Tioga Cty hog hunting ?

[irold]

Can anyone give me a headsup on the preserve in Tioga County for hog hunting ?
I'd really like to take the boys on a hog hunt , can't afford much.  This would be close for me.  Haven't heard much about it , found it on the web.  I'm really not into "pen" shooting.  From what I understand there's 1500 acreas to hunt on , maybe it wouldn't be too bad.  Hoping to find someone thats been there and  an honest opinion.  Thanks........regards, irold

[bobg]

  I have been to Tioga hunting preserve four times. The boar hunts were fun. Like i stated once before. It depends on what guide you get. I WOULD NOT want anyone but Rodney. Had another one one time. He made it a lousy hunt. Or should i say would have if i would have agreed to shoot a sheep laying down he wanted me to shoot at 25 feet.
        bobg

[irold]

Really appreciate the feedback ,  bobg .  Can ya request a certain guide ?  Mind if I ask ya what your total cost was, excluding your transportation.  I see they are advertising 650 for boar plus 75 per nite for lodging and meals....just figured there'd be hidden costs ?  Did you stay with them ...  Thanks, really appreciate it.  irold

[Flash]

A guy I used to work with would swear by it and it sounded good until another co-worker went with him. Then the story changed to shooting pigs cornered against a fence. Personally, I've never been there but before I spent that kind of money for hunting on 1500 acres, I'd buy a butchered hog and put a bullet through a ham and get more satisfaction.

[bobg]

  Yes you can request a certain guide. I always called ahead and ask for Rodney. I stayed in the lodge on one of my trips. The rest i left home early and got there in time to hunt. The price has gone up alot since i was there. Boars were $350 then. I guess you have to face the fact you are hunting in a 1500 acre fenced in area. The boars do seem to run the fence line. The one the guy shot that went with me on my last trip was no where near a fence and the one i shot sure was not cornored anywhere. I am probably the worlds worst off hand shot. I gut shot the hog on my first shot. It got downright nasty till i killed it on my next shot. I have killed three sheep a goat and a hog there. I posted once once before saying the Rocky Mountain rams are just plain stupid. I would not ever shoot another one. Everything else at least made an attempt to get away from me. I will probably get a lot of flak over this but i think most of the negative reports are from people that have never been there.
             bobg

[irold]

I'm with ya , I don't want to shoot anything thats cornered.  1500 acreas is a big chunk of ground.  The way I look at it, some guys sit in a covered box blind overlooking a huge foodplot , then use sandbags to shoot their trophy buck....to me thats not exactly sporting either.

 I think I'll give them a call........Thanks, bobg

regards , irold

[Graybeard]

It's all in how you look at hunting and how you go about hunting normally. For a fellow from out west who is used to walking several miles a day and being able to see for miles in all directions it wouldn't seem like much of a hunt unless he went and gave it a try. Then he might find it more of a hunt then expected.

For a person who normally hunts on a small plot of private land east of the MS river in thick woods and who has access at most to 40-100 acres of land it will seem like a huge place to hunt.

If you normally walk out and sit in a ground blind or climb a tree and sit until your deer walks by to be shot then it should be no different to you than what you are used to.

I'm sure some of the hogs will roam the fence line but still more will be out in the thickest and likely wettest cover on the place. At most such preserves the animals are used to being fed at regular hours from feeders as there are way too many animals inside the fence to live off the native vegetation. They put shooting stations near those feeders and you can pretty much depend on the fact that you'll see animals at those feeder locations. What you see might not be the best on the place but you will have a chance to shoot from there. If walking them up is an option which it likely will be only if you are the only one on the place at that time then you can make it whatever kinda hunt you want it to be.

[irold]

sounds good , think I'm gonna give it a try........again, thanks GB

regards

[bobg]

   No feeders or ground blinds that i could see at Tioga. You walked the 1500 acres. Bill is right. The hogs hang out in a low swampy area there. Like i said if you get the right guide. Tell him what you want and how you want to hunt and he will make your hunt just what you want. After shooting off my big mouth i hope nothing has changed since my last trip there.
            bobg

[shotgunner]

I live just a few miles from this place. I have not hunted it but know several people who have, and have driven by the place. They have other game also. It seems that everyone that shoots there is close to a fence. I do know one fellow who was walked out into a field and asked to shoot a hog that was laying under a tin roof. I guess if you are looking for a hog, and do not want to travel to the deep south, this is an option. Do not expect a wilderness experience. Shotgunner

[bobg]

  I guess things have changed since i was there. No tin roofs anywhere in there then. I was asked to shoot a rocky mountain ram laying next to a pond. I told my so called guide where he could stick that ram horns and all. Like i said before ask for Rodney. Tell him right from the beginning what you want and how you want to hunt and that is what you will get from him. I haven't been there in at least 15 years. So i guess it  probably has changed.
   bobg

[irold]

Well now , Shotgunner , I certainly don't want to be shooting any animals laying under a tin roof...that being said,  When I called and spoke to a guide ( Carl ) , he told me we could have any kind of hunt we wanted.  I did get the impression that if I told him I had ten minutes to hunt and wanted to shoot a hog , I'd shoot a hog.  However I told him we were not into "fence shooting".  Hopefully I got the message across , and will remind him of that when our hunt takes place. 

bobg ....I did ask for Rodney , no problem , Rodney and the guide I spoke to ( Carl ) work together all the time , or at least so I'm told.  Believe there will be 5 of us , Carl said that would be good , both he and Rodney would show us a good time.  We're really looking forward to it.  My Dad , 82 and Uncle ,71, will be going with my boys ( 15 and 23 ) and I .  Ya never know when a hunt might be your last.  Make memories while ya can.

Thanks to everyone

regards , irold

[bobg]

   I have problem with my legs and hips. Very hard to walk. The guide i had the one time just didn't want to spend the time with me. Some places he would not let me go because he didn't think i could walk down there. On my next trip i told Rodney about this. He said BS. I can see you have problems walking and you set the pace and that is how we will go. We walked every foot of that 1500 acres. He told me we COULD get down in the swampy area. I killed a nice hog. Please let us how  your hunt went. It should be fun.
      bobg

[irold]

bobg ,  I certainly will.  And thanks for the heads up and the info.  regards , irold

[shotgunner]

bobg

If your problem is arthritis in your hip, I have a solution. If you have been told you have to wait for surgery you don't have to. I had my hip resurfaced 2 years ago and can now walk as far as I like, ride a horse do just about anything. Let me know, my surgery was a life saver. Shotgunner

[bobg]

    shotgunner. Not really sure it is arthritis. I was in a car accident . My left femur  broke and came out the side of my leg. Tore my intestines apart. Broke my right shoulder and ankle. The doctor told my wife he wasn't sure if i was going to live through the surgery. He said all he was going to do was put a rod in my left leg and fix my intestions.To heck with my shoulder and ankle. The ankle healed crooked. It makes it very hard to walk on uneven ground. My right hip replacement was done years later. The first one didn't work. The cement they used to hold it in place never set up. I was sent to a different surgeon.  He said there was no socket there to hold the ball on my hip in place. He made a new socket and replaced evrything else.This one was screwed in. End of hip problems. .
                    bobg