Laredo Tusk Roundup 24 ‘HERE WE GO’

[elkken]

Here is my buddy Rocky ... we have been hunting together since 1973, yes we are old ! All the LTR hunt #1 guys we shared camp with most likely will take weeks for their ears to recover from all our stories. A very fine group to share camp with !!

The bow Rocky used used to be mine, it's a beautiful 51# Blacktail Elite recurve and he is shooting 90/95 cedar arrows made by Susanne St Charles tipped with Zwickey Delta heads. They weight about 700 grains and at his 31" draw they fly way better than you might think they would.

    more to follow 

[Possum Head]

The thickets on the sides of the clearing look like they would be a booger to blood trail in. Best wishes fellas!

[Possum Head]

Nice kill Mr. Rocky

[Terry Green]

And yes 1st group, I did buy a license for this week, so I will be toting my bow.

Compliments of Huckbuck....

[elkken]

I won the St Jude hunt and a little St Jude mojo goes a long way !

My Javi was taken the last day of the hunt, a nice sunny 74* day in South Texas. There was way more activity on our two sunny days. Rocky's Javi was a spot and stalk with a 23 yard shot and a short recovery. My Javi was shot from a hiding spot at an intersection of several senderos, a 12 yard shot and another short recovery. Recovering your Javi is not an easy job in this thick South Texas brush country. A set of clippers and a saw are a must !! My Javi ran about 30 yards and died in a nasty thick spot that took me a good long time to clip and saw my way in for the recovery. I can still feel some of those left over Prickly Pear thorns in my behind as I type this. Blood trailing is very difficult due to not being able to stay on the trail even when you can see it, you have to trim brush get back on the blood and then do it all over again in a few more feet. Luckily for me my Javi let out a few last gasps before dying and I was able to follow the sound.

My gear was a 40# Border Black Douglas recurve I bought on the Classifieds from Wingnut, Easton 600 Trad shafts bought on the Classifieds and 150 grain Stinger 4 blades. The Stingers were given to me by a generous Trad Gang member but I apologize for not remembering his name.

[elkken]

The full moon coming up on our last evening of the hunt.

Aside from the several rainy days the hunting here was action packed trying to out smart these little Texas critters. We saw LOTS of deer plus coyotes, bobcats, badgers and even a cougar sighting 

There was also a benefit to all those rainy days .... We were able to get to know our fellow hunters a little better, share our stories and years of knowledge. The human element of this hunt is priceless and we were blessed with a very fine group of Trad Gangers.

If you have not been on a Javi hunt this is a good one   

[Flingblade]

Like Ken my javi was shot the last day.  Terry was going to pick me and Mike up at 5 so we would have time to pack up for the trip home.  I was planning to be on the road by 6.  I made the shot at 4:35. Took it right to the buzzer on that one!
This is the view of one of my shooting lanes from one of my hides in the thorns.  I'm gonna call it thorns cause yes; everything has thorns down there.
The view from my Waldrop Pacseat

[Flingblade]

I was sitting there thinking the hunt was over, dreading the looooong drive home and rehearsing the reasons (excuses) for lack of success when over my left shoulder I spot movement.  Two javies pop out onto the sendero from 10 yards or so behind me.  And downwind??  They turn and head my way.  Yes!!!  The lead javie was pretty good size and I come to 3/4 draw as he passes through my first shooting lane.  But when he stopped he was facing me.  I came to full draw twice on that one but never had a decent shot.  Those two passed through but just then another bigger one pops out and heads my way.  I'm thinking to myself it's now or never and come to full draw as he is walking through my first shooting lane.  I look behind the shoulder collar and release.  I hear the thump of a hit and see a big red bubble where my arrow passed through.  He lets out a grunt and peels off up the sendero and back into the thorns on my side.  A few seconds later I hear a muffled grunt that sounds like it's less than twenty yards away.
Terry drives my truck down at 5, we go over the scenario and start looking for blood.  The javie ran about twenty yards up the sendero before cutting into the thorns and Mike finds my arrow where it turned in.  Bright red blood with bubbles; good sign.  Mike stayed at the last blood on the edge of the sendero as me and Terry worked our way into the thorns.  He only made it about another twenty yards into the thorns but that was the nastiest twenty yard blood trail I've ever followed.  A big thanks to Terry for his help; at one point he was on his hands and knees bird dogging the trail.  It was an interesting blood trail to say the least.  Terry hollers out to stop and not move and says he found a big chunk of flesh.  Then he picks up my javelina!!  Yes!!!  I was worried because it looked like the shot was a little far back but the arrow exited right behind the left shoulder. 

[Flingblade]

I was shooting a 61 lb. 60" Black Widow PSRX Osage that I named "Cowboy" as it is orange and black.  Oklahoma State; Go Pokes!  My arrows were the Barebow shafts and I used a little acetone to remove all graphics on them so they were all white and the broadhead was the new Simmons Great White.  They weigh 596 grains. 

