New Mexico Javelina

[Sitkahoyt95]

Hello all,
I am just looking to get some tips on areas to check out for javelina. I live in Las Cruces NM and have explored the southern portion of unit 21B. I have an OTC tag so just looking for help.
Thanks in advance

 

[dan.kirkpatrick]

i seen some up in unit 15 last november not far from a waterhole.

 

[mrcowboy]

i seen some up in unit 15 last november not far from a waterhole.

seen in 16e near Luera Peak also

 

[Jvalentine]

seen in 16e near Luera Peak also

Dang, maybe I'll actually get to use the extended season for javalina this year. I have first archery elk in 16e and a javalina tag...

 

[mstep23]

Hello all,
I am just looking to get some tips on areas to check out for javelina. I live in Las Cruces NM and have explored the southern portion of unit 21B. I have an OTC tag so just looking for help.
Thanks in advance

I would try checking out the black hills in unit 23. The hills are a few miles north of Fuller Rd. I hunted there at the beginning of the year and saw quite a bit of fresh bedding areas and chewed-up cactus. The sucky thing about that hunt is that the winds were insane every day. I usually wouldn't give this kind of information away but by the end of my hunt, I was furious. Those damned things got away from me.

 

[Sitkahoyt95]

I would try checking out the black hills in unit 23. The hills are a few miles north of Fuller Rd. I hunted there at the beginning of the year and saw quite a bit of fresh bedding areas and chewed-up cactus. The sucky thing about that hunt is that the winds were insane every day. I usually wouldn't give this kind of information away but by the end of my hunt, I was furious. Those damned things got away from me.

aw man thanks for the info! unfortunately unit 23 is excluded from the over the counter javelina tag

 

[Sherborn]

I would try checking out the black hills in unit 23. The hills are a few miles north of Fuller Rd. I hunted there at the beginning of the year and saw quite a bit of fresh bedding areas and chewed-up cactus. The sucky thing about that hunt is that the winds were insane every day. I usually wouldn't give this kind of information away but by the end of my hunt, I was furious. Those damned things got away from me.

mstep I drew an archery tag for February that includes that unit - appreciate you sharing the info!

 

[Topdog]

I would try checking out the black hills in unit 23. The hills are a few miles north of Fuller Rd. I hunted there at the beginning of the year and saw quite a bit of fresh bedding areas and chewed-up cactus. The sucky thing about that hunt is that the winds were insane every day. I usually wouldn't give this kind of information away but by the end of my hunt, I was furious. Those damned things got away from me.

Try the Malpi area out towards denning. I have seen quite a few there

 

[Sitkahoyt95]

Try the Malpi area out towards denning. I have seen quite a few there

I believe that area is in the draw unit only

 

[Steams]

A little late to the party here but I hunt that hunt almost every year with pretty good success. Unit 21 has quite a few, seen them in 22 a lot as well.

 

[Sitkahoyt95]

A little late to the party here but I hunt that hunt almost every year with pretty good success. Unit 21 has quite a few, seen them in 22 a lot as well.

Awesome! You'll have to help me out. What are key things to turn them up? Do you notice that there is a best time to be after them? Do they move in the morning and night like other animals, or do they move around throughout the day? I'm sure it varies but just trying to get a better idea of them and when i can have a better chance at finding them.

 

[Steams]

This might get a little long and I'm typing on the phone so bear with me if there's typos. One thing that's really important to remember is that they do not have an under coat like most mammals in the area so if it's chilly they usually don't get started until the sun is already out, at least in my experience (I moved to Albuquerque and have been hunting them south of here and it's even more true up here where it's colder). They're pretty active throughout the day until it starts to warm up late February-early March and then they get more crepuscular. Like most desert species you want to find an area with a good diversity of plant life. Arroyo bottoms near a tank (I've found them several miles from water though so this isn't a necessity, they'll drink if it's there but can get a lot of moisture from plants) with lots of prickly pear/mesquite/sage/catclaw. They honestly share a lot of the same habitat as quail so if you have quail spots, that's a good place to start. If it's super windy, like it is most days in the spring in New Mexico, they tend to stay in the canyon bottoms and your best bet is to either get super high up and glass down or just walk through a canyon bottom, I've bumped them walking more often than I've found them through glassing. On less windy days they will feed along the sides and tops of ridges. Look for spots where it looks like someone came through with a hoe or a shovel, that's them digging for food or shredded cactus pads are another good indicator. A lot of pigs between Las Cruces and T or C. I've seen them in the flats before but in that area they definitely prefer some of the hilly and more mountainous stuff. Shoot me a PM and can give you some general areas to start looking. Not gonna give out my honey holes but I'll point you in the right direction.

