My first Javelina hunt in SE AZ!

[Tbob]

Hey gang,
    Just thought I'd share my Javelina hunt that I just returned from with ya'll..

So my good friend and I were BS'ing last year about hunting and camping and he said, hey ya know, even though I don't hunt, I bet my dad and his buddy would love to have us come out on one of there Javelina hunts with them if you're interested? I was like, um...... YES! A few weeks later I got together with my buddy and his dad to discuss how this works. He told me it is what they call the HAM hunt. ( handgun, archery or muzzleloader. He said it was a fun hunt in February, but I'd have to hurry up and put in for the draw. So with 2 weeks to spare I bought an AZ lic and an application for the HAM hunt in the unit he told me. Few months later, BOOYAH! Wouldn't you know it? I drew the tag my first time applying. So then onto to the planning.
     My buddy and I discussed how we'd all get to camp and where camp would be ( I've never been so I had zero clue) turns out my buddies dad had a buddy who owns a ranch that has some Javelina running around.. My buddy sent me the GPS coordinates and we were set. They live in phoenix so it was about a 3 hour drive for them. I recently moved to San Diego so it looked to be about an 8 hour drive for me. They were going to be in camp the afternoon of 2/4 and I would drive out after work on 2/4. Hunt opened 2/5.
      I ended up getting off of work about 5 hours later than I was hoping ( few people called in sick and ruined my plan). So I hit the road at about 4:30pm Thursday evening. Just in time for some sweet Rush hour traffic.. I finally got east of San Diego and the traffic opened up. I pulled into the camp at about 1:15am. My buddy was up waiting for me and everybody else was snoring like crazy. We set up my tent right quick, had a celebration whiskey and then off to bed. Alarm set for 6:30am. It was one cold night out there. It got to 12 degrees that night.. Woke up to cold sunny skies with a slight breeze steady from the SE. We had some coffee and cinnamon roles and discussed what we were gonna do. Everybody was hell bent on getting me a pig so we decided all to stay together (more eyes behind the glass the better) and see what we could find. They said about a half mile around the big Mt and in this draw there are usually some pigs there... So we finished up breakfast, the sun is up and bright, but still super cold. It's now 7:30am and we get around the mountain and we stop to look around, my buddies dad is showing me kind of how this wash usually works and where the pigs like to go. At that moment, his buddy is doing the whole "pssssst..... Pssssst"..... And waving us over. He must see something good ! So we catch up to him and he's got 3 Javelina spotted on the opposite side of the canyon.. I ranged them at 789 yrds from where we were... He told me " these aren't like deer. They can't see you very well even when in close, but if they smell or hear you they'll bust out". So we made a mental note of where they were and off we went..
       We went about 250 yrs all together and my buddy, his dad, and my buddies brother all decided to hang back on the opposite side of the canyon and watch from there. My buddies friend Dan said, I'll walk down with you..we went about another 200 yards down the canyon and towards where the pigs were eating.. At that point he said, "okay man, it's all you now. Just remember the wind and go slow. He sat himself on a rock and was also going to just watch from there.. So we pointed at a few cactuses where they should be and off I went. Down the rest of the canyon and then started making my way up the other side and down to the left where my cactus marker was. Except as I got down into the canyon I could no longer see "my cactus".. I got to about the level I thought the pigs should be and then I hear a quick whistle from across the canyon. I stopped and looked through my Bino's at my buddy Dan who was watching from the bottom. He was pointing more left.. So I started moving that way verrrrrrry slowly.. The Wind was perfect and steadlily blowing in my face.. As i eased down the canyon I finally caught a little movement.. I wanted to be up just a bit higher so I could come down on them and made my move. I ranged the 3 I could see at 87 yrds. Mind you there is almost ZERO cover out there. So I found a little Yucca cactus between me and the pigs and started to slowly slowly slowly creep in (not minding all the pokey things in my socks). As I moved about another 10 yards that's when I saw 3 more just to my right and a little higher up.. Then a few more come into view. I count 11 now and they're kind of all over.. I keep slowly moving towards my Yucca and a few of them spook! Crap!  They make some grunting noises and bail down the backside of the mt I'm on.. None of the other pigs even cared and just went about there business. I'm still not sure of those other pigs even saw me and might have just busted out because? Regardless, I'm now 44 yards to the closest javelina to me, still with the Yucca in between us.. I keep moving super slow and way hunched over (I'm 6'3) so it's hard to get low.. I finally and painfully make it to my Yucca and I slowly peak Over it and there they are. 3 of them and they're just eating and don't even know im there! Awesome.... I range the closest one at 20 yards. And the next closest one is 32 yrds.. Non of them are offering a good shot so I just sink back down and watch from behind my cactus. I peak again and now they're at 11 and 28 yards.. I stand up super slowly and draw my bow. I just need the closest one to stand broadside and I'm gonna shoot. I notice though that the one behind it is easily twice as big of not bigger. I don't care though as I'm shooting the closest one at 11 yards (it's my first javelina hunt and I really want to take one home) . It finally gets broadside And I'm drawn. It's moving though and stops perfectly behind this little tuft of yellow grass. I can see it's snout and ass end, but nothing else.. My arms are now getting to that almost shaky point from holding so long... Dang pig just two steps forward!! At that point I turn my focus to the next closest pig ( which is huge) last time i ranged him he was at 28 yrds.. He's now broadside standing in the open. I reminded myself to look through the peep! The little things ya know? I put my 30 yrd pin just a little low on its shoulder and it settle perfect! I didn't even think about pulling the trigger. It just happened! Everything at that point was in slow motion. I saw my arrow leave the string and start to slowly arch up and then down and looked like it was gonna connect perfectly. Then it hit, I heard a thud, and that pig knocked over like I walked up and kicked it over! It was crazy! At that point I saw my arrow sticking out of his shoulder. I couldn't tell how far it went in as it was still laying perfectly broadside to me. It quickly stood up and made a circle while squealing and biting like crazy. He spun around and I saw the other half of my arrow sticking out the other side. It was like he was perfectly scewered. He was just standing there spinning and making a racquet so I re-loaded and was about to shoot again, when all the other pigs ran all over the place and bolted. My pig ended up rolling just out of site, but when all the others ran off I never saw him so I knew he was down just below me.. I looked back at my buddies and gave them a fist pump and then sat down to compose myself. It was only 9:00am opening morning .. A few seconds later the few pigs that busted out earlier, came back up over the hill looking around for what had happened and walked right next to me.. They must have finally smelled me and took off.. So I just sat there and waited for my friends to all get over to me. They all get there and said," what happened man?? We saw you shoot and they all took off. How did you miss that one"?? I was like, Huh?! I shot that big bad mother and he should be dead right over there! They were all watching me and saw that little one that was right in front of me at 11 yrds, they all were watching for me to shoot that one. So they thought I missed when they saw them run off! We all laughed for a bit and then went down to check out my pig. He was double lunged and really dead about 5 ft from where I shot him. I was stoked on my shot. Those things are pretty small with a little kill zone. We all talked about how we saw it, shook hands and took a few pix. It was starting to get warmer ( about 50 degrees) so we decided I'd take care of mine ( my buddy stayed back to help) and the other three would keep hunting. I gutted my pig, and got him back to camp. I decided to debone it and get it in the cooler. Finally got him all wrapped up and in the cooler by 1:30pm. Everybody else got back to camp about 3:30pm and done for the day ( it got really windy) 30-40mph steady wind. So we had an early dinner and campfire stories. We all went back out to score some more pigs for the other guys. We spotted a few first thing in the morning about a mile and a half from camp. We spent the morning over there, but we were given the slip and never caught up to them.. My buddy and I left Saturday night and headed back to phoenix. We watched the Super Bowl in Phoenix and I headed back to San Diego Monday morning. Awesome awesome hunt and experience in the desert. Definitely different than the PNW, but it still has its challenges too! Dropped my meat at the butcher to have some Spicy Chorizo sausage and spicy italian sausage made. I kept both loins and blackstrap for the smoker and slow cooker. I've never tried Javelina before and am excited to try it. I'm going to have a euro mount of the skull done.. I'll try and post a few pix as well... Thanks for reading and good luck to everyone out there this year in your own adventures. I've never harvested an animal on opening morning. Great feeling knowing I was successful and was fun to hike around looking for sheds, arrow heads and pigs for the other guys.

