Pics from SDHNTR's Santa Cruz Island Hunt

[spectr17]

Here's the pics from SDHNTR's Santa Cruz Island hunt. Nice job on the hogs SDHNTR. Who's who in the pics?

http://www.jesseshuntingpage.com/images/hog-pack-out-santa-cruz-3-2002.jpg

http://www.jesseshuntingpage.com/images/hog-nate-boar-santa-cruz-3-2002.jpg

http://www.jesseshuntingpage.com/images/hog-dan-boar-santa-cruz-3-2002.jpg


http://www.jesseshuntingpage.com/images/hog-2-boars-santa-cruz-3-2002.jpg

[feelinducky]

Nice work. ###How much did they weigh and how many did you guys get?

[EVAN III]

### As if I wasn't jealous enough, Those are some great pics. Man I was dreaming of that hunt. At least it was a fellow JHP'er. Thanks for the pics .

### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ###EVAN III

[SDHNTR]

Jesse,
Thanks for posting the pics for me. ###The first pic is of my buddy Dan packing one back to camp. ###Thats me (Nate is my real name) in the second pic holding the pig by his ears. ###He weighed about 140 lbs and its hard to tell in this picture but he had 2 3/4" tusks. ###After being dropped off at camp at 12:30 and setting up, that pig was down at about 1:10. ###The third picture is Dan again. ###Look real close and you can see the bandage between his eyes. ###That is the result of being hit by the scope on a downhill prone shot. ###He shot, I was watching the pig and I couldn't figure out while Dan was moaning until the pig went down and I turned around to see him bleeding. ###He still has a nice half moon scab above his eye. ###But to his credit he put a good shot on that pig. ###It weighed somewhere in the 115 lb range and had 2 1/2" teeth. ###The last pic is of both of these hogs. ###I would have loved to mount mine as a momento, but we didnt have space in the cooler for the head and cape. ###We did take the jaws out. ###It was just an awesome hunt and one I'll remember forever. ###I put a nice photo album together. ###Now its off to King City the first weekend in May. ###Any one want some pork? ###Thanks again Jesse.

[sdbowyer]

What can I say? ###Great pics, great hunt. ###Thanks for sharing them!

[Bubba G]

Thanks for the pics and info. ###What type of cart is that in the background in the last picture (silver cart)? ###Did you bring it with you or was it provided? ###With 50 pound limits I cannot see how you would be able to bring a cart. ###Since they provide water jugs I was wondering if they also provide a deer cart to transport the coolers once they were full.

[SDHNTR]

I was waiting for someone to ask me about the trailer. ###We were in the camp that was farthest away from the DFG's base. ###They took our gear out to the camp with that trailer attached to the back of an ATV. ###They just left it there while we were hunting and took it back when they came to pick us up. ###We propped it up and used it like a table. ###No chance they would let a deer cart fly. ###Definitely too heavy and awkward. ###Besides most of the country is so steep and brush with many deep ravines that it would probably be more of a burden than anything else.

[Bubba G]

Thanks for the quick reply about the cart. Is there anything else one should be aware of? ###Anything that you would do different if you had the chance to go one more time? ###Food, gear, weapon choice?

[Slugblaster]

Nate , looks like a great hunt. Congrats. Tell us how the meat tastes after your first BBq. How it compares to mainland pig.

[SDHNTR]

Well the meat is not quite like a good ole King City barley fed hog. ###These suckers have zero fat on them and are tougher. ###The flavor is a bit stronger but not bad. ###I ate some backstrap that was marinated in Yoshidas for a couple hours and then stir fried it. ###It was pretty good. ###I will try to slow cook one ham. ###Depending on how that turns out I may just grind the rest into sausage. ###Bubba, if I could do it again I would have hunted differently the first evening. ###We killed 3 hogs the first afternoon so I can't complain but we could have doubled that easily. ###What we did was shoot a pig, gut it there, pack it back to camp to hang and skin it. ###We did that three times and wasted too much daylihgt. ###What we should have done is shot one, gutted it there, flagged a tree and then continued to hunt. ###Once it got dark then go back and pack all the animals out. ###And if I could bring anything else it would have been a headlamp. ###Skinning a pig with a mini maglight in my mouth just plain sucked. ###My weapon was about perfect I think. ###I took my Weatherby Lightweight 25-06. ###Plenty of punch for these small hogs and it weighs about 7 1/2 lbs with the scope. ### You definitely want a light mountain gun for those canyons. ###Hardly any part of that island is flat. ###I did wish I had brought a handgun too. ###I left it home because of the weight limits and when that big boar in the picture went down in head high brush I was wishing I had it. ###I shot him quartering to me a bit and the bullet went in the neck and breaking the off shoulder. ###I saw him go down in the brush, waited a few minutes and then went in. ###Of course the pig was 15 feet from where I thought he was. ###And he also wasn't dead yet. ###As I was looking straight forward into the brush where I thought he went down I walked right past him at about 3 feet from my side. ###He grunted and tried to stand up. ###I wheeled around and gave him 117 grains at 3100fps from the hip. ###That ended that but my heart was a pumping for quite a while. ###I sure wish there was some way to do it again. ###Take care all.

[karstic]

Great pics and story, wish I would have been drawn. I noticed that you are both wearing blaze orange. Was that personal choice or something mandated for the hunt?

[SDHNTR]

Karstic, ###The answer is yes to both elements of your question. ###It was mandated and I do prefer it. ###Makes you feel a lot safer, especially when driving canyons. I had to do some convincing to get my buddy to wear it without complaining but after the hunt he was a believer too. ###We stalked many groups of hogs and never once did we feel like the orange was a hindrance at all.

[Kickaha]

Just got the Spring/Summer issue of Hog Hunter. ###SDHNTR's picture right there on page 7 sitting atop one of his boars (same picture as above). ###Congratulations SDHNTR!

[SDHNTR]

Thanks for the heads up. ###I'll have to pick up an issue.