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Prices for Texas and Arizona Javelina Hunts

The average cost of a javelina hunt is between $650 and $900. For additional fees, you can hunt javelina from a helicopter, adding a challenging and exciting element to the experience.

Javelina Hunting Season

There are different seasons for javelina hunting, depending on where you do it. In the north, the regular season runs from October to February. In the south, the season usually runs from September to August.

Check with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for exact dates for Javelina hunting season.

Thermal Javelina Hunts with Night Vision.

The Javelina, which is also called the Collared Peccary, is one of the few animals hunted in Texas without horns. This is because of its destructive nature, often compared to a wild hog, that is destroying crops and farm land in Texas. Since it is native to Texas, it knows the area very well and moves about effectively in the terrain, which can make hunting challenging. Though it is sometimes confused with the wild boar due to its appearance and mannerisms, the two are separate animals.

On the snout youll find short tusks. These are razor-sharp, so these animals can be dangerous if theyre cornered or panicked. Theyve been known to charge some hunters after theyre shot, especially when shot with a bow. The tusks protrude down below the mouth, and they dont curve that much, pointing straight at the ground.

When threatened by a hunter or one of their other natural predators;coyotes, jaguars, bobcats, mountain lions and, in areas where they live, boa constrictions;the javelina will usually flee. Despite its small size, it can reach a top speed of 35 miles per hour.

Generally, the javelina is most active in the early morning or in the evening when it is cool, and likes to rest in the middle of the day, under or near rocks, mesquite trees and other sources of shade.

Physical Characteristics

A javelina is usually between three and four feet long. It stands about 2 feet high when measured to the shoulder or spine. The standard animal will run between 35 and 55 pounds. This makes it smaller than a lot of wild hogs, though it is a stocky animal that has a lot of weight for its size. The females tend to be smaller than the males.

You can pick out a javelina by the shape of its head, which almost looks oversized for the body. Much of the time, the head is about one third of the animals entire size, with the body making up the remaining two thirds. The head ends in a pig-like snout, and the animal stands on legs that are both thin and long for its size.

A javelinas coat is thin and coarse, with tough hair that lays very flat. This coat tends to be a dark grey, and there is not much variation from one animal to the next. One defining feature of the coat is the collar around its neck, which is made up of white hairs and can help hunters determine exactly which animal theyve spotted through the scope.

Origin, Native Habitat and Countries

The javelina has a very big range, and its found all over North America, Central America and even down into South America. The Javelina typically lives in desert areas, and places that are covered in cacti and shrubs. However, it will also venture into woodlands, where it can find more cover, and it has been known to trek across grasslands, as well.

Behavior/Social Characteristics

These animals will eat almost anything. They do like berries, nuts and fruit, and theyll also go after roots and tubers. When they can find prickly pear cactus, theyll choose that over anything else. If needed, though, the javelina will eat dead birds, rodents and lizards.

Javelinas are social animals and live in packs. These packs tend to run between 6 and 12 animals, though some have been reported that are larger than 50 animals. Regardless of the size, each pack has a dominant male who leads. The rest of the hierarchy for the pack is based on their size. As a group, the pack needs an area between 75 to 700 acres, which they will defend. There is no rut. Members of the group mate throughout the year.

The javelina communicates with a rump-based scent gland. They mark out their territory and identify each other within the group with this scent. The smell is very unpleasant to humans, and so they have earned the nicknames “skunk pigs” and “musk hogs.”

Guided Javelina Hunts

Contact us for custom and concierge javalina hunting trips in Texas.