Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Javelina Gun

Ok, not exactly "big" game, but don't know where else to ask. For those of you that hunt javelina, what are your chosen weapons? My niece married a Texan who runs a guide service in West Texas. She's getting ready to spit out their first youngin' soon and the wife and I are thinking about finally going out to visit them later this year. Her husband said to come on and we'd find something to hunt, depending on the season. I told him I'd be happy hunting javelina and he said that's an easy one. I figure that would be a good opportunity to carry something that I don't get much use for around here. Assuming you can get pretty close, I might carry a Contender pistol in .256 Win Mag. Or, if I carry a rifle, a Marlin .25-20 or Marlin 62 .30 Carbine. Or I could carry a Ruger 77/357 or a .25-35. A .22 centerfire would reach out better if needed, in which case I'd likely take a 722 in .222 Rem Mag. I know it doesn't take much, but basically I'm bored. What do you guys that shoot them on purpose use?

I am usually hunting hogs or deer.

Javelina for me are targets of opportunity.

Consequently the ones `I've killed have either been with 12 ga. buckshot, 7mm-08, 308 Win. 30-06 Springfield, 325 WSM and 8mm Mauser.

ya!

GWB

I've shot them with a .222 ( ideal) and a .223AI. My next one is going to get the .17 Remington.

I killed two when I lived in West Texas near 30 years ago. A 222 Rem M700 ADL and 50 gr Speers worked.

I used a 300WM. Would not recommend.

All I had after a nilgai hunt when the opportunity presented itself.

anything you mentioned would work. depends on the terrain too I guess. they aren't hard to get close to they can't see for [bleep].

I really like the Winchester 9422M. That 22 mag has killed a lot of pigs for me.

223

Anything you listed will work well enough . I'd likely use the 25-35 or the Marlin 25-20 of what you list. Using my guns it would no doubt be the '92 Winchester in 38-40 , great little brush gun for Texas and I love the 21 Lyman sight it's wearing for snap shooting .

.22magnum, .223 Remington. Whichever one is lighter, you'll do more carrying than shooting.

I've killed one with a .223 Remington. Almost anything will do.


Okie John

I have killed them with 22 lr pistol up 7mm rem mag. Basically, what ever I had in hand when I saw them. Took two with one shot from 100 grain ballistic tip in 25-06, both head shot. Approach from down wind, they don't see well, but their sense of smell is good. Javelina is my favorite game meat.

Only two I ever killed were with a 221fb and the 40g NBT.

If I were to do it again. Probably go 221 again. Maybe even 22WMR with a 50g federal.

My oldest son and 2 of his boys from yesterday. They used a 243 with 95 SST's and my second oldest grandson used my deceased dads Springfield 30-338. Both a bit much for the task but effective.

I'm over gunned with a .22 Ruger Mark -2 Javy's aren't hard to kill. Rio7

I see them often when hunting quail.

If I knew they were good eating I would harvest one.

Please tell more about eating them???

I have killed them with 30-30 and 243. You can walk right up on them so you don't need a long range rifle.

I used to make jerky out of them. Teriyaki the heck out of them.

My dedicated rifle is a 1955 model 70 in 243 which i actually filled my Az tag with yesterday.

A good AR in 223 is hard to beat.

Javy's are range Rats, covered with flea's stink like hell I wouldn't eat one unless I was Starving then I would have to hold my nose, if you see them shoot them do us all a favor. Rio7

Flintlock.

The half grown ones are best but I have had full grown ones that were good too. Avoid touching the scent glands, wash your knife and change your rubber gloves after skinning them. I like to quarter them and cook over coals. Brush a little of your favorite barbecue sauce on just before done. I have heard all the stories " they stink - covered in fleas - taste terrible" But that's not my experience.

I have cooked dozens of them I shot in West Texas and they were all good.
btw - They eat prickly pear cactus.

Friend of mine shot one in his back yard at night in San Antonio, TX with a Marlin Model 60. He said it was good on the BBQ grill

They smell like a skunk.

