Instead of booking the typical weekend bachelor party in Vegas, best man, Carlos Molina, decided to plan a different type of wild adventure for thirteen college friends –a two-day trip to Native Hunt for everyone’s first hunting experience.
Traveling from the concrete jungle of Los Angeles, the group was not sure what to expect from their trip into this wild landscape. All seven men in the group who decided to try out their skills as hunters made a kill, taking home to eat and show off a total of one ram and six boars.
Looking back, Carlos summed up the trip as being “a great bonding experience and lots of fun times.” “We definitely felt like we got a real outdoor experience.” According to Carlos, “the atmosphere and attitude at Native Hunt was what really made it.” The group was able to be in the wilderness and still have everything they needed to have a great time: good food, campfires, and friendly staff. The roughest thing the bachelor party had to survive was their own friendly wrestling matches.
With another trip already being planned for next year, the group won’t have to wait too long for more fresh game. Whether or not it will be for another bachelor party, however, is a different story. I guess we’ll have to wait and see. For now, congrats to the new couple!
One thing that Brian Murdoch shares with his 12-year-old son, Jordan, is the love of turkey hunting. This past April, they both had their first successful turkey hunt at one of our beautiful Priest Valley ranches. Both of them brought home 20-pound turkeys with one and a half-inch spurs and nine inch beards. It took a while to capture the prey, but with the help of a decoy, more birds began to gather later in the day, giving them more variety to choose from.
Brian thanks Native Hunt’s lead guide, Sam Mcguire, for his wealth of knowledge, exciting hunting stories, and most of all, his ruthlessness! “Good guides love what they do. They don’t give up until the DFG deadline for the day and they aren’t satisfied unless they get you an animal,” said Brian. “Sam really took the time to work with Jordan and help him become a better hunter.” As always, Native Hunt’s guides came through, making sure Brian and Jordan departed from their weekend at Native Hunt feeling satisfied and fulfilled.
This hunt added a third mark to Jordan’s successful hunting tally. With his success at killing a duck on his first hunt this past January, his first turkey a couple months later, and finally his most recent success at Native Hunt, you can tell he shares his father’s genes. Brian has said that the sport has enabled them to bond in a new way, while rekindling the kid in himself. “On TV, we see people high-fivin each other and we always laugh, but in that real life situation, you realize it’s such a rush that you end up doing the same.”
“My favorite memory from the trip was watching the turkey finally come around the corner, strutting into the decoys with his blue head and feathers puffed out,” said Brian. “It gave me a new appreciation for the turkey that ends up on my plate every Thanksgiving.” The April hunt of the month was a great success for all involved. Brian and Jordan thank Sam and Native Hunt for a great day and lasting memories that will go down in the books as “top notch.” Next hunt for the father and son duo is a pig hunt at Native Hunt. We can’t wait!
Sometimes a great hunt has nothing to do with the largest trophy or the fullest game bag. Sometimes it’s not so much about the great shot or the wild chase. Sometimes a great hunt is just the accumulated experience… the smiles and laughter of time spent with family and new friends in a beautiful place.
That was the occasion on the weekend of October 17-18, as the Native Hunt ranch welcomed brothers Matt and John Matthews, and Matt’s two boys, Chris (12) and Josh (8). These guys are about as new to hunting as a person can get, having just earned their Hunter Safety certificates and picked up their licenses. They’re so new, in fact, that they don’t have their own rifles yet, and had to make do with rifles provided by the guides. But that didn’t dampen the enthusiasm or the willingness to get out and do whatever it took to make the hunt a success. As it turns out, they were definitely up for the challenge!
There’s a lot more I could write, but I think the following video says it… and shows it… much better than I ever could!
As some of you may know, during the Native Hunt dove hunt this past September a few folks took advantage of the special management hunt offer. Among these were Bob Ford and his son, Robert, who decided to get after a couple of feral hogs.
The first day was spent out at the Priest Valley Ranch, but Head Guide, Sam McGuire couldn’t get the hogs to cooperate. The next day, they made it back out on the Jolon Ranch to fill their tags with a couple of good, management hogs. Even better, they took the hogs within 20 minutes of each other after two hard days of hunting.
