tjhunt2

Thoughts and prayers for family and friends. TJ

I learned along time ago that if you want it done right to do it yourself. I'm certainly not saying there aren't any good butchers out there because I know there is. I get as much satistaction out of butchering my own game as the hunt itself. You will be surprised how easy it is to do. It takes me a good day to do an elk and sometimes part of the next but you won't find a cleaner piece of meat anywhere. It helps to have your own walkin. I used an old refrigerater for years. TJ

Tomorrow is the Commission Award Banquet and I would like to congratulate two of our own cwt supporters who have worked so hard to contribute to our state wildlife, it's outdoor heritage, and all the support they have given to all the sportsman, sportswomen, and the youth of our great state of AZ. Thanks for all you do. TJ Outdoor Writer of the Year - Tony Mandile Mentor of the Year - Youth Outdoors Unlimited

Thanks for the report Brian and sorry it didn't work out for ya. I've done the same thing. Bummer after all that time waiting. Ground blind hunting isn't for everyone. I know what you're going thru my friend. Good luck tomorrow.

Holy crap Bill, 50 javelinas is alot of pig meat. That has got to be some kind of record even though you won't admit it. I'm glad you shared that piece of info with us. Now I can say " I know a man who has killed 50 pigs in his day". That's quite awesome in my book. TJ

Thanks for donating a percentage of your sales to the site. That means I really got a good deal on the doublebull blind for sure. You guys are the best. I don't know another couple who donates and gives so much time towards wildlife as you two do. TJ

Them definitely are some nice bucks. The trailer is awesome with the sticker. Thanks for sharing Gino and Amanda. TJ

I guess you did start the year off right. Nice pig and congratulations. TJ

Cool picture! Congratulations on your buck and thanks for sharing. Now where's the story? TJ

Good luck and I look forward to seeing some pics of your success here. You must be bringing this cold spell coming thru the next few days. Dropping down in the 30's here in the desert. TJ

Congratulations on a great year. Them are some nice bucks for sure. Thanks for sharing Steven. TJ

Heat, you're right when you say extensive knowledge of an area has a lot to do with finding pigs. Years of scouting and hunting an area puts you in the plus catagory. You learn their bedding and dining area like the back of your hand and you can harvest year after year. I won't hunt a heard if it gets below 5 pigs. Just my philosophy! Give it a year and you are good to go. You mentioned luck in your statement. I'll take luck any day. Some years it comes easy and others it comes down to the wire. I'm no expert but I will tell ya that you don't have to be glassing at daylight if you like sleeping in. After a cold night you will most likely find the pigs on a southeast facing slope. If the weather is warm they will feed most of the night and will bed down early where they can get most of the sun and then head for the heavy cover towards noon like a thick covered thicket or a huge palo and mesquite tree with lots of shade. I could go on and on but that's a good start and a good pair of binos is a must. Good luck! TJ

Congratulations on your pig and being able to take one so close to the truck would suit me just fine for a change. There is no way I could have made your shot. Way to get it done. TJ

Better late than never. I couldn't have hit that pig with a pistol if it was 10yrds. I'm the worse handgun shooter in the whole world. 54lbs is a huge pig for sure. Congratulations on last year's and I'm looking forward to seeing this year's archery kill. Glad to see you wear long pants on the pigalina hunts. TJ

That was an awesome piece of work with the pictures and the story as it went along. Great job on that and congratulations on your crazy looking antlered buck. Never seen anything like it before. You make that deer look small standing beside it but for those who haven't ever met you believe me Tommy is a big man. I'm sure no one would make fun of you if they saw you hunting in shorts. :lol: TJ

