A good friend sent this story to me. It is a good reminder for all of us not to get too complacent around wild hogs. They can be very dangerous, especially when wounded. Those tusks are razor sharp.

I would like to "thump" his hunter with a 2x4!

Bob

The Story:

I've hunted with Randy before. He's a big ol' country boy and not afraid to get down and dirty with a hog. We tracked my son's boar one night and had to get busy with a Glock .40. He hog hunts for a living. But the odds caught up to him a few days ago.

He had a few hunters in for a donated hunt for the Leukemia Society (or something like that). Hunter made a bad shot on a big boar with a .300 Win Mag. They went in after him and couldn't find him. Randy had walked the area a couple times. He had the hunter and his wife with him. He climbed up on a fallen pine tree and jumped down to the other side. As soon as he hit the ground the boar was on him.

Randy fought him off for awhile by kicking him but the hog didn't act like most of them (hit you and run off). He just kept charging. And kept charging. And kept charging. Soon Randy was bleeding from the thigh, wrist, and hands. He was losing a lot of blood and finally got pizzed off.

He was able to grab the hog's head and pin him by getting a knee on his neck. He yelled at the hunter several times to shoot the hog. "HURRY UP! I NEED SOME RELIEF!" Finally the guy snapped out of his shock and came up and put the hog down.

Randy started tying off wounds the best he could and got his wife to drive him to the hospital in Crockett. One surgery, 56 stitches, and a whole bunch of antibiotics later...he is back at home recuperating. The doctor said the tusks just barely missed the main artery in his wrist and it would have got real bad, real quick if that got cut.

He said, "I reckon I'll have to start carrying a pistol again". But he said the hog was on him so fast he didn't even see him coming and wouldn't have had time to draw.

I was driving through Centerville, Texas today and decided to call my buddy Randy. He was at the Langley Ranch recovering from getting charged by a 175 lb. boar.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery............

I am never without a side-arm when hunting, espcially hogs.
Several years back I got charged. First time he knocked me over and ran. I followed and he charged again. I put seven 230 gr. JHPs out of my Glock 36 in the boar over 15 feet or so. He died at my feet and I was still pulling the trigger with the slide locked back. Talk about singing soprano. My nutsack was shrunk up to my sternum. I now carry a 10 mm with 1 in the tube and 15 friends in the mag.
Ya' can't get careless out there.

Ouch !

Nasty cuts.

He'll be pumped full of anti-biotics for a while.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery,

A reminder of how tuff these animals are, damn

Bob,

All my best to Randy's speedy recovery...I think I might start carrying my custom 3" Mod 19. Not perfect, but better than nuthin.

quote:

He just kept charging. And kept charging. And kept charging.

It only takes one ..... and if you're long enough at it - it will happen.

It's a big, heavy brute but my Ruger (New Model) 44 Mag is always at my side when I have to look for one (O.K., it's in my rucksack until it it's close-up & flashlight time).

Typical; it's not us who get in the way - but it's the Piggers who know where to slash you.

Best Regards to Randy and a speedy recovery for those nasty wrist & thigh wounds. The thigh wound may appear hapless but the Pigger was aiming for Randy's groin!

I know Randy well. Sorry to hear about the outcome of his cage match.

Yep, you can normally kick them off of you but when that doesn't work... you'd better have something available that is capable of invasive exploration of the eye, ear, nose and/or throat area.

A great little insurance gun for this type of follow up work is the Stoeger Stage Gun (SxS 12 gauge) with slugs. I used this setup to shoot a big sow last year that had me pinned to the side of a coral trap. BOOM, BOOM, flop. Yes, I jumped into the coral trap with a bunch of hogs. I like it better than a pistol when the poop hits the fan.

I'll drop in on the boys in Centerville when I return from vacation and see how things are going.

Number One reason why I will not go on a hunt for hogs with dogs.

Yes, I know a lot of folks do it, but all it takes is that one special pig, like the one described in this discussion, to go after someone and cut the femoral artery and you can end up with a dead pig hunter.

JMO, but I really do not believe people really understand how dangerous a hog can be.

Damn, that's nasty.
He's gonna be mighty lucky IF he can avoid serious infections with those wounds.

Good thing he didn't fall down and get gutted too.

Wish him the best from us and keep us posted on how things work out. Thanks for sharing this, it'll wake a lot of folks up I'll bet.

