Wild Pig

San Miguel, California, 2006


Bill's 230lb Pig

Ron's 180lb Pig

July of 2006 we hunted the Works Ranch again with Bert Claassen of Works Wildlife Management.  If you have already viewed the page for my 2005 hunt you have seen how green the ranch can be during the wet season.  The summer is quite a contrast with very dry landscape and the available water sources are of great importance to wildlife and the hunter.  Day time temperatures reached 100°F.  Ron Pounds, Jeff Dodd and myself set out with Bert in search of tasty meat pigs.

Our hunt opened with a Friday evening session where we saw several groups of smallish pigs.  We briefly pursued the only specimen of decent size but with shooting light failing us we were not able to close the deal.

Saturday morning we renewed our pursuit and I shot this pig before 5:30 am.  The group of about a dozen pigs caught our scent at the last moment and a running shot at about 90 yards sent her head over heels.  She did not get up.  Bert now has a scale in his shop so we know the live weight was 230 lbs.

The weapon was a custom Mauser 98 in 30-06 loaded with 165 grain Sierra's.

Ron and Jeff each connected within the next hour.  We were 3 for 3 in less than 2 hours.  In this second photograph you can see the hog lineup.  Bert's new skinning room and walk-in reefer is first class and his knife skills are excellent.

Left to right, Bill, Ron, Jeff

Bert skinning

19 Ground Squirrels

Hunters who finish up with pigs early have plenty of activities to keep them busy, including a shooting range with very solid benches, and varmint hunting including coyotes and ground squirrels.  I spent some time Saturday afternoon sitting under a shady oak tree overlooking a ground squirrel burrow town.  In less than 2 hours I picked off this mess of 19 of the little buggers.  I was shooting a Marlin model 980V in .22LR.