I read a story in a gun mag in the 60's about a guy who hunted them with a Marlin M62 in .256 WM. It must have impressed the s%&t outa me as I bought a used one in the early 70's

Fast forward about 35 yrs, and I made a trip to Texas and shot my javaline the first day with the ,256WM and two days later took the second one with a Win. M43 in .218B

They are not big animals----don't over gun them and you will have a ball!

Hip

Yeah, I know they don't take much killin'. I remember Layne Simpson talking about shooting one with a PPK .380 from a few feet away. You know how it is, thinking about what gun to take is part of the fun.

Always thought my Riger 22 Hornet would be about perfect on one of those.

GreggH

I can't imagine a better excuse to hunt with that 25-20.

Open sighted handguns are a fun way to go, along with chorizo for the end product.

They are fun to hunt when nothing else is going on. We have killed them with .223, .243, 6.5 Creedmoor and .308.

I shot one when I lived in AZ. I used my 270 loaded with Remington's Managed Recoil load (I didn't handload at the time). Worked perfectly. Ballistics were a 115 grain PSP at 2710 fps., but I think they're discontinued.

As soon as I saw .25-20 in your list I knew what I'd take if I were you. If I were going myself, I'd take my .25-20 if I could get it free from my grandson. That being unlikely, I'd probably go with my .30 carbine or a revolver os some sort. Maybe a Glock 20.

The scent gland is stinky. They use the scent to communicate with one another. Try not to spook them. I also recommend head shots on them.

I think deer cartridges/loads work great. I wonder about shooting the big boars weighing ~500 lb’s though.
I suspect if I knew there were huge ones about, I’d probably look more carefully.

Interesting! I’ve heard the same about many animals and typically they come from people who don’t know much about cooking or game preparation. Black bear gets a lot of bad attention in PA and many say similar things about them as far as being “edible” or not. Some of the best meat I’ve ever had was bear and many of those eating it had no idea what it was but no one complained and most thought it was excellent. I’d love to try Javelina and if I ever get a chance I will! I’d probably use the .25-20, .256 win mag., 22 Hornet, 32-20 or something in that category. Going after one with my 1873 Winchester in .32-20 would be great fun!!

Good luck on your hunt!

PennDog

Many years ago, the wife and I bought some available licenses in Arizona. There was a good reason that these were available……we got skunked!

However, we were also expecting close range shots (under 150 yards), and took our big game hunting rifles shooting cast bullets. I think that they’d have worked just fine…..had we had the opportunity to test them! memtb

Never even seen one but from what I gather reading about them I'd take either my 22mag with 40gr bullet's or, a 223 with 55gr bullets. Good excuse to buy a new rifle, haven't had a 223 in years! If I was to go with a larger cartridge I'd do it with cast bullets. Sounds to me like they are pretty small and I think about meat damage. Think also head shots only to try and keep from destroying meat. I'd eat one! Took a bear I got in Montana years ago to a processor after I quartered it up. had him cure it and was like I was eating Canadian bacon, stuff was great! Got a wild feral pig here last year, 186 pounds. Used my 6.5x55 with 140gr bullet and shot where the neck goes into the head. Dropped it like a rock. Think my 22 mag would have done the same thing with that shot. Great eating! Shooting one leaves me thinking of shooting rabbit's. When I hunted them, snowshoes hares, I used a 22 mag and head shot everything. Hit it in the shoulder and you'll probably lose both shoulder's.

500lbs??? They go maybe 80lbs max

The ones I've take have been 40 lbs and under, and usually under.




These two were taken with a 7mm-08 and 140 gr. Ballistic Tips.



8 x 57 JRS.


ya!

GWB

Javis generally don't get over 60 lbs in Texas. The biggest I ever shot was 58 lbs and that was an old boar with a broken tusk.

Ruger 77 22 hornet and bow for me. As already stated, doesn’t take much.

These guys get a bad rap. They stink. They aren't super challenging, but they are fun. Any chance to get in the woods with a tag in hand is a good day. Few days off from work. Few good meals. Few good cocktails with my gaining hunting partner, and now my new hunting partner (10 year old son), is a good weekend.