George

I hope he has a speedy recovery... that got bad in a hurry, i'm sure...I carry a colt officers's model .45 when I hunt... ive seen very few hogs around camp wood, but I know they're there... some times I change it out for a combat commander or gov't model... but im always armed...

I just heard from Randy. He is back in the saddle again. It has been a rough two weeks......

Bob

Please pass on my best wishes for a fast recovery also. That sure looks like a nasty encounter of the worst kind!

I would think the Kevlar chaps used by chainsaw operators would protect your legs quite well.
If a chainsaw chain cant get through them,I don't think pigs could either.

JB, read those things carefully ,I think you'll find wording such as kevlar chaps REDUCE injuries NOT PREVENT them !!!

mete:
Yep, idiots can defeat any safety protection.
Count on it.

There is a reason one of the first bullet resistant vests was named Second Chance...they are designed to save your life once you have already screwed up

The chainsaw chaps material is designed to shred and lock up the saw.
Saw it done in a chainsaw safety class.

I don't think a stab from a hog would be stopped much.
Might keep a cut from going too deep though.

Wow, That looks awful. Best wishes for speedy recovery. Been said here before and I'll add a little flavor. As much as I love my 220Sig, when pig hunting I carry a Glock 20 with 1 in the spout and 15 in the mag. That being said, I do not practice nearly as much as I should and do not know how I would respond in that situation. This guy is very lucky to be alive in my opinion. If the boar had attacked his groin and gotten the femoral artery things could be different in a very tragic way.

ONE MORE REASON TO KILL ALL THE PIGS YOU CAN EVERY CHANCE YOU GET.

No matter what gun you rely on.
There's nothing helps matters more than
LOT'S of PRACTICE!

Article recently about a cop that killed an a/h a few yrs ago that was shooting at him and partner. Said he was better than average with rifle and shotgun, not much good with a pistol.

That just don't make any sense to me that a person betting his life on a pistol don't practice enough to get GOOD with it.

Some yrs ago the local gun club CMP director decided we were going to have a pistol match "so bring 'em". Until that day I'd always figured I was barely a "half assed pistol shot".
It really shocked me to learn out of 26 shooters on 25 targets and at least half were LEO's that I won every single target with a .30 carb Blackhawk. Most match's I used to be somewhere around 3-5th on the list no matter what gun was used. Sometimes amazing things happen when least expected.

Anyone betting their life on a pistol better learn how to use the damned thing.
George

I have a friend who has scars from a Boar in almost the same spots (hand palming it away and right side knee and calf area from lifting his leg up for protection).
He was attacked by a big boar whilst on his way back to camp after shooting one of two Boar that had been fighting during rut. He also smashed a beautiful full wood stock of an unloaded Sauer over its head.
Moral of the story; Rifle becomes an expensive club if carried unloaded.

quote:

Originally posted by mete:
JB, read those things carefully ,I think you'll find wording such as kevlar chaps REDUCE injuries NOT PREVENT them !!!

I know of more then a few loggers that were saved from injuries by their chaps. But nothing is 100 percent.

quote:

Number One reason why I will not go on a hunt for hogs with dogs.

I would love to hunt hogs with hounds. Been up close and personal with some 300lb plus black bears and a pack of hounds I mean feet not yards.

Don't see why a hog would be any different sticking your 4 inch barreled pistol muzzle into the ear of a 500 lb bear is rather exciting.

Look back at the pictures of the injured party and realize that he could have ended up dead.

Know how hard it can be to stop a femoral artery from bleeding you out?

Yes one can die many ways if I gave up doing every thing that might kill me I would just be sitting in a chair doing nothing.

There is such a thing as pushing the odds.

Wounding a cape buffalo and getting killed is one thing.

Grabbing ahold of a perfectly healthy pig and getting killed is a totally different situation.

Dying in a plane crash is one thing, jumping out of a plane and dying because the parachute didn't open is another.

I can thing of better ways of dying or getting injured than grabbing a live pig. Besides, will your insurance cover something like that?

I sort of have my doubts unless you have some hellacious insurance that would cover knowingly doing something that could result in injury or death apart from driving a vehicle.

Yes, I can see or imagine that interview, "And just how did you get injured by this pig? I was out hunting pigs with dogs and grabbed hold of this one and _______________________________ (fill in the blank on what went down) and then the insurance agent explains why the company does not cover such things"!!!!!!!

You may have something to prove to someone, good for you, hope nothing goes wrong if you get to go after a pig that way.