 

[Sitkahoyt95]

This might get a little long and I'm typing on the phone so bear with me if there's typos. One thing that's really important to remember is that they do not have an under coat like most mammals in the area so if it's chilly they usually don't get started until the sun is already out, at least in my experience (I moved to Albuquerque and have been hunting them south of here and it's even more true up here where it's colder). They're pretty active throughout the day until it starts to warm up late February-early March and then they get more crepuscular. Like most desert species you want to find an area with a good diversity of plant life. Arroyo bottoms near a tank (I've found them several miles from water though so this isn't a necessity, they'll drink if it's there but can get a lot of moisture from plants) with lots of prickly pear/mesquite/sage/catclaw. They honestly share a lot of the same habitat as quail so if you have quail spots, that's a good place to start. If it's super windy, like it is most days in the spring in New Mexico, they tend to stay in the canyon bottoms and your best bet is to either get super high up and glass down or just walk through a canyon bottom, I've bumped them walking more often than I've found them through glassing. On less windy days they will feed along the sides and tops of ridges. Look for spots where it looks like someone came through with a hoe or a shovel, that's them digging for food or shredded cactus pads are another good indicator. A lot of pigs between Las Cruces and T or C. I've seen them in the flats before but in that area they definitely prefer some of the hilly and more mountainous stuff. Shoot me a PM and can give you some general areas to start looking. Not gonna give out my honey holes but I'll point you in the right direction.

Great info thank you very much! Im hoping too harvest one this otc season. I appreciate the help I will reach out to you.

 

[Chama Grande]

so if it's chilly they usually don't get started until the sun is already out, at least in my experience (I moved to Albuquerque and have been hunting them south of here and it's even more true up here where it's colder). They're pretty active throughout the day until it starts to warm up late February-early March a

So how cold is cold? We were seeing sign everywhere last weekend but never got eyes on one. Temp started at 32 but then rose to the 70s in the day, couldn't figure out when the 'power hour' was going to be

 

[Steams]

So how cold is cold? We were seeing sign everywhere last weekend but never got eyes on one. Temp started at 32 but then rose to the 70s in the day, couldn't figure out when the 'power hour' was going to be

Again, this is just my experience, but anything below freezing they will stay hunkered down until the sun is fully out. I've busted most of my Javelina between nine and noon.

 

[Chama Grande]

Again, this is just my experience, but anything below freezing they will stay hunkered down until the sun is fully out. I've busted most of my Javelina between nine and noon.

Thanks, yeah I need to hear more experiences to put together better plans. Not a lot of javelina hunters in NM, or they real quiet

 

[Steams]

Thanks, yeah I need to hear more experiences to put together better plans. Not a lot of javelina hunters in NM, or they real quiet

They can just be tough to see sometimes too. They blend in even better than most animals do especially since they're not very tall. It's like anything else in the desert, put in the miles and you will be rewarded. They don't have very big territories so just keep looking in spots where you see sign, they're close. And if you get one, make sure to handle with extreme care. Some of the best game meat out there if you don't cross contaminate from the skin.

