Hatchet Jack Report post Posted February 15, 2016 I come from up north and have hunted deer and elk my whole life, but this javelina stuff is brand new to me. I have a 28 general tag and have been out scouting some, and I glass a lot of deer but no pigs, even in thick prickly pear country away from roads. Do these critters like to frequent the slopes and sit in the sun in the morning, or do they generally prefer the flats? I'm just wondering where to focus my glassing efforts and if rougher country is better or not. Thanks guys Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
elkaholic Report post Posted February 15, 2016 piggys are in every type of terrain possible - best to walk the washes and look for sign . then follow trails into the foothills just never know - been raining cold windy days - ahhh down in the washes - nope up on the hilltops - or - cold evenings start looking on the bright sunny warm slopes next morning - nope down in the washes this time of year they tend to be more active later in t he day lots more pics on cameras around the 12-1 and 4 -6 time frame 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hoghntr Report post Posted February 15, 2016 So many variables!!! I will say this, if you can find old scat they are wihin a mile if you find stinky scat you are probably moments from busting them if your in hill country focus on 1 hill/ mtn with food, water, cover/caves/dens and circle it till you find wash/trail they are using. If in flats walk left to right crossing every wash till ya find the active wash then up or down till sign becomes fresh. That is the idiots guide to the stinkers. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rossislider Report post Posted February 15, 2016 Welcome to the club of terrible pig hunters! My son and I just finished our fourth season hunting them. This was the first year we glassed some up. Found them on two occasions but have yet to put one on the ground. Each year we have gotten a little better and wiser. Next year will be our year! Good luck and stick with it. 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gotcoues Report post Posted February 15, 2016 If there is sign in the area, you have to just keep glassing until you get lucky and find them. Tough buggers to glass up, but pretty easy to hunt once located. This season we've been very successful so far with 9 pigs taken, we pushed our start time back to 7:30-7:45 to start glassing after archery deer closed. Often they will stay bedded to 8 and even 9am making them almost impossible to find depending on bed location. Usually they like to sun for at least a bit in the mornings but not always. I think your best windows to glass them up are from 8-10am and again after 3:30-4:30 depending on the heat. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PelaPapas Report post Posted February 15, 2016 I tend to find them on the slopes more often. This past weekend went out and did some scouting with my buddy. Buddy of mine spotted a herd all dog piled up still bedded a little bit before 9am. Watched them for about 10-15 min and they all got up, stretched, the sow was nursing two young reds for about 5 min and then they all moved down towards the wash. Usually we get into pigs right at sun up and they are moving/feeding. Not this herd, seems like they were sleeping in on this particular day. I like to get high and just glass. On occasion we see herds in the mesquite thickets, its just so hard to stay stealthy in those thickets with brushing up against trees and stepping on branches. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mattys281 Report post Posted February 15, 2016 OOOOhhhhhh man am I glad I read this one! I though I was the only crappy javelina hunter around! Misery loves company I guess. I'm terrible at finding them, the only way I've been able to do it is by dumb luck & good old fashioned persistence. First and third ones were dumb luck, I just happened to walk right into them. Number 2 was a ton of persistence, a beautiful stalk and an 8 yard shot filled my tag after not seeing a single one for the 8 days prior. Keep after it, you'll get one! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
backcountry_brad Report post Posted February 15, 2016 I usually find them in the flats so you have to catch em at just the right time or else they'll disappear into a wash or thick brush Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oz31p Report post Posted February 15, 2016 You guys are putting the javelina on a pedestal. They are where they are just like every thing else. Get high and glass. A good deer spot is not necessarily a good javelina spot. Referring the them as pigs is seven years bad luck. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
208muley Report post Posted February 15, 2016 Find tracks.. Get elevation.... Glass glass glass... If you are chilly with a light jacket on they are also cold. If you stand on one side of a hill with sun on it and you are comfortable then there is a good chance they will be on the same sides of the hills. If is hot out like this coming weekend will be look on the cooler sides of the hills after 10 am or in washes. Lots of food out there right now so they shouldn't be tearing up the pears. Filaree and other surface grasses and weeds are their food choice right now. Be patient with your glassing.. Like Coues deer, if you think you are glassing slow enough, slow down some more. I could go on and on about these little critters ( I love hunting them) but that should get you started. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
singleshot Report post Posted February 16, 2016 Darwanism at it's finest. Javelina have become a lot more cold tolerant in the last 40 years and it's obvious as their range continues to grow. Never would have believed they could make it on the side of the Escudilla in November in the snow and that was over ten years ago. Found a herd last weekend in the late afternoon on the north side of a hill with snow on it. That's where the best bedding cover was though. I would spend most of my time focusing on south facing slopes. Not necessarily because the pigs want the sun but because they green up first. Any green early spring annuals like Filerie, not sure if I spelled that right but it's a low growing ground cover with purple flowers and especially Blue Dick. It resembles wild onions and has a small bulb for a root that pigs hammer this time of year. In unit 28 around Safford it is about the only green coming out right now. You should be able to find south facing hillsides that are being torn up as they root for Blue Dick. Filerie is more prominent in the flats and in the creosotes at the bases of the hills. We find pigs quite often at the transition where the creosote stops as the hills rise up off the desert floor. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trphyhntr Report post Posted February 16, 2016 You guys are putting the javelina on a pedestal. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WhtMtnHunter Report post Posted February 16, 2016 Just my experience having killed my 10th javelina last Sunday. 3 with my rifle, 6 with my bow, and the last 1 with my muzzle loader in 4 different units. I am sure there are better advisers around but these are just my thoughts. 1. If I am specifically looking for javelina then I will never find them. Instead I convince myself that I am looking for deer, cattle, mountain lion, or anything other than pigs. I will tell myself that this is a scouting trip for future hunts and look for other game while I am glassing. This last trip I saw many deer and a fox in the first 90 minutes, and enjoyed every second of looking, before I spotted the herd of skunk pigs.. 2. Javelina seem to move later than most other animals. I have been up well before dark, hiked to a top of a hill with great views and not seen anything for 2 hours after sunlight. Just this last Sunday I was in a great spot with 360 degree views, about 270 degrees of that view seemed like perfect habitat. After 90 minutes i decided to pack up and move. As I dropped my tripod and looked down there was a herd of pigs on the "unfavorable" hillside just 150 yards away. 5 minutes later I shot the biggest one with my muzzy at 136 yards. Most of the pigs I have taken have been between 9 and 12. 3. Terrain that "looks good" to you means nothing to a javelina! Don't try to out-think a javelina, you will lose every time! 4. When you find pigs don't just get too excited and immediately rush after them. Watch them for 15-20 minutes. Often they will change directions several times and the stalk you may have originally taken will be useless. 5. Always remember a "successful" javelina hunt is one where every one else gets a pig but you! They are very skunky animals, consisting of 90% guts, and there is no shame in passing from shooting one! Good luck! 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hatchet Jack Report post Posted February 16, 2016 thanks guys, you are all awesome. So what I've gathered is... 1. Don't think 2. Don't look for them 3. Sleep in. sounds like a good hunt to me 6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kazpilot25 Report post Posted February 16, 2016 thanks guys, you are all awesome. So what I've gathered is... 1. Don't think 2. Don't look for them 3. Sleep in. sounds like a good hunt to me You forgot "when you find them, don't shoot". 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