[Flingblade]

Javelina are such a cool little critter and lots of fun to hunt!  I have a whole new respect for the animal now that I've spent a little time in the habitat they call home.  Someone once said on another LTR thread that everything down there wants to stick you or poke you and that's no kidding.  It is thick, nasty unforgiving flora. 
In spite of the unusually wet weather it was a great hunt because of the guys I was fortunate to share camp with.  All the hunting stories in camp sustained us as we waited out the rain.  Sadly, I had to leave Thursday night so I missed the steaks Kaz brought from Rube's steakhouse but that being said, my favorite camp meal was Pete's venison stew!  Five star!
I wish my hunting partner for the week; Mike, had had a shot but that just means we may have to go back for round two.  If we had five days of sun I can't even imagine how many opportunities we would have had. 
Thanks again to all the guys in camp for a great week!  If you're thinking about doing this hunt; DO IT!!  You won't regret it.

 

[rastaman]

Congratulations guys! Sounds like y'all had a blast! 

[Terry Green]

Herb and Kodiak Fan had action this morning, but I haven't heard from anyone else.

Many thanks Ken and Rocky.

[STICKBENDER98]

Looks like I have some reading to do, keep the stories coming guys!!!!

[Terry Green]

[Terry Green]

2 tags lost today...

[Terry Green]

The first group of javies came out last night around three thirty and there was a wad of seven of them.  They were coming toward me and I was able to stalk within 60 yds straight on toward them and duck in to a really nice spot where I could hide behind a wall of prickley pears undetected.

I only had two narrow shooting lanes and I was hoping that at least one of them would stop perfectly to give me a shot. The first three passed through the lanes without giving me an opportunity. Then the lead javie decided to turn into the bush about eight yards from me. Once he got in to the bush about 3 yd. It was wide open between me and him , and he immediately spotted me. You would take a few steps and look at me again this happened four times, And after the 4 times he'd tried to catch me move, even though I didn't, he had had enough and trotted off into the bush and circled down wind.

I had set up with a perfect crosswind. Yes, once he got behind me. Of course , he began to huffing and puffin to alert all the rest of the javies and they all got nervous and went into the bush. So, the jig was up with the first sounder.....

[stagetek]

Week #1 was great. My first time here, and it was tons of fun. The weather wasn't good, so we spent a lot of time getting to know one and other. What a fantastic bunch of guys ! Gary and I were teamed up and it was great seeing him shoot his in the last half hour. Other than deer, my only encounter was with a beautiful bobcat at 10 yrds...so close to a shot. My thanks to Terry for providing a terrific hunting opportunity and "all" the guys for making it a wonderful hunt !

[Terry Green]

Round 2.  A second sounder comes out on the same sendaro in the same place and does the same thing coming toward me. So I do the exact same thing as well to the exact same spot.

Once again, 3 walk past without giving me a shot opportunity, but the 4th one does as the vitals are wide open and head behind prickley pears.  I start drawing my bow, and I have no clue why this Javie  spooked as I had the same stiff crosswind in my face.

Javie spooked and so did the rest of the group, but they didn't leave just yet.  All were in different places and angles, looking around dazed and confused.  The lead javies jogged up the road a bit and veered left into the wind through some low grass and into the bush.

Again,  the jig was up.....

[RI Red]

Great pics and excellent hunting stories. Saturday AM flight down to Laredo.  Look forward to hearing more.

Bill

[Terry Green]

Round 3....

Here comes another sounder of 11 headed toward me, and I lit out back to the same place and set up. Along they came at a pretty steady clip . Soon I hear crunching so I  readied for a shot. I'm not sure how many passed through my lanes without offering me a shot, but one finally  did.

I normally do not shoot javalina quartering away as a lot of times they will wheel and you will end up hitting them in the tail. At least that's what I was told 20 years ago and I've since heard the same from othe hunters in camp, and yes, many of those results have happened on LTR hunts.

However, this one was only eight yards away and had no idea I was there, so the shot was away and true blowing through like a paper bag full of shaving cream.  Then the explosion happened, javies running everywhere away from me.

One that was ahead of mine went straight into the bush, two 45ed away through some short grass into the bush, and one ran back down the road the way they came from and turned Into the bush on my side about 20 yards down the road.  I heard it running at a fast clip. Then all was silent for about fifteen seconds.

 I was kind of confused because none of the escapees were running like they were hurt , and running  through whatever was in their way. From the shot placement that I saw, I knew I had drilled the javie and couldn't figure out why everything that left seemed fine.

I took a step back away from my hide, as that was the way I had to get out was to back up away from the road. I took 2 steps back and 9 yards away on the other side of my hide was my Javie, five yards off of the road. It did a flip flop for about three seconds and it was over....

So I just chilled out for 45 minutes waiting for Smokin Joe to come pick me up at dusk.

Group 1 revenge....