Those traveling south to Arizona area and camping

cpaharley2008 · 01-26-2018, 05:10 AM

someone posted on another forum to be careful of Javelina's, a pig type animal that may hurt humans as well as their dogs, they travel in packs and have horns. See here for pictures and info on this Arizona animal.....
Arizona Javelina | Behavior, Habitat and Characteristics

padlin · 01-26-2018, 06:27 AM

Good luck trying to see them. We've spent last winter searching for them while hiking, if you don't count the desert museum, we saw a total of 1. Lots of tracks everywhere though.

Zardoz · 01-26-2018, 06:57 AM

We see them almost every evening in our neighborhood. Live and let live.

Iowa Dave · 01-26-2018, 07:27 AM

This old Iowa Boy does not fear a pack of little pigs. The entire porcine world has my picture up in their post offices. And a lot more of my friends. AZ Jack said they would wander into his yard in Tucson on occasion. Never seemed that impressed.
Iowa Dave

Mike Lewis · 01-26-2018, 07:34 AM

Tusks, not horns.

I've seen javalinas in west Texas. They seemed pretty benign to me, though I read that someone thought he was being herded by a group of them. Does anyone know of people being attacked by them?

**rbryan4** · 01-26-2018, 08:14 AM

People have been attacked, but it's pretty rare. It seems to happen when there is a group of them and not just one. Courage in numbers?

SWCO · 01-26-2018, 10:16 AM

Don't try to get close enough to see their horns.

Greg A · 01-26-2018, 10:25 AM

As with all wild life one should always use caution.
They run in packs around our house as well as the Coyotes and we usually encounter them at night if we're out. They will charge if provoked so just watch them go by if you see them.
If you're coming to the Quartzsite gathering We've never seen one in 10 years, but do hear the Coyotes running off in the distance at night. The gathering is too populated and most wildlife will avoid the gathering at all costs. This of course is in exception to the wildlife gathered around the campfires at night.

wetzk · 01-26-2018, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greg A

As with all wild life one should always use caution.
They run in packs around our house as well as the Coyotes and we usually encounter them at night if we're out. They will charge if provoked so just watch them go by if you see them.
If you're coming to the Quartzsite gathering We've never seen one in 10 years, but do hear the Coyotes running off in the distance at night. The gathering is too populated and most wildlife will avoid the gathering at all costs. This of course is in exception to the wildlife gathered around the campfires at night.

They were all around the campsite when we were down in Big Bend a few years back. I never noticed a smell but the site Jim gave said they stink. We were told to not leave garbage or food scraps on the ground and to not approach them. They seemed to just ignore us.

Greg A · 01-26-2018, 10:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wetzk

We were told to not leave garbage or food scraps on the ground and to not approach them. They seemed to just ignore us.

Probably a great idea, but if you ever want to be entertained in the middle of the night leave corn on the cob husks and watermelon rinds in the trash bag and forget to throw the trash out before bed time. We were awoken to an awful rutting that entertained us and the trailer next to us for an hour as they destroyed our corn and watermelon leavings. Quite interesting for the children in both trailers.

**rbryan4** · 01-26-2018, 11:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SWCO

Don't try to get close enough to see their horns.

Tusks. Definitely not horns. And by the way, they're fun to hunt, and seriously delicious. They breed like rabbits, so no worries about the population depleting.

santacruzer · 01-26-2018, 11:03 AM

I was staying at a nice resort hotel in New Mexico a few years ago for a conference, and javelinas would run around just outside the pool area at night. The hotel staff were pretty sanguine about them..."part of our charm" they noted. They did advise not to approach them.

**Donna D.** · 01-26-2018, 11:09 AM

Too bad the ferrel hogs in Texas and the Javelina tusks weren't as valuable as Elephant ivory....

reetired · 01-26-2018, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zardoz

We see them almost every evening in our neighborhood. Live and let live.

They run around up here also!

Vermilye · 01-26-2018, 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wetzk

They were all around the campsite when we were down in Big Bend a few years back. I never noticed a smell but the site Jim gave said they stink. We were told to not leave garbage or food scraps on the ground and to not approach them. They seemed to just ignore us.

Same here. Saw them every day at Cottonwood campground at Big Bend.

Fox hunt · 01-26-2018, 03:29 PM

they will kill a dog so my brother says watch your dogs if they are around.

mrpdk · 01-26-2018, 04:07 PM

Would the be better with a tangy or spicy sauce?

Iowa Dave · 01-26-2018, 04:33 PM

Looks like a hairy ham sandwich on the hoof. We get the military to parachute them into areas where their consumption is verboten and watch them root up the landscape. A new form of biological warfare.

**rbryan4** · 01-26-2018, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

Looks like a hairy ham sandwich on the hoof. We get the military to parachute them into areas where their consumption is verboten and watch them root up the landscape. A new form of biological warfare.

I like your thinkin' Dave. That is, unless they find out how tasty they are.

Oldtimer · 01-26-2018, 05:38 PM

Mmmmmmmm BACON mmmmmmmmmm

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