I have nothing to prove to anyone and I have been bit by a pig. Not as bad as that guy, but more than enough to convince me that I ain't going to willingly put myself into a situation where I might get cut up that way.

I have seen more than one person end up in the hospital only to find out their insurance would not cover the injuries their received due to the activity they were doing when hurt.

You want to consider me a coward you go right ahead, but at my age, I have suffered enough pain and injury from those, "Hold My Beer And Watch This Shit Moments"!

I don't see any place where he was trying grab the hog. He was searching for a wounded one and found it.

To bad he did not see it before it got to him could have happened with any game that can hurt you.

There is all kinds of ways to hunt with dogs distance weapons guns and bows then there is the contact type knifes and spears.

I don't think I could do the knife thing my self but a cold steel boar spear on a good 8 for shaft or so wouldn't be to bad.

I have no idea where you got the idea that he was hunting with dogs or that he tried to grab the pig. It was a spot and stalk hunt and the pig charged him and he tried to fend him off??????

Here is the complete story in Randy's own words that he posted on my board:

"The spookiest part to me of the whole ordeal my 8 year old daughter had been helping me guide the hunt all day.. She loves what I do and had been stride for stride with me all day until she got hot and went home about 5 minutes before I took the hit. I never let her help except for at the skinning rack of if we have hunters that are very good friends of ours. This was a different kind of hunt that we had donated so I didn't mind her being around the hunters because it was a fun celebration type hunt. We had rode the ranch on mules and she showed off our duck ponds and alligator ponds and actually put the hunter on two other hogs in different pastures before this happened.

In all honesty Ive been expecting this to happen to me eventually. I get charged on a regular basis. Its just part of what I do. Ive been doing it daily for about 10 years and figured one of these day I'm going to get a leg or calf cut and Ill end up with some stitches. I never imagined Id end up in two hours of surgery and 56 stitches. Im glad it was me that got cut.. Im glad it wasn't my daughter, my hunter, his friend or my father in law who had been helping us. Ill take the charge any day for my hunters. Cant tell you how many times its happened this one just turned out bad for me.

Y'all have to realize we kill 3-5 hogs a day everyday probably 1,200-1,500 in a year and our hunting outfit stays booked up about two years in advance. I do this all the time, I really don't know anyone else that has more experience dealing with wild hogs than we do. Folks really don't realize what I do until they see it.

I used to carry a gun and a big knife. Hunters would wound hogs Id run through the brush & finish them off and I would end up killing more hogs than my hunters were. They were like "thanks man.. appreciate it.."I just drove all the way from New York to hunt and watch you kill my hogs for me. So over time I started leaving my weapons at home and let my hunters do all of the shooting. Except when I have small children hunting with me. I always carry something when I have kids that I'm guiding. In time I had learned a pretty good defense to keep the hogs off of me that has been successful for the past ten years or so. Sad thing is I broke my own rule when I had my own daughter with me unarmed.

Tracking at night I carry. If I know I'm dealing with a bad hog I carry. Typically when I'm tracking I carry. This was a spot & stalk in the middle of the day and it never crossed my mind to strap anything on. I had just got a new Kimber a month or two ago and I had been carrying it relentlessly even hunting because its my carry gun. Except for this day. I think it would have saved me a few stitches on my hands but my thighs would of still be had he hit me so hard and fast.

I had the wind at our faces headed south. It was me, my daughter, the hunter and his lady friend. I found a dark black spot and pointed it out to my hunter. From that spot the hunter moved in closer the rest of us stayed behind. The shot was close from about 15 yards as we stalked up a creek he was above us in the high bank of the creek. I saw instantly he hit him in right in the flank with a .300 win mag with a Barnes TTSX had a small gut hanging out. No blood but his back legs wouldn't work. He was just as fast as he would normally be dragging himself around with his front feet. I commented how he had excellent front wheel drive. He took off out of sight almost instantly. All I knew was the direction he had went. Again no blood. At this time I turned to my hunter and said this is when people get hurt. When hogs are wounded they get incredibly aggressive, be careful. Not once did I think of myself Ive been through this countless times. I wanted them to be cautious. We tracked for probably a good hour. Figured we'd find him dead somewhere in that much time and if it was still alive he was probably immobile.

