I got drawn!

Javelina hunt at James Daughtrey, second week of February. Also get unlimited feral hogs & coyotes. This is my first drawn hunt after three years of applying in numerous categories, and I can't wait. I've hunted two of the compartments at JD for doves & small game, and I've seen javelinas out there on a couple of occasions, so I know they're around.

Good Luck!

best wishes

Congratulations!

I've been applying for all kinds of hunts for 8 years without being drawn for anything.

Hey im in the 20 plus category and still no draw for anything Good luck!

The hunt was last week. The first afternoon I didn't see anything to shoot, but on the second morning about 7:15 two javelinas came out of the brush and moved down a dirt road away from me. I had to wait to get a shot and finally took what I thought was a good head shot at about 50 yards. The javi went down and kicked and laid there for about 10-15 minutes. I waited patiently go to get it, watching it through binoculars, when suddenly it just stood up and walked off into the brush. I forced myself to wait another 20 minutes, hoping it had just flopped over dead nearby, but when I got to the spot where I shot it, I found a good blood spoor but no blood trail, and no javelina. I searched an ever-widening area full of cactus and thorns for about 90 minutes before finally spotting the javelina again, moving slowly in thick brush -- to thick to get a good shot before it moved off again out of sight. I searched some more, then pulled out, went to another stand and stewed for a few hours, before giving it one last chance at about 2 p.m. I searched for another 45 minutes before coming up on the javelina again, curled up under a tree still alive! I put two more shots in it and this time stood over it with my rifle up making sure it was DEAD. Hauling the javelina out of the brush 200 yards or so was an even bigger ordeal than searching for it. I had shot it in the jaw, probably knocking it out, and when it came to, it popped up like no big deal. It weighed 30 lbs gutted.

The next morning, I set up at the same blind to see if anything was eating at the gut pile. At about 7:45 I saw a coyote peeking out of the brush, and when he moved out into the open at about 40 yards I took a shot. He wheeled around and went back into the brush, but I heard him crashing and figured he went down close by -- and sure enough, I found him about 15 yards back. No lengthy search this time. He was 24 lbs gutted.

It ended up being a great hunt, but until I found that javelina, I thought it was going to be a disaster. Also saw some nice whitetail does, a fox, roadrunners, and four really pretty bobcats.

You did good. Especially killing the coyote.

I love hunting Javalina. Congrats and I am glad you had a good time!

Why did you gut the coyote?

It was required. Everything we shot had to be gutted in the field before it was taken to the check station to be weighed & recorded -- they didn't want big gut piles by the check station attracting more animals. Otherwise I would have left the coyote intact and seen if I could have done something with the pelt, although the exit wound (not shown in the pic) was kind of messy. I'm doing a euro mount instead.

Congrats on a good hunt! Glad you found the first one!

Next time, shoot the animal where you shot the coyote and you won't have to search for so long with a wounded animal. My two cents.

Congrats!

nice!!

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?????
Why not just leave it where it laid??
Ain't no way I'm gonna gut a yote!!

I wanted a trophy. Not everyone can say they shot a coyote on a public land hunt. So now I have the Euro mount in my office.

Cool skull. I could scare the crap out of my kids with that.

I do like that euro. I want one in my office

very cool!

DEFINITELY worth the 15 min gut time...pretty cool. Did they just bleach it or did they dip it?

That's a good question ... I'm not even sure. I got it done at Ottea Taxidermy here in San Antonio, and they did a good job.