, another hunter (me) - no javalina 
.Hunted two full days, dark to dark. On the first day, late afternoon, we spotted a couple sows feeding 500 yards across a canyon dissected by deep creek bed. Since I've killed my quota of pigs over the years and my son, who has faithfully beat the cactus for years, hadn't yet killed one it was decided that this stalk would be his. As we watched the sows, a very large boar emerged from somewhere near the others and walked straight into the creek bed, out of sight. I said, "there's your pig." We quietly discussed the stalk as three more pigs materialized among the others. We were exposed on a hill side, with a friendly wind, and needed to shuffle ten yards to the right to hide behind a large bush and tall cactus. Once hidden it was determined to walk single file down the hill directly toward the pigs until we reached a foothill bench with some sparse scattered bushes and cactus. Now on the bench we split up, my son sneaking to a small wash that would take him near the rim of the deep draw where we'd seen the boar desend. I said I'd stay put and be quite, perhaps moving forward just a bit in hopes of getting a little closer for a few "hail Mary" shots when the action began. It was determined that I would not shoot until I heard him shoot. He began his stalk and I creep forward closing the gap a few yards a little time later. Perhaps 10 minutes passed before the canyon bellowed out the bark of 44 Magnum, at which time the entire canyon across the draw erupted in javalina. There were a dozen or so, spaced out, scurrying away single file up the canyon wall through a shallow saddle to safety. I let my first shot go at a big black boar and saw dust spray three feet below it. Now I new just how far away they were. I fired a couple more times getting very close but only after most of my front blade rose above my rear notch, and they were gone. My range was outside of 150 yards. I gave chase across the draw, up the steep canyon wall, through the saddle and to the other side. I was able to witness one pig hopping like a cricket through the thick brush way out of range and beyond danger. On my way by the creek bed I confirmed that my son had killed his first javalina. His grin said it all.
When he stalked close to the edge of the creek bed he had the boar in his sights for just a moment before it walked behind a rock out cropping. A sow stayed in the open and presented a broadside shot. Since he'd been skunked several times before, he decided to take the sow and get the "javalina off his back." He made a good one shot kill using a 44 Magnum pushing a 240 grain SWC cast bullet at 1,200 fps. The shot was 50 yards off hand from a 5.5 inch Ruger Redhawk.
We cleaned the little sow and hauled it to the truck and counted the day a success. I hunted the same area three days later from dark to dark and never saw another pig. I'll get one next year.
The following a couple pictures from the hunt.
Desert flats in the Morning.
Small draw hunted earlier in the day.
Another draw hunted earlier in the day.
Cholla spines which I encountered frequently during the hunt.
View from where the javalina were to where we began the stalk - across canyon about two-thirds of the way up.
Picture taken from spot of shot to where javalina stood when shot (son holding javalina at spot is was shot). He said his blade covered the entire pig.
Little sow with Redhawk cylinder placed over the bullet hole. It was shot through the lungs.
I sure like to hunt these little pigs. Yee-haw!!!
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