Javelina

[Larry Gibson]

Wife and I drew Javelina tags (Arizona Unit 16A) for late February hunt. Method of take...."any firearm".....now the hard part....what firearm....what bullet........decisions, decisions......

[kungfustyle]

Very cool and congratulations. Too bad you haven't put any time into load development :kidding: Best of luck to you and your wife. Enjoy.

[skeettx]

Take your normal meat guns

243 up

Mike

[DDriller]

Congratulations. You make decisions hard due to many choices of firearms. Us one weapon people have it easier LOL.

[gumbo333]

I would guess you may have about 40 or more that would be acceptable. Yes, decisions!

[NyFirefighter357]

Good luck to you both!

https://www.themeateater.com/hunt/javelina/a-guide-to-hunting-javelina

[richhodg66]

I have taken exactly one javelina in my life. Used a Remington 788 in 6mm and it worked great.

As it turned out, it was a relatively close off hand shot when we flushed several out of a draw. If I had to do it again, I'd take that sporterized '93 in 7x57 I've grown so fond of the past couple of years.

[RU shooter]

make it something challenging , we won't get too excited or jealous reading about you and the mrs sniping them little pigs from 500 yds with some high velocity jacketed bullet . Classic lever action or revolver with a suitable classic cast bullet would make some good reading . Good luck Sir .

[godzilla]

Hard to beat a win 94 in 30-30 for such operations

[Newboy]

.30 carbine for me.


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[Texas by God]

I killed the only one I've ever seen by the Llano river near Junction, Texas decades ago. A big 3 footed foul smelling boar at 50 yards with a CVA Blazer .50 PRB over 70 grs of Pyrodex P. I remember it like yesterday. He is mounted in my shop. Good luck and good hunting! Let your hunting partner pick the guns.

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[sixshot]

Handguns & Javelina go together like biscuits & gravy.

Dick

[jaysouth]

I will loan you "meatmaker" my 1957 Marlin 30-30. I have killed hogs weighing 25 to 500 pounds with it. A NOE 311041 over H4895 puts meat in the freezer.

[cwtebay]

It will definitely be fun!!! I've killed them with a Woodsman all the way up to a 405 WCF (and many in between on the caliber scale - and a few with a bow). They're not that tough of a critter - just different anatomy if you are the deer hunter sort.
Oh, and they're delicious!!

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[Thumbcocker]

Single action revolver gets my vote.

[txbirdman]

I killed on about 3 yrs ago outside Las Cruces with my Marlin .357 using the 358156 over 14 gr of 2400.

[zarrinvz24]

Hard to beat a win 94 in 30-30 for such operations

My limited experience has shown that a Win 94, 30WCF (30-30) with the Lyman 311041 is the combination to beat.

[txbirdman]

Don’t know how to fix pictures.

[ShooterAZ]

I usually use a T/C Contender for my Javelina hunts, the 357 Magnum does a good job. Have also used an AR15, but that wasn't with Cast Boolits though. M1 Carbine might be a really good choice for the wife, lightweight platform with adequate firepower. Javelina hunting is about as fun as you can get, good luck and keep us posted!

[versa-06]

Hey Larry; I think I remember a story about a 30 cal rifle (30-06?), 28" barrel with a 1-18" twist? Maybe this one & a 200+ gr boolit. Don't know much about your wife's toys.

[Schreck5]

I,very got a suggestion I bet you haven,t tried yet...how about a BLOW gun.��

[popper]

Hot and dry so a 243 sized and an auto loader for charges if you get close. Thermal binos?

[marlin39a]

I see them quite often here in Paulden. I worked at a hotel in Prescott a couple yrs back. People would leave food on the patio, and we’d get a herd of the beasts back there. I used to chase them off. I never found them aggressive. Enjoy the hunt, Larry.

[Hogtamer]

Buckshot.

[wmitty]

I used a win 70 chambered in .375 H & H with a 270 grain hornady spire point. Got a boar �� in the south Texas brush at about 15’ on a nice warm December day. Spent a while skinning it while his fleas jumped off onto me. Stunk unreal. Not a pleasant experience. I did not feel undergunned.

