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I was at the AGF office today and asked some questions and then went to check out the archery range out back. I happened to meet a couple of guys, that worked in the office, and they were very helpful. I ran a couple of places past them and they both agreed that the White Tanks area, in Unit 26M, would be a good place to look. Thanks guys!!

So tomorrow, I’ll assemble my bow and head out to the range for a shooting session to make sure it’s good to go and that I’m good enough to splurge on the tag. It will be about $330 in my dollars. I’m a little torn between going scouting first and then buy a tag if it looks fruitful or buy the tag and go hunt. I definitely have a better chance of seeing pigs if I’m not carrying a tag.

Last year I got lots of scouting tips on what to look for and lots of encouragement from fellow bowsiters, so hopefully I can make their efforts pay off. I’ll try to do a live or semi live hunt report for each day I go out.

So in between family visits and touring beautiful Arizona, I hope to spill some blood on the desert soil!!

Are you going purely spot and stalk, or are you considering trying some calling as well? I’ve only killed 1 javelina in Texas. I spined him, and the other 2 with him, jumped on him for a bit and then took off out into the brush before I could get a shot at one of them. I called them back to me at least 5 times, but every time I stopped calling, they would take off again. I never did get a shot off at the second javi, but it was one of the coolest experiences I’ve ever had hunting! I wish I’d videoed it.

I’m pretty much counting on the “ blind squirrel” method for success.

Ed, quit making it look easy, you’re not helping. lol.

Going north for a couple of days of tourist stuff, Antelope Caves, etc.

The javelina hunt starts tomorrow, now, with a few hour drive to an area south of Tucson. A friend and fellow bowsiter that I shared camps with in BC is hunting there now and has generously invited me to his camp. So by tomorrow afternoon, I hope to be crawling through the cactus in search of the elusive ( to me so far) prickle pig.

I was going to hunt the White Tanks and another bowsiter had offered to give me a good head start with his local knowledge. I won’t name these generous folks, but they are very welcome to identify themselves. I really appreciate it when hunters help hunters.

Cheers

There was just a few blades of grass and a bit of thin brush. I though about slipping an arrow through but since they were only a few steps from perfectly clear, I came to full draw and waited. Then “huff!!” and the one took off spooking the closer ones. I huffed back and one smaller pig came back for a look but he too quickly left me lonely. The wind must halve swirled.

I sat still for about half an hour. But that was it for the day. Excited for tomorrow!!

I had hghi hopes after having the shot opportunity on Monday afternoon. But Tuesday turned out to be a long tough pig-less day. Cool and cloudy with blustery cold winds all day. I saw about fifteen deer and that was it after covering lots of ground slinking through washes and glassing from high points. Wednesday’s forecast was more of the same only with rain. It rained a few times during the night and the morning promised another poor pig day. But like they say, it’s a hundred percent chance you’ll get nothing if you stay in camp. So my partner and I headed out, him to his deer stand and me to slither slowly through the tight canyon washes where most of the sign was. This spot had one pig taken from it in the previous week and the hunter had encountered them in the area while deer hunting most days, so it was a javi hangout.

About an hour into the morning I had just pushed into some cat claw trying to get to a big rock and a pig jumped up less than ten feet away! He must have been snuggled up under the rock. With no visibility forward, I scrambled back out an to my right to gain a vantage point. As I mounted another rock I saw the javi about thirty five yards away heading up a slope broadside to me with another one following! When he hit an opening I huffed to stop him but he just kept trotting along, so I swung back toward the second one and held on the opening. As he entered I tried to time the shot for his speed, but I triggerd too soon and shot just in front of him. They scurried up and over a saddle. I found my arrow and confirmed a clean miss then floored up and over the saddle. The other side was just a giant piece of country without a clue where they could have gone it it. So I sat on various high points and rock out out cropping for the next two hours, glassing and sulking a bit. But I did find lots of pig sign!

Then back to camp for lunch and to talk over our morning hunts. My partner did see a cougar from his stand so that was a real highlight.

More to come.

Wack!! Smashed into the branches and never even got to him. He jumped and then just shuffled off unconcerned. Same thing, he went over the saddle and into that great beyond, vanishing without a trace. Crap!! I suck at this!

I spend the next two hours on the high points, walking slow and telling my feet all about my hard luck.

More to come.

Did you pick up a call to try, or are you wanting to get it done spot n stalk?

I went down to my second arrow and strangely, it had one big drop of blood on one fletch. Wierd. I heard some grunty squeals a bit further in. This side of the wash was mesquite and grass, so good visibility. Slowly advancing and peering around, I spotted that familiar face looking at me at about thirty yards. I took a very careful aim and touched off. Thump!! It looked like it centred him perfectly in the chest. He let out a loud squeal, reared up and ran back the way he came from. Then quiet.

I moved to the shot location and set up a little rock cairn where he was standing. Then I followed his lead back across the wash. Just as I hit the bottom, I saw a pig run up the hill, crest it then disappear. Crap!! Crap, crap! It was getting too dark to do much now and not wanting to push him, I reluctantly headed back to camp to wait till morning.

I was very confident in the last shot, but I also know that what I think I saw, is not always what really happened.

A good super and some talk ( and a little feeling sorry for myself) finished off the night.

More to come.

Congrats to you, you got it done !

The pig I’d seen run up the hill was the second one and was likely checking his buddy out who was laying dead. I had walked within ten yards of the his carcass on my way out. I’m happy the runner didn’t give me a shot! On my first shot the pig must have dropped his head and started running just as I released the arrow because it caught him right on the chin and then deflected down, missing his chest altogether, leaving him with a slash. That was the first blood trail. Ironic that the two blood trails came back together. Made for a bit of a puzzle at first. He died within thirty five yards of the last arrow and backtracked to within ten yards of my first arrow.

I’d like to thank my camp host and we’ll see each other again in our B.C. spring bear hunt. Nice to just show up with a bow and an appetite and get looked after. Good luck with that big buck, Buddy!

Thanks to Luke for originally locating the Javi’s and relaying the info to me through my host. Too bad I missed seeing you again and meeting your Dad.

Thanks to a couple of Bowsiters for offering intel in pm’s. I won’t identify these good people but they are welcome and encouraged to do so here, if they wish.

Thanks all, Mission accomplished!