Josh Does it Again - Javi #2

[Coach]

My youngest son, Josh got his first Javi last year just after his 10th birthday. This year he did it again making a perfect 1-shot kill at 132 yards.

 

We headed out early yesterday to a familiar spot that has been productive in the past. My oldest son, Matt came to help with the glassing. After a short ranger ride we split up and started looking. Josh and I went to one area, and Matt climbed a ridge that would give him a good view of the canyons we couldn't see from our area. Right off the bat Josh and I were seeing coues deer all over, including a couple nice bucks but the pigs weren't where I was hoping they would be.

 

We started making a circle to continue glassing canyons and meet up with Matt. We found a few more coues, including a nice 3x3 buck that should be really good next year, but still no javelina. We eventually met up with Matt and started working down a long ridge glassing both sides. As the morning wore on, we were surprised to have looked over so much country without finding any pigs to go after. As Josh and I discussed what we should do next, Matt continued to glass back into some of the hills we had been watching all morning. Just as Josh and I were ready to move on and look at new country, Matt says, "I got em!".

 

Matt is 15 and I've been taking him hunting since he was 5. As with all young hunters he went through the phase where there are a lot of "false spots", for lack of a better term. But lately he has become a glassing machine. Literally all of the last 3 hard-to-find herds, he found with just decent binocs after I had passed them over with my swaros. He's definately out-glassing dad these days and really has a knack for finding game. I can only imagine what he'll do when I finally get him some better glass to work with.

 

At first all we saw was a lone sow with a red, but we knew the rest of the herd was close by. We repositioned, started working the finger and found the rest of the herd moving in and out of thicker cover below where the first pigs were located.

 

Josh and I made a plan based on wind and terrain to get in position for a shot. To me, this is the really awesome part about teaching kids to hunt - you really break it all down for them. We discussed how the pigs were calm and seemed to be staying in one place, what areas they might move to if the wind changed, how we would plan the stalk, right down to getting to a place we could shoot from. Where these pigs were located was kind of a tricky spot - there were lots of little canyons everywhere leading into one big wash. We had to be above them, and downwind but I knew once we were in range, we would be closer to eye-level and they would be hard to find. If we weren't careful we could walk right into them.

 

After about a 40 minute stalk, Josh and I were getting pretty close. The wind was swirling some, and the area we had seen the javis in just looked like a thick mass of brush and cactus. He was sure we were too far past them, but I was sure they were just ahead of us. I was in contact with Matt on the radio, but from his vantage point we looked further away than we actually were.

 

We had choose whether to move on in or sit tight until we saw one to get our bearings. The wind was right, the pigs were totally relaxed, and eventually we finally see one just 130 yards away. If we had pushed too hard, we would have been too close, and likely bumped them.

 

Josh extended the bipod and and got settled for the shot. The next few minutes we watched the javis move in and out of sight - being extremely careful to locate the sow with the piglet to avoid accidentally shooting her.

 

It seemed for a while we might have to re-position a little higher up, but all of a sudden, one of the herd walked back into the opening we were watching. Josh was set, and asked, "I've got it - is it OK to shoot?". I tell him when he is comfortable take the shot.

 

Boom! The pig drops in its tracks. The rest of the herd bristles up, and checks out the downed pig trying to figure out what is going on, but we can tell it's "game over". As we arrive to find Josh's javi dead on the spot, I got on the radio with Matt to let him know we've got the pig down.

 

He says, "Dad, they just went a little way up the hill - blow your call and see what they do" So I pull out the j-13 and start ripping on it. Matt replies, "Here they come!". Sure enough, as Josh and I are standing there out in the open, pigs start rushing in from everywhere. We've got one coming right at us at 30, 15, 10 finally 7 yards before he sees us and veers off. Another is behind us at only 4 yards and a third is about 10 yards away, but also veering off. I stop calling on the j13 and start woofing. We literally have pigs puffed up and cicling around us inside 20 yards for what seemed like forever but was probably only 30 seconds or so. Either way, it was awesome to have such an exiting climax to an awesome youth hunt.

 

I've really got to hand it to Josh - he's barely 11 and now has 2 javi's and 1 turkey under his belt. He still relies on dad and brothers to get him in the right place, but when it's time to get it done, he is calm under pressure and makes the shot. He's got 2 pigs over 120 yards, and 1 turkey - all one shot, perfect placement.

 

Here's Josh with his piggie.

 

It was HUGE, maybe the biggest sow I have ever seen...

 

Parting shot...

 

 

 

 

 

[duxngeez]

Great write up. Thanks for sharing.

[DUG]

Awesome! Congrats to Josh!

[TOBY]

Awesome! What caliber?

[bonecollector]

Awesome job to Josh on getting it done and Matt spotting the pigs. You sure are doing it right Coach.

[Coach]

Thanks guys. Toby, it was a 22-250.

[Coach]

bump

[cramerhunts]

Congratulations to Josh on putting the smack down on that big ole pig! Way to go. I admire the way you're bringing up those boys coach, something to be proud of for sure!

[trophyhnter]

Way to go Josh! Great shooting! Hunting with the family is pretty cool!

[Mocha1545]

Congrats to Josh. Beautiful shot. Big shout out to Matt for spotting the herd. Way to go Dad! Awesome job with your kids.