Of course the overweight dad and his overweight kid knew. This was all a set-up.

I agree which is why the dad should have his ass kicked for not making that clear from the start.

There is nothing to do but back pedal now. And this is horrible publicity for hunting in general.

The vast majority of hunts do not take place under these circumstances. This is just another nail in our coffin.

quote:

Originally posted by Rich Elliott:

quote:

the kid is 5-5" and probably a 190 pounds.

And Deaf!

Rich Elliott

I stayed out of this because I knew that Alabama recently passed legislation concerning shooting game behind enclosures and I did not know the particulars. Now all the attention of this hog has drawn attention of the Department of Wildlife in Alabama about the legality of the situation. Was the pig released into the enclosure and for how long is being inspected. It looks like the anti-hunting crowed is going to put some heat on this situation. I bet they are going to wish they would have kept this quite.

I too can not say that it is real. I do, however, agree this gives the ethical hunters a bad name and will tarnish the image further.

The kid does not know any better, he is being taught the wrong thing, IMO. But I agree dad should have his ass kicked.

The whole damn thing's a farce.

Why is it that no one tries to get away with posing farm/pen/stall reared deer but we just accept it as being true blue with pigs?
It's quite simple, there is no way. NO WAY a pig can get to those proportions in the wild. There just isn't enough protein rich feed out there.

In fact, anyone will usually get flamed for shooting a deer that has had any kind of human contact, but it's fine to shoot pen reared pigs, just as long as they're not actually in the pen at the time?

BTW I read an article in this hunt - it seems tey "booked in" to go shoot him on a fecned property. Pretty lame.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not jelous type.
I myself shot an escapee boar that was well over 250kg/550lb with 7" tusks. But I'm not about to go brag about it as a well deserved wild game kill.

quote:

Originally posted by MyNameIsEarl:
I too can not say that it is real. I do, however, agree this gives the ethical hunters a bad name and will tarnish the image further.

The kid does not know any better, he is being taught the wrong thing, IMO. But I agree dad should have his ass kicked.

This is probably my attitude as well. In wondering how he got this big, if indeed he was, I'm not even sure he WAS a boar. I think he may be a bar (barrow) that had been castrated. Probably at a young age. This would have allowed him to get much bigger than a normal boar. Like an OX. In the pics I've seen, I couldn't see any "nads". This thing should have had cajones the size of grapefruit, but they weren't in the pics I saw.
As for the ethical questions, I don't really have all the facts either. The kid has gotten an incredible amt of publicity from this tame pig. And, we hunters are probably worse off because of it. The antis will seize any opportunity to demonize us & we should try to always portray our sport as responsible and humane. The people who will ultimately influence the future of hunting are not the rabid antis or the hunters. They/we are locked into our positions. It will be those non-hunters who really don't feel strongly, one way or another, but are influenced by legitimate arguments from the 2 sides. Every one of us has an obligation, not to give ammo to the other side and to present a positive picture to the public of hunting & shooting.
There. I'm off the soap box

Guys

I am in England and although already aware of the posting of the pictures of "Hogzilla" from this forum, the whole issue was brought to the fore last p.m on U.K T.V with a picture of the young fellow with his monster prize and the revelation in a narrative that it took 7 shots in 3 hours and a "finisher to the head" to finally settle matters.

Here, like in the U.S, we have more than our fare share of anti's on ever matter it seems, in the past they have been a voice in the wilderness but sadly their voices are becoming listened to more and more, in our Parliament and in your own country in Congress.

Kudos to the young lad concerned that he is encouraged by his Father to take part in field sports and to kindle interest in the future generations just as our father's did for us, I don't think any would criticise that, and I do not make any personal attack on the lad himself, but increasing care must be taken in how such feats are reported, we should not, in an ideal world, have to hide our sport from public gaze, but we live in a far from ideal world, putting ourselves in harms way with tales of just how many shots over how long will do nothing to enhance gunownership or ethical hunting, we will all end up tarred with the same brush and one day the anti minority may well become the majority.

Democracy is a double edged sword, you in the U.S have a rights based Consitution and your Second Amendment offers a degree of protection that we in the U.K can only dream of.

In the last 20 years in the U.K through the actions of just 2 insane indivduals in 1988 and 1997 we lost the right to own semi -automatic rifles and then hand guns. In both instances the intial reaction of our governement was to resist calls for further tighter controls but as the antis publicity campaign started to roll and gather support through the media, so the governemt relented and announced total bans. Nothing done by our shooting organisations could stop the onslaught, the harm done by even the showing on T.V of legitimate gun club members taking part in lawful pistol competitions served only to add to the revile and backlash against gun owners here.

