Heat

Very nice! Way to stick with it till the last day of the season.

It's not easy to kill a good buck with a bow. Congratulations on your success!

Very nice buck! Way to stick with it!

Arrived at my camp spot with my cousin Jon around 3PM on the 1st. We had time to get out for a little glassing during the evening hunt. Right before dark I located some javis about a half mile away at the base of a big hill. We figured we'd just find them in the morning. During the night the wind picked up a lot so the thoughts of an easy locate in the morning started to go away as the wind got stronger. The next morning we looked for the pigs right where they were the night before but they must have moved off quite a bit during the night. We hiked around looking for sign and whatever else and started heading back to camp around 1PM. As we were approaching an area where a guy had parked earlier in the morning near our camp, we started hearing squealing sounds that almost sounded like a baby crying. We thought it was probably the guy with the truck doing some predator calling or messing around with a call. The next thing I know is I see my cousin hurdling a fence as he whispers "pigs". Somehow we walked right in on the pigs. Good thing a little one was vocal, because it gave away the herd. So I stalk in on them and only see a half pint sized pig. All of a sudden a bigger one appears out of the bushes right in front of me. I shoot and miss. So at the shot the rest of the herd starts to scatter and another one pops up in the same spot the last one was. Draw back and let one go, whack! I see the pig run off with the arrow sticking way out of him. Oh no, I think to myself! I hit too far forward and too high according to my cousin, who also got a shot and missed. We followed a decent blood trail for about 50 yards where we see my snapped off arrow shaft sticking in the ground with the fletching buried in the dirt. I don't know how the pig managed to bite the arrow off and stick it in the ground but that's what we saw following the trail. We were able to determine that I only got 3-4 inches of penetration including the broadhead. I must have hit shoulder or head. The blood was only basically small drops beyond that, and eventually there was no blood to follow at all. Obviously, I was mad at myself for rushing the shot and not going through my shot sequence correctly and a bit depressed about wounding an animal. This resulted in a hit that was not as fortunate as TJ's. I spent the rest of that day following fresh tracks hoping to get back on a bloodtrail or wounded pig, but there was no more luck to be had. I did bump a sow with piglets at 15 yards or so right at dark, and let them walk. The next morning we had high hopes of finding something else. The morning started good with me glassing up a nice 3x3 buck within minutes of setting up the glass. We watched him haul butt across the desert floor, never stopping much, eventually getting into some really thick cover where we lost him. My other cousin Joe, who arrived the day before attempted a stalk, but never saw him again. Later that evening, I glassed up the herd of pigs again very near where we had the action the day before. We had high hopes to find them again right there in the morning but they relocated again. Dang! That afternoon I saw a smaller 3x3 buck with 3 does but that was the last of the game sightings for me. I had to head home on Sunday, ending another hunt with no pig! So the curse continues...I am totally ashamed to admit it, but this is the exact thing that happened two years ago, and very similar to what happened in 2009 or so. I get in on the pigs, rush the shot and make a bad hit, not able to recover the animal. I know that when you hunt with a bow, these things happen but this trend is very disturbing to me. I know that I need to become a better shot under pressure. I don't seem to know what else to do, other than not give up and stay after it. At least I had a chance I guess. I have never had this happen on any other archery animal I have shot at. Everything else has died right away. I am very perplexed why I can't seem to shoot straight at these darn pigs! Pig Fever I guess, LOL! Thanks for reading! If anyone has any wisdom regarding the normal behavior of javelina during the night I am very interested. Do they normally feed quite a bit after dark during the warmer times during the winter? We were back after them at first light, which is generally early enough to find late rising pigs. We figured that they wouldn't move far after locating them in the evening twice, but they proved me wrong both times. What gives?

Henry Aguilar is a top notch taxidermist right there in Kingman. Maybe he can help? A cheap way would be to put your coffee grounds in an old sock and rub away.

I'll take one. My wife could use that. To pay it forward I have a used but decent shape day pack I'd like to part with to a young or other needy hunter who could use some gear to get started. Let me know if anyone knows someone who needs a daypack.