The charge was unavoidable. I got caught in a small opening as I came over a pine log. As soon as my feet hit the ground he heard me and sprinted out of a yaupon thicket, I had no where to go. He hit me harder and faster than Ive ever been hit before, and Ive been hit allot. I kicked him off the best that I could but at some point I made a mistake and I remember him being up around my belly button and I panicked. I think this is where my hands got involved. Which you should never do. I tried backing out but he followed me. About this time I knew I was cut I could feel blood flowing and It made me mad. I knew the lady that was with the hunter was right behind me and I knew I couldn't let the hog get to her. So I kept fighting. I eventually kicked the hog hard enough he did a 180 and got his butt to me.

I jumped in on him and I flanked him like a calf and got him down. I got my knee on him but he kept biting me and hitting me with his teeth. I got a hand in around his mouth and was able to hold his mouth closed and his head down as I called for the hunter. I said come shoot this son of a ***** I need some relief. This is the second hog that I have ever seen in 10 years that would relentlessly keep coming back to me charge after charge and not leave. They get incredibly dangerous when wounded.

I wanted to go to the hospital in College Station because I couldn't feel my fingers and I knew my wrist was in bad shape. I knew I had to get to a dang good hospital. I had lost a whole lot of blood and knew I couldn't make the hour and a half drive over there.
So my wife drove me to Crockett figured if I was too bad they'd do what they could then send me somewhere else.

I knew I was bad off when the ER folks freaked out and the on call dr punted and called a surgeon. The surgery staff at ETMC Crockett took great care of me. They were kind caring country folks who understood what happened and did their best for me even though they had to come in on a Sunday night. I was cut up so bad and so bloody my only option was to be knocked out for a couple hours so they could clean up and fix all of my lacerations.

Yes I do have his head and man its got some huge cutters. I'm not a big fan of hog mounts but I'm about to have one of my own. I sure went about getting it the hard way.

I plan on carrying all the time now. I have no doubt I will most likely get cut again but hopefully it wont be as bad as this one.

I'm doing fine. I'm a little sore where I'm swollen and Ive got more patchwork and stitches in me than a worn out quilt but I'm just fine. The Good Lord was looking after me because just a hair deeper on my wrist and it would have all been over with.

Guess my work here isn't quite done."

Now, that a couple of you have expressed your opinions, PLEASE, take time to read and comprehend that at NO POINT in any of my responses, did I state or make any mention that this accident occurred on a hunt where dogs were used.

It is so easy for people to read stuff into a persons post or response and run down the road with it. I have been guilty of it and probably will be again.

Take time to re-read my response people:

quote:

Number One reason why I will not go on a hunt for hogs with dogs. Yes, I know a lot of folks do it, but all it takes is that one special pig, like the one described in this discussion, to go after someone and cut the femoral artery and you can end up with a dead pig hunter.JMO, but I really do not believe people really understand how dangerous a hog can be.

NOTICE at no point did I make ANY claim that the injury occurred on such a hunt, I Merely Stated That Injuries Or The Possibility Of Injuries Such As The Person The Post Is About, Is Why I will Not Hunt Hogs With Dogs. Nothing more than that. I have had a hog charge me after wounding it, and managed to kill it before it got to me.

Having had an experience like that, I am not knowingly going to put myself in a situation where a hog can get ahold of me if I can help it.

Bob, show us where I stated those injuries involved grabbing a pig where dogs were being used, can you do that, I don't think so.

I merely stated that I would not do a Dog Hog hunt because of the possibility of getting injured. P Dog shooter seemed to make some sort of connection with my being a coward or something because I am not interested in participating such an activity.

Such misunderstandings as this one would be a little less frequent if folks would simply take the time to read all of the responses, as in this case a separate conversation had developed that was aimed at a particular form of pig hunting, not just the dangers pig hunting in general contain.

Feral hogs have the potential to be dangerous any time a person encounters one regardless of the circumstance, I think most of us can agree on that.

I also believe that depending upon the circumstances concerning such encounters, the amount of potential danger increases in relation to the type of encounter.

Guys, I am going to defend dog hunters a bit.I have been doing it since 1988.I will be 69 on my birthday and I killed a good boar yesterday with a knife.When you hunt with only one dog I think you are asking for trouble.If the hog gets the dog and you are there he is probable going to get you!Yes, I have been charged before but I made the mistake of keeping the light on the hog in the water and when the hog shook the pig he came to the light. When he exited the water I kicked him and that gave the dogs enough time to catch him again. Folks the dogs I hunt with I have complete trust in. They know who feeds them! I belive I could sic them on a Rhino and they would try to catch him. Yes, I understand I can get cut but some drunk can run over me while I am working in my garden also.A good set of dogs lowers the risk.I will not hunt a dog that will not take hold when the time comes.

