If you’ve never been to the Tejon Ranch in Southern California, you are really missing out. Located about an hour north of Los Angeles, this 270,000 acre ranch has been around since 1843 and boasts beautiful mountains and valleys. It is home to an abundance of wildlife including elk, deer, wild pigs, waterfowl and upland game birds. It is also a working ranch full of cattle and farming operations.
I have had the opportunity to hunt the Tejon Ranch numerous times over the last two decades and each time I leave with an even greater longing to return. Ranch Manager Mike Campeau runs a great operation with a friendly staff and comfortable accommodations. Wild boar hunts are the most common game animal on the ranch and I’ve been lucky enough to take a few of them over the years. Last week my good friend and Media Mentor, “Uncle” Dick Williams, set up a hog hunt for us with the hope of taking a boar with the new 8″ Colt Anaconda .44 Magnum revolver. I’ve been hunting and shooting for over four decades and have shot dozens of big game animals but I’d never taken a large animal with a handgun. This would prove to be a good challenge.
After getting to the ranch, we met up with our guide, Cody Plank. Cody has been a guide on the Tejon Ranch for a quarter of a century and the lead guide for most of that time. No one knows the ranch better than Cody so if anyone could get me close enough to a boar for a shot it was him. I’ve hunted with Cody several times over the years and I can’t decide what’s more fun: Taking the animals he puts us on or just driving around in the truck telling stories!
The beautiful thing about the Tejon Ranch is the varied terrain. It ranges from flat rolling barren hills to steep forested mountains, and the pigs live everywhere. The first day we hunted from dawn to dusk and saw over 200 pigs, but they were either too far off or not large enough. The second day Cody and I put some miles on our boots covering a lot of terrain and seeing a ton of hogs before finally finding a shooter. Around 2pm, Cody spotted one lying in the shade across a deep ravine. It looked like a boar but we couldn’t be sure and the range was over 100 yards so we decided to make a stalk in hopes of getting closer. After fighting the steep and rocky hillside, we found ourselves 45 yards from the black and tan spotted bovine. As Cody tried to determine if it was a boar, the hog stood up and suddenly took off up the hill away from us. Cody yelled, “It’s a boar!” which was my signal to shoot. I had dropped into a sitting position using my left knee as a rest for the hand cannon, and tracked the boar as it ran up the canyon. At 60 yards I found the front sight on the right shoulder and pressed the trigger.
The boar hunched and changed directions, crossing a small gulley. As it came up the other side, I again found the sight on the pig and fired. There was a guttural squeal and the boar went down, rolled over and slid a few yards down the steep hillside. It kicked a few times then was still. Cody yelled, “Nice shooting, the first shot was 60 yards and the second was just over 100!” Cody hiked back to the truck for his pack and gear (including some much needed water!) while I hiked down to the animal. I discovered my first shot had hit the hog high in the right shoulder, passing through both shoulder blades before exiting the left side. The second round hit at the back of the ribcage on the right side as the boar was running away from us. The bullet traversed the body passing through the chest cavity before coming to rest in the hide at the front of the left shoulder.
The ammo we used for this hunt was provided by Cameron Hopkins at Super Vel Ammunition. Since California hunting regulations require the use of non-lead ammunition, Mr. Hopkins sent a .44 Magnum round loaded with a 180 grain Barnes solid copper hollow point bullet boasting a velocity of 1,650 fps. When we sighted in the Anaconda before the hunt, the round shot well on paper but it really proved its mettle on this boar. The recovered bullet expanded well but still left a large heavy base allowing the bullet to penetrate well.
The Anaconda has always been a favorite among large bore revolver shooters. This fully redesigned 2021 model should continue to keep that following. The gun is beautifully finished in stainless steel and has a heavy full length lug under the barrel. The trigger was very nice and I found the gun easy to shoot. This is largely due to the gun’s heavy weight and the comfortable Hogue rubber grips.
If you enjoy getting outdoors, consider giving Tejon Ranch a try. They offer guided hunts along with hunting club memberships that give you access to small game, upland bird hunting, fishing, pig hunting, hiking and camping. Best of all, when you are on the ranch you can leave your city troubles behind!