Heat

I have some questions about javelina after this last hunt. Hoping to learn more about their behavior so I can be more successful locating pigs in the future. Twice I located a herd of javelina that I watched until I could no longer really see the pigs well through my binos and I needed my headlamp to walk back to camp. I figured I would be able to find the herd(s) first thing in the morning. Conventional wisdom is that pigs sleep in a bit and you can find them starting to get moving around sun up, right? I was unable to find the javelina in the AM either time after I saw them in the evening. I am wondering if they fed longer into the night as the sun was going down, did they move during the night, or did they get up and start moving before the sun was up? I know some pigs are nocturnal, especially the ones that feed in farm fields. If its warm will they feed long into the night in their normal habitat? I'm also wondering about bedding areas? Do they just dig out a new spot where ever and sleep for the night where they feel comfortable? Again, conventional thought is that javelina only have a few bedding areas, but I found many areas where pigs had slept under a bush or thick trees in the area I was hunting. How many bedding areas does the typical herd have? How far apart are they generally located? How often do they return to the same areas, every few nights for one night, or a few nights in a row then on to another? Do pigs share certain areas like feeding areas, bedding sites, water or do they exclude all other javelina from these areas within their "territory"? I know they have small home ranges but I am curious how their use of these home ranges goes. Do they have summer areas and winter areas depending on the green up of the area? Do they tend to stay on the hills or in the flats during certain times of the year. It seems like they don't like being out in the wind from my experience, and hunker down in the washes and thick bushes when it blows hard.

I've killed two muley bucks and both smelled similar to a goat. I've also smelled does before I've seen them a few times and they have a similar but less musty smell.

Great Job JD!

Rifle: 1 Mule Deer Buck, 1 Cow Elk, 1 Pronghorn Buck, 1 Desert Bighorn Sheep Ram Bow: 1 Bull Elk, 1 Mule Deer Buck, 0 javelina (yes, I'm terrible at hunting javelina) Shotgun: 2 Turkey Toms I've been hunting with a bow and rifle for 25 years. I took a lot of time away from hunting during my college years when I couldn't afford tags. I almost exclusively hunt with a bow now, unless it's a once in a lifetime opportunity or I'm hunting with my family for meat. I won't hunt javelina, deer, pronghorn, or bull elk with a rifle anymore. Never hunted javelina with anything but my bow. I have drawn blood 3 times on javelina and have not tagged one. It is my nemesis! Talk about a love/hate relationship!

I'm afraid if I go hunting anymore this winter I'll be sleeping on the porch with the dogs! After spending every weekend down in the Gilas during December and now the first 5 days of January out hunting for myself, my weekend pass has expired unfortunately!

Here is Tammy's Ram "ROMEO". What a gorgeous "King of the KOFAs"! Congratulations to all involved on this incredible hunt!

Nice pics! That's a good one alright!

Truword1, you are a good man!

Very cool! Congratulations on a very unique trophy!

What incredible success! Good going!

Congrats TJ! You are a pig hunting machine! I think I made a similar hit on mine but unfortunately I could not find mine. Good job sticking with it! I appreciate you sharing your story.

Nice one! Congrats on your success!

I haven't bought a leftover javelina tag for 2014 yet. Which archery only hunt should I get a tag for?

Congrats. Those "springbar" style tents are pretty nice. On the 9 degrees thing, it doesn't matter what your tent is made of, it isn't going to keep you warm without some sort of radiant heat source. This is where a wood stove holds it's own or just double up on the sleeping bags. A propane heater will certainly take the edge off but I wouldn't depend on it to dry out your clothes if they get soaked. Enjoy!

Windicator powder, then rangefinder in that order. My pack in also very important. Wouldn't go on a hunt without one of my Kifarus!

I get re-directed to that site the first time I try to get on the forums. Hit back and click again and I come right in. Not sure what that is about. Nick

Sent you a PM

Well Done! Great looking deer!

Can't wait to see this buck! Good job staying with it! Sean's buck is really nice too! I got a text from him yesterday with the pic. Awesome!

Cool footage! Thanks for sharing. Hope your luck holds during your hunt!

I got your PM 131 and replied with Tom's contact info. Thanks for any help you can lend!

That's awesome that you were able to solve your issue. I was going to recommend an armguard as well, however since installing a string stopper on my bow, any arm slap issue I was having is now gone. May want to take a look at that in the future if you don't already have one on your bow. That also quieted my bow some.

Tom is in the best physical condition any 60 something year old guy could ask for. That is not the issue. The issue is the sheep we have been finding are easily 1500-2000 feet vertical climb from the desert floor where we are glassing. You don't just walk up there and shoot one. It takes half a day to get up there and half a day to get down. That doesn't leave much room for error. By the time you get up there, if the sheep move to an area you can't see, it pretty much game over. These are the wildest of creatures living in some of the harshest environment on the planet. We need lots of eyes to examine as many nooks and cranies to find a decent ram in an area that a stalk is possible. Tom is essentially on his own now. There is nobody else in camp with him. Myself and a few other guys have been trying to help as much as possible on the weekend, but the hunt is near it's conclusion. Time to pull out all the stops. It would be a shame if the hunt ended without Tom killing a ram, but it certainly will not be from a lack of physical conditioning, effort, or determination on Tom's part.

If there was no hide on the skull whatsoever, you are probably good to go, but I would call Game and Fish to be certain. If there is any flesh remaining, they may want to come out and investigate. If they determine that the animal died of natural causes, they will let you have it. If anything is suspect, they will probably keep it.

Nice Job! Thanks for sharing. Those are some awesome photos you captured!