Tips for a beginner?

[Devil Diver Down]

I don't know thing 1 about hunting javelinas, except that I see them once in a while while I'm blasting quail.

 

Anybody got any tips for what kind of habitat I should be looking for?

 

Behavior?

 

How water dependent are they?

 

Cold call them or only if they scatter?

 

Thanks in advance!

[azslim]

get high, glass the sunny slopes in the morning, how often they water depends on how much moisture is in the food, could be every day, could be every 3rd day. They smell like a skunk and their tracks almost square in shape about 1.5 to 2 inches.

[DesertBull]

Go back to where you have seen them in the past. They will be close by. They tend to stay in the same area year after year. If it is cold, they might not start moving until after 9 in the morning but they will be out most of the day until dark. If it is warm, they will get up earlier. Either way, they will like the south and east facing slopes when they first get up. I would avoid cold calling but some others do with success. I only call if I spook them or if they get into some really thick cover and it's too noisy to go in after them.

[oz31p]

I hate to refer any one away from cwt.com but http://www.javelinahunter.com/ is a wealth of javelina info.

[huntjunkie]

Don't kneel downwind while gutting one. You WILL gag! 😳

[Coach]

Look for fresh sign. Their scat is unmistakeable, and it's all based on vegetation so it breaks down quickly. Get a good vantage point and glass hard, then do some walking. If they are there, you'll find bedding trees with lots of scat.

 

Work washes - they love to move down low. Lots of mesquite and cat claw with grass is their comfort zone.

 

If you're in an area where the pigs are active, you'll see a lot of digging and rocks moved around. Find the biggest cedar trees you can find and look around for scat. If it's white, it's old and they might not be there. If you find fresh scat, they are there. When pressured, they move together to thick cover, but they usually follow trails.

 

Just get your "mountain man" on and look at the dirt - it will tell you where to find the pigs.

[Antmo23]

I've had great success with calling, weather it's blind calling, calling after I've busted them, or even glassing them, and calling them in closer. Look for caves and kep your nose in the wind, I've found some hogs by smell on a few occasions, lol, they stink pretty bad....

[bhuntin]

glass,glass,glass,glass,glass..when you get sick of that glass some more. Patience,persistance. If you have to hike,glass while your walkin.Have fun,good luck,nothin beats huntin the stink pigs!

[ThomC]

Don't kneel downwind while gutting one. You WILL gag!

 

No need to gut them. The gutless method works on pigs. And dont worry about the tenderloins pigs dont have them.

[azslim]

yes pigs have tenderloins, just enough for a good steak sandwich

[bearbowman]

This might sound dumb, but I love to walk till I find them. Once you've found them they will be within a 1/2 mile pretty much always. They are noisy and stinky: which makes them easier ti find.

[Flatlander]

we used to hoof track them on soft ground adjacent to farm pivots that is about as fun as it gets right there