Joe Kauffman Report post Posted February 4, 2008 My 10 year son Garrett was lucky enough to draw a juniors only javelina tag this year which would be his second big game hunt after his coues hunt the end of last year. His hunt was off to a great start opening weekend as we glassed up 20+ deer, several coyotes and one seriously large bobcat. Saturday ended with a nice meal at a local restaurant planning our attack for Sunday. We woke Sunday morning around 4:30am and were dressed, coffee'd up and walked out the door before we realized it had been raining most of the night. All dressed up with no where to go definately isn't my son's style so we headed out with ponchos in hand ready to deal with mother nature. We spent some time beating the gullies & canyons hoping to jump a pig or 2 but ended up back at the truck by 2pm thoroughly soaked and ready for a hot shower. I told him that the effort that he has been putting into this hunt will pay off and it will feel that much better when it does. Monday through Wednesday were too busy to sneak out but by Thursday around noon we were both chomping at the bit so I pulled him from school around 2pm and we were off to check out another spot I've hunted in the past. Just after arriving we hiked up a nice ridge that offers a great vantage point for glassing 360 degrees and the ability to cover high peaks, ridges and small feeder canyons. I have a bad habit of glassing from the top of the largest mountains downward and it was no different that day. The first peak I started on showed 2 pigs feeding on some Prickly Pear cactus a bit of 2 miles away. After showing my son where they were and 20 minutes of hoping they'd feed their way down the hill, we gave up hope and decided to head up to them. I've always tried to teach him that the harder he works the more it will pay off so he was pretty excited to put on a 2 mile stalk. I had glassed them just under a rock bluff which would give me a decent reference point as we hiked up the mountain. We finally made it about 1/2 way up when the wind changed direction, coming from our backs straight up to where the pigs were. We were still several hundred yards from where I last saw them and the brush was too thick to see if they were still there. We finally made it to the rock bluff and decided to swing around behind it in order to drop on top of them if they were still feeding in the same place. About 50 yards into our swing around we heard the famous "whooof, whooof" airy snort that pigs make when they're spooked. They had changed direction and where now up in front of us. Garrett got a glimpse of one of them heading down into a small draw 70 yards in front of us so we quickly got up to the edge. I blew the varmit call a few times and out of the bottom ran 2 pigs up the far ridge across from us. Garrett quickly found a rock to support his gun and waited for them to come out from behind the trees. I gave one more blow on the call and out from the bottom came the biggest pig of the bunch. He trotted up the ridge, stopped behind a tree for a few seconds, and when he stepped out, before I could even tell Garrett to shoot a blast rang through the canyon and down rolled his first big game animal. He made a perfect double lung shot at 70 yards with my old .243 and afterwards his legs were shaking so bad he could hardly stand. This was a moment I had been waiting 10 years for and it worked out better than I could have dreamed. We dressed him out and got back to the truck just after dark. Here's a couple shots of one proud hunter! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GameHauler Report post Posted February 4, 2008 Way to get'r done Garrett Nice first Pig Thanks for sharing Joe Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tjhunt2 Report post Posted February 4, 2008 Congrats on your first pig Garrett. Make sure he writes it down for the future years ahead. TJ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Buckhunter Report post Posted February 4, 2008 Great job on a first pig. He will appreciate it in the long run for putting in the extra effort. Teaching him the skills now will instill a lifetime of oppurtunity. Great Job! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TAM Report post Posted February 4, 2008 Way to go amigo!!!! That is a good lookin pigalina!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WFGinNM Report post Posted February 4, 2008 Way to go, sounds like he doesn't need much coaching on when a shot is presented. Congratulations, --Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coues 'n' Sheep Report post Posted February 5, 2008 Congrats to you both!! Something really special about the first one!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coues Sniper Report post Posted February 5, 2008 Awesome job Garrett! That's a heck of a pig! His tusks look huge! Congrats to father and son on a great job. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DUG Report post Posted February 5, 2008 Way to go! That is a great javelina and great story. Next he'll want to put in for elk and antelope. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hunterdan Report post Posted February 5, 2008 Congrats that is awesome... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
More D Report post Posted February 5, 2008 Congrats!! I can't wait for my day(daughter's) to come too! Great smile!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stanley Report post Posted February 5, 2008 Thanks for sharing Joe! Nice pics.... Congrats on Garrett on his first big game kill! Looks to be just the start of many good times to come.... S. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Huntn coues Report post Posted February 5, 2008 Woohoo! Congratulations to you both. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cramerhunts Report post Posted February 5, 2008 A big congrats to you both! Thanks for sharing your success with us. Phil Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Browning'sCustomMeat Report post Posted February 5, 2008 Awesome job Garrett!! Great to see big smiles from happy hunters. My kids are chomping at the bit to get out for their first hunt. -Jeremy- Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
