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Arizona javelina are descendants of tropical ancestors native to southern Mexico and Central America and are now found throughout Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Mexico. While many hunters in Texas pursue javelina much like wild hogs, hunting them in Arizona is a completely different experience. Here, they inhabit vast desert mountain ranges where hunters can glass long distances before making a stalk.

Javelina feed on a variety of vegetation and small animals, but prickly pear cactus and other desert plants make up the majority of their diet. Most successful hunters rely on spot-and-stalk tactics to locate a herd, although tracking can also be productive on the lower desert flats. Many hunters prefer to spend their time behind quality optics, picking apart rocky hillsides until they locate a group to pursue.

Although javelina have relatively poor eyesight, they make up for it with an exceptional sense of smell that keeps hunters honest. They are well known for the oily secretion produced by their scent gland, which creates a distinctive odor unique to each social group. Herd members depend on one another to detect danger, making a careful approach essential. Slipping into archery range on a herd tucked into rocky outcrops or hidden in tall desert grass is enough to ignite the hunting passion in even the most seasoned hunter.