South West Texas Hunt

Adam (calls), Randy (aggierandy01), and I (TXDucks) headed down to Adam's place, just outside of Dryden, for the opening day of bow season. We were hoping to take a few mule deer and maybe some javelinas. After a long trip getting down there we got everything set up for that evening to see what we could see. It was the night before the season officially opened so we were going to do a little scouting. We got into our blinds around 4:30 that afternoon. The sun was still very much out and blazing down on us. It was around the 100+ mark, but it was surprisingly bearable (dry heat). It wasn't five minutes from when I was dropped off and got settled in my blind, that I saw my first bit of action. This being my first bow hunt, and never sitting that close to a feeder when something came in, needless to say my heart was pounding...and my adrenalin was going through the roof. I heard hoofs clapping on the rocks, it started to get louder and louder. Just before, whatever it was, was just about on top of me, I braced to see some big dessert muley, but instead this ~35 lb javelina strolls up to the feeder. Some hunters would have been greatly disappointed, but to me, being that close to something like that for the first time and knowing that he had no idea that I was there, well, something about that struck me. I've never hunted them, except from a blind a hundred yards away, so this being my first experience was something that I'll remember for a while.

Anyway, he commenced to eating some corn while I sat there motionless, not knowing that you are able to stand up and scream...etc, and they'll just look at you, I'd find that out later. I just sat their staring not wanting to shoot for fear of scaring something else away. He ate for about 10 minutes, and then he just wondered off. About 30 minutes later, I heard some more rocks clapping...looking in the direction of the sound, I saw my first muley...it kinda looked like a kangaroo in the face (to me anyway). She made her way down a small hill to the feeder. She was a yearling, and just a joy to watch. She ate some corn for a little while and then started to look off to the west. Then I started hearing some noise in the background. I started thinking, great...some more deer. Then just as the sound started getting louder, she just bolted as fast as she could to get out of there. Then, just as before, when my heart started pumping and I was expecting to see a big set of horns moving over the top of the bushes, out came another javelina. This one was quite a bit bigger than the first one. After watching it for about two minutes, and after he laid down and decided that he wasn't going to go anywhere, I decided to try to take him when I got the chance. After laying down for a minute or two, and eating all the corn within his reach, he got up to move to another spot. I saw an opening to draw when he passed behind a bush. I drew, thinking that he'd come right out, but he stood behind that bush, with me holding at full draw, for what seemed like forever. In actuality, it was only about 30 seconds. He came out almost broadside...just a little quartering towards me. I found my anchor, sighted on him, and let it fly. With all the adrenalin going and all the action, I didn't see where the arrow hit, but I heard that broadhead scream through the air and slam into him. After the shot I started to shake and wanted to call the other guys on the radio and tell them about it, but I controlled my self. It was a great feeling to say the least.

I settled back down, hoping to get another chance to see something else. About an hour after that, I started to hear some rustling in the back ground. By now I'm thinking...another javelina, but then I saw those big ears peaking out from top the bushes. It was a nice doe, a shooter, had it been tomorrow. Following her were three more doe, all shooters. I sat my bow in my lap and settled in to watch them as long as they stayed. They ate corn the rest of the evening, never so much as batting an eye. They were really comfortable being there and it was nice to be able to watch them at only 13 or so yards. They stayed till Randy came to pick me up with the truck.

We then started to track the javelina that I'd shot. We picked up the first sign of blood, right there under the feeder, and started following it. We followed it for about 30 yards, and then lost it. After going back over our tracks with no luck, we decided to fan out and see what we could find. After searching for a while, we decided to call it quits. I wasn't too happy about not being able to find my first bow kill, but I guess that happens sometimes (especially with javelina, I'm told). We came back the next morning and ended up finding the javelina. I had shot her right behind the shoulder, and because she was quartering towards me, the exit was right behind the back rib. The shot was good and the exit hole was amazing...thanks to the Slick Tricks that I was using. The exit was about 2 inches in diameter. That from a 100gr Slick Trick...I was defiantly impressed! I wish I would have gotten a picture of her, but the camera was in the truck and she was down in a wash a couple hundred yards away.

(Yeah I was at or below eyelevel with the animals)

Well the next morning started out with a doe and her fawn coming out to eat under the feeder. They were eating and everything seemed to be going ok when I heard this snapping in the background. Then this javelina comes running in, snapping his teeth together, and runs the deer off. After that, I started to get mad. Oh well, I figured this was something that happens...well needless to say, that was all that I saw that morning.

That evening I sat in a stand with a feeder about 30 yards away. I had about the same amount of luck that evening as I did that same morning. I saw about 8 or so (javelinas) total that night. They seemed to be keeping the deer away fairly well. I was starting to get frustrated with this whole "not seeing deer due to javelinas" thing, but then again that's the way it goes. I figured that I didn't have anything to loose, after all, all the deer were already run off. So after watching these javelinas lay down, eat corn, take a nap, and then get up and eat some more, I stood up (they barely paid attention to me), I hollered at them and tried to make some noise to get them to go away (they just ignored me). Finally I started walking towards them and they finally walked away, but not after eating EVERY piece of corn under the feeder. Well, that evening was done.

(You can see some of them lying down)

Well, the next morning I started off for the same blind and feeder. I soon was going to be able to tell that this was just not going to be my morning. First, at about 40 yards from the truck, my flashlight goes out. All I can see at this point is black and two faint white trails (the road), so I followed that until I started hearing something stirring. After trying to adjust my eyes and hearing the snapping of teeth together, I realized that I was almost right under the feeder with about 8 javelinas underneath it. So needless to say, I backed up and went around it, eventually finding my blind. I settled in and was ready for another morning. Well, the javelinas didn't leave the whole morning. Then it came to the final straw. A doe and her fawn came in to eat some corn and some of the javelinas charged her and ran them both off. By this time I had about all I could take of this stuff. Well, they went back to eating under the feeder, then, all of a sudden, one of the larger ones in the bunch decided to walk towards me. He came within about 7 to 10 yards from me and held his nose up in the air, appearing to rub it in my face that they were there and the deer weren't. Well, I wasn't going to be shown up by this guy. I stood up, drew and let'er fly. I stuck him right behind the shoulder. I saw the arrow hit and saw him run off with it. The arrow came out about 20 yards later (nothing but the fletchings were holding it in). I watched them run away until I couldn't see them any more. Then I sat down and listen to them run for another few minutes...surely going all the way to Mexico ! Well, after waiting for a little while the guys came up and we started tracking. We followed his trail for a couple hours eventually giving up after exhausting the blood trail. Too bad we couldn't find it, but it happens. Just before that, Randy had brought his javelina, that he'd taken that morning, back to camp. He said that after he shot and the arrow hit him, that he ran about 10 yards and dropped. It was a heck of a shot. He has some footage of his javelina shoot.