I had the opportunity to get back in touch with the Fords and ask them a few questions about their experience. Here’s what they had to say:
NH: What were your impressions of the guides? Of the rest of the staff?
Bob Ford:The guides and the rest if the staff were great, They knew the property and the game.
NH: What did you think about the properties?
Bob Ford: We hunted Jolon Ranch and Priest Valley Ranch. Both were large properties and great places to hunt
NH: What did you think, in general, of the number and quality of the animals you encountered?
Bob Ford: We saw lots of wildlife: deer, hogs, bison, rabbits and all manner of birds.
NH: Did your hunt include a cook and meals at the Jolon Ranch? If so, what did you think about them?
Bob Ford: Yes, we were there for the Dove opener. There were 2 chefs and the food was fabulous. They actually prepared the some of the doves we shot and they were the best I have ever had.
NH: What was the most memorable part of your visit?
Bob Ford: When my son and I both shot a Boar within 20 minutes of each other after hunting for two days.
NH: Any further comments?
Bob Ford: It was a weekend we will always remember.
NH: Would you come back out to hunt with us again?
Bob Ford: Yes, definitely.
Congratulations to the Fords for their selection as September’s Hunt of the Month!
Our April Hunt of the Month features huntress, Sharon Morozumi. Sharon came out on a very special hunt, with the objective of taking one of our American bison with her bow! While Native Hunt has offered bison hunts for quite some time, this would be a fairly unique experience for the team. CEO of Native Hunt T. Michael Riddle put all of his resources to work to make sure Sharon had a successful and fulfilling hunt.
Riddle took Sharon’s husband and another guide out ahead of the hunters to scout out the animals. Amazingly even these massive creatures can totally disappear in the expanse of nature, but they were soon able to locate the herd. Once the animals were located, the next trick was to get the huntress into position with a favorable wind and enough cover to stalk within bow range.
While the bison at the Jolon Ranch may seem docile to the casual observer, they’re far from tame, as Riddle was reminded when he got a little too close and the big bull charged him. The challenge for the guide and huntress would be to get in close enough to make a clean kill, yet also have a clear route to escape if things went wrong. Riddle and the others would observe from a safe distance where they would be able to watch the animals after the shot.
The guide for this hunt is one of Riddle’s youngest guys, Colby Williams. Williams, the son of a long-time Central Coast hunting guide, grew up in a hunting environment and was helping his father from an early age. He’s been working on and off for Native Hunt for the last three years or so. Even so, nothing in that experience quite matched up to the situation facing him on this hunt. Wild hogs and blacktail deer are one thing… bowhunting American Bison is another.
I asked Colby what he thought was the most challenging part of the hunt. “The biggest thing was getting into range,” he said. “She (Sharon) said she was comfortable out to about 20 yards. It was tough getting within 20 yards of those animals. There wasn’t a lot of cover where they were. We had to make real slow movements and make sure their attention wasn’t on us before we made our move.”
Getting close wasn’t the only consideration, though, when stalking animals that may go in excess of a ton. “My primary concern was safety,” said Colby.
Buffalo tend to huddle up and protect a wounded member of the herd, and have been known to charge a predator. After the shot, which Colby described as very well-placed, the hunters and guides had to stand off and wait until the herd finally dispersed before collecting the animal, a fine cow. The remainder of the weekend was spent in typical Native Hunt fashion, touring the ranch to view the wildlife, target shooting, and enjoying good food and fellowship around the campfire.
Colby said he had a great time with the Morozumis, and apparently the sentiment was shared. Here’s what Sharon wrote to me regarding her experience.
My bison hunt at Native Hunt was most excellent. Colby the guide was most professional and helpful. Mike is always a pleasure to work with. All the staff were very professional and courteous.
The land is beautiful and the wildlife is very enjoyable to observe. The hunt was very exciting and I appreciate everyone’s patience. As a bowhunter it is important to be in the right place and yardage is crucial.
All in all it was a truly wonderful experience and I will recommend Native Hunt to others and I definitely plan to return for a future hunt.
Congratulations to Sharon Morozumi for a great hunt and harvest, and to the team from Native Hunt for bringing it all together for yet another satisfied client!
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