Post by phil46 on Jan 23, 2022 15:11:46 GMT -6
My First Javelina
It really started in 1998. I had been back in traditional archery a few years and was looking for a new longbow. Searching on the internet I ran across Jeff Massie in Shiner Texas. I liked the looks of his Longhorns and after talking to a few people ordered one. It was 64”, 55lbs at 28”. It had a cocobolo handle with Bamboo lams under clear glass. I received the bow and it shot as good as it looked. After I received the bow I stayed in touch with Jeff and he suggested I come down and hunt pigs and javvies with him. He was running pig and javvie hunts on the Cadena ranch near Benavides. Well, I wasn’t too sure of that as it was a long way from Virginia to Texas. He finally convinced me, and I talked my brother, Lewis, into going with me so that I wouldn’t have to make the long drive alone. We made the long drive down in January of 2000. We didn’t have much luck that year, but both of us took an eating size pig.
We had such a good time that we decided to go back the next year. This time we convinced my brother’s brother-in-law, Jesse, to go with us. We got down there the 3rd week in January on a Sunday afternoon. It was 80 degrees and sunny when we set up camp. There were no facilities, so we were tent camping. There was an artesian well on the property that spewed hot water into a large circular concrete trough that served admirably as a hot tub. When we got up Monday morning it was in the 40’s and misting rain. It stayed that way through the week until Friday when it was in the high 70’s and sunny. We hadn’t had much luck the first few days, Jesse and Lewis had each taken a nice pig and a javvie. I had taken an eating size pig and a few rabbits.
On Friday morning I set up in a location called Canopy Road. I hand corned a stretch of the road and settled back to wait. After about half an hour I saw some javvies down near the end of the road. I faded back into the brush and stalked up on the javvies. When I finally got into shooting range, only one of the javvies was still on the road. It was a nice boar about 35lbs. He was quartering slightly away from me with his left side toward me at about 15 yards. I picked a spot and came to anchor and released the string on the first javvie I had ever shot at. The hit looked a bit too far forward for the angle he was at, probably only one lung. I watched him run into a mesquite thicket and settled down to wait a half-hour or so before I started to track.
While I was waiting, another Javvie, about 25 lbs, wandered back onto the road. I slowly got to my feet and started a stalk. I stalked to about 20 yards. He started to get fidgety so I decided to shoot. I picked a spot, came to anchor and released the string. I watched as the arrow zipped through him in what looked like a perfect double lung hit. He darted toward the meanest, nastiest patch of cactus and mesquite on the ranch. He crashed just outside the thicket and I had my first javvie on the ground.
It was now time to track the first javvie. I picked up some good blood just a couple yards from where he was standing when I shot, and followed it into the mesquite. I followed about 25 yards and had to crawl under some low hanging mesquite limbs. I crawled about 10 yards and heard the javvie popping his teeth. I looked to my left and he was about 10 yards from me facing me. He looked pretty sick, but still very much alive. The overhanging limbs were so low that I couldn’t get off my hands and knees. It looked like a couple yards ahead I could get to my knees so I slowly crawled ahead. I got up on my knees and got ready to shoot. The limbs were too low for me to hold my bow upright so I shot with the bow almost horizontal. He was facing me, but I could see his right shoulder. I picked a spot, drew, and released. The arrow sliced into him and it looked like I got one lung. He ran 5 or 6 yards and collapsed. I waited a few minutes and he didn’t move so I crawled up to him. He was dead.
This really hooked me on hunting pigs and javvie in Texas and I’ve been making trips to Texas ever since.
It really started in 1998. I had been back in traditional archery a few years and was looking for a new longbow. Searching on the internet I ran across Jeff Massie in Shiner Texas. I liked the looks of his Longhorns and after talking to a few people ordered one. It was 64”, 55lbs at 28”. It had a cocobolo handle with Bamboo lams under clear glass. I received the bow and it shot as good as it looked. After I received the bow I stayed in touch with Jeff and he suggested I come down and hunt pigs and javvies with him. He was running pig and javvie hunts on the Cadena ranch near Benavides. Well, I wasn’t too sure of that as it was a long way from Virginia to Texas. He finally convinced me, and I talked my brother, Lewis, into going with me so that I wouldn’t have to make the long drive alone. We made the long drive down in January of 2000. We didn’t have much luck that year, but both of us took an eating size pig.
We had such a good time that we decided to go back the next year. This time we convinced my brother’s brother-in-law, Jesse, to go with us. We got down there the 3rd week in January on a Sunday afternoon. It was 80 degrees and sunny when we set up camp. There were no facilities, so we were tent camping. There was an artesian well on the property that spewed hot water into a large circular concrete trough that served admirably as a hot tub. When we got up Monday morning it was in the 40’s and misting rain. It stayed that way through the week until Friday when it was in the high 70’s and sunny. We hadn’t had much luck the first few days, Jesse and Lewis had each taken a nice pig and a javvie. I had taken an eating size pig and a few rabbits.
On Friday morning I set up in a location called Canopy Road. I hand corned a stretch of the road and settled back to wait. After about half an hour I saw some javvies down near the end of the road. I faded back into the brush and stalked up on the javvies. When I finally got into shooting range, only one of the javvies was still on the road. It was a nice boar about 35lbs. He was quartering slightly away from me with his left side toward me at about 15 yards. I picked a spot and came to anchor and released the string on the first javvie I had ever shot at. The hit looked a bit too far forward for the angle he was at, probably only one lung. I watched him run into a mesquite thicket and settled down to wait a half-hour or so before I started to track.
While I was waiting, another Javvie, about 25 lbs, wandered back onto the road. I slowly got to my feet and started a stalk. I stalked to about 20 yards. He started to get fidgety so I decided to shoot. I picked a spot, came to anchor and released the string. I watched as the arrow zipped through him in what looked like a perfect double lung hit. He darted toward the meanest, nastiest patch of cactus and mesquite on the ranch. He crashed just outside the thicket and I had my first javvie on the ground.
It was now time to track the first javvie. I picked up some good blood just a couple yards from where he was standing when I shot, and followed it into the mesquite. I followed about 25 yards and had to crawl under some low hanging mesquite limbs. I crawled about 10 yards and heard the javvie popping his teeth. I looked to my left and he was about 10 yards from me facing me. He looked pretty sick, but still very much alive. The overhanging limbs were so low that I couldn’t get off my hands and knees. It looked like a couple yards ahead I could get to my knees so I slowly crawled ahead. I got up on my knees and got ready to shoot. The limbs were too low for me to hold my bow upright so I shot with the bow almost horizontal. He was facing me, but I could see his right shoulder. I picked a spot, drew, and released. The arrow sliced into him and it looked like I got one lung. He ran 5 or 6 yards and collapsed. I waited a few minutes and he didn’t move so I crawled up to him. He was dead.
This really hooked me on hunting pigs and javvie in Texas and I’ve been making trips to Texas ever since.