Post by azshaun on Aug 12, 2019 14:57:41 GMT -5
So, my friend went elk hunting last August on the reservation by the west end of the Grand Canyon. Been doing so for years. While out there, he said he couldn’t go anywhere without a herd of javelina running across his path! So, plans were made to take me up for my first javelina. “They are as thick as rabbits up there!” He says...
Looking forward to it all year... practicing my handgun skills... struggling finding places to shoot for distance, but at least getting rounds down range... He is skeptical about me using just a hand gun especially since this is my first one, and the distances can get long. My only smaller caliber rifle is my AR, which I haven’t had a lot of time to practice with, and he says he might be a little iffy taking an AR onto the reservation. So, only choice... handguns.
Thursday is the day, we drive up and head right to the Native fish and game. He knows a lot of the guys and guides because hunting anything up there requires a native guide with you. This is the first year a guide isn’t required for javelina. Pay the money for the tags and head straight to the areas on the west side near the sky walk over the Grand Canyon where he saw all the javelina... hear lots of stories about hunting and how competitive it is for elk in the area...
We go to a few drink holes but surprisingly there had been little monsoons through the area... drink holes were mostly dry... bad sign... not a lot of tracks and nothing recent.... search all over.... nothing... but learning a lot, and enjoying the time out of doors....
Give up for the day... head to the hotel with plans on getting up early and trying again....
5:30am roles around... up we get... head straight to the hills.... sit for a while glassing... can see the whole valley. I was using my new monocular and was pleasantly surprised... wasn’t quite as good as his binoculars but for $35 I felt like if something was there, I could see it.
At any rate, nothing was moving except birds and the occasional ground squirrel. Decide to roam around to a few of the different spots after a couple of hours and still nothing. Make plans on heading into town for lunch, and meet up with my friend’s brother and other friend who arrived that morning. Make plans to go to the east side where it is more mountainous instead of deserty on the west side. There is a drink where he guaranteed we’d see game. Hoping for javelina. Drive out there early as we found out the next day (Saturday) is the opening day of the deformed Elk hunt. So, there is danger of scouts. Ruining our hunt. Arrive and get set up on the ‘drink’ in the normal spot along the south side... after about an hour, some wild horses come in... apparently, the wind was NOT in our favor... the stallion picked us up and stared at us... and stared at us.... and stared at us... the others got their drink including the colt... eventually they left. My friend said if that horse picked us out immediately, everything else would get us right away. Decide to move and went on the other side. With wind in our face, got as comfortable as we could. Pretty soon some more horses came in... splashed around... and left... good didn’t notice us... then a big elk came in. He says it is medium sized for the area but on state land was big and was a shooter. I wasn’t more than 50 yards away with a PERFECT broadside shot on it. Could have EASILY taken it with my 41 Smith. If ONLY I had a tag and it was in season.
So, I watched it a while... never knew we were there... waded our into the water a little bit... drank... splashed around.... friend indicated the splashing was it preparing for the rut... drinks some more.... pees right where it was standing... 20 seconds later it stops... ... see the bubbles moving around... dips his mouth in and takes another long drink.... splashed around some more... turns around and enjoys another... relieving activity but different from the first.... Finished the 2ND relief.... and... takes another drink..... And slowly starts his way out... walk a few paces... pause look around and then do it again... all the way out of view...
Next came in a few more horses, followed by a herd of cow elk with some babies... splashed around in the first drink... horses came in and drove them to the second only to bully them out of either all together.... all left... then a flock of turkeys came in... wondered over and within 10 feet saw us and walked off the other way...
After a while, in comes this HUGE bull... friend doesn’t see it yet, I have the perfect angle. He finally sees it. I get some pictures, and apparently it measures over 400... whatever that means... and is a big bull for the area. Says it is definitely a shooter... he finally gets in position to see it... but is trapped standing up... bull lays down in the drink... gets up... looks around... catches a little movement from my friend... GONE! Elk jumps over the fence never to be seen again...
Shortly after across the drink, I see blue... a guide is coming in with a hunter... walk right through the area grab a camera and walk out... they know we were there... apparently, javelina hunting isn’t as important... blows the stand... see nothing rest of the time ... sun goes down... head back to hotel... arrive at 11pm... 4:30 wake up call this time...
