I spoke to my son-in-law, Stuart last night and he told me of a hunt that our friends, Neal (of the many dogs) and Dennis (another friend) had made "across the river" a place even I know produces many big boars. Stuart was unable to make the hunt as he had too many chores to do, but I will try to relay the story as he told me.

It seems that the guys made a great hunt, they caught three hogs, a 200+ lbs boar, a 300+ bar, and a boar of between 350 and 400 lbs. I understand that the hunters are looking for a scale to weigh the last boar to determine it's actual weight, but it's without a doubt one very big, mean boar, the boar which killed Susie.

It seems that Susie's last hunt went down something like this: The pack had locked on some distance away and as Neal and Dennis tried to get there as quickly as they could they could tell that the pack was in trouble. In fact as they got close they could tell the pack was giving up on this one. Quite frankly this astounds me, I didn't know such a thing could even happen. The catch dogs were released, Sam (one of my favorites) was first on the scene, now Neal and Dennis are still out of sight, but could tell that Sam the catch dog was baying, not catching. They knew this must be some awesome boar causing this. Sam at the moment was alone with this monster, barking and keeping her distance.

Neal got to the scene (he's always first) and the boar made a move towards him. Now Neal was unarmed, he lost his .357 a couple of months ago on a chase and has not replaced it yet. I don't think he even carries a pocket knife. But when the boar made it's move towards Neal, Sam got the openning she was looking for, lunged in and caught the hog on one ear. Dennis's catch dog showed up on the scene and grabbed the other ear.

Neal was able to move in and grab the boar by the back legs, but was unable to lift both legs off the ground at the same time, so he could not throw the hog as he customarly does. They were just kind of stuck there, until Dennis and another friend showed up and they were able to wrestle the beast down, which was hobbled, and I'm sure it's mouth was tied or taped. So the animal was taken out alive. What was done with it I don't know.

The pack was bloodied, all the dogs had some marks from this encounter, but Susie was found with her intestines hanging out. These were gently place back into her body, the wound was stapled and she was rushed out to the vet where she died on the operating table. The vet showed Neal that the boar had gotten a part of her lung, she just could not be saved.

I've been affected by this more than I would have thought. After all Susie isn't my dog, and she was not even one of my favorites. She was young and often would chase deer, and had to have a shock collar placed on her to break her of this habit. She was nothing special, and probably would not have been included in the pro"s packs as she was just a mutt really, mostly black mouth curr and who knows what else. But man this dog loved to hunt. She was always the last one back to the boat. She was always the one who would strike out the furthest, she was always the one we had to spend time trying to track with the tracking device. Quite frankly this trait often irritated me, but the reality of it all, she just loved to hunt and didn't want to end the hunt, or admit defeat.

Now she's dead, and I'm going to miss her. Her life was short, some might consider the whole thing cruel perhaps, maybe it is. But Susie died doing what she was created to do, her God's work if you will, and there's something in me that will always admire her for it.

I'll try to get pictures of Susie, and the boar, and post them if I can figure out how to do it again.

Regards, Larry

Great story, Larry. Sorry to hear that Susie lost her life on the hunt, but she died doing what she loved to do and what she did well. That should provide some comfort.......

Looking forward to seeing the photographs! Oh, and tell Neal to buy a new back-up weapon! Shouldn't do this stuff unarmed!

Thanks Whitworth, I had an idea that I'd get some kind words for Susie from you. I appreciate them very much, strange really how friendships can develope through this medium, from folks who are really not even likely to ever meet in person. Thanks all the same.

Larry

P.S. It's kind of hard to tell Neal anything, he's a hard headed kind of cuss, great friend though.

The loss of a good dog leaves a large emptyness. I feel your loss. A great eulogy that you wrote for Susie.
You have my best....

Larry, not a problem! I would lend Neal one of your handguns next time y'all go hunting -- he'll get the picture!

Looking forward to the photos!

Yeah maybe I should, I'd like to know what Neal would have done if Sam wouldn't have stopped the boar's charge. Of course the only handguns I have other than my .41 mag are .36 cal. cap&ball revolvers, I have 5 of those. If the .36s didn't stop the charge he could hide in the smoke. I do have a .357 Sig. given to me upon my retirement, but Neal ain't getting that one.

The .41 magnum makes for good hog medicine!! You probably could hide in the smoke!!

Larry,

You will never forget her; and Susie will always stand out for those things she did differently from the rest. That alone makes her life worth living. Take care.

Matt

Thanks Matt, for your kind words. Thinking of Susie and what you say has put a smile on my face. I just think somebody ought to play a dirge, sing a requiem, bagpipes perhaps, and again this dog was never mine, just got to know her some. I wasn't even there, and I'm kind of wondering if I got the kind of guts it takes for this sport. Maybe I'm a bit too soft in the middle for this game.

quote:

Originally posted by Larry Matherne: I wasn't even there, and I'm kind of wondering if I got the kind of guts it takes for this sport. Maybe I'm a bit too soft in the middle for this game.

We call this being human. Maybe this is a bit out in left field, but I have a good friend who is a PH in Tanzania. He says that when a man kills an elephant for the first time, if he is not overwhelmed emotionally, than there is something wrong with that person. In other words, people who don't feel, don't appreciate the hunt and maybe they should take up something else for a hobby. I'm not saying you should feel bad when you kill a pig, but you should feel bad when you lose a good dog.

