Okay I'm back.
On opener I went to my favorite area after hitching a ride with some fisherman. I normally take a boat or kayak for this hunt to get me into my area quicker and save ALOT of walking. However this time I delivered mounts along the way and my truck was full until I got to Casa Grande, so I had no room for a kayak. The morning temps were in the 20's but quickly soared into the 70's Not good for javelina. I knew they'd be bedded so I got to my perch and glassed under trees. Around noon I saw what looked like a javelina under a tree but I didn't get excited because at those distances everything looks like a javelina.
I kept my eye on it while eating an MRE and finally it moved. It seems I always spot game when I'm eating.
The dark tree in the middle of the pic is where the piggy is.
When I got close it appeared that it would be difficult at best to thread an arrow through all the branches being that I knew he was going to be laying down under the tree. So I shed my pack and bow and I made my sneak armed with my 44 mag. When I got to 11 yards I thought about taking the shot on the javie but he was laying down with the top of his head facing me, behind him I could see the ears of another and so I didn't take the shot for fear of hitting more than one.
I decided to keep moving closer until I got busted and then when they stood and scattered I could have a clean shot.
I took one more step and when a javie "whoofed" they all got up. Now the one I was watching was standing broadside at 11 yards and I had the drop on him. "BAM" he ran to the other side of the tree, "BAM-BAM" I shot through the branches and he ran about 20 yards and stopped giving me a broadside shot. "BAM-BAM" he just stood there. I watched him waiting for him to expire but he just stood there.
I decided to take another shot.
I know what you're thinking " Did he shoot 5 times or 6" well, in all the excitement I lost count myself.
Anyways, I pulled the trigger and "BAM" he ran down the hill through the ocotillos. After giving him a few minutes to expire I went to where I first shot him.
Blood.
Okay, now I knew I hit him with the first shot ( how could I miss at 11 yards ) then I went to where he was last standing and my last 3 shots.
More blood.
I followed the blood trail until it went through some thickets of ocotillo. I went to the other side to pick up the trail and "nothing"
I looked into the ocotillos "nada"
I crissed-crossed that ledge and "zilch"
Now I'm looking off of the ledge at the TALL yellow grassland below and I'm realizing that I'm looking for a needle in a haystack.
I crissed-crossed the grassland and looked under every bush in that area.
No happy ending, no smiley-faced pics.
On my way out I came across that very fresh coues that was picked clean.
I didn't have much of an appetite to continue hunting after that so the next day I hunted until noon and then headed for home.
Yeah, I can't help but think that maybe I was standing right next to him and couldn't see him.
You'd be amazed at how good they blend in. The first javelina I ever shot was with a rifle at about 125 yards, I saw where he stopped rolling and I made a mental note of his location. When I got there I couldn't find him and I began to worry that he had run away. After a couple minutes more of searching I heard him groan a last gasp of air and I was standing right next to him the whole time.
When I carried him up the hill to a flat spot, a game warden walked up to me and said " I heard the shot, where's the javelina" it was at my feet and he didn't even see it.
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