This is no reflection on Randy. Rather an observation or JMHO.

When I go into the gate at our hunting leases, I am armed. Before I step outside to pee in the morning when I'm in camp, I'm strapped. The last thing before I climb in the sack at night I take off my pistol and lay it and a headlight/flashlight within reach of one hand or the other. I've had folk that I invite to hunt with me ask if I'm paranoid. I smile and say no. Perhaps I am.
I've hunted in the Brackettville area, south of Rocksprings off Hwy 55, north of Vanderpool near Lost Maples State Park, and now near Reagan Wells. One thing each lease has had in common is that it is 20 to 40 miles from the nearest town and usually 5 to 6 miles from a paved road. One of the leases could only be accessed if you had 4 wheel drive. The nature of all is that the land and environment is harsh enough to kill you if you have a bad accident. At our lease in Brackettville we never locked the trailer or campers we stayed in because the "wets" would break out the windows or bust in the doors to see if there were food, water, footwear, blankets and such. At our Rocksprings lease one of our guys was stalked by a cougar. Many times I will be by myself for two or three days. I always leave certain tell-tale signs that when observed will quickly tell me if anyone has been in camp since I left. One time I came back to my Rocksprings lease and a machete that I had stuck the blade in a table as a "tell" was missing. I was by myself and it was just before dark. I didn't even stop, just rolled by, went about 2 miles up a goat path and spent the night in my truck. Numerous times I've been sitting in a stand or tri-pod from where I can see a road or right of way and seen 2 to 5 guys walking down a road out in the middle of BFE. One guy against multiples, even when armed, the odds are poor, especially if they catch you by surprise.

Hadn't even got to wild animals yet. If you're out, by yourself or even with friends who don't know your location and you break a leg or hip and you don't have a radio or cell service your situation can deterioate rapidly. Hogs are omniverous.
I don't kill as many hogs as Randy, and have only been charged once. First time he bumped me and ran. I normally carry in a belt slide. For some reason this day I had my pistol in a fanny pack. Never again.
I take special care to place a bullet to where it severs a hogs spine when shooting them. I stay on my four wheeler and dispatch them with a rifle or shotgun when I snare them.
Lately I've just about stopped tracking them in thick brush after dark. There's no shortage of hogs. Hopefully my maker will allow more time.

All it takes is once, even if you're not being careless.

Be careful out there guys.

Best

GWB

Please folks, before this gets any farther off track. I know of lots of folks that have and do hunt hogs with dogs and very few have had any kind of real trouble.

When it reaches a point where a person can not simply make a statement about something they choose not to do, for whatever their reasoning, without stirring up a hornet's nest, then sites like this lose their reason for being.

Hogs are dangerous in and of themselves, and animals fighting for whatever reason, will at times do or make unanticipated moves that cause things to go wrong.

I have nothing against people using dogs for hunting anything, that is their thing, not mine, it is just, with the exceptions of retrievers for waterfowl, pointing/flushing dogs for quail and blood trailing dogs for finding wounded game, I personally get nothing out of using dogs for hunting.

Last time I checked that is not a crime.

The OP concerned the fact that hogs can be dangerous and aggressive, not preferred hunting methods. A comment was made that got taken out of context or misinterpreted in its meaning.

At some point, hunters, regardless of how they choose to enjoy the activity are going to have to start being a little more tolerant of each other and their choices as long as what they are doing is legal and they are comfortable doing it.

Also at some point, folks belonging to and participating on the various sites need to realize that all of us are different and as such view things and believe in things differently and each of us are entitled to do so.

Bias and prejudice toward other individuals that a person will most likely never meet in person or actually interact with simply over words typed into a post or a response on an internet really accomplishes nothing.

The discussion concerns the potential dangers when encountering feral hogs regardless of how or why the encounter takes place.

quote:

Yes, I can see or imagine that interview, "And just how did you get injured by this pig? I was out hunting pigs with dogs and grabbed hold of this one and _______________________________ (fill in the blank on what went down) and then the insurance agent explains why the company does not cover such things"!!!!!!!

It looked to me that is what you were implying. Thanks for clarifying.

Maybe next time you let what happened in the past remain in the past and don't jump to conclusions.

It is called giving an example. I know my insurance is not going to pay my medical bills over such an incident.

We both made mistakes, I am not asking anything from you, but you played your part.

You have no use for me, nor I for you Dude.

I made a comment about something I would not do, it had nothing to do with what happened to this young man.