I know what your ph was talking about. I killed a brown bear in Alaska once. The hunt was everything I hoped for, but the nobility of the beast was overwhelming. I am very glad I hunted the animal, and killed it, but I have no desire to do it again. I'm just in a funk, I'll go load some bullets for hog hunting and remember the good times with Susie. Thanks again for your kindness.

Oh Boy. That's a tough one given the circumstances!

Susie passed doing what she loved ... when we ask our friends to take that kinda risk we should be as well prepared as possible though. The fault was not hers. (I really don't mean that to sound indelicate.)

I know what you mean about wondering if one is "tough enough" sometimes. I had that feeling during a Kudu hunt what was too long ... that old fella showed more will to live than I had ever imagined. But what was started had to be finished. Magnificent guy.

Don't be too hard on the boys, the damage was done before they got there. Believe me, they did all they could to get there in time, they just couldn't.

I ride motorcycles, not really the brightest thing to do, but I accept the risk, because I enjoy the sense of freedom it brings. Susie was doing her thing as well, and would have accepted the risk if she had the chance to because that was who she was. So God speed to her and her kind.

You're alright, Larry. I would hunt with you any time. It's the folks that are cavalier about hunting, that don't appreciate the priviledge that it is. We should never even take a mud-caked pig for granted!

Same to you Whitworth, anytime & Semper Fi, and that from an old squid.

quote:

Originally posted by Larry Matherne:
Same to you Whitworth, anytime & Semper Fi, and that from an old squid.

Haha! Then we are in the same family! Thanks, Larry!

Sorry to hear this Larry ,im here with billinthewild preparing for a hog hunt tomorrow.I lost my best friend PAIMUN figthing with his son LANHUEL and never forgiven that i couldnt separate them .Juan

Thanks Juan, that certainly was a tragic way to lose your friend Paimun, but these things happen, really not your fault at all I'm sure. We had a pitt injure a bay dog so bad it's leg had to be amputated. This dog hunts now on three legs and does pretty well.

Good luck on your hunt tomorrow, post some pictures if you can. I won't be able to hunt until 1st week in June and I'm itching at the bit.

Larry, has the dog been renamed "tripod" by chance?

Woa, sorry I missed this post, not officially the dog's name is Uno, but he is unoffically called Tripod quite a bit. I quess under the circustances that comes rather naturally.

Hnts4fun, if you are out there, I was reading one of your post again the other day where you spoke of Mo,oo, not sure if I got the name right. Sure sounds like he was a hell of a dog. What a crazy way for him to come to his end! Dogs are becoming such an important part of my life now, strange as I never hunted much with them in the past, except for waterfowling, and I hadn't made up my mind if they were worth it then. Now I know that I missed the experience of getting to know them, on a personal level.

The Susies, Mo,oos, Hotrods, Sams, Paimun, Freddys, etc. are worth getting to know.

Larry,

It'll be awhile, but I'll get to digging out the album and scan a few pictures for posting. I had not hunted with dogs before or since the early eighties but I count those furballs amongst my finest and most memorable hunting partners. Good stuff!!!

Matt

Matt, I'd love to see and will be anxiously waiting to see the pictures of your dogs and hogs. I bet everybody will enjoy them very much.

regards,
Larry

Ditto -- love seeing hog-dog photos! Post 'em up, Matt!

Sorry to hear of the loss of a good dog

There is definitely a dark side, with-in our circle of hunters, two more dogs were lost in a week. I wasn't there, and don't know these dogs, but this is a tough sport.

Thanks for your post,
Larry

quote:

Originally posted by Larry Matherne:
There is definitely a dark side, with-in our circle of hunters, two more dogs were lost in a week. I wasn't there, and don't know these dogs, but this is a tough sport.

Thanks for your post,
Larry

You're darn right it is! Last year while hunting with dogs in Florida, we were cooling the dogs off in a small pond (it was a really hot and humid day), when one of the dogs was bit by a gator -- if the hogs don't get 'em, sometimes the gators do.......

The dog made it out of the gator's jaws and lived to hunt another day.......

Yeah, alligators are very tough on dogs here in S. Louisiana. I've known several waterfowl hunters who have lost dogs while duck hunting. There aren't that many gators in the area we hog hunt in Arkansas, but it could happen. Heck, I guess swimming a creek or river pursing dogs might prove interesting in that regard, never thought about it...Well there aren't that many gators there anyhow right?

Florida is overpopulated with the big lizards. They're on every golf course (not that golf!), back yards, parkin lots, crossing highways, etc. They are pervasive! Plus, where we hunt is largely swamp and a creek runs through the property -- so, there's a lot of water, and consequently a lot of gators!

Yeah, I know what you mean, here in S. Louisiana we have more than our share. While I was talking to my Sister-in-law on the phone yesterday my neice told her that there was a alligator in her driveway. Really not that uncommon at all. I live near a golf course and some of my neighbors have lost dogs from alligators living in the ponds on the golf course.

I had a 29 yrs. with the La. Dept. of Wildlife & Fisheries as a game warden and spent a good deal of my time during the early years moving and removing alligators, and I have a few scars to go along with my stories.

Funny though, we use to get a pile of nuisance complaints concerning alligators in the more civilized areas and not so many from cajun country,... not sure why.

Cuz they're good eatin' Larry!