[cwtebay]

I used a win 70 chambered in .375 H & H with a 270 grain hornady spire point. Got a boar �� in the south Texas brush at about 15’ on a nice warm December day. Spent a while skinning it while his fleas jumped off onto me. Stunk unreal. Not a pleasant experience. I did not feel undergunned.Well that's good to hear that a 60# critter didn't stand a chance against a 375 H&H!!!! [emoji1787]

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[Kosh75287]

A little-known, seldom-read, almost unknown firearms expert named JEFF COOPER opined that a 5" or 6" .357 Magnum revolver, loaded to the max with 2400 was nearly "perfect medicine" for Javelina. If you are not particularly skilled with a sidearm, perhaps a lever-action rifle in pistol caliber (.357 Magnum, .44 Magnum, or .45 Colt, if you reload for it) would be a valid substitute.
If none of these are in your current inventory, then I would think that any rifle capable of cleanly dropping a whitetail deer would be more than enough to dispatch a Javelina.
At the risk of inviting criticism from all directions it SEEMS to me that the .30 Carbine and the various high-speed .22 centerfires are a bit light for dispatching small wild pigs, but I admit that I've never shot Javelina with these rounds. Any of the current 6mm rifle calibers are probably more than enough. Except for the .30-30, most of the .30 caliber centerfire rifle rounds (emphatically, NOT the CARBINE round) seem like a lot too much for small wild pigs. For SOME reason, the .30-30, the .25-35 WCF, and the .256 Winchester seem "about right" to me, though the latter 2 are admittedly obscure by today's standards.

[Kosh75287]

I used a win 70 chambered in .375 H & H with a 270 grain hornady spire point. Got a boar �� in the south Texas brush at about 15’ on a nice warm December day. Spent a while skinning it while his fleas jumped off onto me. Stunk unreal. Not a pleasant experience. I did not feel undergunned.


Well that's good to hear that a 60# critter didn't stand a chance against a 375 H&H!!!!

I think at least ONE of you is confused on the difference between a Javelina and its far larger, far more fierce relative, the common feral hog. A .375 H&H is a lot too much rifle for Javelina. For the feral hogs, which weigh in at 200 pounds, the .375 H&H may STILL be regarded as overkill, but its use isn't ludicrous. Additionally, a 270 grain projectile launched at 1800 - 2000 f/s with a reduced .375 load would work well on ANY pig one is likely to encounter.

[cwtebay]

I think at least ONE of you is confused on the difference between a Javelina and its far larger, far more fierce relative, the common feral hog. A .375 H&H is a lot too much rifle for Javelina. For the feral hogs, which weigh in at 200 pounds, the .375 H&H may STILL be regarded as overkill, but its use isn't ludicrous. Additionally, a 270 grain projectile launched at 1800 - 2000 f/s with a reduced .375 load would work well on ANY pig one is likely to encounter.Pretty sure I've shot my share of both. But hey - Elmer Keith once proclaimed the 375 H&H a nice little deer rifle!!

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[ATCDoktor]

I have killed a dozen or so Javelina hunting Arizona here in the last 25 years and whilst not as big as a feral hog they can be tenacious.

This is one of the biggest ones I killed, shot at 135 yards with the pictured AR15 (called in with an ancient Johnny Stewart cassette player call using a Javelina distress tape).
https://i.postimg.cc/kGJjjwKr/53113-E21-11-E4-40-F6-9-ED5-DABC0116-A118.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Teeth on these things can be impressive.

https://i.postimg.cc/44cgCXZy/59257-F07-677-F-49-AE-BD3-A-3355-A956-E5-D6.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

I was set up on the steep side of a wide canyon and on the “walk in” I could smell them.

I backed in to a sage brush, set the legs on the bipod to scan the lower slope and turned on the call.

About 40 seconds later this big old boar came boiling out of the sage across the canyon, all swoll up like bullfrog, popping his jaws, mad as the devil and raising hell looking for a fight.

My first shot (a Sierra 65 grain spire point boat tail) caught him behind the shoulder and broke him down, another round caught him on the ground when he was flipping and flopping around and I had to nail the coffin shut with a close range head shot on the “walk up” to him as he was still popping his jaws at me when I got over to him.

He did not go gently into that good night.

As he laid there we went about 45 pounds in weight and that is a fairly large Javelina.

Here’s another big one I called in with the old Johnny Stewart.

Teeth on this one were pretty good as well.

https://i.postimg.cc/J4cCnKsW/2-E03-B336-9-FB5-4866-BCCB-D06-AF9-D10-F79.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

https://i.postimg.cc/NfwwBZf4/AD1772-BC-F019-47-AE-A7-F5-71-B6-DA22284-D.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Shot in the eye with a Remington model 700 in 220 Swift at about 100 yards.

