Nature: Local archer has a day to remember

By Don Martin, Daily Kingman Miner

KINGMAN – In every sportsman’s life, there are days when everything just seems to go right.

Last Saturday, local bow hunting professional Jon Yokely had a day he’ll likely never forget. The day started off when Yokely and his friend, Tiger Thomson, owner of Cactuflage camouflage in Lake Havasu City, headed out before dawn to Jon’s favorite pig hunting area.

As day light came, the first thing spotted wasn’t pigs but a herd of eight mule deer. With them was a wide 4X4 buck. Both Yokely and Thomson had archery deer tags, but after analyzing the situation, they decided they could not make a successful stalk. So they continued to glass, and it wasn’t long before Thompson spotted a herd of pigs near the top of the largest mountain in the area. The hunters made a long stalk, keeping the wind in their faces, but when they got to where the pigs were last seen, they were gone. As they started back down the mountain, Thompson heard the familiar “woof-woof” that javelinas make when alarmed, and he saw a pig close by. He let an arrow go, but shot high, and the porker ran off.

Yokely saw the pigs, and even though they were several hundred yards off, started using a javelina distress call. Several of the pigs came straight to him, and in no time, he had his 2011 javelina tag filled.

They returned to Kingman to get more arrows and had lunch. Then back to the field they went. Yokely soon spotted the herd of deer they had seen earlier in the day, and this time they were in a location where a stalk might just be possible.

With bow in hand, and not an hour of daylight left, Yokely headed up the mountain. He got close enough to make a shot, and one perfectly placed arrow ended his 2011 deer hunt. The 26″ wide 4X4 mule deer buck is the second best that Yokely has taken with a bow in more than 30 years of bow hunting.

He summed up the day: “I never had such a wonderful day bow hunting!”