February is the month of my wedding anniversary and I was not sure what we were going to do to celebrate our 12^th year of marital bliss.  I asked Donna if she would be interested in going on a javelina hunt for our anniversary.  After I ran the details of the hunt by Donna she agreed to take the trip.

On this trip we would be hunting with Brazos Archery Outfitters on the Summers Ranch just outside of Laredo, TX.  This ranch has some outstanding javelina hunting and February is about the best time to hunt those sharp-toothed critters!

We arrived at the ranch by noon on Friday and we were headed out to hunt by 2:00 PM.  This ranch is loaded with that thick south Texas white brush and it is impossible to walk anywhere but the road.  With that in mind, the way you hunt these critters is drive around and corn the roads and then come back later and see if the javelina are out on the roads feeding.

After we made our first trip corning the spots that John Shelley had instructed me to corn, it was time to head back and check the first spot we corned.  We did not make it to that spot before we stumbled across a group of four javelina feeding in the road.

Javelina have a keen sense of smell so you need to use proper scent control.  We use the entire line of Wildlife Research Center Products to eliminate our human scent.  This procedure starts at home long before you ever go hunting.  After spraying down with Scent Killer we were ready for our first stalk.

Donna was up first and I was behind the camera.  After about an hour of stalking, the javelina disappeared into the thick brush.  The entire time we were stalking the critters they were feeding away from us.  It is almost impossible to catch up to javelina when they are feeding in the opposite direction.

Once we made it back to the truck we were off again in search of more javelina.  We did not have to drive far before we stumbled upon another group.  This time there was about fifteen to twenty javelina out feeding in the road.

We drove to within about 200 yards of the javelina and then hit the ground.  Donna grabbed her Mathews XT while I slung mine on my back.  I grabbed the camera and we were off.

Donna and I were able to walk down the edge of the road hugging the thick cover to within 50 yards of the javelina thanks to our Advantage Max-1 camouflage.  We covered that distance pretty fast, it was almost a run, this group of javelina was also feeding away from us. 

Javelina like to feed into the wind.  That’s good and bad for stalking.  The wind is in your face but you have to try to catch up with the javelina, which can prove to be very difficult.

Just as Donna would get into bow range, the javelina would move away from us down the road.  I was hanging back a bit and I noticed that Donna was not ranging the javelina.  I could not figure out what was going on. 

Finally a lone straggler appeared from the brush and he walked out in front of Donna and went across the road and began feeding in the sendero that ran parallel to the road. 

I estimated the javelina was about 30 yards from Donna and I just knew it was a slam dunk shot.  Donna came to full draw and I watched the Lumenok streak towards the javelina.  The arrow fell short and blew up dust all over the javelina.  The javelina did not hang out to see what had just happened.  He kicked it into high gear and hit the brush and disappeared!

I made my way to Donna and she informed me that she had left the range finder in the truck.  Donna said that she estimated the range to the javelina to be 40 yards; apparently it was more like 50. 

The large group of the javelina was still out in the road about 100 yards from us.  Now it was my turn to give it a shot.

Donna took the camera and I took my bow off of my back and knocked a Carbon Express Maxima Hunter arrow.

It did not take us long to close the distance to our prey.

As I inched forward trying to get close enough for a shot, I quickly realized how dependent I have become on a range finder!

The javelina began to filter into the thick brush and I knew I was running out of time.  I drew my Mathews XT and placed my 40-yard sight pin on the vitals of my intended target.  I squeezed the trigger of my Tru-Fire release and watched as the Lumenok streaked towards my target.

It did not take me long to realize that I had misjudged the range to my target.  My Maxima Hunter arrow dipped low and struck the rock road before it reached the javelina I was shooting at.  When the arrow hit the rock road, all of the javelina jumped and began moving.  A javelina that was standing several feet behind and to the right of the javelina that I was shooting at moved directly behind my intended target.  The arrow bounced up, and went under my intended target and struck that javelina in the vitals.  The mortally struck javelina did not waste any time heading for the thickest white brush that he could find.

