Valsdad,
Now that I'm retired I have lots of time and not so much money. How much would a trip for one guy cost? What is included?
I didn't know this, as I have a lifetime license I purchased years ago when I lived there, but non-resident licenses are now only offered as a combo hunt-fishing license and those are now $160! Way Way higher than I remember. I'm sure glad I got the lifetime one back in '06 or so for around $500.
Non-Res javelina tags have gone up too it looks like. I just got the antelope/elk regs and looked in it. Seems non-res javelina tags are now up to a whopping $115.
Looks like cost just for license and tag to a non resident hunter would be $275 for a "desert pig" or "stink pig" as folks call them, Sure has gotten higher over the years since I started. I thought I only paid $100 for this tag, but the draw deadline for it was way back in the fall so I forgot.
What's involved is finding a place to camp in the unit you put in for, large portions of the state are just open areas for hunting/camping etc. Then one finds a spot to look over big open areas with glasses or a spotting scope. This time of year, especially where I hunt at 3500-5000 feet, one looks at a lot of south facing slopes in the morning as the pigs like to warm up on them. We've had snow and sleet during our hunts, the pigs don't like to move much then, and when they do, they're looking for heat. South slopes with a good supply of prickly pear cactus are good spots to glass.
I can only take so much sitting in one spot, so sometimes I walk up draws and glass south slopes as I move. And keep my ears open. The groups of "pigs" seem to almost always be grunting to each other. Leas the ones I've run across. Sometimes they'll be in/on thicker slopes and that's how you'll know they're there.
You've got a long drive from OR to AZ, so you'd have to figure fuel getting there, maybe a night in motel unless you camp on the way down and that's if you hunt the more northern reaches of javelina territory. Most of them are down below the " pine tree line" although I've seen a few in the trees while elk hunting. Low odds up there.
Here's good info from the AZ game and fish folks:
https://azgfd.com/hunting/species/biggame/javelinathey actually have a very good website with loads of info, if you're interested it's a good place to "surf" for AZ hunting and fishing info, including info on particular units.
Three different spring hunts for javelina start with archery in Jan I think, then the one I do, the HAM hunt (handgun, archery, muzzleloader, then a general season for all legal weapons.
Quite a few outfitters in AZ if you want to go that route. Don't know what going rate is for them. One of the folks I hunt with is an outfitter and sometimes gets a client for this hunt although it seems most of his are archery hunters during the Jan season.
Let me know if this helped,
I'm kinda bummed it's gotten so expensive,I didn't know about the license issue as I have that lifetime one. Without it I'd have a hard decision to make for a 40-60 lb critter. But it does get me down to AZ at least once a year, during the winter.
Geno
PS, if you find them, they're relatively easy to stalk if you keep the wind in your favor. Folks think they don't see to good, compared to an elk/deer/antelope maybe, but they probably see as good as you and I do. Stay downwind and don't move if t hey have a head up and you can get pretty close, certainly within pistol range. (even I have
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