The sensationalism of "gun club members Vast arsenal of lethal weapons" was just one of the many headlines in the daily papers, putting such hought into the minds of those who would otherwise never give a second thought. This is the danger, our pistol ban was announced by the Government of the day on the run up to a general election, when those poilticans would be seeking re-election, something that happens in the U.S also.

Who could blame politicians from listening to the majority when seeking their popular vote, negative publicity at a "tactical" moment can move mountains, you guys in the U S may be some way away from this at present but it may well come one day.

The Madrid Bombings in spain resulting from Spanish troop involvement in the initial stages of the Desert Storm campaign caused a backlash in the Spanish General elections and the Spanish Prime Minister was swept from office by anti- war campaigners, proof again if needed that antis can succeed eventually.

Just my own thoughts. I have to agree it is one big pig however, a years supply of bacon in one go.

I guess those doubters who say the chap is sitting some way back behind the pig in the photos would also doubt the bona fides of my 20 foot long buffalo

According to the Dallas morning news this morning. Alabama officials have stated no game laws were violated and no charges will be filed. It stated in the report that the hunting operation may be fairly large, but the big bore was chased and shot in a 150 acres pasture. Not something I would have taken my son on but apparently not illegal,,, just doesn't seem real sporting to me. Now my new homesite is about 40 acres in size in Texas, I do not hunt on it, but if a big bore is rooting up my wife's flowers.........she will shoot it if I don't! It all looks like a big publicity stunt involving the game ranch a friend and the friends son......

jonathan...sounds like you would be right at home here in america...i lived there in england for 3 years so i know both places well and can say you just might love it here. make the move...plenty of brits here.

AND NOW FOR THE REST OF THE STORY !!! It's FRED !! www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,277097,00.html

Yep, like I stated earlier: There's no way a truly wild hog could reach and maintain that weight/size. And the ears and tail also tell of its domestic life.

But now we know for certain...

Bobby & EXPRESS,

I agree that this hog isn't a wild Alabama hog. However, there are some areas where wild hogs can reach this size. Some areas in North Texas where there are tens of thousands of acres of peanut fields have EXTREMELY large hogs. Hogs in this area of Texas frequently reach weights over 500 lbs. and several in the 600-800 lb. range have been killed in the last few years.

Just when you thought it couldn't get any better...

http://66.226.75.96/pig/

The boy and his father.

quote:

Yep, like I stated earlier: There's no way a truly wild hog could reach and maintain that weight/size. And the ears and tail also tell of its domestic life.

I beg to differ. Here in Australia back in the early 80s we had a feral pig so big that it actually hunted down and killed a couple of people. At one stage a farmer tried to trap it with a net of sots that was chained to a stump of his house. Well that pig took the bait and then it took off and ripped the corner off the house.

So shocking was the whole afair that a movie was made of the events. Its called....Razorback!

http://www.tabula-rasa.info/AusHorror/Razorback.html

Based on a true story....

Bakes!

Thanks for reminding me of this horror classic! I'm a bit of a horror movie buff and I can remeber seeing this one as a kid. Going to have to see if I can Netflix it this weekend.

Warning to others this is more of an independent flick, but for me that is part of the charm...

Matt V.

quote:

Just when you thought it couldn't get any better...

http://66.226.75.96/pig

Lying becomes a sport.

The more I think about it and the more I look at that picture it kinda pisses me off. Seeing the gut shot wound in the pig that is…..

The number of shots quoted to kill the animal is ridiculous. I’m not saying it doesn’t happen occasionally, especially when you are young…..we’ve all flubbed a shot or two in our lives.

But for the dad to let the kid keep shooting and not put the animal down is wrong in my mind. I’m not bad mouthing the kid, he didn’t know any better. The dad should have…..

After the kid emptied the revolver (the first time) the dad should have backed him up (It said they had high powered rifles)…..

Last year my nephew hit a deer in the guts, I let him take one more shot to put the animal down and he missed. I put the deer down on the next shot….I told him that he couldn’t hunt anymore till he practiced at the range…

In my eyes the lesson the father showed his son is that you don’t have to respect your quarry. Just keep shooting so your name can be in the news….

“Killing†your quarry is part of hunting and I’m not adverse to it, I’ve done my share. But you must show respect in my mind by doing so with a reasonable number of shots, preferably one….

Matt V

TH5000 The movie came on Austar (pay TV here)a few weeks ago. My oldest boys and I sat down and watched it. GOD it's a bad movie but it gave me a bit of a laugh