Donna and I headed across the sendero to where the javelina had entered the brush and began looking for a blood trail.  By now it was getting dark and we were running out of time.  We were unable to find any blood before darkness set in.  I knew I had made a mortal hit on the javelina but due to the circumstances of the shot I did not want to push the javelina so I decided to come back and find him in the morning. 

I always hate it when I have to wait over night to recover an animal but sometimes that is what you have to do. 

Saturday morning we were back out in the brush and after an hour of searching in the rain, we found my first javelina of our anniversary hunt.  The javelina managed to go about 100 yards and he expired in the thickest brush on the ranch.

Now that I had my javelina in the truck it was time to get Donna her first javelina.  We began checking all of the roads but it appeared that the javelina were sleeping in. 

After checking all of the roads several times it was time to head back to camp for lunch.  On the way back to the ranch house, we had to pass one more road that we had corned and we had not checked that road all morning.  I was not expecting to see any javelina so I just stopped the truck to where we could look down the last road.  To my surprise it was covered with javelina! 

I quickly backed up and killed the truck.  Donna grabbed her XT, I slung my bow, picked up the camera and we were off.  The brush was a little thinner in this area and we were able to work our way through the brush and get within 20 yards of the road the javelina were feeding on.  We did not have to wait long before a few javelina walked in front of us. 

Donna drew her bow and sent a Carbon Express Maxima Hunter on its way!  I heard a smack and watched as the javelina that Donna had just shot ran into the cover across the road. 

We eased up to the edge of the road and we could still see javelina out in the middle of the road feeding.  They were about 40 yards from us.  When the javelina had their heads down we crossed the road in an effort to find Donna’s first javelina. 

As soon as we crossed the road another javelina started walking our way.  We backed up into some brush and waited.  Our Advantage Max-1 camo made us disappear.  I was running the camera and looking through the viewfinder with my right eye and I was ranging the javelina with my left eye.  Donna drew her bow and when the javelina hit 19 yards Donna sent another Maxima Hunter arrow on its way!  The arrow struck the javelina and knocked it off its feet.  The javelina then jumped back up and ran into the brush in front of us.

Donna and I were in the middle of high fives and talking about what had just happened when Donna told me that there were some javelina moving behind us.  Donna took the camera and I grabbed my bow from my back. 

I quickly knocked a Maxima Hunter arrow and got ready.  There were three javelina walking directly towards us coming out of the brush.  We were on the edge of the road in some brush which was situated on the edge of a little clearing.  The javelina entered the clearing and continued walking straight towards us.  When the lead javelina hit 12 yards it veered off to my right and gave me a quartering shot.  I did not waste any time and quickly sent an arrow right through the javelina.  This javelina squealed and ran across the road and was last seen heading directly towards the truck.

Three javelina in a matter of minutes, what a hunt!  We were both all smiles.  It was hard to believe what had just happened!  Now all we had to do was recover our javelina and we were all done!

Donna and I quickly located our arrows and then we were off to find our javelina.  Unfortunately, javelina do not leave much of a blood trail but the brush was thin enough that we were able to locate all of our javelina within a few hours.

After a day and a half of hunting, we were done!  You are only allowed two javelina per year in Texas, so we were shot out!  We had a great 12^th anniversary!  I wonder what we can hunt next year?

James Ferguson

President/CEO

Bowhunting North America, LLC

This hunt was made possible in part by our sponsors:  

Mathews, Inc., Carbon Express, The Gean-Edwards Company, 

Rynoskin, DoskoSport, Lumenok, Tru Fire Corp.,  Limbsaver,  Huntin' Hoist,

 Wac'em Broadheads,, Beard Buster, The Beckham Group, Sure Grip Gun & Bow Racks,

Advantage Max-1 Camoflauge, Nikon Sport Optics, ThermoCELL, Barnett Crossbows

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