Anything will work from 22 magnum and up

To the OP, I'd take that Contender in 256. Can't imagine it wouldn't work and I think it's a cool as heck set up.

I"m a 1 gun guy. 30/06 for everything.

Doesn’t get any better than that, down to one, did have 6 of them.

I've only shot 1 and that was with a recurve bow.

That 30 carbine would be kinda cool to hunt with.

you are one of the few I've ever heard to eat em. They are so nasty nothing eats carcasses in south TX. I"ve tried more than a few times and ways. There is no way I'd waste time trying to eat them.

I"m sure its a diet thing because the same is true of bears. Depending on what they eat they can be inedible or great.

They can also be called in quite close. This one was part of a group that was moving away from me, but I called it back with a wounded rabbit mouth call. This was in a park, so I only shot it with my camera. I think hunting them with a handgun would be a lot of fun.

Corrected for you

Nice picture. Need to get into a pod. Split em up and then use a javelina call to bring em back. Its fun to see how mad they get.

Ive' not shot one with a 380. I have with 9mm and up. I don't recall using a 22lr but it works fine on pigs so it should work just fine on a javelina too if legal.

10mm works really good, but then its one of the best handgun hunting rounds I've used for what it is.

I used to meet in AZ with guys from all over for an annual SPH, "steekin' peeg hunt".

I used a 6.5x55 Kimber Mauser for a couple and after that I built a LW M700 in .250 Savage.

Other guys used everything from AR's to Desert Eagles.

If I was gonna do it again I'd still use the .250 but carry a .22 WMR revolver.

Agreed - they're not hard to get close to and are a blast to hunt with a bow. I've also had some success calling them in.

As far as eating them, the guys I used to hunt with in AZ usually made breakfast sausage, as did I with mine. Not great, but edible. I hear younger ones are better than older and can be pretty good.

I vote 25-35. That would be a lot of fun.

Assuming it is a 94 win and could be easy to carry, correct?

BMT

250SAV w/87g Speer…….

I've got two, a "recent" 94 and a Contender Carbine, both scoped.

Probably my favorite medicine for Javelina is a Marlin 1894 in 357 Mag. Either a 180gr XTP, or Nosler Partition.

2nd favorite is a 30-06. Both served me very well when I lived down south in the South Texas mesquite country.

Have hunted them with a T/C Hawken .50 during the HAM (handgun, archery and muzzleloader) season in Arizona, in Texas more than once with various rounds while hunting other game, and also took one in Sonora, Mexico with a 7x57 during a Coues deer hunt. All worked fine--and am not surprised than just about anything would work well.

As far as eating, have had mixed results. I suspect they're one of those animals that have a chemical that some people's taste-buds don't like--which happens with pronghorns as well. Most people think pronghorns are among the best-tasting game when cooled quickly, but also have a good friend who hates to eat 'em, even when everybody else likes the same "goat." He says they taste like "dog food" to him, but have often wondered how much dog food he's eaten.

The best-tasting javelina I've eaten was the one from Sonora, which was killed just before Christmas, where javelina tamales are a tradition during Navidad. They were great! But have also had javelina that weren't so good, even though taken good care of, including removing the scent glands.

One of my long-time friends is Don Thomas, the well-known bowhunting writer, hunted them in Arizona for some years. He's also a very good and avid game cook, and years ago wrote a piece on cooking javelina. He suggested a 2-liter bottle of cheap red wine as the primary "ingredient"--which the cook should drink before attempting to eat javelina....

I might add that catching up with a less than anchored piggy in prickly pear cactus is less than ideal. Plenty of smack for DRT experience is highly recommended hence the recommended 30-06. I used everything from 165gr Sierra's to 200gr Sierra's and the 200gr GK were my favorite.

Oops. When I read your post I was thinking wild boar. I lived around javelina in AZ. I think a 223 would work fine.