Those who know me know how passionate I am when it comes to pig hunting. Yes, I've lost a little of the get up and go but the passion is still there. If I'm going to continue to do the things I love, chasing game, then I better get in better shape and start taking better care of myself. I was in bed by 7:30 New Years Eve and woke back up when the fire works were going off around the house. I only got another hour of sleep after that and was up eating breakfast at 3:30am. I left the house at 5:30 to go pick up my huntin partner, Scott Henderson, and we were on our way. We arrived at our destination and sat in the dark drinking coffee and going over our game plan for the day. As light was starting to show in the sky we decided we better head out with our flashlites since we had a good 45 min walk to our glassing spot. I hear Scott say " I can't believe it but I don't have my license." We were back in the truck and heading home to Mesa when we should have been walking to out glassing spot. After many miles and returning after a long morning of driving we had to change our game plan. I dropped Scott off and headed to another spot that would put us a mile apart but in radio contact. By the time I got to my spot it was 10am and Scott radioed he had pigs bedded. I knew this bedding ground and knew the best possible plan was for one of us to stay high while the other made the stock. I give Scott the stock since he located the pigs and waited the hour it took him to get in on them. He busted them out as I was expecting, but I was able to watch where they went, and guided Scott back in to them after he got the wind in his favor. I had a grandstand view of the whole thing and watched as he connected on his pig around 12:30. The temperature was climbing and be decided to head for the vehicle and skin out his pig and get it on ice. After a short lunch we decided to go back but this time Scott would take the top ridge while I climbed down thru the thickit on the flats. He would be able to see anything I pushed out but the pigs gave us the slip and I decided we had just enough time to hunt back to the vehicle. I radioed Scott and said there was a thicket that was nasty but had seen these pigs go there before when spooked. If we could get to it with enough light I would call since it was our last option. It was 5:05 when we arrived at the thickit and the sun had already set. I motioned to Scott, who was about 200yrds away that I was getting ready to call. I had this same scenario last year and blew it when my arrow fell off the rest but now had a whisker biscut. I attached my release to my string and held my call with the same hand and let out a squeal. The pigs were bedded down across the hill from me at least 200 yrds and stood up and started shaking off like dogs. Not much time for a stock so I blasted again and 5 pigs were heading down the hill for the thickit and right towards me. The bottom of the thicket was 100 yrds so they had to get thru it before climbing the steep hillside I was standing on. Up out of the bottom charging me was this pig and it stopped within 15yrds and frooze. I didn't have a shot so I squealed again and it came another few yrds and stopped. Still no shot and it caught my sent and bolted away to my left and heading for the only opening I had at 20yrds. I drew my bow and waited for what seemed like time standing still. As it gave me a clear shot, angling away, I released my arrow and heard the whack. She turned and ran right towards me but there wasn't enough time for another shot. She passed within 2ft of me. The arrow was sticking out about 4in. from her stomack and fell out as she ran by. I was using a Swacker but there was no blood to be found. The angle of the shot was making her bleed inside and I knew this. Not much light and I would have waited an hour with this shot but light was fading and I had switched packs during the day and had no flashlite. After discussing the shot with Scott he said I bet it's already dead. Against my will I started tracking with no blood but could see where she was heading. Straight for the thickit that was almost impossible to get thru. After 60yrds I couldn't get my bow thru the thickit and left it behind. I could hardly see and my knee was telling me to turn around. With the last of light I saw her lying there dead. I yelled for Scott to come get my pig and carry it out for me. He said " How the he!! did you get in there?". There was no way of gutting her there until we got out of there. It turned out to be my heaviest pig to date. It gutted 45lbs and I thank my good buddy Scott for carrying my pig all the way back to the vehicle which took another hour in the dark. Sorry for the long read but for thse who stuck with it thanks. Here are a few pictures. My good buddy Scott Not a good picture but we were tired and didn't much care at this point. Hanging in my walkin.

Congratulations on a beautiful ram. I'm still hoping I get drawn before I can't walk the canyons. Great picture and thanks for sharing. TJ

Heck ya you can do it and you did. It might have taken a few years but how satisfying was that? I know how ya felt and congratulations on getting that first one under your belt. They will come much easier now because you have confidence in yoursef. That's a nice pig. Ya, I'm sure you was getting a little moody but that comes with the territory. Just kidding ya know. TJ

Great story and let me say the hunt with your Dad out weighs the fact that this buck didn't make the 100 mark. Your memory of this will last a lifetime and it still is a dandy of a buck. Look at that smiles on both your faces. Who cares about score? Awesome! TJ

Holy crap, what a beauty. Congratulations Jeff! TJ

That was a great story and congratulations on your first archery deer. If you don't mind me giving a little advise here I would say skin him out as soon as possible the next time unless you had him in a walk in over night. Most deer in az need skinning out because of our weather. Thanks for sharing and congrats again. TJ

That certainly is a buck anyone would be happy to hang their tag on. I wouldn't give him another year. I have a hard time passing up anything. Thanks for sharing. TJ

What an awesome writeup and to share it with your Dad made it that much special. You certainly deserve that beautiful buck after waiting there 2 1/2 hrs before closing the deal. Congratulations on your first az buck and what a dandy he is. TJ

Last year while the wife and I was attending the ISE Show we enjoyed watching the dog jumping competition. We thought we might enter our Lexie this year but didn't know much about it or what all was involved. Since looking in to it I have found there are 3 competitions which are speed retrieve, vertical jump, and jumping. My dog, Lexie, has never been trained to do any of these but I thought it might be fun to enter her just so she and I could have some fun among the crowd. The vertical would not be an option but she does like to jump off the dock at the lake. The speed retrieve might be a flop because she hasn't been trained to swim the length of the pool and grab the dummie and swim back. Who cares, it would be something fun with one of my most beloved huntin partners. My question is, has anyone here done it or knows someone who has? TJ

Who wouldn't be happy with bucks like that. No wonder your smile is so wide. Congratulations on both your bucks. TJ