Pig | Swamp-Mountain

March 04, 2015 / David Fay

…MY DOGS DON’T HUDDLE UNLESS THEY ARE ON A HOG.

IT WAS ABOUT 2 A.M., I WORKED A FULL DAY AND WAS WORN OUT. I WAS 3 HOURS FROM BEING UP 24 HOURS STRAIGHT. MY DOGS HADN’T HUNTED IN 2 WEEKS. WE WERE ALL GETTING SOFT AND I WAS TIRED.

THE DOGS HAD BEEN OUT OF SIGHT FOR 20 MINUTES. I STARTED HEARING A FEW YELPS AND BARKS. MY DOGOS ARE SILENT, MY JAGD TERRIER WILL BARK IF HE GETS THROWN OFF THE HOG BUT IS GENERALLY SILENT, MY CURS ENGAGE AS I EXPECT THEM TO. THE SOUNDS WERE NOT OF MY PACK ON A CAUGHT HOG. I KEPT SEEING THE DOGS ON MY GPS IN THE SAME SPOT, NOT MOVING. THEY WERE ABUT 500 YARDS OUT. THE DOGS WOULD GO SILENT THEN RANDOMLY OPEN UP. IT SOUNDED LIKE COYOTES. MY DOGS, ALL BUT THE JAGD TERRIER ARE “TRASH BROKE”. WHAT IN THE WORLD WAS GOING ON? WHAT WAS MAKING THESE NOISES AND KEEPING MY DOGS IN ONE SPOT?

I HAVE SEEN MANY COYOTES ON THE FARM AND WONDERED IF MY PACK ENGAGED THE ‘YOTES. I KNEW IT WAS TIME TO START JUMPING THE CATTLE FENCES AND GET TO THE ACTION. I DREW MY WEAPON AND PREPARED TO BATTLE FOR MY PACK JUST AS THEY DO FOR ME EACH TIME WE HUNT. WHEN I ARRIVED I WAS PLEASANTLY SURPRISED TO FIND A 300 POUND BOAR CAUGHT IN A SHALLOW POND.

THE HIGH PITCHED YELPS AND BARKS CAME FROM THE DOGS ENGAGING THIS MONSTER. I JUST RAN 500 YARDS WITH BOOTS AND A BACK PACK, I WAS SPENT. THE DOGS HAD BEEN BATTLING THIS MONSTER FOR 15 MINUTES, THE DOGS AND BOAR WERE BOTH SPENT. MY BEST DOG IS VIXEN, SHE HAD THE BOARS EAR. THE BOAR AND VIXEN FACING EACH OTHER. THE PIG GOT A BOOST OF ENERGY, GRABBED A MOUTH FULL OF HER CUT VEST AND PROCEEDED TO PUMMEL HER THEN TAKE HER UNDER THE WATER. “THE KILLER MUST DIE”! I DREW MY KNIFE AND RAN THROUGH THE POND TO EXPIRE THIS BOAR AND SAVE MY VIXEN GIRL. BEFORE I GOT THERE HE LET HER UP. SHE WAS DAZED, HE WAS SPENT FROM THE DOGS HANGING FROM HIM.

OUT OF NOWHERE VIXEN CAUGHT HER BREATH, LUNGED OUT OF THE WATER, AND PULLED THE BOAR’S HEAD UNDER WATER BY HIS EAR…… “THE KILLER MUST DIE”! I HAD FINALLY REACHED THE GREAT BATTLE. THE BOAR TOWERED OVER THE DOGS, THE POND WAS ALMOST KNEE DEEP, THE BOARS BACK WAS MOSTLY VISIBLE ABOVE WATER. I REACHED IN AND STABBED HIM, HIS BLOOD EVACUATED INTO THE POND TURNING THE WATER WHERE WE STOOD RED. THE KILLER MUST DIE!

THE DOGS NEVER LET UP, AT LEAST 15 MINUTES OF BATTLING THIS MONSTER IN WATER. EACH DOG WAS BLEEDING FROM THE TUSK. THE BOAR GOT HIS TUSK UNDER ONE DOGS CUT COLLAR CUTTING HER SEVERAL TIMES. THE CURS HAD HOLES AND BITES AS WELL.

BUT, THE KILLER IS DEAD!

March 22, 2015 / David Fay

As an avid hunter, specifically a night time hog-dogger, you better be tough! You better be able to think on your toes. And you better be able to take care of yourself.

I was asked to take a customer of our Hydraulic Company hunting. The customer had 2 young engineer interns, not from the south that were completing their internship. He wanted them to experience the adrenaline of hog dogging before heading back to college, all for doing a great job at work.

It was now my job to share this awesome sport and my Dogo’s with these young professionals and make them feel comfortable. It was a night hunt. None of the men showed up with boots, headlights, flash lights or knife. This was going to be fun for everyone.

I “vested” up the Dogos and set the tracking collars. As the only one with a light, I lead us out across the dark swampy terrain in the pitch black. Within a few minutes the dogs picked up a track. We followed them into the thick, dark, knee-deep swamp. Quickly we ended up on top of the dogs and hog.

I could see the hog running through the brush. The dogs were hot on it. I could see the dogs closing in on the hog. The hog was running directly across the path I was on. In an instant I knew what I had to do. I had to jump on that hog and catch it!

As fast as I had that thought and prepared to jump on that hog, it turned and came straight at me. Faster than the thought of jumping on this hog came to me so I could show the city slickers how I roll, a second thought came to me to get the HELL out of the way!

With only enough time to jump straight up to avoid this hog from rolling me, it went through my legs and I “squealed like a pig”! As I tried to process if anyone saw or heard me, my Dogos had the pig. It was a small boar. Maybe, just maybe in the chaos no one realized the big tough hog hunter looked like a damn sissy.

I ran back to the dogs and offered my knife to the engineers. I coached them through grabbing the hog and stabbing it to expire him quickly and ethically. The adrenaline was high. The cheers and excitement helped cover me for a short while. But you can bet that after all the celebrating, they remembered my little out burst.

Fun was had by all. We laughed and high five’d. But I still can think on my toes, Even if I squeal like a pig.