Ever see a javelina?

[mtlion]

Here are some pics from my January javelina hunt in Arizona. I had never been there before and had never seen a javelina in my life. I hunted self-guided on public land with a friend of mine. We chose our areas based on google earth scouting, maps, and some advice from others on where to start looking. The area of Arizona I was hunting is amazing it's about 75% public land ownership all open to hunting, with some amazing out of the way places. We were bowhunting and had to get very close so we had to hunt hard and I didn't take my javelina until the morning of the 7th day straight of hunting. I figure we hiked at least 60 miles and spent countless hours glassing. I spotted the herd I took mine from feeding on a ridge opposite me and with a good wind jogged across the canyon seperating us and climbed the ridge as fast as I could. I stalked to where I had seen them feeding and the first thing I saw was the bushes moving as they rooted. I found myself looking at just bits and pieces with no clear shot and had to wait and wait and finally I had a clear shot on a nice boar at 17 yards. The shot was true and he expired less than 20 feet from where he stood at the shot. My friend was on the ridge we had spotted them from and took video of the entire stalk including the shot.

We had 10 days to hunt before I had to return home and on the morning of the last day my friend finally got a nice 10 yard shot on a very old boar, an excellent trophy.

I guess I could have posted in the boar section but javelina are not exactly pigs and are only anciently related. Large differences include complex versus simple stomachs and toe like hooves with three toes rather than the cloven hoof. Also javelina have a scent gland on the back that is quite pungent, the locals call them "skunk-pigs". We consider them big game here so I put them here.

 

[dingwall_dave]

I'd feel much happier shooting a boar 17 Yards away with something with "Nitro Express" in it's name, not a bow, just to make sure it wasn't going to get up again. There's no way I'd be able to outrun an angry pig with that sort of head start...

Cracking looking beast though, and well written up. Cheers

 

[timbrayford]

A local tourist attraction , Amazon World, has some of them. atb Tim

 

[devon deer stalker]

Nice job, what do they eat like?
Cheers
Richard

 

[mtlion]

I'd feel much happier shooting a boar 17 Yards away with something with "Nitro Express" in it's name, not a bow, just to make sure it wasn't going to get up again. There's no way I'd be able to outrun an angry pig with that sort of head start...

Cracking looking beast though, and well written up. Cheers

Thanks! If I was shooting something with Nitro Express in it I would have been done day 1. They have very poor eyes and make a lot of noise while rooting so they are pretty approachable when conditions (wind) are right. It's very easy to get within 100 yards and bowhunters typically shoot them at ranges under 10 yards. The permit and season I was hunting was archery only so I had no choice in the weapon. There are 3 seasons: archery only, then handgun archery muzzleloader (they call this the HAM hunt), and then rifle. Next year my wife and I will be putting in for the HAM hunt and I will take my bow as well as a 50 cal muzzleloader, heck I'll bring my .44 magnum too just because I can . The rifle hunters are so efficient at harvesting that the season is very short and very few permits are given out. The archery only tags are the most availlable and have the longest season. If you want to hunt with a rifle it can take years to draw but if you bowhunt you will draw and get to hunt every year. Draw odds and harvest rates for the HAM hunt are somewhere in between archery only and rifle.

 

[mtlion]

Nice job, what do they eat like?
Cheers
Richard

I don't even know Richard. Most of the locals said to make chorizo sausage out of it which is a heavily spiced Mexican sausage. Others say slow cook like pulled pork. My friend that I was hunting with knew some starving college students in the area we were hunting and I donated a hind and a backstrap each to two of them, and my friend took the front shoulders and ground them up with his boar into chorizo. The students we gave the meat to said it was delicious (I think they slow cooked it pulled pork style) and I'm hoping to get a taste of the chorizo my friend had made soon.

 

[re'M'ington]

That was something different for a change,and I personally had never heard of a 'Javelina' and a great read.

Martin

 

[mtlion]

That was something different for a change,and I personally had never heard of a 'Javelina' and a great read.

Martin

Thanks for the kind comments Martin, glad you enjoyed the photos. Here is a wiki link on javelina (also known as peccary).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peccary

The species we have and hunt in the US is the collared peccary.

 

[re'M'ington]

That was the first thing I did pop onto Wiki.....lol

 

[griffshrek]

Mtlion great write up and pics as with reMington i have never heard of the javelina , if possible post the vids of the hunt

regards...neil

 

[Mr. Gain]

Thanks for an entertaining and informative thread.

If it's of interest, the origin of the name "javelina" is the Spanish "jabalina": indeed, this is the spelling commonly used in Mexico. "Jabalina" is a diminutive or feminine form of the word for a Spanish wild boar, which is "jabalí" and is derived in turn from the Arabic "jebeli" (cf. jebel = mountain).

The English word "javelin" is itself an Anglicization of "jabalina" in its secondary meaning, which refers to a short spear of a type originally devised for hunting jabalí, as is indicated by the fact that the earliest references to "javelins" in English relate to pig hunting.

The idea that the name "javelina" is a reference to the animal's spear-like teeth is therefore probably a false etymology.

 

[204 Ruger]

Great pics once again mate.....Now I know what the Javelinas demise call is that I have on my Foxpro!!!!!!

 

[mtlion]

Yes the calls work, if you look on youtube you will find some excellent video. We had some respond but not offer a shot...When I go back I will try again.

Here is video of my hunt, enjoy...

 

[nick100]

Cracking video.
What's the furthest range you could shoot from with the bow ?

 

[Claret_Dabbler]

Excellent report. Hunting with a bow is hard enough from a highseat etc. But to cross a valley and stalk in to 17 yards is great stuff.

Takes dedication to hunt for seven days just to get one shot.

 

[204 Ruger]

Excellent report. Hunting with a bow is hard enough from a highseat etc. But to cross a valley and stalk in to 17 yards is great stuff.

Takes dedication to hunt for seven days just to get one shot.

Agree, then once youve shot it...ya got to carry it back

 

[mtlion]

I'm glad you guys like the pics and video, thanks for the comments.

Maximum range while bowhunting will vary from shooter to shooter depending upon skill and equipment. The bow I shoot is lethal beyond my effective range that is for sure. As with any hunting closer is better but the farthest I shoot is 40 yards and then conditions must be exacxtly perfect. A lot of times when culling does we limit our shots to 20 yards, outside of that we simply let them walk. On something the size of a javelina I would limt myself to 30 yards or less, fortunately you can closer though. When bowhunting sometimes you have to be happy with simply getting close as 75% of the time it falls apart at the moment of truth and they hear or see you drawing resulting in no shot. The first stalk in the video when I get a little animated and rip off my face mask (my wife finds that very funny btw) I had stalked within 15 yards of 2 javelina. I could see only one and only the hindquarters. I tried to take one step to the side to get a clear shot and the other one busted me...So close!! The stalk when I killed you see I draw my bow and hold it back for over 2 minutes. I had the same situation I could only see the back half so I decided to draw and wait...and wait I did. I was placing my lower bow limb on my thigh to take off some of the pressure but I was about at the end of my strength when he finally took a step backwards and gave me the shot.