Chronicles of the Camp Pendleton Sportsman’s Club
Chronicle 1-2007 | Wild Pig Hunt at Vandenberg AFB | 16-19 February 2007

Marines are familiar with the planning that goes into a predeployment evolution; the pig hunt was no exception.  Dennis Loftis, our Club’s President did a superb job at planning the logistics such as:

• Where to stay at Vandenberg-He made arrangements through the Base Lodging Office (Bldg 13005) Phone 1-805-734-1111/ 805-606-1844; DSN 276-1844; email  Lodging@vandenberg.af.mil.  We had outstanding facilities consisting of two 3-bedroom Temporary Living Facilities with a complete kitchen in each.  Reservations can be made NO more than two weeks in advance and were $38.50/night each.

• Meals and Food-Friday we were treated by Bill, Roxanne and Elizabeth Baxter to a feast of pork roast dinner and pineapple upside down cake for dessert as shown in the picture with fine wine provided by Aivy.  An excellent commissary nearby provided the sustenance for breakfasts and absolutely unbelievably delicious sandwiches at their deli.  Saturday night we found a great Pizza Parlor in Lompoc that served beer by the pitcher and wonderful Pizza (1017 N. H Street).

• Required Documentation-In order to hunt wild pigs on Vandenberg, the following documentation is required:  CA Hunting License, CA Pig Tag, a Use Fee Stamp purchased at the Base Exchange-Bldg. 10400 and a Hunting Permit and a dashboard display card whenever your vehicle is parked in a hunting area obtained from the Base Game Warden’s Office (Hours 0830-1600, phone 805-606-4560).

• Hunting Party-Altogether 11 Sportsmen and 2 Sportswomen participated in the pig hunt; the Sportswomen had a 50% success; the 11 Sportsmen had a 0%. 

Hunt details:  The Baxter’s arrived on Wednesday and scouted out Area 3-Shuman Creek and Point Sal Road; Roxanne bagged her Wild Pig on Thursday on Comer Road bordering a private ranch.

The rest of the hunting party arrived on Friday.  After getting the necessary documentation from the Base Exchange and the Game Warden’s Office we went off scouting Area 3. Shuman Creek is parallel to a large barley field; however the barley was just emerging from the ground; the pigs were elsewhere in greener pastures.  Saw many deer.

Saturday morning the Party split up and hunted Area 3 up Comer Road and Globe Road. The landscape is primarily grassland which rises from almost sea level to over 2000 feet in elevation.  Wayne Taylor, Jim Post and Alex Berzins and Aivars Berzins drove half way up Globe Road and parked by a tracking station. Below it were large expanses of meadow running between 6 or 7 deep gullies filled with small willows.  All of these areas even steep rock filled slopes were heavily rooted by pigs.  This terrain was similar to that in the picture above and covered an area of several hundred acres.  Saw no pigs but lots of deer. Thoroughly exhausted we quit for lunch about noon.

Saturday late afternoon we hunted Area 2 driving in along the railroad tracks taking Antenna Road to El Rancho Oeste Road to the railroad tracks. There is a pond on the left side of the tracks which head toward the coast.  A one-mile long and approximately 50 yard wide impenetrable willow break leads into the pond. Saw lots of pig sign and lots of deer.  Later we learned that the pigs were in the thick willow breaks.  In the center of the willow breaks are cattails and a prodigious tangle of poison oak vines along the edges.

On Sunday morning we hunted Area 2 again; Alex and Aivars on the Shotgun Only side of the railroad and the rest of the party the other side.  No pigs; lots of deer. Lupe & Shannon Laguna also from Camp Pendleton took a nice sow that morning in Area 3 close to where Roxanne got hers.

By Sunday afternoon the remaining 7 members of the party decided to scout out Area 6.   It was very steep; high elevation and did not appear to be good choice because we saw little or no pig sign.

On Monday morning we decided to go back to Area 2 along the railroad tracks; this time we all synchronized our walkie-talkies to channel 5 and really got into the thick willow runs between the sand dunes. Saw lot of pig sign, uprooted cattails and pig wallows.  Did flush a pig into the willow thicket.  This Area requires further hunting---now that we finally figured it out on the last day where the pigs are. 

This was a great hunt for the beautiful scenery, the many deer we saw and the great new friends we made.  We’ve got to do it again.

Aivy Berzins