Javelina encounter

[Wyoming]

This morning about sunrise I was hiking in the mountains near my home in Prescott and had quite an encounter with a javelina.

I was hiking along in an area with heavy manzanita and heard a weird grunt sound behind me. When I looked back over my shoulder I saw a big black animal coming at me. Since I get aggressive dogs running at me pretty frequently in this area I just think it is another one and start to turn to chase it off. All of a sudden I wake all the way up and realize it is a really large javalina coming at me at a run. OH F**K! I say to myself. I start screaming at it and get ready to stab it with my hiking poles. Fortunately it turns away and runs into the brush about 15 ft from me.

I must have gotten too close to a family group there in the brush, but I never saw any other javelina's.

My legs didn't feel normal for a mile or two lol.

[The_Dude]

@Wyoming
Glad all went well! It is pretty rare they will be aggressive, I have certainly had quite a few close encounters with these guys over the years, so far so good. Always makes things fun though...

[wha]

About 20 years ago I was following a narrow game trail through a large field of tall thick grass or something about shoulder height. It was about dusk. I heard something running towards me. Suddenly a javelina came barrelling down the trail. I spread my legs and it ran right through. I laughed so hard it probably spooked any dear within a mile.

Javelina have very poor eyesight. It may not have seen you until it was 15 feet away. I've had them walk up to about 10 feet away, peering at me, trying to figure out what I am. I've only seen them at all aggressive when they have young, and they don't have a clear exit.

[JasonCleghorn]

Funnily enough, I had my first encounter with them last Friday AM in Cave Creek. Three of the four ran away, the fourth stood like a deer in headlights and would NOT move. It literally was frozen. It was hilarious.

[rcorfman]

Javelina don't see very well. It may just not have known where you were at. My wife and I had one run straight towards us once when we were heading to the plane crash site out by Lake Pleasant. We were yelling and waiving at it when it was charging towards us. It finally veered away about 15' out. It was actually heading to another javelina on the other side of us. Not sure how I managed to get this picture