 

[Chama Grande]

Where I thought I would find javelina ---


Where I actually found javelina ---


These little dudes are way more challenging in New Mexico than I thought. I spent a few days glassing these perfect desert vistas in an area where I've seen tracks and I still couldn't find where they were hiding. Wind was cold and howling on the peak so I came down and started doing some walkabouts. I'd drive to a spot and then walk out a mile or so and just follow tracks. I did find some fairly fresh track, just couldn't bust anyone down there. Then, well outside of my unit, I was rewarded with a javelina just hanging out on the road. As I sat and watched him I thought about my strategy - I had been chasing deserts with prickly pear and mesquite, warmer temperatures, sunny slopes with low wind speeds and apparently what they really like is pine forest, highways, snow, wind, and rain.

I'm taking an L on javelina this year, but I did get to spend some time in great places so maybe it's an even trade. Maybe I try to OTC statewide in March, I have some leads there too.

 

[Steams]

Where I thought I would find javelina ---
View attachment 266110

Where I actually found javelina ---
View attachment 266109

These little dudes are way more challenging in New Mexico than I thought. I spent a few days glassing these perfect desert vistas in an area where I've seen tracks and I still couldn't find where they were hiding. Wind was cold and howling on the peak so I came down and started doing some walkabouts. I'd drive to a spot and then walk out a mile or so and just follow tracks. I did find some fairly fresh track, just couldn't bust anyone down there. Then, well outside of my unit, I was rewarded with a javelina just hanging out on the road. As I sat and watched him I thought about my strategy - I had been chasing deserts with prickly pear and mesquite, warmer temperatures, sunny slopes with low wind speeds and apparently what they really like is pine forest, highways, snow, wind, and rain.

I'm taking an L on javelina this year, but I did get to spend some time in great places so maybe it's an even trade. Maybe I try to OTC statewide in March, I have some leads there too.

It's like they say about elk, they are where you find them. I've seen them from Ponderosa forests to desert mountains, to bajadas and everywhere in between. They're just so good and not being seen.

 

[some_guy]

Well dang, I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one having trouble tracking down these little buggers. I moved to NM in the fall (Las Cruces) so I wasn't able to hunt deer or elk this season. I was out hunting Coyote in December when I saw what, at first glance, looked like wild hogs. Got them in the scope and thought they didn't look like any hogs I'd ever seen. So when I got home I looked them up and discovered this species I had never heard of. Watched some hunting videos and decided this was some meat I'd love to have in the fridge for taco nights, so I bought an OTC tag.

Since then, I have been putting in some serious miles on some rough terrain trying to find them. I've seen some beautiful deer in places I never thought would sustain them, but I've seen no Javelina. I've heard that their ranges are short (as you've pointed out above), so I've mostly been looking in the area I originally spotted them (my original sighting was a sow and piglet pair, not sure if that's the proper nomenclature). I've been mostly working my way through steep peaks and deep draws/canyons similar to Chama Grande's first pic. I have seen their sign EVERYWHERE, from tracks to torn up/dug up ground, to obvious bedding sites, to flipped and shredded cow pies. One thing that I have not seen however is fresh droppings. I've encountered limited quantities of dried, sun bleached droppings, but nothing fresh.

I'm wondering....

- I know their ranges are small, but do they tend to move to new areas from time to time? Does their range shift in somewhat regular intervals?
- Do they tend to behave differently in the spring vs. winter? Do they prefer different terrain features in different times of year?
- I admittedly know nothing about the desert (though I'm learning quickly). The fact that I'm seeing old, dried up droppings and lots of tracks tells me one of two things... either tracks stay preserved for weeks to months at a time in the desert or their turds dry up and bleach out very quickly. Where I come from (Northern Wisconsin) tracks do not last long at all, the moist ground tends to spring back in a day or two. When it comes to skat where I come from... if its dried and bleached, it's older than sin (if it even stays put that long). So I'm seeing what, to me, is conflicting sign... lots of tracks but none of the fresh droppings that should be accompanying them. On a side note, I've seen plenty of fresh deer droppings.


I've absorbed everything I've read in this thread and have done my best to not ask redundant questions. Wealth of knowledge here and I know that everything I read here, and the endless miles I'm putting in every weekend, is going to translate to other hunts while I'm down here. Thank you in advance.