Where to hunt Collared Peccary
Collared peccary, known in some parts of its range as Javelina, is one of the smallest big-game animals in the Americas. Although they look like pigs, javelina belong to a different family and are unique to the New World. Today Javelina hunting is popular in the Southwest, in Mexico from the American border to the Yucatan, and in fact in every place they inhabit.
Price distribution
The most affordable opportunities to hunt a Collared Peccary are the non-guided or semi-guided hunts in the US, which often start at just under $1,000. The most expensive Collared Peccary hunt would be a hunting trip to the Yucatan, which costs just under $5,000 before the trophy fees. The trophy fee for a Collared Peccary is about $500.
When to hunt Collared Peccary?
The opening dates for Javelina hunting seasons vary greatly from state to state and sometimes even from one area within the state to another. Hunting in the Yucatan is limited to the dry season. Bird hunters prefer the spring season, which runs from March till May, and big-game hunters the fall season, September to November.
Hunting methods
The Pecarry can be hunted by spot-and-stalk, as a family produces quite a lot of noise looking for food in the undergrowth, the noise both giving them away and masking the hunter’s approach. These creatures don't see very well beyond about 100 yards, but under the dense cover of the jungle that doesn’t matter too much. Many other different hunting techniques can also be used with success, including hunting from a blind, calling, and driving.
Why hunt Collared Peccary?
The Collared Peccary is a species unique to America. Even though they are related to pigs, they differ from them in many important aspects, including teeth, gestation period, complex stomach, a scent gland on the back, absence of a tail - and the taste of meat. The secret of peccary cooking seems to be slow-cooking. A traditional Mexican campstyle way, practiced all over the West, is to bury a field-dressed javelina under a heap of burning coals and leave overnight. Imagine doing this in the Yucatan hunting camp, under the canopy of tropical rainforest, in the air filled with cries of unusual, brightly colored birds!
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