Sat morning, last day of the hunt... friend getting anxious because we haven’t seen any sign of javelina at all... head back to the sky walk area... arrive around 6:30... top the hill... start glassing... friend jokes that he is NOT trying to just look like we are doing something... but it actually can help... short time later he spots a herd off in the distance... tells me to look at those rocks.. I see several groups of rocks... but shrug my shoulders like I know what I am doing... still don’t see where he is looking... pile into the truck and rush over slowing down as we approach. Driving slowly scanning... I finally spot them jogging up the hill about 10 yards up... get out of the truck... start climbing remembering what my good friend Jim told me about being quiet while stalking... toe heal... toe heal... step on the bigger rocks keep eyes up track where they are going... heart pounding... go around the tree they went around... get to a rock ledge look around .... off to the left.. there they are... closest one spot me but they don’t bolt. About 15-20 yards away... I don’t know, mind is racing... ‘Don’t miss... Don’t miss...’. Javelina is facing away from me but at a shallow angle with what looks like enough space for a shoulder shot... line up... single action... don’t risk double action... look through the sights.... hands are shaking so bad and I can’t get them to stop... try a few breaths but don’t know how long I can delay, get as best of a sight line as I can... take the shot.... MISS! Starts moving away try a second shot and miss that one too... herd is running up the hill my target runs down and away... start moving so I don’t lose it ... over on the side spot a baby heading up the hill trying to join back up with the herd... lose the target... soon spot it coming back... hast to pass right by me... have a second chance... trying to wait for a best shot.... line up... still shaking slower trot but still moving... take the shot... 3rd miss! Start running again... 10 feet away... second guess myself whether to double action or single... losing my window... decide single action... 4th and final miss... go after them... they are gone... no sign of them... slowly make my way back to the truck yelling at myself and disappointed at my performance...
Friend says that everyone gets buck fever and he relayed how he emptied a whole box of rifle rounds on his first deer before finally getting it...
Kept trying... saw lots of beautiful country... no more javelina the rest of the trip... did get a small game tag just in case... they were selling them for $10. Ran into jack rabbit Mecca... saw a jack rabbit about 20 yards away hit it, but in the knee of the back leg. Went under some cover but could still see him... missed... ran to 30 yards.... tuft of fur and Got him! Ran about 15 yards... kicked and done... 1st jack at 30 measured yards! Gain a little confidence back... in me, my gun, and the sights.
Tried a few more rabbits, but kept shooting high because I kept missing early low...
Saw nothing the rest of the day... got home at 11pm... tired but had a Great time with plans already to put in for the spring HAM and general javelina hunts. Grateful to my friend for his time and company. Couldn’t have had a better time.
Looking forward to it all year... practicing my handgun skills... struggling finding places to shoot for distance, but at least getting rounds down range... He is skeptical about me using just a hand gun especially since this is my first one, and the distances can get long. My only smaller caliber rifle is my AR, which I haven’t had a lot of time to practice with, and he says he might be a little iffy taking an AR onto the reservation. So, only choice... handguns.
Thursday is the day, we drive up and head right to the Native fish and game. He knows a lot of the guys and guides because hunting anything up there requires a native guide with you. This is the first year a guide isn’t required for javelina. Pay the money for the tags and head straight to the areas on the west side near the sky walk over the Grand Canyon where he saw all the javelina... hear lots of stories about hunting and how competitive it is for elk in the area...
We go to a few drink holes but surprisingly there had been little monsoons through the area... drink holes were mostly dry... bad sign... not a lot of tracks and nothing recent.... search all over.... nothing... but learning a lot, and enjoying the time out of doors....
Give up for the day... head to the hotel with plans on getting up early and trying again....
5:30am roles around... up we get... head straight to the hills.... sit for a while glassing... can see the whole valley. I was using my new monocular and was pleasantly surprised... wasn’t quite as good as his binoculars but for $35 I felt like if something was there, I could see it.
At any rate, nothing was moving except birds and the occasional ground squirrel. Decide to roam around to a few of the different spots after a couple of hours and still nothing. Make plans on heading into town for lunch, and meet up with my friend’s brother and other friend who arrived that morning. Make plans to go to the east side where it is more mountainous instead of deserty on the west side. There is a drink where he guaranteed we’d see game. Hoping for javelina. Drive out there early as we found out the next day (Saturday) is the opening day of the deformed Elk hunt. So, there is danger of scouts. Ruining our hunt. Arrive and get set up on the ‘drink’ in the normal spot along the south side... after about an hour, some wild horses come in... apparently, the wind was NOT in our favor... the stallion picked us up and stared at us... and stared at us.... and stared at us... the others got their drink including the colt... eventually they left. My friend said if that horse picked us out immediately, everything else would get us right away. Decide to move and went on the other side. With wind in our face, got as comfortable as we could. Pretty soon some more horses came in... splashed around... and left... good didn’t notice us... then a big elk came in. He says it is medium sized for the area but on state land was big and was a shooter. I wasn’t more than 50 yards away with a PERFECT broadside shot on it. Could have EASILY taken it with my 41 Smith. If ONLY I had a tag and it was in season.