Aaaaand a couple more called in and killed by me and my ex wife:
https://i.postimg.cc/L5jKj3vL/CB4-A2-EAF-D607-4-EFF-BBE1-1-ADF1206-C692.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

For these two I was shooting the Ruger Model 77 in 243 and she was shooting my model 77/22 in 22 Hornet.

Again, all these Javelina were called in using a Javelina distress call (although I have had them come to a jackrabbit in distress call whilst calling coyotes).

None of these “sets” lasted more than 10 minutes from the time the call was activated till the time the trigger was pulled.

Just like coyotes, if they can hear the call, they will come to it.

Good luck to you and your wife, let us know how it goes.

[Deakota57]

The 308 is always my choice.. but everyone has there picks.. has to be what you like using

[dale2242]

A handgun would be my choice if you and your wife are proficient with one.
If not a handgun, a .30 caliber rifle of your choice....dale

[missionary5155]

Hey Larry....You still with us ?

[Larry Gibson]

Yup, just taking it all in.

Got to find a "Javalina distress" cassette tape.

[cwtebay]

Yup, just taking it all in.

Got to find a "Javalina distress" cassette tape.Larry - there are several on-line that are easy to download on your phone. An inexpensive bluetooth speaker in a gallon ziploc bag is how I used to call in coyotes (until that darn Big Al had to go and make his calls awesome).

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[CastingFool]

In 2008, I was deer hunting at a ranch in southern Texas. I asked the owner about shooting javelins. I was told they were not good eating. He had shot a boar, a sow and a young one. Neither of the 3 were good eating. All tasted nasty. So, I didn't even try to shoot one, although I had plenty if opportunities to do so. One particular pair were really feisty, and pushed a deer off the corn spread out on the trail

[missionary5155]

Well Larry if I was north there I would send you a .44 Frank Wesson rifle. Ours takes a 44 WCF piece of brass but a straight taper. Right near the same balistics with a 200 grain 40-1 cast and a case full of 3F as the 44 WCF. Nice old #2 model break open with the receiver rear angled so you can grasp the rim and pull it out. 24" single shot that groups under 4 inches at 100 yards. Maybe weights 5.5 pounds.

272985272987

But alas we are #19 stuck down here in Arequipa until at least May.. Big help I am.

[Larry Gibson]

That sure looks like it would be fun. Can't say I've ever shot one of those!

[gon2shoot]

Peanut butter sandwich and a Bowie knife.
Gila Bend sportsmans club had pit BBQ one time for game meat and someone put in some Javalina. Glen about got fired as cook supervisor.

[missionary5155]

They are fun !! Used to be real inexpensive also. Very well made as most early 1870's firearms were. Excellent rifle for slipping through the woods and brush and popping critters. A FN 40-1 200 grainer does serious work on big ground hogs, racoons and yotes.
The bulk of the rifles were rim-fires with the 38s and 44s the most popular. Back about 1880 the factory made a special hammer that had a reversible firing pin that would fire rimfire or center fire. Our 1870 model had one of those hammers installed.
When we bought it the firing pin was broke so I made a center fire only pin and have never looked back.

[rockrat]

A 357 mag levergun for your wife and a one in 44-40 or 45 Colt for you!!

[Hogtamer]

Did I mention #1 buckshot?

[Chad5005]

lol Hogtamer are you sure its not 0 buckshot

[Larry Gibson]

Larry - there are several on-line that are easy to download on your phone. An inexpensive bluetooth speaker in a gallon ziploc bag is how I used to call in coyotes (until that darn Big Al had to go and make his calls awesome).

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Just happen to have a blue tooth speaker! Downloaded an APP with lots of different calls but not able to find a Javelina distress call. ATCDoktor ( many thanks and kudos to him) has sent me a tape so I can use my old Burnham Brothers call with it.

[versa-06]

Larry; Don't you have an unusually slow twist 30 cal. ? Tell us about it------- And I don't think You & She will be staring HOGZILLA in the face? Oh & P.S I am fond of the RCBS 18O Gr. Boolit (mine ready to fly @ 204 gr.) I think its a candidate, of course everything, & everybody, for everything, thinks it's a candidate for everything, everywhere, even on earth!

