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Need javelina blood trail help

Need some advice. I killed lots of deer and big game but have never shot a javelina…until a couple of hours ago. I tagged out on turkeys in Texas and wanted a javelina. Sitting in a blind and 2 big javelina came out. Ranged him at 25, perfectly broadside and the shot felt perfect, behind the shoulder. Heard the solid thump and they took off crashing into the thickest brush I’ve ever seen. Waited 25 minutes and found my arrow. He had carried it a few feet and it was flipped sideways. Not much blood on it anywhere but had some hair on broadhead. I’m shooting a Muzzy HB Ti expandable. No blood at hit site and didn’t find any in woods but only went 20 yards or so. I’d still be there looking but outfitter’s Dad said we’d just come back in the morning since it was dark. I really feel like it was a good shot from everything I know, especially how the shot felt and the solid thump. So here’s my question for you javelina guys : could I have had a good chest hit and the fat/hair wiped the blood off? Has that ever happened to you? I’ve had deer I hit well not start bleeding for 20 or 30 yards or more and then had a good blood trail. Have y’all seen that and found a javelina? No gut smell on arrow or grease, just smelled like a javelina. Gonna be a long night; thanks for your help!

No experience blood trailing a javelina. I spined the only one I’ve ever shot. Definitely possible that the blood got wiped of your arrow. You should be able to see things a lot better in the morning. Good luck in the morning , Jasper!

Also….congrats on the turkeys! I don’t believe anyone has started a “turkey meatpole” thread, yet. Let’s see em!

Shot one in Texas that I didn’t find and can’t explain what happened. Thick picky cover. My buddy shot one “perfect” and we wouldn’t have found it without ranch dog. It was a great hit.

Randy, How was the arrow and blood trail on your buddies “perfect hit?” How far did it run? Thanks!

Javelina usually do not give you a good blood trail. The hide will usually slide over the wound. With that said on a good double lung hit you will find them close by. It has happened to me that they jump the strings or I just hit them too high. The sound of the hit is similar to breaking the rips. Those animals will be imposible to find. The herd will not permit that a single member will be left behind and will push them as long as it will live. The vitals are also lower than you might think. Middle of the body is too high. Hope you find him tomorrow.

Almost nonexistent. Mid height behind the collar. Big four blade.

Did you shoot from ground level or an elevated blind. Behind the collar is good, but mid-body elevation wise may be problematic if you were in an tripod.

We've shot our share of javies at our lease when we lived in TX. Most of them didn't leave a significant blood trail, but rarely made it more than 40 yards. We typically found them laying in the white brush thickets.

Remember that javies are short legged animals. They move through the white brush with ease because of that shortness and that can make a night recovery difficult.

The Outfitter's son was right, a blood trail would be extremely hard to pick up on the ground and in the brush, it was smart to leave it til daylight. You'll be able to see their travel paths (like tunnels through the brush) better in daylight.

We hope you recover it quickly this morning. Good luck.

I was on the ground. My Nockturnal worked but I didn’t see it enter the animal unfortunately. We’re going to look when it gets good light. I thought about it all night and feel the shot was good. If I don’t find him it’s probably because I was a little high. Thanks much for the advice, big help!

Trust the guide. Good luck.

Find it?

I’ve shot a bunch of them …mostly with 2 blade heads…they don’t usually go far unless you hit them back. They are so camouflaged you can walk right past one laying there dead.

Those Javis you want to shoot forward right up the leg.

I just got back from a javelina hunt in west Texas last week. Javelina are very hard to track. They leave a poor blood trail and what looks like an ideal shot on a deer will not leave you with a dead javelina. Small kill zone with little margin for error. We’ve found that quartering shots are best that go thru the diaphragm into the chest. Good luck.

Don't mean to cause additional stress, but this was what I found at first light on the last one I decided to leave overnight before tracking. I still planned to salvage what I could, and his head seemed really large so planned to take the skull. I left him in the shade of a tree and went to collect a few pieces of equipment that I had abandoned on the stalk the night before. When I came back to get him just a short time later, he was gone! Whatever had taken that giant bite out of him apparently watched me put him in the shade, then came back and carried him off. No drag marks in the sand and no tracks (lion?) that I could make out. Never found him.

I lost not one, but two. The only javis I ever bowhunted. A little blood, but not enough to find them. If you’ve never seen that S Texas brush it’s hard to understand. It’s like a wall, about 90% of it is impenetrable unless you crawl, and I’m not crawling where six foot rattlers crawl.

Didn’t find him. So disappointing because I feel like it was a good shot and he died. We looked hard but never found any sign and like drycreek says this south Texas brush is incredibly thick and everything sticks you. There were 2 big boars, both 60 to 65 pounds I’m guessing….beautiful trophies. That’s bow hunting, I’ll try it again next year. Thanks for the help!

Sorry man. It happens.

Sorry you did not find it

I'm late to this party but dnovo and Beendare are absolutely right

I have been involved in 100s if wounded javelina trackings and I would have told you last night to sleep in this morning

The brush and stickers are incredible but that is not why you did not find it

Not hit right is the reason

I prefer the quartering shot and taking out as many vitals as possible. If you only have broadside....straight up the leg, as was mentioned

Gives you a reason to come back next year!!

From my experience you want to shoot them in the white collar just behind it on shoulder . Weird critter.

If that’s working for you keep doing it

I always shot RK's choice...quartering or above the leg.. And "shoot low pard, they're riding Shetlands"

Blue dog so true on the shetlands. Laughing my ass off

Ditto what Hunt said my first one was shot in the white collar and it ran a semi-circle around me then died never did get out of sight or farther away than the shot was. Have shot a few of them and never lost one but I also have only hunted them in Arizona.

Admittedly all but one of mine was with a Contender pistol in caliber flavor of the month but no difference really

I can tell you this. I would not track a wounded javelina after dark in thick brush. They can fight back. Don’t ask me how I know, but I will say this: I cleared a standard pasture fence in a single bound in retreat!

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