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2791
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Fri April 8, 2005
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Description:
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Chopper Snyder owns and operates “Wild Hog Adventures”. I first met Chopper or Bigtusker as he goes by on JHO about a year ago. I faithfully track the posts on Jesses’ Hog Hunting Forum and noticed a hunt was coming together at his place. It’s a faint memory exactly how the thread started but somehow I knew I mustn’t be left out. I added my name to the thread, mailed my deposit and was locked in for an archery only hog hunt. Chopper offers the harvest of two hogs per two-and-a-half day hunt. I found out later Chopper felt since the success rate of recovering hogs is lower than that of a bullet killed hog that by giving everyone an opportunity for two pigs the hunter could enjoy a full weekend of hunting. If a one hog limit were in place hunters who are unable to recover a hog due to one of many reasons such as lack of blood trail, terrain, poor shot, would stop hunting after drawing blood regardless if the animal was recovered. Mortally wounded hogs can and will run great distances before bleeding out, and with their natural camouflage can disappear in to the thicket never to be seen again even if you are just a few yards away from the kill. Keep in mind not all hogs struck by arrows will die. Ultimately it is up to the hunter to take the ethical shot at a reasonable distance and be responsible for his or her actions.
Choppers’ hunts start at noon on Friday and end Sunday evening. Though he is flexible in his operation he prefers to have a minimum of four hunters per hunt. On this hunt there would be eight JHOer’s participating (I believe his maximum). None of us had met before and I recall us all trickling in to the meeting point that sunny warm Friday a year ago. Arrowslinger and Bighorn67 were the first to arrive. I was third. Before long all but two or three were there and Chopper drove up at noon straight up. The guys lagging behind had made arrangements to arrive a little later. We all followed Chop in our own trucks and cars to the gate of his ranch and started the ascent to his little piece of heaven. Driving this canyon, which is steep, narrow and rugged, thick with brush, I thought to myself we’re hunting this? Before long the canyon opened up and I was awestruck with the rolling wooded oak hills, beautiful points to glass and of course thick chemise that we all know are the hog’s homes.
We arrived atop a ridge where a brick built cabin stood. It’s larger than my L.A based home. It had a master bedroom with wood burning stove, king size bed, separate toilet and shower. At the other end of the house were two additional bedrooms, one with a queen and the other with two twins. Adjacent is yet another full bathroom. Between the bedrooms is a great-room which hosts two large couches, two comfortable recliners, a kitchen with working stove and oven, center buffet counter and a nice long table we made into our bar (for use in the evenings only). The house is piped with gas light fixtures as well as electric fixtures that run off of the generator. There is a T.V with VCR and now just recently a DVD player. To me the most important and awesome sight was that of the fireplace. A true pyro can appreciate the size of this monster. A big room needs a lot of heat to stay warm and this fireplace is a wood-eating machine. This fireplace would rival the fireplaces of old England. Well, maybe I shouldn’t go that far but let me tell you it is the largest fireplace I’ve warmed up next to. You don’t feed this with chips you feed it with limbs.
4000 acres is what we had as our own to hunt and explore. Chopper took us for a drive around the ranch and explained the different areas and his suggestions on where to hunt. His hunts are semi-guided. He’ll show you the ranch, even use his modified jeep to get you to the spots and when you stick a hog he’ll bring up his dogs to help with the recovery if you like. The skinning shed is done right with an electric hoist and gambrel and a water hose to clean the hog after the skinning. The cooler is adjacent and he has an ice machine that you can use on your way home to help keep the pig cool.
Prior to this hunt I had taken pigs with rifle only and most of these were done driving around someone’s ranch, stop, glass, locate a hog, try to get close (with in 200 yards) and shoot to kill. When I started to bowhunt I tried public land and military bases. Most of the public land I tried was very steep with enormous thickets of chemise and little opportunity to get close to a porker other than setting up off of a game trail. Pigs are pigs and that’s the problem. They do what ever they want when they want. They don’t always use the same trail day in and day out and though they may be in the same area for a period of time they have many ways of moving around through the chemise and I find it very difficult to predict which game trail to set up on. I prefer to spot-and-stalk and still-hunt. I find Choppers ranch gives me many opportunities for chances at game. I’ve also hunted at FHL and Camp Roberts and at the latter had an opportunity to shoot at a little pig (50-70lbs) but missed. What I didn’t care for at the military bases was I had to check in, wait in lines, and even be confined to one area at a time, having to go back to a check station when wanting to move to another area. At Choppers, I knew exactly how many hunters were there, where everyone would hunt for the day and when I left my truck for a morning or evening hunt I left the keys on the seat. No worries about the truck being gone when I get back.
Chopper suggests everyone bring walkie-talkies. It allows you the freedom to roam yet be in contact if you need assistance.
Hunt on foot…. To be a successful bowhunter you need to get out of the vehicle and hunt. Not road hunt but put leather to the ground and work the wind and the terrain. My first afternoon there I simply strung my recurve, put on my day pack, took some water and started to hunt from the ridge on which the cabin lies. There are several productive areas easily reached by legal shooting time on foot.
I’ve read posts on JHO where guys ask “What’s the success rate?”, “How many pigs were taken?”. You know, I don’t know what the percentages are and I’m not sure they mean anything to me. I’m a bowhunter. All I need is an area that holds game and it’s up to me to make my own percentages. This ranch provides me with hunt-able land, in a safe environment and it holds game. Have I seen hogs on every morning or afternoon hunt? No. But they’re there. I saw fresh sign in the form of rooting, scat, and trails and of course sight. I’m a hunter, a bowhunter and if I wanted 100 % success I wouldn’t be using stick and string to get there.
Though I didn’t harvest a pig that first weekend I was able to put a stalk on a nice big reddish sow and several smaller hogs. I have since taken a nice sow with my recurve and carbon arrows at the ranch. Turkeys and deer also call this ranch home and I have seen many of both.
If you happen to cross the grave yard of the folks who originally started the ranch, it probably wouldn’t hurt to tip your hat and give a little thanks for what is truly part of California’s Gold…(LOL, that’s my Huell Howser line).
As other hunters would testify, “Adventure” is part of the name and the few times I’ve been at the ranch I have definitely experienced an Adventure of some sort or another.
His website is www.birdsandboars.com
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Keywords:
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bigtusker chopper wild hog adventures bowhunt bowhunting
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Huntin' Junkie
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;)
Registered: June 2002
Location: So Cal.