Elkhunter1 Report post Posted March 6, 2016 I will start this story with my Dec. Archery deer hunt. Several times while chasing a monster Coues I would glass up a herd of 12 to 16 Javelina on the same hill. As the hunt drew closer I returned one more time to check on the "stinkers" and found them on the same hill. With confidence I left them alone for the last several weeks prior to the opener. Opening day found me up early eager to get in the field. I checked my gear as I did the nite before, loaded and headed out for what was going to be my best hunt. I got two Ultra Pro X cameras for Christmas and they were ready to capture all the action from their mounts on my PSE Brute. I arrive at the parking spot and find there is not only another hunting party just up the road but there is several more in the surrounding area....where did they all come from.... Never seen any others during Dec. or the subsequent scouting trip. I do my best to remain optimistic and push on to the hill they were always on. After glassing one side I move around to get to the other and step right in the middle of a few Javelina... juveniles... where did the adults go. I found lots of sign and beds, even a small cave they had used but I spent the rest of the day and Saturday trying to locate the main herd without hide nor hair seen. I must have covered 8 miles and returned to the spot I harvested a pig two years earlier and just three ridges from the hill. On the advice of my brother I found myself in a new area glassing until my eyes bugged out and started seeing EVERYTHING move. With the wind not in my favor I decided to circle around the canyon and work it from the north. After parking the truck I made a plan to work a zigzag pattern along each ridge to keep the wind in my face and cover as much ground as I could. (not wanting to miss any potential beds) Not 50 yards from the truck I was finding fresh sign. After working the first ridge I found a good vantage point and decided to pull out the 20X60's to glass under every Juniper bush and Mesquite tree. As I set up my tripod I glanced over my left shoulder and said to myself, "that Juniper looks really good" I decided to glass the downwind side of the canyon first. After about an hour without any movement I repositioned and glassed that Juniper in the back of the canyon and they were right there the whole time. With my plan in place I moved in from the east, within the hour I was just 100 yards from the Juniper. I dropped my pack, turned on the cameras and moved into place. Before I could get into the open for the shot at least two of the pigs had gotten up and was feeding up the ridge. Like a ghost another pig rose up from a Catclaw just 27 yards in front of me. The pig turned and gave me the perfect broadside shot. With the cameras on I raised up, drew back and settled the 20/30 yard pin behind the front shoulder. The pig stepped forward forcing me to reposition for a clear shot, I released and the arrow hit TEN yards before the target....WTF. More pigs than I knew was there bolted up and over the ridge. After locating my arrow and confirming my fear I walked to the top and was unable to spot them. As I was returning to retrieve my pack I heard something below, another pig was still there. After all the noise I had made and being downwind he waited until I cleared the immediate area and walked over the ridge to join his buddies. Not knowing what was wrong with my bow the rest of the day was spent trying to relocate them in the hopes to get a shot with my Taurus 99. With my work schedule I spent the next week trying to determine what if anything at all was wrong with my bow, shooting in the back yard after dark. My bow was shooting off two inches high and three to the left. The following Saturday I decided to enter the canyon from the east. I worked the ridges finding lots of sign but no bodies that made it. I decided to return to the same glassing spot and started glassing by looking under the same Juniper.....and ....there they were under the same one from last Sunday. With the wind the same as last time I decided to move in from the other ridge to the west. After working my way to within 50 yards the wind did what it always does changed and the pigs were gone over the ridge headed into the same canyon they escaped me last week. After letting them calm down for a couple of hours and not being able to glass them up I started to work the ridges where they went. I found their tracks in the wash bottom and started to track them. I found myself in a steep bottom with only one way up, a Granite rock face with a 40* incline. As I topped the rock face I was confronted by a very large boar at 12 yards. I readied my bow as he woofed and popped his teeth attempting to intimidate me. At 12 yards in the Catclaw I had NO shot with my bow and I watched him walk off. I took two steps to my right and another boar took up the intimidation. Knowing I had no shot with my bow and being physically beat I put my bow down and unholstered my 9mm, it was time to let it feed. With one quick well placed shot through the Catclaw I had a pig down. With another hunt completed it was getting dark and i was looking at over a mile hike out mostly uphill. After getting back to the original ridge they were on I was able to make several texts advising a heavy packout I received a call from my dad concerned I was hurt as I never called in like I usually did. After the call it was completely dark. I turned on my headlamp and immediately heard voices in spanish below my position and between me and my truck. With 3/4 of a mile to go I quickly turned off the light and scrambled about 50 yards to the east. Only able to get a text out to my moms phone I started to move through the Catclaw and Cactus. I noticed two subjects quietly moving towards me with tactical overtones, stopping behind Junipers and Cactus. Fearing for my safety and not being able to complete a phone call I decided to fire a round way over their heads and make a hastily retreat. After an hour of circling around I finally made to my truck where I found my ice chest had been raided and all of my water was gone. When I finally made it into cell range and I got ahold of my parents I learned my dad was on the phone with Border Patrol and they had several reports of the drug mules I apparently ran into. Two smuggling groups in the last few years on opposite ends of the mountain range, it seems like I am better at getting into contact with them than I am at getting shots Coues Deer. 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
218buck Report post Posted March 6, 2016 That is not the way you want to end a good day of hunting. Congrats on your success hopefully next time you wont run into trouble at least you made it out safely. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tjhunt2 Report post Posted March 6, 2016 Nothing like a good pig story to start the day off. Glad you made it back to the truck safely and thank god they didn't mess with your truck. Stephen, It's good to see I'm not the only crazy one with the passion for chasing these stink pigs. TJ 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PRDATR Report post Posted March 6, 2016 Great story. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Couestracker Report post Posted March 6, 2016 Great hunt and writeup of it. It's scary running into that situation! Congrats on your well earned javelina. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Elkhunter1 Report post Posted March 6, 2016 Nothing like a good pig story to start the day off. Glad you made it back to the truck safely and thank god they didn't mess with your truck. Stephen, It's good to see I'm not the only crazy one with the passion for chasing these stink pigs. TJ Well TJ I do look forward to chasing them each year, it seems to be the only animal I get a tag for that I can sneak up on. Coues deer don't want to play lately. lol 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rancilio Report post Posted March 6, 2016 Darn good story, but I have to question your sanity!!! You, "I decided to fire a round way over their heads and make a hastily retreat." 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Elkhunter1 Report post Posted March 6, 2016 Darn good story, but I have to question your sanity!!! You, "I decided to fire a round way over their heads and make a hastily retreat." I was not sure how heavily armed they were and I wanted them to know I was. The retreat was to move from where the muzzle flash was so if the fired I was not where they saw me fire from. One must think tactically when they find themselves in these situations. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
brian390 Report post Posted March 7, 2016 Great story and congrats on getting a javelina. That sucks that your camp got raided though. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Elkhunter1 Report post Posted March 7, 2016 Great story and congrats on getting a javelina. That sucks that your camp got raided though. No camp, just the back of my truck. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
brian390 Report post Posted March 7, 2016 yeah truck not camp, my mistake. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Elkhunter1 Report post Posted March 7, 2016 yeah truck not camp, my mistake. Not a big deal, some people get more nervous when you say they raided a camp than a truck. I just don't want others to NOT enjoy the beauty of Southern Arizona. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
.270 Report post Posted March 9, 2016 Nice beard too dude. But why waste a round and shoot over their heads? They wouldn't o' shot over yours. Lark 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Elkhunter1 Report post Posted March 9, 2016 Nice beard too dude. But why waste a round and shoot over their heads? They wouldn't o' shot over yours. Lark Had I seen a gun the story would have been written differently besides I was carrying three extra clips with me. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