[Old School Big Bore]

We're infested with them down here. No tag needed, open season is whenever any of the deer seasons are open in most of the State.
Almost any centerfire will do, they don't take a lot of killin'. Good critter for that cast boolit load you've been leery of using on whitetails.
If you want to eat 'em, resist the urge to take a big boar, and get rid of the musk gland on their back. Also let 'em lay til the fleas leave.
I've shot 'em with .30 Carbine 110 gr JSP, 311140 in .30-30, Speer 44-225-JSWCHP with 10.0 Unique in 4" M29,

[Silvercreek Farmer]

Expected range?

[6thtexas]

I haven't shot that many of them but have used everything from a 32/20 Marlin to a 40/90 BN Sharps. Inside of 125 yds the 32/20 is fine with a 115 gr. fp and a stout charge of h110. Once you get one down, leave him lay for a few minutes. He will turn two shades lighter as the fleas leave the cooling carcass. Also watch the scent gland high on the back if you skin it. I don't really care to eat them and have probably shot my last. To me the meat is tasteless and dries out easily. I knew an older gentleman from Mexico that used to make good gloves out of the hides.

[ShooterAZ]

Properly skinned and cooled off quickly, Javelina makes for excellent sausage and seasoned taco type meat. I take mine to a specific butcher who knows what he's doing with these little buggers. Jalapeno and cheese smoked "Slim Jim's" is one of my favorites.

[6thtexas]

I would think it might make decent meat for homemade tamales if you seasoned it heavily but never tried that. As for sausage that is always a standby for any meat. My central Texas born Czech father-in-law was known to make sausage out of jackrabbits.

[OldBearHair]

IMO if you are standing still downwind of the little critters, next to a trail, they might walk right past you at three feet as some javalinas did me near the Big Bend area. Once shot one at 40 yards with an arrow (Texas Heart shot) and he ran 30 yards and backed into a bush. The blood trail and tracks had stopped. I looked into the bush, made eye contact and it began to pop it's teeth. I whacked it between the eyes with my handy knapped flint stone axe. I have had many of them as close as six feet. When you kill one, take it to the nearest water and wash it all over, rubbing vigorously with your hands. Then do it all over again. You can take off the musk gland but, clean your knife and hands before going inside the animal to field dress it. Do not even think that you might enjoy some fresh killed Javalina liver. It is the most foul thing that I know of. Tried cooking it once and ran everyone including myself out of the cook house.. Watch out for rattlesnakes. Yall have fun on your hunt.

[Larry Gibson]

Larry; Don't you have an unusually slow twist 30 cal. ? Tell us about it------- And I don't think You & She will be staring HOGZILLA in the face? Oh & P.S I am fond of the RCBS 18O Gr. Boolit (mine ready to fly @ 204 gr.) I think its a candidate, of course everything, & everybody, for everything, thinks it's a candidate for everything, everywhere, even on earth!

Just cast up 300+ 311041s of softer more malleable alloy for hunting to test in my Palma 308W with 14" twist. Looking at 2500 +/- fps which should be good out to 300 yards.

[Larry Gibson]

A 357 mag levergun for your wife and a one in 44-40 or 45 Colt for you!!

Currently no 357 lever gun but have a 44-40 M92 and a 45 Colt M73.....good possibilities.

[Larry Gibson]

Expected range?

Could be anywhere from "right close" to 300 yards away as I've several water holes and washes to set up on. Planning on carrying my 357 Ruger Security Six with Magnum 1400 fps load using 358156 or my Ruger Bisley 41 magnum with RCBS 210 SWC at 1400 fps for the "close" ones and my Palma 308W using the 311041 at 2500 +/- fps. Probably have the wife use the M1 Carbine with the 313631 at1900 fps for close to intermediate.

Also will try calling so when on call I'm thinking my M98 45 ACP suppressed rifle for me with the wife using the M1 carbine suppressed. The 357 and 41 magnums also an option there. I will have my suppressed AR handy (use 52 gr HP at 3200 fps) when calling as I expect coyotes or bobcats and perhaps a mountain lion may come in also.

This is not a "serious" hunt but a nice "get away" for us having been basically "quarantined" for the last year........we're looking to just get out in the desert by ourselves and enjoy the moment......

[dale2242]

What ever you take, have a good time with your wife.
My wife loves to hunt deer with me.
It`s something we look forward to each year.

