With the correct application of Javelina hunting tips in Arizona, you can be sure to go home with the perfect hunt. Since the mid-1950s, Javelina hunting has remained common across the state of Arizona. Hunters are thought to harvest close to 6000 of these game animals in a year, putting a lot of pressure on many game management units. Only those with handguns, muzzleloaders, and archery hunting permits are allowed to hunt them since 1974. Javelina hunting in Arizona is common both in the fall and spring seasons.

Javelina are herd animals with an evolutionary history from South America. The animals moved north and landed in Arizona, where they form herd sizes averaging 8 to 9 animals. An adult Javelina has an average weight of 35 to 60 lbs.

They are territorial animals, with each territory set up using droppings and the dorsal scent gland. Their natural habitats are desert areas and the oak-grasslands. You can find Javelina in parts of Phoenix, Flagstaff, and Tucson. You’ll also find them in Texas and New Mexico.

Developing a Javelina Hunting Strategy

For the successful development of a Javelina hunting strategy, there are vital factors that need to be accorded significant consideration. A good hunter needs to derive hunting tips from the animal’s daily life. Good observation of their territorial lives and how they respond to encroachment in their habitats should also offer useful guidance on how to go about it.

For a long time, the Arizona weather patterns and territory conditions remain the only keys to successful Javelina hunting.

Javelinas are scattered in many game management units of Arizona. However, most flatter parts are known to have few of them. Most residents and non-residents prefer Javelina hunting in Arizona, as the state offers the best access to good public-land hunting. Though Javelina hunting tips and strategies may vary from region to region, here is what you need to know before embarking on Javelina Hunting in Arizona.

Javelina Hunting Tips in Arizona

The best hunting strategy first entails knowing which specific areas to locate them.

Spotting Javelina

The best Javelina hunting action first commences with spotting them. When you’re out looking for them, pay close attention to the weather pattern. Javelinas love warm weather, thanks to their poorly insulated bodies. They tend to stay clear of cold weather; hence, you will not see them in early cold mornings.

To spot a Javelina, choose an elevated area since they are small-bodied animals that cannot be easily seen from afar. Areas with direct sunlight attract them, but they’ll also avoid too much heat by hanging around in the bottoms of deep, shaded canyons.

Glassing Javelina

Glassing is also among the common Javelina hunting tips in Arizona that most experienced hunters use as a follow-up tip. Whenever you spot one, they’ll probably be more of them hanging around within the same area. While glassing them, you’ll likely see herd movements, though some could still be bedded or just left behind. Javelinas travel in the company of some other little animals; hence there’s a need to pay attention to every animal in the herd.

Stalk Hunting

When you keep your eyes focused on a particular herd, follow them as far as you can. Their natural habitats in Arizona are extensively arid areas; hence, they may take you through a long meandering way in the desert cacti and scrubs. Javelina don’t have sharp senses like deer, thus stalking them should be a pretty comfortable task.

However, in the event they are startled, they will scatter off to your helpless watch. It isn’t easy to pick a male from a herd, since they share the same appearance as females.

Tips to Stalk Javelina

Javelina hunting tips in Arizona cannot be complete without using a few techniques to help a hunter stalk them down. A flat desert state like Arizona offers much ground for Javelina to cover. This makes it increasingly excruciating if you’re blindly stalking them.

Areas such as desert canyon bottoms and dry washes are likely to give you the necessary leads to find Javelina. Look for their tracks in the dry washes and follow them, as you will likely catch up to them as long as they continue traveling on surfaces that reveal traces.

Trust Your Sense of Smell of First

Javelina are known to have a powerful odor that is likely to catch your attention even before sighting them. As much as you should trust your eyes, your nose could as well be a necessary asset. Don’t disregard your ears, though, as they are usually noisy animals who walk and feed with grunting sounds. You’re often likely to hear snorts and sounds of them chewing down the canyons and deep in the thick scrubs.

Javelina hunting in Arizona can never get better without putting your binoculars to use. Though hunting enthusiasts don’t consider hunting Javelina as fun and as enthralling as deer hunting, carrying a pair of binoculars won’t hurt.

Javelina are challenging to spot in thick scrub; hence your binoculars help you dissect the surrounding cover as you creep along. After careful and systematic stalking, pay attention to every detail, and find a suitable position from where you can take them down.

Since Javelina hunting in Arizona is mostly in arid areas such as the Sonoran Desert, there is a need to carry appropriate hunting gear. Camo clothes are good to camouflage you while hunting. Carrying boots also help you withstand the rough and tough desert terrain during hunting.

Taking Down Javelina

After successful stalking and locating your Javelina, don’t be in a hurry to take your shot. They are not as keen as other game animals; thus, you might be able to make a quick shot before they take off. If you miss your shot, don’t worry as you can find them another time from the same place you spotted them.

How to Identify Areas Javelina Have Passed?

It is relatively easier to tell the evidence of Javelina in a particular place. Such areas are evidenced by traces of squashed prickly pear cactus, shredded sotol, and rooted-up ground. They also love bedding beneath rocky extensions or in thick brush that offers them shade.

Javelina don’t only face the threat of human hunting, they are considered weak prey that is easily killed by mountain lions, coyotes, jaguars, and black bears. They have a powerful musky odor that makes them quite an easy target.

Javelina Hunting in Arizona

For any hunter, Arizona is a well-known desert state that offers an opportunity for the best and most varied hunting available in the country. Hunting is an activity accepted all year-round in the Southern State of Arizona. Apart from Javelina, Arizona is also home to well-known games such as deer and bears. Public lands occupy nearly half of Arizona; hence there are fewer strict regulations on hunting.

There are plenty of opportunities for Javelina hunting in Arizona. Hunters are allowed to use different weapons, subject to relevant permission. Equipped with the best tips, springs, and fall are the best times for Javelina hunting in Arizona.

There are a few hunting approaches that you’ll need to employ if you want to kill Javelina with less struggle.

What Weapons Are Allowed for Javelina Hunting in Arizona?

The state of Arizona permits Javelina hunting using three weapons.  They are preferably referred to as ‘HAM,’ which include Handgun, Archery, and Muzzleloader.

Arizona Game and Fish Department offers detailed information about specific Javelina hunt units. Tucson and areas to the west and east of Flagstaff are all possible places to find Javelina. The famous Salt River Canyon is also an area known for Javelina hunting in Arizona.

Javelina vs Pigs

The physical appearance of these animals is quite similar to pigs. If you are a hunter interested in Javelina hunting, it is crucial to make this distinction lest you make a wrong kill. They have a pig-like snout and are colored grizzled gray or black, with colored hair resting between their neck and shoulders.

Feeding Habits

Developing a Javelina hunting strategy is not complete without establishing what they feed on. They are classified as omnivorous animals, meaning they feed on both plants and animals. However, their favorite food is desert plants, such as pear cactus and scrub oak. Javelina also eat bird eggs, insects, reptiles, and various tubers.

Conclusion

Hunters with experience often argue Javelina hunting tips are the easiest to follow as the animal doesn’t offer much of a challenge when it comes to taking them down. Though they don’t have the most delicious meat or priceless organs like deer antlers, Javelina hunting in Arizona is quickly gaining traction. It could be the next common hunting in Southern America State.