Drought and Javelina?

[Mr September]

For all you guys that live in the beautiful desert year round with these cool little cactus bounders: How does the drought affect them? Their habits, or feed, or times of day, water proximity etc...? Does a dry year change how and where you look for them? Areas? Times of day? Geography? Just curious to know if there are guys that know enough about these mysterious little critters to have a line on how drought effects them?

[knothead]

My experience tells me javelina typically have a 1 - 2 square mile home range and water within that range.  With so many water sources going dry they may not be in their typically home range this year.  They do get some of their water from the food they eat like roots, succulents and cacti.  Looking at the weather forecasts for next couple weeks makes me feel better about the health of our wildlife.  Good Luck

[Mr September]

I agree with you. I have seen them shift home ranges for different reasons over the years as well.

[Asm123]

There were lots of dry waterholes out there. Ive been scouting out a herd in an area with no permanent water source that I know of and none really close by, but still have sighted them. Prickly pear is their favorite food partially because it is a dependable water source for them during dry years like this, heck even the cattle will eat it for water when things get dry. Alternatively herds were probably munching on cholla fruit if prickly pear was not available, same reason, for the water. 

[Mr September]

Just an FYI: I have two separate herds that have switched their home range significantly in the last 10 years.

[trphyhntr]

8 minutes ago, Mr September said:

Just an FYI: I have two separate herds that have switched their home range significantly in the last 10 years.

How do you know they’re the same herds you were on before 

[oz31p]

I don’t really see much change. 
 

I’ve  Been after the same heard for 15 years and they are always with in the same Square half mile. 
 

The only thing I’ve changed about my thinking for hunting Javelina and I don’t think it’s drought related I’ve always had the best luck on cold mornings after say 9 o’clock 

But it seems like the last few years I’ve glass to have glassed them at Dawn with freezing temperatures

[HuntHarder]

I've been terrorizing the same 3-4 herds for 17 years.  They are ALWAYS within a mile of where I think is their epicenter.  Sometimes they can be hard to locate within that mile, but a good coverage plan usually turns them up.  

[TOBY]

Has anyone ever got trail cam pics of them drinking out of cattle trough on their back legs?

[high rise hunter]

I didn't really notice any major changes with the Javi due to the drought this year. I did see more pigs overall and noticed they were knocking over barrel cactus and eating them. I just assumed that was for water consumption but maybe they do that regardless. 🤷‍♂️

[elkaholic]

Lots of torn up barrel cactus in several washes. Sure its piggy getting water,as most known tanks and seeps in the area are dry.

[QCwtAddict]

1 hour ago, high rise hunter said:

I didn't really notice any major changes with the Javi due to the drought this year. I did see more pigs overall and noticed they were knocking over barrel cactus and eating them. I just assumed that was for water consumption but maybe they do that regardless. 🤷‍♂️

One herd that I hunt pretty regularly always has a few knocked over barrel cactus around them that they have been eating on but I was blown away at how many more knocked over cactus I saw this year. This herd was also bigger this year than the past two years. 

[Mr September]

Interesting

[jdown]

We noticed 2 things on the 3-4 herds that we have been chasing around the last 10 years or so.  Very very few Reds and our herds seem to be split up a bit more.. herds of 12 are now 6.   No idea if drought related, but I assume.