[trapper9260]

Enjoy your time Larry with your wife , wish you the best on your both hunts . You got it all cover for what you looking to use. Let us know how you done and your wife .

[missionary5155]

Reads like you have a good plan and plenty of hardware to handle any condition. What you may need is a couple gun bearers.

[Larry Gibson]

Reads like you have a good plan and plenty of hardware to handle any condition. What you may need is a couple gun bearers.

Got a 3/4 ton 4 whl drive PU and a Jeep Wrangler........:drinks:

[Paul D. Heppner]

I've taken two, both in Texas, and both with a recurve. They are made for traditional archery hunts. Having said that I'll be chasing them in Texas again this coming September and plan on using my 5.5 inch Bisley flat top 44 spl. Boolit of choice is the Accurate #43-233H minus the bevel base. Gives me consistent .75 inch six shot groups at fifty feet. You can quite often cover the whole group with a quarter. Using Alliant 20/28 I'm getting 1050 fps.

[375RUGER]

12 ga, 00buck

[Tripplebeards]

I’ve called them in many times with my Foxpro while predator hunting in AZ. I’ve had them walk out with a few feet of of me in the washes while sneaking in for a call set up a several times as well. I can’t get over the skunk smell they give off. I had one walk up and eat a pop tart I tossed on the ground within gun barrel length while elk hunting in a homemade brush blind. They aren’t to smart and are literally blind imo. I can’t believe Arizona treats them like big game and you have to put in for a draw and then you go next-door to Texas where they consider them like varmints.

[fcvan]

I've only hunted pig in Santa Barbara County, CA, and at that I used a 30 carbine SBH. Dad's weapon of choice was a 4" M57 in 41 magnum. Years later, I got my 8 3/8" M57, but haven't hunted pig with it. A friend's weapon of choice was a 1911 45 ACP.

I have never hunted Javalina and the first time I heard of folks hunting them in TX was with a 41 Action Express, ballistically similar to the 40 S&W. In fact, the 41 AE seemed to got the way of the DoDo bird after the 40 S&W came out. I wanted to try the 41 AE due to being a 41 M fan. I even thought of getting a 41 Avenger barrel (45 M, trimmed to ACP and loaded appropriately) which is similar to the 400 Cor Bon. So many choices!

Along the way, I scored a pir of Ruger OM Vaqueros, 45 Colt, and 38-40/40 S&W (2 cylinders.) To be honest, I find no difference (or joy) in firing 40 S&W through the Vaquero. I would love a break action single shot in 38-40 but they are spendy. I did score an H&R 1871 Classic Carbine in 45 Colt that has become my pig weapon of choice. I just need to get to SE Colorado long enough to find a rancher with a problem needing a solution. Favorite plinking 45 Colt load is 255 RF, but loading rounds ball at 1000 fps sure does more than I thought it would, critter wise.

[Buzz Krumhunger]

The folks across the street from me used to have a pack of them living in the crawlspace under their old house. They were a neighborhood nuisance. I had a pipe and cattle panel fence built around my yard to keep the javelina out. They have good hearing and a keen sense of smell but poor eyesight. They’re not hard to kill. A .22 Hornet will work fine. Neighbor lady killed several in her yard with a .22LR.

[Joel Chavez]

Javis are extremely tough critters. Hope you're packing a 6.5creedmore, aka "Manbun" or better yet getcha a 50BMG. Best of luck with those ferocious critters lol..

[dale2242]

6.5 Creedmore = Manbun. Funny.

[Greg]

Larry

I had the opportunity to hunt the Javelina in Arizona once…

I used my H&R 'Handi Rifle' in 30-30 with 7 ½ grains Unique, with a 3118 cast of 50:50 + Sn alloy.

Velocity was @ 1400 fps, and they grouped @ ½" at 50 yards and would penetrate thru 3 milk jugs of water.

I had read of this load in a well written article on Cast Pics years ago.

I really wish the 'ole gentleman' would repost this classic article for the new generation of shooters as it is.

[pls1911]

Late to this thread.... about anything with a trigger and goes bang works.
Take your favorite old gun.
Javelina needs a tag? REALLY?
Cheers on success.
P

[Michael J. Spangler]

I just got back from a Quail hunt on the San Carlos Reservation 2 weekends ago.
We saw all kinds wildlife but uprising no Javelina. Just the skull from one.

Can't wait to see pics!