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Calling
Javelina
Let me first state, predator calling for Javelina should
only be used in a situational manner (I'll explain later).
If used incorrectly or in the wrong situation, predator
calls will prove worthless. In fact, it will scare the
Javelina herd away 99.9 percent of the time. Despite
predator calling limitations, it's without a doubt the
most exciting way to hunt Javelina. Using a predator
call exploits the Javelina's propensity to counter attack
predators and come to aid wounded or distressed herd
mates.
How to use the predator call. The first thing
you need to do is purchase a predator call. There are
many good choices for under $10, call's that mimic or
are advertised as "cotton tail" or "jack rabbit" distress
calls work best for Javelina hunting. Next, forget what
you know, or think you know, or how you've used calls
in the past. Most hunters have "played around" with
a call before. You blow into it, it sounds kind of like
kazoo or fairly deep "waaaa.... waaaa..." sound. To
affectively call in Javelina you want to imitate the
sound of a piglet getting the hell chewed out of it.
This is done by blowing violently, using your hands
to cup the end of the call to mimic the piglet's mouth
opening and closing. Imagine what a frightened piglet
sounds like, adjust your hands and the "blow" pressure
accordingly until you sound like an axe murderer at
a teenage slumber party.
Situational Use: Use a predator call only in
three situations.
Situation number 1.
"> You've spotted the herd, they are no more than 60 yards
away and you can't easily close the distance because
of thick brush (to noisy) or it's to open of an area
(no cover). Before calling you should "set-up", pistol
or bow at the ready, kneeling position, with the location
of all animals identified as best as possible. Your
call should be on a lanyard, so you can spit it out
of your mouth after calling (hands on weapon), but its
quickly retrievable if needed. A 3-4 second calling
sequence will normally do the trick. As soon as the
call sequence is complete, be ready! Javelina will be
coming fast. Generally they make 15 to 20 yard charges,
stop, and charge again towards the area of the call.
You will often hear the "woof" sound they make with
each step they take, as there coming in. Stay calm and
pick a clean shot. Don't hurry the shot or settle for
a bad shot, or worse yet "flock shoot", and don't worry
if they see you. I have called in, shot, and missed
the same animal three different times with a pistol
before, and ultimately bagged him. It can go like this,
shoot, miss, the animal runs away, blow on the call,
the animal comes back, shoot, miss and so on.
Situation number 2.
Your humping along (day dreaming) and bang, off busts
a herd at 40 yards in 5 different directions. Get on
the call (blow) immediately. 3 to 4 seconds, look for
animals and listen for "woofing", wait a few seconds
and back on the call for another 3 to 4 seconds. Generally,
not all the herd will have seen you. Some Javelina may
have stayed "frozen" unsure of the exact nature or cause
of the alarm, while other Javelina may initially only
run 50 -75 yards, then stop and freeze to determine
the source of danger. Often times a quick calling sequence
will bring the Javelina right back to you for a shot
Situation number 3.
Moving through thick mesquite tangles and you hear
a faint "woof" or smell pig. Although you don't see
Javelina, if you hear the telltale faint "woof" sound,
then they are in close enough vicinity to respond to
a call. The "woof" call is an alert call, similar to
a deer's "snort", even when alerted, Javelina still
will respond to the call a great percentage of the time.
Cold calling.
Calling blindly, that is, with no Javelina or "hot"
sign sighted is unproductive 99.9% of the time.
Authors note about safety. When Javelina are
responding to a call, they are coming to protect a herd
member--ready to charge and bite! If you don't think
Javelina can be dangerous, check out www.javelinahunter.com's
Javelina Attacks page, for several newspaper accounts,
and verified reports of Javelina attacking people and
pets. They can get very, very close, very, very quickly,
keep your situational awareness about you. On several
occasions I've had to make noise, waive my hand, stand
up, kick, etc. to scare off Javelina. this has occurred
even after I've shot and bagged an animal. It's very
common for Javelina to approach at ranges well under
10 yards when calling--that's close!...Now that's fun!!
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