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Posted by Dusty Hunter (Member # 1031) on January 22, 2008, 04:16 PM:
As requested by Skoal, here's the javelina story:
Fred's Javelina
Back in the 1960s, when I was a teenager, I was reading an outdoor magazine on how to hunt javelina in Arizona. I shelved that thought in my mind for many years. Now that we live down here, I put in for a javelina archery tag. There are four hundred available in this area, and we got number 399. Now that's what I call getting in under the wire!
With the news of our success, two weeks before the season we started map reading and scouting the areas. In one of our first areas, my pardner spotted a sounder of javelina eating on the side of a hill. Man did we get excited! Things were looking good. We thought we could come back to this area and get one. We wanted more than one herd(sounder) located, so we kept scouting for two weeks. We located a pair of javelina two days before the season started in an area close by and easy to get to. One of them was a black one - most of them I have seen are grey. I got within 12 yards of it and that’s a good distance for archery. We decided we wanted a black one and hoped to get him when the season opened.
People told us they didn't travel much from the areas they were spotted in, so we thought we were covered. No such luck. After the season opened, they turned into the desert ghosts they are known for being. Over the first two weeks of the season, we walked four to six miles nearly every week day and glassed many, many hillsides and washes to no avail. I was searching the stores for some special spice to make my javelina tag tasty since it was looking like that paper might be for dinner.
On the morning of January 16, 2008, we set off for a canyon we had previously scouted. We decided to search the hillsides with binoculars and look for new tracks. We didn’t see any javelina on any of the many hillsides, but I did spot fresh tracks leading down to a long valley where I got out of the truck and walked an old road. Very quietly, I moved along. Just off the road to the left, on a steep bank leading to a river, I spotted a single javelina. The javelina was looking right back at me. I stopped and remained motionless for a while, then started moving away very slowly so as not to startle the animal. Upon returning to the truck where the worn out pardner was waiting I announced I had spotted one and needed to get my gear. Once ready, I checked the wind direction and decided to take the same, long path back, instead of a shortcut. As I stalked down the road, with bow in hand, I heard a javelina squeal in the distance. Then noticing one move behind a tree, I remained motionless. When six or seven other javelina were spotted on the flat below the road, the search for a black one began. The hind quarters of a black one was spotted behind a small tree. The javelina started moving toward me. It just doesn't get any better! When the black one stopped 15 yards from me, the arrow was launched and its mission was accomplished.. Immediately12-15 javelina start scattering and squealing. Two came up on the road with their hair standing up on their backs, mad as can be, looking at me. They started scurrying up a very steep hillside, steeper than one would think a small, fat animal like that could climb. I started blowing on the javelina distress call, hoping they would come back and circle around me just for the experience. They didn't come back. They didn't want to traverse that hillside again. Meanwhile, the javelina that I shafted, was running in the opposite direction from the others. I made a mental note of the trail. It hadn't gone far. It was pretty well camouflaged in the terrain. Once retrieved, pictures were taken and the trek home began. The javelina will be going to the taxidermist next week so it can be mounted for our collection. It was a challenging and exciting experience!
Posted by Tim Behle (Member # 209) on January 22, 2008, 04:38 PM:
Good deal Fred!
It's amazing how those things can be thick one week, and as soon as season opens, they all just vanish.
Are you going to try eating any of the meat?
Posted by Paul Melching (Member # 885) on January 22, 2008, 04:38 PM:
way to go Dusty
see just like the book said Javelina are where you find them.lol
Thanks for the pic and story I love this stuff!
PM
Posted by Locohead (Member # 15) on January 22, 2008, 04:47 PM:
Great story Fred, you must be quite the stalker. I'm curious if you ate the critter too, I would be surpised being that you are taking him to a taidermist. 'Chig' told me they really aren't realted to pigs at all. So what the heck do they taste like?
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on January 22, 2008, 05:01 PM:
Hot Damn, Fred!
Good story!
Good hunting. LB
Posted by KevinKKaller (Member # 559) on January 23, 2008, 07:56 AM:
Great story My persanol favrit animal to bow hunt. Next is elk!
If you need some resipies let me know I would rather eat javalina than deer.
If you lern how to prepair them thay are great eating.
Will jour pig make the book? After drying have it mesured I have taken 2 in Cochise county that made the book with a bow.
Congrats
Good Hunting Kevin
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