CouesWhitetail Report post Posted January 5, 2010 Well I was fortunate enough to get some time to go hunt with friends down in the 36s. Eddy Corona (of Outdoor Experience 4 All) hosted a group of hunters down there in a very nice camp. Some of the folks were from AZ and some were from out of state. I went down there New Years Eve and we got to share some champagne around the campfire to celebrate the new year....a nice way to spend New Year's for sure! Opening morning I went out with Eddy to a spot he had seen some pigs a few days earlier. We glassed for an hour or two and then after not seeing any javelina, we decided to hike into the wind toward where he had last seen them. We weren't 10 mins from the truck when Eddy spots some javelina nearby us. We drop our packs and make a plan to stalk them. I get to about 40 yards from one pig but want to close it to 30. Eddy takes a shot at his pig and misses. But the pigs don't spook too bad and one works it way back toward Eddy. After another missed shot or two, the pigs bolt. I pursue but they go into some thick stuff that isn't glassable. So I go back to Eddy and help him find arrows. Then we are packing up to go after the javelina when I spot some more coming right back into the same spot. So we drop our packs again and get set-up and try and stalk again. As I am stalking into the pig I see, Eddy gets my attention to let me know three more are coming in behind me. I turn and range them. Wait for a pig to step out and take a 30 yard shot. I watched as my arrow harmlessly wizzes along the side of the javelina that managed to turn and run directly away from me before the arrow got to him. Wow, that's fast! Eddy and I search for my arrow and then all of sudden Eddy spots more pigs coming our way. So we go grab our bows and try to setup in the prickly pear patch that they seem to all be heading to. We wait awhile and no luck. So we start moving in a way where we can loop into them from downwind. That's when I spot three more pigs to the right of us headed our way. I get setup as does Eddy. My pig is coming straight toward me, but then turns a little and goes behind a mesquite. I come to full draw and take the shot when the pig steps out. As the javelina bolts full speed I can see blood a little too far back and whisper to Eddy that it is gut shot. Eddy gets a few more shots off at the pigs, but he seems to be shooting high all morning. (found out later his bow was off). After 30 mins or so we proceed to go track my javelina. Eddy had a better view of where it went, so we go there and start looking for sign. Eddy finds a little bit of blood, calls me over and we start tracking. I don't have a lot of experience tracking wounded animals since I don't archery hunt much, but thank goodness Eddy is a great tracker and he proceeds to find tiny bits of blood here and there. We are in grassland mixed with mesquites and we tracked the javelina for maybe 300 yards before finding it dead on its side in the open. Yipppeeee!!!! Thanks so much for your help Eddy!! Finding that javelina was a great moment and although it wasn't a perfect shot, it was good enough to kill him fairly quickly and I was happy to have my 40 lb boar. It was a very exciting morning with lots of action. And a pic with Eddy, the great Tracker! And Eddy's brother Vince and his daughter came out to help track as well. She did a great job and is a really neat kid! She was all interested in what the javelina smelled like and what the internal organs were and what it was eating and all that. So over the next few days I go out and hunt deer/javelina with everyone. One morning we glass up a group of pigs and actually see the big "pig pile" of them sleeping under a mesquite. Here are some pics of the pig pile. I don't remember ever glassing up a pile of them like that before, it was a neat sight. There were a couple of Coues bedded near the javelina too. Only a few javelina got up before 9 am. About 6 people set off to stalk those javelina, but the wind changed and the herd bolted. For the next couple hours they chased them around while I stayed back as spotter. At one point the pigs crossed the canyon and came right up to me, like 5 yards away. Nothing I could do since I had already tagged out. But I radioed the hunters and they started to pursue them there. Some close encounters, but no shots fired. The last morning we are there, I went out with Chris Denham (Western Hunter Magazine) and his son Mark. We went out to a spot that holds Coues and Javelina. Chris spots some Coues but no bucks, and I spot a lone javelina out in the flats. We make a plan to go stalk the javelina, which now appears to be a group of two. Mark and Chris take off after them as I stay up on the hill to spot for them. The pigs don't move far and Chris and Mark get right into them. After some tense waiting, Mark finally gets some shots off and nails one of the pigs and I watch it run out into the open and fall over kicking for its last time. Nice job Mark!! here is his boar hanging in a tree. It was a very dark, nice-looking javelina. It was a great hunt and I want to say Thanks to Eddy for organizing the camp and inviting me down there. What a fun group of people! What beautiful country down there. Here is a pic of Baboquivari peak lit up by the morning sun. A nice pic of a coues doe Eddy spotted in the ocotillos. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SouthernCouesHunter Report post Posted January 5, 2010 Sounds like a lot of fun. Great job. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
willhunt4coues Report post Posted January 5, 2010 It sounds like you had a great time Amanda. Thanks for sharing and congrats. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
azpackhorse Report post Posted January 5, 2010 Nice job! Why did you wait an entire year to tell us about your 09 Javelina Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CouesWhitetail Report post Posted January 5, 2010 Nice job! Why did you wait an entire year to tell us about your 09 Javelina hehehe, ok, my bad. I killed it one day into 2010. I will go change the title of the thread!! Thanks! Amanda Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Red Rabbit Report post Posted January 5, 2010 As a somewhat new bowhunter, how did you like being able to stalk close to those peccaries? Kind of an intense excitement, huh? Doug~RR Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Red Rabbit Report post Posted January 5, 2010 Nice job! Why did you wait an entire year to tell us about your 09 Javelina Kinda like writing out those checks that are a year old also. BTDT. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ernesto C Report post Posted January 5, 2010 Congratulations Amanda...you are the......woman! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Packer Report post Posted January 5, 2010 Congrats on the pig and a great sounding hunt. Aaron Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Knifeboy Report post Posted January 5, 2010 Thanks for sharing the story. Archery Javelina is one of my favorite hunts each year (probably because they usually let you take more than just one shot). Stink pigs never seem to amaze me with their speed, and their ability to disapear into thin air. I too have had pigs move completely out of the way before the arrow could get there. I once watched my brother-in-law shoot his whole quiver of arrows at a heard, then reloaded his quiver with my arrows and shot all of my arrows. Then he went and started picking up the previously shot arrows and started shooting them a second time. He never did get a pig. But we still both laugh pretty hard about it when we talk about it. Congratulations on a successful archery hunt. Anytime you can put an animal down with a bow you should be very proud of yourself. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FlyingW Report post Posted January 5, 2010 Great pics and nice pigs !!! Congrats Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gr8 White Jr Report post Posted January 5, 2010 Woohoo! A big congrats to you Amanda on your archery javelina! Javelina are my favorite game to hunt with a bow. -Tracy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CouesWhitetail Report post Posted January 6, 2010 As a somewhat new bowhunter, how did you like being able to stalk close to those peccaries? Kind of an intense excitement, huh? Doug~RR I have stalked pigs a lot of times and it's not particularly exciting to me, but it was a lot of fun. I couldn't believe how we kept having pigs coming into the same spot. Everytime we thought we needed to leave we would spot more pigs coming back. At first we thought it was the same javelina over and over, but now I think it was just more of the herd coming in. A few days later some other hunters went in there and found lots more javelina in that herd than we saw at any one time. Amanda Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chef Report post Posted January 6, 2010 Congrats again Amanda. Great writeup. I love threads like these where I can follow the pics along with the story. I know how time consuming it is to stop for pictures all the time. Thanks! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
elkaholic Report post Posted January 6, 2010 hello - Great story - Great pics - get the BBQ ready - some good eatin - wrap those backstraps in bacon - use a good meat rub /seasoning - hmmm - archey javelina is a lot of fun - Gary Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
