Here's my story from my hunt this year. My jinx continues! Arrived at my camp spot with my cousin Jon around 3PM on the 1st. We had time to get out for a little glassing during the evening hunt. Right before dark I located some javis about a half mile away at the base of a big hill. We figured we'd just find them in the morning. During the night the wind picked up a lot so the thoughts of an easy locate in the morning started to go away as the wind got stronger.
The next morning we looked for the pigs right where they were the night before but they must have moved off quite a bit during the night. We hiked around looking for sign and whatever else and started heading back to camp around 1PM. As we were approaching an area where a guy had parked earlier in the morning near our camp, we started hearing squealing sounds that almost sounded like a baby crying. We thought it was probably the guy with the truck doing some predator calling or messing around with a call. The next thing I know is I see my cousin hurdling a fence as he whispers "pigs". Somehow we walked right in on the pigs. Good thing a little one was vocal, because it gave away the herd. So I stalk in on them and only see a half pint sized pig. All of a sudden a bigger one appears out of the bushes right in front of me. I shoot and miss. So at the shot the rest of the herd starts to scatter and another one pops up in the same spot the last one was. Draw back and let one go, whack! I see the pig run off with the arrow sticking way out of him. Oh no, I think to myself! I hit too far forward and too high according to my cousin, who also got a shot and missed. We followed a decent blood trail for about 50 yards where we see my snapped off arrow shaft sticking in the ground with the fletching buried in the dirt. I don't know how the pig managed to bite the arrow off and stick it in the ground but that's what we saw following the trail. We were able to determine that I only got 3-4 inches of penetration including the broadhead. I must have hit shoulder or head. The blood was only basically small drops beyond that, and eventually there was no blood to follow at all. Obviously, I was mad at myself for rushing the shot and not going through my shot sequence correctly and a bit depressed about wounding an animal. I spent the rest of that day following fresh tracks hoping to get back on a bloodtrail or wounded pig, but there was no more luck to be had. I did bump a sow with piglets at 15 yards or so right at dark, and let them walk.
The next morning we had high hopes of finding something else. The morning started good with me glassing up a nice 3x3 buck within minutes of setting up the glass. We watched him haul butt across the desert floor, never stopping much, eventually getting into some really thick cover where we lost him. My other cousin Joe, who arrived the day before attempted a stalk, but never saw him again. Later that evening, I glassed up the herd of pigs again very near where we had the action the day before. We had high hopes to find them again right there in the morning but they relocated again. Dang! That afternoon I saw a smaller 3x3 buck with 3 does but that was the last of the game sightings for me. I had to head home on Sunday, ending another hunt with no pig!
So the curse continues...I am totally ashamed to admit it, but this is the exact thing that happened two years ago, and very similar to what happened in 2009 or so. I get in on the pigs, rush the shot and make a bad hit, not able to recover the animal. I know that when you hunt with a bow, these things happen but this trend is very disturbing to me. I know that I need to become a better shot under pressure. I don't seem to know what else to do, other than not give up and stay after it. At least I had a chance I guess. I have never had this happen on any other archery animal I have shot at. Everything else has died right away. I am very perplexed why I can't seem to shoot straight at these darn pigs! Pig Fever I guess, LOL!
Thanks for reading! If anyone has any wisdom regarding the normal behavior of javelina during the night I am very interested. Do they normally feed quite a bit after dark during the warmer times during the winter? We were back after them at first light, which is generally early enough to find late rising pigs. We figured that they wouldn't move far after locating them in the evening twice, but they proved me wrong both times. What gives?
As far as using a call, if you are panic shooting with them just feeding around, shooting at a pig that has come to a call will totally unnerve you!! But it is fun!
