Heading to hunt javelina next week in AZ......how is the major rainfall this week gonna change the hunting? Is the terrain going to be impossible to drive over?

The high desert hunting is new to me......just looking for some hints from you pro pig slayers.....thanks.

What areas will you be hunting?

Hunting Area A on the Apache Res.

Anyone?

No one has any general input?

Gee, can someone tie a few javelina to a cactus and then provide me with GPS coordinates? It would be nice if you could also send me a map marking every bush that has a quail under it too. Thanks much.

Which res, White Mountain or San Carlos? Mostly the cooler weather will change the habits of the javelina. They move a little later in the morn and continue to stay in the sunny side of the hills later in the day. Moving, loafing, eating. If overcast, windy and cold they will den up all day. Wind will put them down because they won't be able to hear enemies approach. They do not have any underfur like a deer, or even rabbit. The herds will suffer from hypothermia if it get to freezing or below. Glass the sunny side of the hills, looking in prickly pear and spanish bayonet (shindagger) patches. Be patient and glass. Once you locate a herd put a sneak on them and enjoy!

Good luck and God Bless.
Jon In Tucson

Jon....thank you very much.....that is exactly the kind of local info we were looking for. It's the San Carlos. I much prefer the spot and stalk as opposed to long range, scoped shots for this kind of game. I plan on hunting with my open-sighted .35 Marlin and getting up close and personal. My other buds will be sporting a .270 and a 7mm mag IIRC......so whatever method works hopefully we'll have it covered. Either way, looking forward to it. Thanks again.

Norton,
Sometimes a long shot may all that is possible, that being with a 1/2 mile wide canyon between you and the piggies... But, with a little luck and the wind in your face you can get with in handgun range. Handgun range for me is pretty durn close. Enjoy you trip and report back (with pictures, of course). My son and I have HAM tags, (handgun, archery, muzzleloader) for javalina in the first part of February. I am taking the smoke pole and hope to connect. Good luck and God bless.
Jon In Tucson

Will do, Jon....and thanks again. Good luck to you and your son as well.

Great advice from Jon. Thats what's nice about javie hunting, you don't need to get up early as they won't be out until the sun is well up and in the sunny areas is where you will find them in this weather. We are traditional archery hunters, so we get in pretty close and do alot of glassing, walking and stalking. They tend to bed in the nastiest, prickliest, gnarly brush/prickly pear cactusy areas. You will definitly smell them if you get near a bedding area.

You may want to pick up a Primos javelina call. That call has brought many javies back that have blown out of an area. If walked up on javies will blow out of an area and they will stop and "woof" to locate the other pigs in the group. We have imitated the woofing and brought them right back and into an arrow. If they blow out hard and stop a greater distance away, that Primos call has brought many a pig back into range, circling us like Indians on a wagon train. The call sounds like a piglet in distress and groups with sows and boars alike will dash in to the rescue. We've even called back bachelor boars, which surprised us. Good to have one person calling while the other readies to shoot as they will stop when the call stops.

My oldest daughters first game animal with her .243 was a huge boar. We glassed for 1/2 hour, spotted a good sized group and stalked in on them. Watched them for a good hour or so when we got in distance, as there were so many of them it was hard to get in position for a shot with cactus and low shrub being the only cover. We let them bed for their late morning/early afternoon siesta and waited about 15 minutes. My daughter got into the prone postion and we blew on the call once and the whole group blew out of their bedding area like someone threw an m-80 amongst them. Some came in so close to us that you couldn't move to get a shot off. After a bit they settled down and a big black boar lingered and gave my daughter a great side shot at 25 yards. She double lunged him and he dropped where he stood.

Another Primos call success story:
Chris and I were slowly driving into our hunting spot on a few mile stretch of tight, bumpy desert road and a group of pigs ran in front of the truck. We stopped, grabbed our bows and took off after them with the dense shrubs tearing at our clothes and cacti brushing against our pantlegs. We came to a very small clearing with a few large rocks piled around. We stood on them and looked for the pigs, none in sight, we blew on the call and bam...they were on us in no time circling around us at about 25-35 yards distance. I drew back, lead one and lung shot a nice big sow at about 30 yards. She didn't go far.

Well, if this doesn't get you pumped for your hunt...sorry I ran on, but I LOVE javelina hunting. That call may be of great assistance to you, if a situation calls for it. We got ours at The Sportsman Warehouse. If you are flying into Phoenix, there is a store in Mesa which won't be out of your way from heading to the Res.

We head out in Feb., going to try my new muzzleloader out.

Best of luck on your hunt and hopefully the weather will co-operate for you. Can't wait to see pictures and read your report.

Kind regards,
Mary

Mary....thank you kindly.....more great info....are you in business as a taxidermist in Phoenix? If so, can you PM me your contact info please......I'd like to have a local contact if possible...we're looking for a place to freeze some meat to brng home.

Big +1 on the thanks to Jon and Mary for taking the time to offer your insight, and the info is very much appreciated by these two New England hacks, I assure you. I've been to the SCATR once before, and was unable to capitalize on my one opportunity (took 2 days to settle in to a place so foreign and get the sign and area figured out enough to have a proper plan), but the 3 days I spent in the area will surely help this second time around. Javelinas, watch out. This Yankee's got a score to settle!

Thanks again, folks.

Norton,

Haven't been on the site until tonight. Did you get a javie?

Mary

quote:

Originally posted by Mary Hilliard-Krueger:
Norton,

Haven't been on the site until tonight. Did you get a javie?

Mary

Mary......2 of our group of 3 killed nice boars......there's a write-up with pics in this forum by KG.

Somehow I didn't put together that you were in that hunting party.
That was a detailed and entertaining report.

Mary

Hello Mary:
I enjoy reading your posts. Very good info and entertaining too.

Since I've never tried them, have a question.
Do javalina's taste like pigs, or what do they resemble in taste?

What do the average & large one's weigh?

Thank you,
George