[ffbowhunter]

Man I miss hunt Javelinas! When I lived in Texas it was a hunt I really looked forward to. Congrats on doing it with a bow! They are tough little suckers!

[Tbob]

Thanks man! I've never been on a hunt quite like that! Luckily for me I was invited back for next year already! Can't wait! Also what else can you really be out hunting in February? I'd definitely recommend everybody give this one a try!

[carpsniperg2]

Congrats on the nice musk pig

[RadSav]

Nice job!  Once you eat what you kept from sausage you will wish you had kept it all unprocessed.  Those SE AZ pigs are the best eating pork ever!!

[Duckhunter14]

Very cool! Great write up, thanks for sharing. Love to see the euro when its done and love to hear how the Javelina tasted. Any luck on sheds or arrowheads?? 

[RadSav]

Very cool! Great write up, thanks for sharing. Love to see the euro when its done and love to hear how the Javelina tasted. Any luck on sheds or arrowheads?? 

Last time I was down there they were working on a law to make it illegal to pick up indian artifacts including arrowheads.  Not sure if the arrowhead part made it through but I do know pottery and other things did.  So be careful before posting anything in that regard

Best Javalina I've had we soaked the whole 38# peccary in Asian BBQ sauce for two days and then pit cooked it Hawaiian style.  Thought I'd died and gone to pork lovers heaven!!  So darn good

[pianoman9701]

One of my hunting partners just moved down to AZ. I have to do that! Thanks for sharing.

[Tbob]

Thanks for all the kind words guys. So I've heard mixed reviews on Javelina meat. Sounds like you either like it or hate it.. The butcher recommended the chorizo and sausage. I kept a little for the smoker and slow cooker though so I could try it by itself. I'm kinda stoked to get it back and try it out.. I wish I had the room to bury it in a pit. That sounds amazing!
    Thanks for the heads up on the artifact hunting in AZ. I had no clue, but I will look a little more into it for the next time I go out. I unfortunately did not find anything. Artifacts or sheds.. We did see a huge ( well what I consider huge) heard of mule deer. There was about 50 of them on the side of a hill sunning themselves and eating a bit.  They all looked to be does. I think they drop a little later in az than they do in WA? There rut sounds like it's happening in January..
    Awesome time, awesome friends and awesome hunt ! Even better, when I rolled into San Diego yesterday it was 83 degrees and sunny! So hard to remember it's February!
    I'll post a pic of the skull when I get it back from the guy.

[BOWHUNTER45]

Nice ...another thing I need to do soon ...

[WAcoueshunter]

Very nice, desert pigs are awesome critters!  They were pretty much made for spot and stalk archery hunting, super fun. Thanks for sharing, that's a good looking piggy!