going, the price was $600 and now hunts are $800 to $1000 per hunter. The guides do a terrific job of getting your hog out of the canyons and back to the skinning shed where they are skinned and quartered for their trip back to your home. I've tried to find public land to hunt hogs, but finding the hogs seems hit or miss, mostly miss. So, we will go back to King City every couple of years to make our cheesy bavarian sausage!!

 

[Svashtar]

A little back story here, I have always been a DIY kind of guy when it comes to hunting which has definitely yielded mixed results. I starting hunting in high school with my buddy, and we would run around the public lands of central/coastal California with archery equipment and no idea what we were doing. We would see pigs but never got close to shoot anything but piglets which I chose to pass on. Years went on and I would occasionally try for pigs but stopped a few years back, though continued to buy tags each year just in case. Well this year I turned 30 and decide to go on my first guided hunt ever and figured I would opt for a pig to try and complete that long term goal. So I reach out to the guide, scheduled a two day hunt, and prepped and provisioned accordingly. Night before I drive three hours to car camp, and get up at 0400 to meet the guide, we drive about fifteen minutes to some private land and gear up. Guide says we should check out a pond really quick that was right near the farm house where we had parked. So we hoofed it for about five minutes and I shot this pig at the pond. I can't argue with my success but I was kind of looking forward to the full two day experience. Oh well. Just wanted to share my story, figured you guys might appreciate it.

Rifle is a Bighorn Origin that I built with a Proof barrel in a Manners EH1 and topped with a Meopta Optika6 3-18x56. Ammo was the factory Barnes Vor-TX 6.5CM load shooting 120gr TTSX. Pig was a little over 200lbs.

Nice hog! I'm just outside Monterey. Ft. Hunter-Liggett used to have a lot of pig hunting down there. I also know a guy who has a lot of property near Soledad and he has some guided boar hunting setups from time to time. I haven't gone yet, but was just going to take my .44 Redhawk or Old Model Super Blackhawk with 240 grain JHP's and .444 Marlin with 300 grain Hornady's and see what I could get. I had to read about it to believe it, but evidently the plain old 5.56 / .223 Rem with 70 grainers is like hog magic, so I imagine your 120 grain 6.5CM really walloped him. Wyndham Weaponry (the old Bushmaster guys) even makes (or made) a special camo hunting AR rifle for pig hunting. Congrats on a successful hunt!

 

[WYO300RUM]

Great Hog and nice boar !
I archery hunted hogs and goats on Catalina island twice. Take off with boat from San Pedro . Shot a sow on one trip. The goats are more alert than deer.

 

[brcfo_outdoors]

Nice hog! I'm just outside Monterey. Ft. Hunter-Ligget used to have a lot of pig hunting down there. I also know a guy who has a lot of property near Soledad and he has some guided boar hunting setups from time to time. I haven't gone, but was just going to take my .44 Redhawk or Old Model Super Blackhawk with 240 grain JHP's and .444 Marlin with 300 grain Hornady's and see what I could get. I had to read about it to believe it, but evidently the plain old 5.56 / .223 Rem with 70 grainers is like hog magic, so I imagine your 120 grain 6.5 CM really walloped him. Wyndham Weaponry (the old Bushmaster guys) even makes (or made) a special camo hunting rifle for pig hunting. Congrats on a successful hunt!

Thank you!

Ft. Hunter-Liggett still holds a reputation for holding pigs, I would like to get out there some time and check it out for myself.

I have heard similar stories about .223 but most of the guide operations I looked into said to bring a .243 caliber at the minimum. In this instance I took two shots, both of which were clean pass throughs. The first was from 130 yards at a downward angle with the pig quartering slightly towards me. Placement was right behind the shoulder, but it exited a bit low and back. He shuffled off maybe 30 yards and laid down but was still upright and his ears were moving pretty good. The second shot I took was mostly to finish him off, I was probably 35 yards and this time he was quartered away. I was aiming for his brain and the bullet entered just at the top of the shoulder (you can see it in the picture) and exited below his left ear. At that point he flopped over and did the TBI leg flail.

If I were to do it all over again I would probably bring my 300WSM shooting 190's (which I had in the truck as back up). My coyote hunting experiences tell me that bigger calibers result in less tracking, especially when the brush is thick and nasty. I wasn't underwhelmed by its performance by any means, but this was about as big/tough of an animal as I would feel comfortable and ethical about taking with the lighter lead free load.

 

[BrentM]

For sure! I'd be getting pics and video... hunt predators, etc.


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I've had clients satellite call for a plane ride out of the closest strip and we horse back them there and drop them off. We then go back and deal with the meat and antlers etc. Bizarre.

For me, its a vacation from life, doing what I love and would hang out around the camp fire, telling lies, and relaxing or doing exactly as you said. Def would not come home with any ammo left.

 

[mdmiller]

Great looking HOG!!!

 

[KSB209]

I've hunted fort hunter ligget a lot in the past. I never connected on a pig. Could have before legal shot time but they are pretty nocturnal there. Haven't been there in 10+ years so I'm not sure how well they do anymore but every weekend I spent there camping and hunting I always saw a couple pigs hanging in the shed.

 

[bowhunter123456789]

A friend sent this to me a few days ago , don't know the hunter but 60 hogs between 3 hunters in one night , I'm assuming it was from Texas

 

[arch408]

I have always been a DYI hunter, but I booked a guide for my upcoming November hunt. I finally drew a good tag in a quality area in my back yard. I haven't been able draw a tag in New Mexico except for last year and that was a fourth choice ML deer tag. I was not able to hunt because of back trouble. I just turned seventy and I figured that this might be my last chance to get a trophy mule deer. I am familiar with the country well enough to get around, and I could probably be able to shoot a deer, but I would really like to get my trophy. The guide that I booked is intimately familiar with the country and spends most of his time traveling the area I will hunt and hopefully will spot my deer before the hunt starts. With the price of fuel now, scouting could be expensive. I could easily spend $50 a day on fuel scouting. The guide is costing me $2500 with a $2000 bonus if get a trophy buck. And If I do get a deer, I won't have to do all the work after the kill.

 

[Moose Loop]

A little back story here, I have always been a DIY kind of guy when it comes to hunting which has definitely yielded mixed results. I starting hunting in high school with my buddy, and we would run around the public lands of central/coastal California with archery equipment and no idea what we were doing. We would see pigs but never got close to shoot anything but piglets which I chose to pass on. Years went on and I would occasionally try for pigs but stopped a few years back, though continued to buy tags each year just in case. Well this year I turned 30 and decide to go on my first guided hunt ever and figured I would opt for a pig to try and complete that long term goal. So I reach out to the guide, scheduled a two day hunt, and prepped and provisioned accordingly. Night before I drive three hours to car camp, and get up at 0400 to meet the guide, we drive about fifteen minutes to some private land and gear up. Guide says we should check out a pond really quick that was right near the farm house where we had parked. So we hoofed it for about five minutes and I shot this pig at the pond. I can't argue with my success but I was kind of looking forward to the full two day experience. Oh well. Just wanted to share my story, figured you guys might appreciate it.

Rifle is a Bighorn Origin that I built with a Proof barrel in a Manners EH1 and topped with a Meopta Optika6 3-18x56. Ammo was the factory Barnes Vor-TX 6.5CM load shooting 120gr TTSX. Pig was a little over 200lbs.

Mmmmm, bacon !!!