I've killed several Pronghorns in MT and WY when they hold the season in mid to late October, they were the worst table fare as far as big game animals go. Big Nose Kate, my GSP wouldn't even try it, and she eats cow pies!

In Nevada, not bragging, we hunt them in mid to late August and I wouldn't trade a Nevada Antelope chop for a USDA Prime Rib Eye. I think that pre rut harvest makes all the difference. The range conditions in Montana should produce better meat, but is not true IMHO. This might be the case with these little pigs.

Have you seen or hunted Javelina? They weigh about 30 lbs.

I used my 7mm WSM when presented with my one and only opportunity to shoot one. Didn’t do much damage all things considered.

I think a centerfire 22 cal rifle would be ideal. They are very lightly built.

When my dad and uncle lived in Az the 32-20 was very popular for Javelina. That was in the 40s after WW2.

Met a fellow this last deer season who just loved javelina. Knowing it could be messed up easy I asked him for advice... his response was to never let the glands or the hair contaminate the meat. Then I asked him how he cooked them; the process sounded quite long, sort of like what I've seen posted for groundhog or capybara IIRC (lots of roasting, saucing, re-roasting, heavy seasoning...).

Haha, BIL last year made some javelina chorizo but he broke the aforementioned rules, couldn't stand to eat it. By stroke of luck he found a messican at work that just plain loved it so that's where it ended up. At lease it wasn't wasted!

I just came back from hunting in AZ the guys I was hunting with are pretty experienced with Javelina, I was hunting fox and cats. They hunt in the mountains glassing mountain sides and walking ridges. They had a 22-250 55gr NBT, 25 WSSM 100gr NBT and a 243 Win bullet unknown to me. Here in NM I'm using a 25-204 85gr NBT and 6.5 Grendel (BA) 90gr Speer.

30 Carbine and 25-35 sound perfect to me.

I've killed them with archery equipment and whatever is usually in my hand when deer hunting. The only one I had mounted was a big boar that I killed with a 7/08. Killed 2 with my AR using the 75 grain Gold Dot factory ammo. DRT. I think if I was going to hunt nothing but javis I'd use my CZ 527 in .223 shooting the 50 grain Nosler BT.

Don't know anyone that hunts Javelina, but do a lot of people that shoot them like the vermin no one I know eats them. Rio7

I've never understood why javelina meat has such a bad rep. I've always found it delicious and one of my favorites. It's delicious when made into burgers and grilled over wood coals for a smokey taste. Javelina eat alot of prickly pear cactus and it's always interesting to see how many cactus quills are stuck in their gums. They have very tough mouths. Prickly pear cactus is sweeter and the same flavor comes through in their meat

Here in Arizona they are considered "big game" requiring a tag. They are among my favorites to hunt, mainly because it gets me in the area I hunt deer during some wonderful weather and less pressured times. I really enjoy using a pistol, specifically my 10mm Dan Wesson, but I don't miss an opportunity to take my 243 for a walk as well.

IMHO, it's hard to beat the .243 Win. for javelina. Nothing wrong with anything bigger than that either. I've taken them with a .223, and most of the time they work great, but if you had to take a shot at a trickier angle, the .223 might not always do the job. Yes - I speak from experience. Also, if you had to take a cross-canyon shot at a peccary (which happens quite often where I have hunted) and the wind is kind of stiff, I don't have the confidence of a 55gr bullet staying on-course vs. a 100gr or heavier bullet.

Having said all that, javelina hunting to me is an opportunity to get out and just enjoy. For me anymore, that means carrying my peep-sighted 30-30, or my Ruger Scout .308, or yes, perhaps a .223 in an AR platform. I have a friend who uses javelina season as an opportunity to use rifles that rarely come out of the safe - muzzleloaders, 375 H&H, etc. They all do the trick, and no, a 375 doesn't rip them in half.

Take what you want, know your limitations, and have fun!

You beat me to it. I was going to say pretty much the same thing and use the black bear analogy. I love bear meat. For a hunting rig given the size and country I’d get a good 5.56 AR. Accurate, fast handling and a quick follow up shot available for a finisher or second opportunity.