I am currently spending a month in AZ. I have a javelina tag in my pocket and have been out a few times so far. But I'll be honest, I am feeling a bit like a fish out of water here.
I have hunted javi before, but only in Texas where corning roads is the method of choice. This is different. I've gotten on high spots and glassed large areas. I've walked Ridge tips and wash bottoms and have found little to no fresh sign. It is early, and I have plenty of time yet, but hope to shorten my learning curve if any of you can offer advice.
A few questions I have :
Is a water source necessary, or can they get needed moisture just from prickly pear? In my walks so far I have not come across water of any type.
What is the best time of day to find them out and about? I had assumed the cold mornings would keep them tucked away, but maybe that is a mistake and I need to get out at daybreak or dusk?
Do they travel much if undisturbed? Maybe I just need to keep walking and will eventually find them in isolated pockets.
Do atv's and of road motorcycles push them out of areas completely? It seems every place I've tried so far is laced with orv trails.
So far I've focused on spots with lots of prickly pear. Is there anything else I should be looking for?
Thanks for any suggestions or tips you might have.
Whip,
Look at my post about the Coues deer.
You are doing what, in my experience, has found javies; wearing out lots of boot leather. When I find them, it is in isolated areas that don't get much, if any, human traffic. Where I am, it is hilly to mountainous, with lots of washes, and I go to off the beaten path places, away from atv trails.
My understanding is that they get most of their moisture from prickly pear, and that does seem to be their food of choice. Where I find them, prickly pear has lots of signs of them feeding off the plants.
Look for tracks in washes, and then thoroughly scour the hillsides nearby. They are well camouflaged for their environment, and as I said on the other thread, I have tried to turn lots of barrel cactus into javelina.
You have no doubt noticed that the desert is a rocky, noisy place to walk, and while their eyesight isn't great, there is nothing wrong with their hearing or sense of smell, so hunt the wind and try to be as quiet as possible. The wind will sometimes give you a clue, too, as you can smell them from a good way off.
I hunted them in Texas, too, and they are, in my opinion, MUCH easier there than in Arizona. But hunting them in the Sonoran desert is really fun, and as stated, much different from other areas of the country. Enjoy!
Whip,
I hunted Javi for seven years successfully in AZ and here is the best advice I can provide based on my experiences. (1) if you have a rig that will allow you to drive dirt roads: stop at the bottom of each wash and look for tracks, if no tracks keep driving. If you find tracks determine their direction up or down the wash, get up on one of the sides of the wash and start hunting using your glasses to see out in front of you. (2) If there are rock formations where you are hunting check them out for caves (spaces between large rocks actually) and if you find some these could be great places to set up in the late afternoon as the Javi's will come back to them as the light fades. Also, if these rock formations are on higher ground you can hunt the washes that lead downhill from them and look for sign that way. (3) Glassing: it is an absolute must that when you glass you hold your bino's in one place for however long it takes you to completely look over all the cover that is visible within your field of view. Javi's hair is multi colored so that from one position they look just like brown rocks and from another position they actually look black. Because they feed very slowly you can mistake them for rocks as you "scan" a hillside or the sides of a wash. Once you have really checked out your field of view move your field of view over and check out the next area slowly. by keeping your binos in one place for a couple of minutes you can pick up their movement much easier. (4) Cedar Trees: if its cold in the mornings the javi's will bunch up under these things and are very very hard to see. Approach these sparce cedars with caution and really look them over with your glasses for signs of any brown lumps underneath. Cant tell you how many times I almost had to head back to camp for clean drawers after busting a pack of javis out from underneath a cedar. Hope this helps, best of luck!
Whip I have no input but just wanted to wish you good luck!
Good luck Joe.
ChuckC
I have hunt AZ a couple times. I found that they were not often close to water. I put on a lot of miles and used the glasses as much as I could. I found that gun fire moved them but not much else did. They did like to be around the ranchers cows either.
On clold morning look for them in the sun but still under the trees they are tricky like that.
Good luck buddy.
sent you a pm.
Are you seeing any sign? and what unit are you in.
Mark
Sent you a pm
Wow, just back in camp and some great ideas and offers to help.
Thanks everyone - I'm looking forward to figuring this out!
Good luck Whip and keep us posted on what you find out, I'm headed down there in February.
Sent you a pm
If you find tracks ,try using a predator call,can't tell you how many have come in when we are coyote calling. What area are you hunting?
Whip I shot 91 today, drank a pitcher of beer at the 19th hole and saw just as many Javie as you, 0 ... good luck bud and if you get frustrated with hunting head up to Buckeye and we can drink beer and look at deer tracks around Verrado.
Go Seahawks
Good luck buddy! You'll find em :)
Whip, lots of good information above. What unit are you hunting? Yes you may have to cover a lot of ground but if you are in an area with hills glass more than you walk. You will find mornings are the best with evenings second best. During the mid day they tend to bed down in washes and in areas where they can bed down under junipers and other trees/bushes. I don't think the ATV's bother them as much as hunters pushing them. If you can get to areas further back off the beaten path you will find better hunting. Many of the areas that have larger hills/mountains have less ATV trails and those are great places to glass don't just think they are in the lower desert areas. They are often found on the sides of the larger hills/mountains and since a little more strenuous hiking is needed they are hunted less in these areas and you can see for longer distances with your binos.
Whip, you are hunting too much. Go back to Wisconson, the PACKERS need some loving!!!
Karen saw lots of javi's when she was there hiking but can't think of the name of the park right now. :biglaugh:
My tag is for units 33 and 37B.
I'm really encouraged with all the tips and will be back out after me in the morning.
Ken, I gave up that silly game long ago. I can handle animals with smaller brains making me look foolish, but I won't allow a little white ball do it to me. :rolleyes: :biglaugh:
Thanks for all the help. I will put it all to use. I like the idea of trying some of the higher ground as well. Lots of options!
Good luck ... shoot straight and be safe, all these bushes have stickers
Good luck Joe, hope to be there next Jan.
:campfire: any updates Joe ??