# Javelina hunt



## mikevanwilder (Nov 11, 2008)

So this past week I was lucky enough to travel to AZ for a javelina hunt. 
We made the 8 hour trip tuesday and got up early wednesday to start hunting. 
Right off the bat we saw 2 off the side of the road in which we watched for a while but none of us wanted to take so early in the hunt. The rest of that day we didn't see a thing along with the next day.
We started to get a little nervous going into friday as we just weren't seeing them at all. We had found an area that looked promising so we got up and head in there early. When we got the 3 of us split up and made our way around this big valley. I had been hiking and stopping every so often to call for about a hour, when I heard a shot ring out. I got out my garmin rino and called to the others, no answer. I turned to head back toward the shot. When I got to the last ridge I finally made contact with one of the guys who was driving in the truck. He said he didn't shoot and didn't hear anything. I tried radioing the other guy but couldn't get him to answer. I was just about to head back out when he finally came over the radio and said he had shot one but couldn't find it. I pin pointed his location on the gps and headed toward him. When I got to the road and the vehicle I radioed him again to see if he had found it yet, not yet so I kept hiking back up the other side of the valley. The gps said 1.5 miles away still so I started to pick up the pace abit. 
About 1/2 a mile later the guy in the truck says he has just shot one and that there was another one still there. I didn't even hear a shot, but I decided to head back toward the road, when I got there I could see the javelina standing at the top of this little hill. I dropped down and got my scope on him. 
He was at about 130 yards away quartering away, I put the crosshairs on the off shoulder and waited to see if he would turn broad side. I held there for 2 minutes or so and he started to walk over the hill. He stopped again and I took the shot. He dropped to the ground and kicked up a huge dust cloud. 95gr Nosler BT in the 243 did the trick, or so I thought! 10 seconds later hes back up. So I line up another shot as hes running away and I get him in the right front leg. Figuring he was down I head up the hill to retrieve him. As I top the hill and find his blood trail and knew he didn't go far, wrong again! All the way across the hill and down the other side I follow his trail. Suddenly he snorts, barks, woofs whatever it is they do and charges me. I get my gun up to shoot but he had turned and started to run away. I took a shot but missed clean, he slowed up and turned broadside and I was able to put another round in his lungs. This time he was down for good. 
After getting him loaded up and brought back to the truck. The guy who shot first was on the radio trying to get someone to help him pack his out. I told him that we all had javelinas and to deal with it himself. 
Later that day we took the other 2 hunters that were in camp out and found a herd of 15 which they shot 2 out of. One got injured and so we tracked him around and got chased by him for about 3 hrs before we finally got him down.
All in all it was a blast for my first ever javelina hunt. Now just waiting on the meat to be hammed. 
Anybody have some good javelina recipes? Goob? Other than the two back quarters all I got was the back straps and tenderloins.


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## Al Hansen (Sep 7, 2007)

Nice. 8)


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## WeaselBrandGameCalls (Aug 16, 2010)

Great hunt replay and pictures too! AWESOME!!!!!!!


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## Wind In His Hair (Dec 31, 2009)

Man, cool story. Congrats on the hunt. Never hunted them myself, but it sounds like a lot of fun.


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

Cool
One hunt id like to do


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

You must of been hunting the Indian reservation for a hunt this late in the year. That is a great story and a fun hunt. 

I hunt them every year during the HAM season down there which is a blast. I'll usually smoke the meat over a low temperature mesquite fire for about 7 or 8 hours and I have never had anyone turn away from the meat, at least until I tell them what it is and then they usually come back for more. I have also made a stir fry out of the back straps and what tenderloins that there is along with onions and peppers which turns out great. Others in our group have BBQ'ed them either outside or in the oven with good results. They also make fantastic jerky but there is very little of it. 

You'll also find that the meat isn't anything like pork so I don't know how the hams will come out but it could be good.


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## mikevanwilder (Nov 11, 2008)

Yep we went on a reservation. My cousin had a javelina hammed last year at Springville meats and he offered me some and it was fantastic. Tasted like the best ham I ever had and all he did was heat it up on the bbqer.
I have a little bit of meat from the back straps and even less from the tenderloins but I was thinking either jerky or find a good recipe.


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## sawsman (Sep 13, 2007)

Sounds fun! I'd love to hunt those someday.


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## Kingfisher (Jul 25, 2008)

they are so much fun to hunt. as a teenager, we got into a herd of about 20 or so in a dry creek bottom. i touched off the first shot, bagged one and the herd exploded - there were pigs running at me, away from me and in all directions squealing and grunting. could have been a polish firing squad but everyone held fire till a clean shot was available and we picked up 3. tasty little critters.


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