So, I watched it a while... never knew we were there... waded our into the water a little bit... drank... splashed around.... friend indicated the splashing was it preparing for the rut... drinks some more.... pees right where it was standing... 20 seconds later it stops... ... see the bubbles moving around... dips his mouth in and takes another long drink.... splashed around some more... turns around and enjoys another... relieving activity but different from the first.... Finished the 2ND relief.... and... takes another drink..... And slowly starts his way out... walk a few paces... pause look around and then do it again... all the way out of view...
Next came in a few more horses, followed by a herd of cow elk with some babies... splashed around in the first drink... horses came in and drove them to the second only to bully them out of either all together.... all left... then a flock of turkeys came in... wondered over and within 10 feet saw us and walked off the other way...
After a while, in comes this HUGE bull... friend doesn’t see it yet, I have the perfect angle. He finally sees it. I get some pictures, and apparently it measures over 400... whatever that means... and is a big bull for the area. Says it is definitely a shooter... he finally gets in position to see it... but is trapped standing up... bull lays down in the drink... gets up... looks around... catches a little movement from my friend... GONE! Elk jumps over the fence never to be seen again...
Shortly after across the drink, I see blue... a guide is coming in with a hunter... walk right through the area grab a camera and walk out... they know we were there... apparently, javelina hunting isn’t as important... blows the stand... see nothing rest of the time ... sun goes down... head back to hotel... arrive at 11pm... 4:30 wake up call this time...
Sat morning, last day of the hunt... friend getting anxious because we haven’t seen any sign of javelina at all... head back to the sky walk area... arrive around 6:30... top the hill... start glassing... friend jokes that he is NOT trying to just look like we are doing something... but it actually can help... short time later he spots a herd off in the distance... tells me to look at those rocks.. I see several groups of rocks... but shrug my shoulders like I know what I am doing... still don’t see where he is looking... pile into the truck and rush over slowing down as we approach. Driving slowly scanning... I finally spot them jogging up the hill about 10 yards up... get out of the truck... start climbing remembering what my good friend Jim told me about being quiet while stalking... toe heal... toe heal... step on the bigger rocks keep eyes up track where they are going... heart pounding... go around the tree they went around... get to a rock ledge look around .... off to the left.. there they are... closest one spot me but they don’t bolt. About 15-20 yards away... I don’t know, mind is racing... ‘Don’t miss... Don’t miss...’. Javelina is facing away from me but at a shallow angle with what looks like enough space for a shoulder shot... line up... single action... don’t risk double action... look through the sights.... hands are shaking so bad and I can’t get them to stop... try a few breaths but don’t know how long I can delay, get as best of a sight line as I can... take the shot.... MISS! Starts moving away try a second shot and miss that one too... herd is running up the hill my target runs down and away... start moving so I don’t lose it ... over on the side spot a baby heading up the hill trying to join back up with the herd... lose the target... soon spot it coming back... hast to pass right by me... have a second chance... trying to wait for a best shot.... line up... still shaking slower trot but still moving... take the shot... 3rd miss! Start running again... 10 feet away... second guess myself whether to double action or single... losing my window... decide single action... 4th and final miss... go after them... they are gone... no sign of them... slowly make my way back to the truck yelling at myself and disappointed at my performance...
Friend says that everyone gets buck fever and he relayed how he emptied a whole box of rifle rounds on his first deer before finally getting it...
Kept trying... saw lots of beautiful country... no more javelina the rest of the trip... did get a small game tag just in case... they were selling them for $10. Ran into jack rabbit Mecca... saw a jack rabbit about 20 yards away hit it, but in the knee of the back leg. Went under some cover but could still see him... missed... ran to 30 yards.... tuft of fur and Got him! Ran about 15 yards... kicked and done... 1st jack at 30 measured yards! Gain a little confidence back... in me, my gun, and the sights.
Tried a few more rabbits, but kept shooting high because I kept missing early low...
Saw nothing the rest of the day... got home at 11pm... tired but had a Great time with plans already to put in for the spring HAM and general javelina hunts. Grateful to my friend for his time and company. Couldn’t have had a better time.