Goin' huntin'

[Mike D.]

Well, folks, I'm off for the land of copper bullets and Condors. Due to the lack of "proper' bullets, about the only vintage lever that will, hopefully, see some action this weekend will be my venerable little 1895 Winchester .30 Gov't '06 SRC. I do have some 300 grain .45s, but won't be wasting any of the nearly $1 each bullets on target practice, so will wait until later in the season to use them. I am anxious to see what the 168 grain Hornady TSX will do on the local deer and pigs. I am already at odds with the wardens, mostly due to my outspoken belief that wild pigs ARE NOT game animals, but pests that need no tags to take, so, they just might check me for lead if I'm seen on the roads into the ranch. I welcome that, too, 'cause I am completely "unleaded". I'll be back on Sunday or Monday.

[Les Staley]

Mike D: hope you have success in your hunt.. my son and his buddy and myself took three doe antelope Wednesday with archery tackle.. tis the season.... getting a wee mite cool in the mornings here in Wyoming, lower fortys...nice to have a little fresh meat hanging..

[Tycer]

Hunt safe, hunt successful!

[kimwcook]

+1

[Modoc ED]

Well, folks, I'm off for the land of copper bullets and Condors. Due to the lack of "proper' bullets, about the only vintage lever that will, hopefully, see some action this weekend will be my venerable little 1895 Winchester .30 Gov't '06 SRC. I do have some 300 grain .45s, but won't be wasting any of the nearly $1 each bullets on target practice, so will wait until later in the season to use them. I am anxious to see what the 168 grain Hornady TSX will do on the local deer and pigs. I am already at odds with the wardens, mostly due to my outspoken belief that wild pigs ARE NOT game animals, but pests that need no tags to take, so, they just might check me for lead if I'm seen on the roads into the ranch. I welcome that, too, 'cause I am completely "unleaded". I'll be back on Sunday or Monday.

I'm with you Mike in believing that "Hogs" are pests but as you know the great state of CA considers them game -- not only game but "Big Game" just like deer, bear, elk, etc. and to make matters worse even issue "Wild Pig Tags"!!

Have a great hunt and most of all a good time!!!

[Mike D.]

I'm back, after a nice weekend that produced no deer. We saw several legal bucks, but no "shooters", that is. We only take 3 pt(each side) and larger bucks, and those guys seemed mighty elusive. The weather wasn't too hot, with cool mornings where a jacket is required, and the same toward sunset, but the deer are laying low. Saw lots of fat pigs, but we weren't in the pig killing mode, preferring to concentrate on the horned game. We found where a cat had made a kill, covered it with grass and leaves, then returned and carried it away. That might explain the lack of larger deer, but I think it more likely that the animals are still most active at night. The half moon lights the area well enough to let them move about with ease. They need little light, anyway, the moonlight just adds to their comfort.

There will be a large contingent of pig hunters on the ranch next weekend, but I am doing other things, so won't be down there to participate. IMO, it's too hot to bother with pigs, they'll have to wait for fall to get my attention. The other guys are allowed to only take pigs, and Labor Day weekend is their time. This will be my first pass of the event, and I will sorely miss the great food and camaraderie. The gang camps out under the shade of a large locust tree, and bring their own cook and all the food. Some of the older men never leave the camp, they just hang out and play Pedro. Just a bunch of old line Italians who get together every year to have fun and do whatever pleases 'em. Their "bar" is a wonder to behold. Oh well, drinking liquor is still not in my future, but hanging out with those gentlemen is still a heck of a lot of fun.

On that note, I had my first PET scan in eight months on the 19th, and still haven't heard a word from the Oncologists. By my way of thinking, no news is good news, so I'll keep on doing things as usual. I feel great, am gaining weight and can now climb the hills with the rest of our bunch. Things are definitely looking up. We'll be back after the deer on Sept. 5th.

By the way, before I forget, sighting in our rifles with the all copper bullets gave us all a surprise. The copper printed several inches higher at 100 yds, which forced me to drop the receiver sight on the '95 as low as it would go and one complete revolution of the dial on the 3-12 Swarovski on my Remingtom 700. Both rifles are still printing at the top of the bull, too. This is good enough for me.

[Griff]

Yep, "no news is good news". Sorry you'll miss out on the "hog hunt" with the rest of your group, but... sometimes other things take precedence. Sounds like you still had a good scout for deer, and all that time in the woods adds to the possibility of success come a later season.

[Mike D.]

We did do a lot of "scouting", but didn't see the bigger bucks that were running around before the season opened. I think that deer have a built in warning system that tells them when the season is about to open, so that they can disappear. The terrain is very brushy and steep, with interspersed oak studded clearings. Here a few photos I took over the weekend.

Early Saturday morning, looking out toward the coast. The neighboring Salinas Valley is socked in with fog. The ranch complex is down in the valley, lower left, where the little ribbon of river can be seen.


This little spike came wandering up to us, not a bit concerned with our presence.


Two more yearling bucks. Probably twins that have remained together for a while. The little ones were out and about all day.


The intrepid "huntress", all tuckered out from a long walk down from a ridgetop. Youngsters can sleep through anything, a bumpy ride included.


After a hard, 4 wheel drive, low range, slam up a steep and loose "road" on Saturday evening the old jeep decided to give up it's clutch linkage. I wasn't all prepared for the more than a mile hike up the extremely steep trail, but we did what we had to do. The rifles, our gear bags and some water was all we carried up to where we could radio the other guys on the opposite side of the ranch to wander over and rescue us.. A long soak in the hot tub sure felt good that night.


We were back early Sunday morning to remove the broken linkage. It'll sit there until the parts are fixed and someone returns to put it back together.
It has sat for as long as a month, after becoming mired in a wet creek bottom, so this is no big deal. There are other vehicles to use in the meanwhile.