I have some questions about javelina after this last hunt. Hoping to learn more about their behavior so I can be more successful locating pigs in the future. Twice I located a herd of javelina that I watched until I could no longer really see the pigs well through my binos and I needed my headlamp to walk back to camp. I figured I would be able to find the herd(s) first thing in the morning. Conventional wisdom is that pigs sleep in a bit and you can find them starting to get moving around sun up, right? I was unable to find the javelina in the AM either time after I saw them in the evening. I am wondering if they fed longer into the night as the sun was going down, did they move during the night, or did they get up and start moving before the sun was up? I know some pigs are nocturnal, especially the ones that feed in farm fields. If its warm will they feed long into the night in their normal habitat? I'm also wondering about bedding areas? Do they just dig out a new spot where ever and sleep for the night where they feel comfortable? Again, conventional thought is that javelina only have a few bedding areas, but I found many areas where pigs had slept under a bush or thick trees in the area I was hunting. How many bedding areas does the typical herd have? How far apart are they generally located? How often do they return to the same areas, every few nights for one night, or a few nights in a row then on to another? Do pigs share certain areas like feeding areas, bedding sites, water or do they exclude all other javelina from these areas within their "territory"? I know they have small home ranges but I am curious how their use of these home ranges goes. Do they have summer areas and winter areas depending on the green up of the area? Do they tend to stay on the hills or in the flats during certain times of the year. It seems like they don't like being out in the wind from my experience, and hunker down in the washes and thick bushes when it blows hard.

I've killed two muley bucks and both smelled similar to a goat. I've also smelled does before I've seen them a few times and they have a similar but less musty smell.

Great Job JD!

Rifle: 1 Mule Deer Buck, 1 Cow Elk, 1 Pronghorn Buck, 1 Desert Bighorn Sheep Ram Bow: 1 Bull Elk, 1 Mule Deer Buck, 0 javelina (yes, I'm terrible at hunting javelina) Shotgun: 2 Turkey Toms I've been hunting with a bow and rifle for 25 years. I took a lot of time away from hunting during my college years when I couldn't afford tags. I almost exclusively hunt with a bow now, unless it's a once in a lifetime opportunity or I'm hunting with my family for meat. I won't hunt javelina, deer, pronghorn, or bull elk with a rifle anymore. Never hunted javelina with anything but my bow. I have drawn blood 3 times on javelina and have not tagged one. It is my nemesis! Talk about a love/hate relationship!

I'm afraid if I go hunting anymore this winter I'll be sleeping on the porch with the dogs! After spending every weekend down in the Gilas during December and now the first 5 days of January out hunting for myself, my weekend pass has expired unfortunately!

Here is Tammy's Ram "ROMEO". What a gorgeous "King of the KOFAs"! Congratulations to all involved on this incredible hunt!

Nice pics! That's a good one alright!

Truword1, you are a good man!

Very cool! Congratulations on a very unique trophy!

What incredible success! Good going!

Congrats TJ! You are a pig hunting machine! I think I made a similar hit on mine but unfortunately I could not find mine. Good job sticking with it! I appreciate you sharing your story.

Nice one! Congrats on your success!

I haven't bought a leftover javelina tag for 2014 yet. Which archery only hunt should I get a tag for?

Congrats. Those "springbar" style tents are pretty nice. On the 9 degrees thing, it doesn't matter what your tent is made of, it isn't going to keep you warm without some sort of radiant heat source. This is where a wood stove holds it's own or just double up on the sleeping bags. A propane heater will certainly take the edge off but I wouldn't depend on it to dry out your clothes if they get soaked. Enjoy!

Windicator powder, then rangefinder in that order. My pack in also very important. Wouldn't go on a hunt without one of my Kifarus!

I get re-directed to that site the first time I try to get on the forums. Hit back and click again and I come right in. Not sure what that is about. Nick

Sent you a PM

Well Done! Great looking deer!

Can't wait to see this buck! Good job staying with it! Sean's buck is really nice too! I got a text from him yesterday with the pic. Awesome!