When Wounded Hogs Charge

During the several years that I part timed as a pig guide, we killed about 25 to 30 wild boars. Several hunters came back for a second or even third time. One of those was Roger Fung. Roger was very excited about killing a big pig.

 

He was slight of stature, probably in the 150 pound range and he didn’t shoot a big rifle, but it was effective. He liked the 7 mm .08 because it didn’t knock him down and was pretty effective on pig-size game.

 

On his first trip we found a nice boar of about 200 pounds and he easily downed it. The boar appeared to be fairly old and had nice “choppers.”

 

About a year later Roger contacted me again and we arranged another hunt. This time we found a good pig about 8:00 AM. We spotted the large boar heading our way. We only had to move short distance down the ridge to intercept it at about 100 yards.

 

Roger dropped down into the prone position and the boar stopped broadside, presenting a perfect shot. At the sound of the shot, the pig dropped like a stone. As we congratulated each other, I was surprized to see the boar jump to its feet and run out of sight, down the ridge in front of us.

 

We immediately took off in hot pursuit. I angled off the ridge to my right and we dropped into the small canyon finding no sign of the pig. We did come face to face with another boar, but we were not interested. The first pig was much larger – plus it already had Roger’s bullet in it!

 

I was very surprised by the lack of sign and concluded that the boar must have turned after it went out of sight and dropped off the opposite side of the ridge. Sure enough, as we crossed over the top of the ridge, we spotted the boar lying on its side motionless, about 50 yards away.

 

As I didn’t carry a weapon of any type, I motioned to Roger to step in front of me as we approached the boar. I wasn’t convinced it was dead. Sure enough, at about 20 paces, the 350 pound barrel of pig jumped to its feet and ran directly towards us. Roger raised his rifle to his hip and let fly. The bullet pierced the pig’s left ear.

 

Fortunately the muzzle blast at 10 yards slowed the pig long enough for Roger to chamber a second round. This time he raised the rifle just as the pig moved forward for a final charge. The shot was pure and the big boar went down for good.

 

From that time on I carried either a 12-gauge shotgun or .44 magnum hand gun while guiding for wild pigs.

 

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Conservationists Seek Oversight of DFG Dedicated Accounts

The Mule Deer Foundation is an active member of the California Outdoor Heritage Alliance, sponsor of State Senate Bill 1172.

COHA has announced that SB1172 has passed the State Senate with a 39-0 vote. The bill must now pass through the State Assembly and the Governor’s office to become law.

Below is a news release from the COHA regarding the bill, which provides Fish and Game Commission oversight on expenditures of money obtained through sale of big game tags including deer. For many years sportsmen have struggled to verify where big game tag funds have been spent. Despite laws that state these funds must be spent for the benefit of the species for which the tags are sold, that has not always been the case. Big game fund raising tags for deer also fall into this category.

SB1172 is modeled after the California Duck Stamp program which has a proven track record.

Here’s the release:

California Outdoor Heritage Alliance (COHA) News Release regarding SB1172

Hunting Tag/Stamp Accountability Measure Passes Off Senate Floor – Despite threats of opposition from animal rights organizations and other groups, SB 1172, by Senator Bob Dutton (R-Inland Empire), easily passed the California State Senate on Thursday by a bipartisan vote of 39-0.  The bill, which is sponsored by COHA and supported by numerous hunting and conservation interests throughout California , would provide much-needed accountability and transparency over the use of hunting license tag and stamp revenues. 

 

SB 1172 was introduced in response to continued revelations over the misuse of certain hunter-generated monies within state government.  To help address this ongoing problem over the long-term, the measure would ensure that separate fiscal accounts are provided for all such monies and that they can only be used for certain game species conservation and hunting purposes.  The bill would also require the Fish and Game Commission to publicly verify that any proposed expenditure of hunting license tag and stamp money would, in fact, be used for game species conservation or hunting purposes.  In addition, SB 1172 would require the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) to consult with hunting-related conservation groups on proposed projects that would be funded from the accounts, while allowing such groups to assist DFG with much-needed habitat protection efforts.  Finally, the measure would require that any land that is acquired with hunting license tag or stamp revenue be open for, or provide access to, public hunting opportunities.

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