I have wanted to try wild pig hunting for quite a while. I finally got a chance to do it yesterday. Met up with two kiwis and headed to a farm to prep.

We hunted with 4 dogs, all mutts. Each dog is fitted with a protective collar and a tracking unit.

Getting ready.




We were going to be hunting a huge forestry block. The area was full of pines, gorse (nasty thorn bush) and undergrowth. It is NOT easy to hunt.


On the scent:


We let the other two dogs go, and they headed into the bush. Peter wasn't too happy, as they went into an area he hated. I was soon to find out why. He followed the dogs movements on the GPS, they were 400+ meters down in a gully. We couldn't hear them, but they weren't moving anymore, so they had the pig bailed up. Now we had to catch up to them.

We had to wind our way through 700 meters of blowdowns, cutdowns, gorse and undergrowth. You literally cannot see the ground, you are running across logs and branches, falling all the time, getting bruised, cut and scratched to hell. It was incredibly difficult just getting to the dogs, but the sound of the dogs going nuts and a pissed off pig keeps you going. This sh!t is not easy to get through.



I could tell I was close to them, but the growth was over my head, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to see anything. Luckily the pig was bailedup with the dogs in a tiny gully that wasn't as thick with growth. There were steep faces on each side, so it had no where to go. I got on the scene, which can only be described as utter chaos. Both of the other guys are jumping around trying to control the situation, the dogs are barking and trying to hold the pig by the ears, tail, and rear legs, and the pig is going nuts. The pig was about a hundred pound sow, no tusks on it, but any wild pig is a dangerous animal. Now comes the graphic part. In the midst of the chaos, you have to grab the feisty pig, and flip it over (not easy), all the while the dogs are going nuts. Keeping one eye on the dogs and one on the pig, you have to muscle the knife into the pigs throat. It bleeds out within 30 seconds.

After the madness:




Checking the dogs (all were fine):


Me and my roughly hundred pound wild pig:


With light fading, we still had to get the pig out. This is done by making a backpack, and carrying it out. As I killed it, I carried it. We had to go all the way out, no breaks. Not easy when you are going up hill, over logs, with a pig on your back. It was one hell of a workout. Add this to the fact that I had been away tahr hunting in the mountains for the previous three days, and it was effin' brutal!

Sam going up.


Hunters giving piggyback rides to fight swine flu (for size reference I am 6'4" 200lbs):


Finally back at the truck. Can you tell I am a bit tired?:


Your clothes get a bit bloody:





Hope you enjoyed the pics.

And yes, I will probably do it again, hopefully I will get a big boar. The guys I went with have gotten 250lb boars with 3" tusks before- that is some serious insane hunting!

Sounds like you guys had a ball. I don't know that I'd try flipping a two hundred pound boar w/ tusks to cut its throat. If you do, you have bigger stones than I do. Great story and pix. Was watching a combination Tahr/chamois hunt on the TV tonight. New Zealand is one of the places I would love to hunt before I go to meet my maker.
Best to you and yours and thanks for the story and great pix. Be sure and post pix from your next foray. Also be careful when sticking those boars.
GWB

Well, I'm not going to be critical, the New Zealanders got the job done, but we do it somewhat differently here. The bay/trailing dogs are usually NOT the catch dogs. They trail the hog(s) and bay it up somewhere, then the hunters usually turn loose a "catch dog" or dogs. These are mostly pit bulls or pit bull crosses, with the very occasional dogo thrown it. While bay dogs can and do get cut or killed, the catch dogs are much more often the victims, since their nature is to run in and grab hold of something, often without regard to where that something is. The good ones learn pretty quick and the ones who are not as smart or are just unlucky, don't live long enough to learn. Once a catch dog or dogs has a good hold, the pig is more or less immobilized, many of my friends who do this for fun don't kill them unless circumstances make it absolutely necessary but flip them, tie them up and carry them out. BUT, normally, if the hunter is going to kill them with a knife, they just go up and slip it behind the front leg, trying for the heart and working the knife up and down. It has it's moments but is not as dangerous as it sounds, since the catch dog has them pretty well immobilized. Seems to me stabbing one in the throat would be hazardous both for the hunters and the dogs but everything is upside down down there anyway.

BTW, while not exactly the same, those dogs have a lot of similarity to our black mouthed curs which are one of the more commonly used hog dogs in our area of Texas.

Good job and sounds like you had a lot of fun.

Great report, and great adventure!! Thank you for posting it. You should be proud. Yup, catch dogs make the whole process a little easier if not safer as Gato pointed out. Congratulations!

whew! wild and wooley ...

i am a gun hunter for pigs .. but ya'll have a ball with that

Thaks for sharing! That does sound like it had its moments of adventure, to say the least.

Me, I'm not as adventure-minded anymore and prefer medicating them from a distance with an appropriate dose of hot lead...

I'm hoping to get one with a knife sometime this year with some local guys. Thanks for sharing your hunt.
Jeff

Hey Storm, how come you never mentioned that strange feeling as the blood runs down your back too your nether regions.
Alot of hunters here do run a mix of Bay dogs(we call them finders) and catch dogs (holders).
Its a personnel choice and often depends on the enviroment hunted. I'ts been my experiance that straight holders don't live a long time and with some of the distance's hunted, they can make a hell of a mess of the pork before you get there.
Throat sticking is probably slightly harder than shoulder sticking, but its quick, and sure and tipping them means you have them under complete control when using the knife.

That does seem like a great time. Anytime you have the dogs working is great especially on big game.

quote:

Originally posted by shankspony:
Hey Storm, how come you never mentioned that strange feeling as the blood runs down your back too your nether regions.
Alot of hunters here do run a mix of Bay dogs(we call them finders) and catch dogs (holders).
Its a personnel choice and often depends on the enviroment hunted. I'ts been my experiance that straight holders don't live a long time and with some of the distance's hunted, they can make a hell of a mess of the pork before you get there.
Throat sticking is probably slightly harder than shoulder sticking, but its quick, and sure and tipping them means you have them under complete control when using the knife.

It was a warm feeling, warmed me up on a cold night, not that I needed the blood to warm me, as the workout got me pretty sweaty!

On the past three DRSS hunts a few of our members have hunted with a guide and his dogs. They have used knives and spears to make their kills! Glad I'm not in good enough shape to try that!

I have wanted to try it (hunting hogs with a knife) for some time, but I really like pulling the trigger and shattering the silence.......and then there's the smell of the burnt smokeless powder........damn, I'm an adict........

Congrats on a great hunt!

If we tried to hoist our hogs that way here in Texas we would be covered up with fleas and ticks!

Good Hunting,

Bob

Great story and pictures. You will find that you're addicted now, not much you can do about it but enjoy. I personaly like sticking them behind the shoulder, but the guys I hunt with like to catch them alive. So I have to come up with excuses to why I had to kill the beast. I have about a million and two reasons why they need to die. As stated before hand a good catch dog makes everything much easier.

Regards,
Larry

And the best reason is that they needed to be eaten, Larry!

That's the best reason of all!! Maybe we can find one for your KBAR one day.