This year our hunt started out with some high expectations. We planning on doing some quail hunting for at least a day and perhaps a couple more since one of our friends had a dog and he was going to join us.
The first day looked like it was going to be a good one. We hadn’t raveled more than a mile before we jumped a small herd of javelina down in the wash that we were driving in, but we had to wait until Friday to go and chase them. We turned the dog loose and she was working the banks of the wash and running back and forth, the bottom of it was nice and cool and she was picking up scent but no birds. Outside of the wash it was getting warm and that is where the birds were. Our friend picked up a single but no more until we decided to stop for lunch. During lunch we knew that we may be in trouble as far as quail was concerned. The temperature was already reaching into the low 70’s and going up fast. By 1 pm my thermometer said 80 degrees, and that was down in the wash. We quickly found that the dog was not going to be much help in finding birds that afternoon so after a couple of hours we abandoned the quail hunt.
Friday came and there were only the two of us that were planning on hunting javelina. We arrived at the parking spot and unloaded our ATV’s and were off. I headed up an old gas line road that led to a wash and Roy headed over to Tucson Wash to look for tracks. About all the both of us did was to jump some mule deer and push the cattle out of the bottoms. We both met at a powerline and decided to try some hiking. I headed over to a known area where javelina liked to hang out when it was warmer. Roy hiked down the ridge that he was on checking the side canyons as he went. As noon showed up we met up again for lunch. Neither one of us had turned up a thing. I decided to try another large canyon and Roy headed out into a old area that we had hunted in the past. We both got back to the truck at about the same time without seeing a thing to take a shot at.
Day two appeared and we were off trying the same strategy that we had done the day before, only problem was that we were having the same results. At noon the temperature was 85. With as hot as it was, we knew that we needed to change up our plans and find the deeper shadier canyons if we wanted to find the animals.
Day three we headed over to an area know as Rock Springs. Most years you will find at leas some water in the lower areas, but not this year. I drove down the wash and Roy went up it. At noon we met up with nothing to report other than finding some older tracks. I did however find some quail on the last day of the season. As I was sitting in some shade a covey of around 30 came walking down the edge of the wash picking up gravel. They walked within 30 feet of me as I just sat there. The thing that you see on the last day of the hunt without a shotgun in your hands.
Day four the winds came, and I mean winds. 20 to 40 mph gust with a constant 10-15 mph wind. Today it was going to get interesting. Javelina hate the wind. While they have fairly good senses a strong wind almost eliminates all that they depend on. They usually head into the deepest canyons with the most brush and then just hunker down in a group huddled together. Needless to say we didn’t see a thing.
Day five the winds were still with us. All we could do was to hit the deeper areas and cross our fingers that we jumped them. A lot of hiking and nothing to show except for tired feet and sore legs.
Day six showed up with a little bit of promise. The winds had died down some to a strong breeze down low but up higher they were still quite strong. We tried our usual routines and hiked the lower smaller draws. I was coming down a small one when I thought that I saw some movement. There ahead of me in the catclaw was a javelina, the only problem was that I didn’t have a shot. I looked around and saw a few more including a female with a couple of young ones. Yep, you guessed it, she and the young ones were in the clear at about 20 yards. I just stood there like a statute hoping that one would come out and give me a shot. But then they either caught my scent or something but they were off like they were shot out of a canyon I tried to track them out for the rest of the day but never did come upon them again. Now Roy had better luck. He had come upon some and did manage to bag one. Now I have just a single day left
I hiked up into a canyon that we have named “Snake Den” for the apocopate reason. A number of years ago while tracking a javelina I had walked right into a rattlesnake den with a number of snakes out of it enjoying the weather. I got to the den site and took a few pictures and then got back to hunting. I found Roy and we decided to hike into another area and do some glassing. We hadn’t been there for 10 minutes before we spotted a small herd on the far hillside down towards the bottom, the only problem was a nice little breeze that I would have to deal with. I took off leaving Roy to watch the herd. I had to circle way around and come in from downwind. Once I got onto the hillside, I was moving very slow when I saw that I had walked into the middle of the herd. I had a single one at 5 yards with a couple larger ones a little further but in some cactus. Now my problem was that the smaller one was walking towards me as he fed, another couple of steps and he would have been at my feet and if he busted me all of them would be gone. So, I decided that he was the one that it was going to be. I already had my Thompson Center Contender in 7-30 Waters in my hand, but I wished that I had pulled my 40 S&W but you go with what you have. The scope on my Contender was set on 2.5 but at less than 3 yards all I could see was fur. I found the collar on his shoulder and placed the crosshairs onto it and pulled the trigger. At the shot he dropped like a rock, then everything busted loose. There were around 20 javelina around me that I had walked into the middle of. But they blend into the surroundings so well that they are quite hard to see unless they move. But now I had my javelina that I had to take care of.
In the picture you’ll see a knife that a good friend had made and given to me. He passed away last year and I told him that the first animal that I killed after he had given it to me that I’d use it. So there it is.
I also hiked back into our snake den
Some of the other local animals.
