Hunting outlook: Javelina

By Brian Wakeling, big game management supervisor, Arizona Game and Fish Department

As the general javelina season draws near, those of you lucky enough to obtain a spring tag may be planning the best approach to your hunt as you read this.

Javelina hunting is one of those activities that can be difficult if you are unfamiliar with your hunting area and the fates don’t smile on you. Javelina spend their entire year in a relatively small area that meets their lifestyle needs, but they can be difficult to spot and often change their habits in response to the frequently unpredictable weather and habitat changes that can occur during the January and February hunting seasons.

This winter has seen pretty good rainfall throughout much of Arizona’s javelina range. Statewide, our javelina herds remained fairly stable from last year, so don’t expect any large changes in herd abundance. Javelina will forage along sunny hillsides during cool mornings to take advantage of the early morning warmth. They often spend evenings bedded in mesquite thickets or rocky caves to conserve warmth and may be glassed up with binoculars in the mornings as they move from bedding ground to prickly-pear-studded feeding areas. If you are walking along washes, you may jump a herd out of the drainage – which can result in challenging shots and frustrating results. If you can spot them before they spot you, you are way ahead of the game.

Because of the rainfall this winter, there is quite a bit of green growth in many areas. This can be good and bad for a javelina hunter. Javelina are easier to see on a green hillside, but because they seek out fresh green growth for foraging, they are not limited to any small patches of green forage. In many areas, tall grass from late summer growth can hide these short game animals. Inclement weather generally encourages javelina to seek shelter, making them harder to find. Although their eyesight is not the best in the world, they have great noses. So keep your face to the wind when hunting.

A predator call can attract javelina if they have been separated, because the call sounds like a distressed young javelina. A predator call can also kick a herd of javelina into high gear and may result in a herd that could have been stalked leaving the area entirely. Blowing a call is not a guarantee, so use it sparingly and not as your first plan of attack.

Spring javelina hunts occur during a beautiful time of year to experience the desert habitats of Arizona. Take the time to enjoy your hunt!