Report 13236: Boar hunters find fresh footprints north of Lake Cachuma.

I was hunting with a friend for wild boar in the Los Padres National Forest near Lake Cachuma, Ca.  The lake runs on sort of an angle from west/northwest to east/southeast.  Just above the lake when travelling north on hwy 154 is an access road leading into the forest to a point near the northwest end of the lake (probably about 2 1/2 miles from the lake).  Near that point and about 3/4 to one mile away from the ranger station located there, my friend and I hunted along the west side of the road.  We were both armed with high powered rifles (I had a 300 H&H Magnum with 200 grain roundnose bullets).  This is rough country!  We were sitting on a hillside looking down the hill when we noticed what seemed to be movement. After about 1/2 hr or so, and not seeing any more movement, we decided to go and investigate what the movement had been below us on the hillside.  We crossed the trail which led into the area and went further down the hill toward the ranger station which was about 3/4 mile lower on the hillside around a bend.  Nothing was observed. About 5-10 minutes later, we climbed back up the hill and onto the trail only to find some footprints.  The footprints were about 18 inches long and (although we did not measure them) approximately 40 inches apart.  Whatever made the prints was heavy because the prints were deep in the soil, much deeper than any person could have made (especially in that short a timeframe).  The prints lead along the trail going w/nw. and were on top of our footprints where we had crossed the trail going down the hill less than 10 minutes before. We followed the prints for approximately 1 mile, but never saw anything except the continuing footprints.  We finally reached a vantage point  and could view the trail ahead for a mile or so.  It was empty, so we gave up and returned to the car. Whatever made those prints was able to get far enough ahead of us that we could not catch up and it had to be far enough ahead to be out of view when we reached the vantage point.  I do not think a person could have done this even if running. I never did see anything there but that was the last time I ever ventured into that area!