Southern AZ Javelina

[Desertstalker]

I have been looking/scouting very heavily in Units 34A & 36A for the Grey Ghost. I have run into alot of hot sign in the flats, but have yet to actually run into any herds. My efforts glassing the hills have revealed lots of coues & coyotes but no Javies.

My question to some of you "old salts" is if it was your tag in either of these areas where would you look to hunt? I have a pretty good knowlege of where NOT to go, but could use a gentle nudge in the right direction for the 2005 HAM hunt. Any help or discussion at all would be helpfull.

Also, does anyone have expierence with loads for .44 mag/special for Javies? I plan on using Remington 180 grain soft point as I'm sure this will be enough of a load while achieving a fairly flat trajectory. Any suggestion/expierences would be helpfull to say the least!!!

Thank you in advance.?

 

[jmbn]

I've hunted for many years in 36C and 34B, but not in the areas that you mentioned so I can't give you any specific info but might be able to help with some generalities. Usually, you want to look for shin daggers (lechiguilla). which are a favorite food. They peel the spines off to get at the heart, kind of like eating an artichoke.

You have just had significant rain, which spikes the growth of some of the plants in the flats that might not be palatable in drier weather, and pigs tend to head that way. They are harder to hunt in the flats because you can't sit and glass, and need to walk some serious miles, but remember that they usually bed (in the flats) in the brush along the washes.

If I were going to an area cold, I'd look for lechiguilla, and if there is plenty of ocotilla mixed in with it that's even better; the combo of lechuilla and ocotilla seems to be deadly. I suppose that the cover of the ocotilla, even though it's sparse, makes them more comfortable.

Oh- I have shot a couple with a 45 Long Colt with warm loads and 225 Speer hollowpoints, which do the job. I think these are travelling at about 1,200
FPS according to the books, but I've never chrono'd them. Pigs are tough for their size and I might opt for a heavier bullet than 180 grains, but when it comes to handguns I don't really claim to know what I'm talking about. I just don't know how a lighter bullet would do if you shot a southbound pig in the butt, but if you are a careful shot they would probably be fine.

Good luck. In 8 days I'm headed for 34B and I'm packed already!

 

[SDhunter2]

A lot of the guys on the AZOD board were talking how I may not be able to get away from hunters in 34A. I was given a tip recently and am sworn to secrecy.
My brother and I plan on humping over a few hills in our locatoins. One guy said he ran into a guy on a ATV and the guy on the ATV says "no javelina here. I have been up and down the road." Well next day they hike over a hill right where this guy says no Javelinas were and they stick a couple. Reminds me of my cow elk hunt 2 years ago. The guys on the ATV's just thought these critters were going cross their paths. I saw more critters then any of those seasoned elk hunters ever saw cause they wouldn't get off their sorry asses and hunt.

hec if things get really bad I get one of these critters eating lunch at the dump