First Time

by Mike Wimberly

I wanted to write in and let you know in a first timers view what this sport meant to me. I received a phone call about 6:30 p.m. on the evening of the 5th of February 2005. On the other end of the phone was one of those friends that every one has but doesn/t bring around because he is crazy. This is the type of guy you have come with you to a fight, pool hall, or some sort of place where you might need some support in a fight. This is not the type of guy you bring around your girlfriend because he might try to take her to the sack.

Getting back to the phone call, this guy asks me if I would like to go hog hunting. I was very excited about being able to get some hunting in since season closed on deer. My first question was what type of firearm should I bring for the hunt. My buddy responded with no guns needed just a big damn knife. I realized then that he was speaking of the hogs and dogs hunts I have heard so many stories about. Now, I am an extremist when it comes to fishing and hunting. So, the answer to that question was obvious, "Hell Yah!!"

I met up with my buddy at 5:15 the next morning along with a man with alot of dogs with scars. We set out to a 4800 acre rice field area somewhere between Alvin and Danbury. I was instructed that we would follow 4 black mouth curr dogs into the woods along with two more dogs kept on a leash. I was instructed to not stab the pig until the catch dogs were inplace with a caught pig and the owner of the dog was there to instruct me. All that was shoved in one ear and out the other one as soon as the dogs were barking off in the distance. At that point it was a dead run to the dogs and hogs.

Being in pretty fit condition I was the first to arrive on what was probably the worst situation I could find myself in. There were about 25 hogs with a mix of a few big boars and alot of sows with piglets. The dogs had no chance of keeping all of these hogs in a little area. Next thing I knew I was being chased by a sow to the nearest tree. After looking back I noticed that the sow was no longer behind me. I once again headed towards the hogs but with a little more stealth. Arriving again on about 20 hogs now, I saw my buddy and the dog owner with a hand cannon pulled out ready for some business.

One shot then two rang out and hogs went everywhere. I noticed a big boar with the 4 dogs behind it running through the woods. Everyone took off on a dead sprint again. Again being a little bit faster I was in the lead until I was passed by the two dogs that were previously on the leash. I was just glad that these very mean looking dogs had decent eye sight and did not mistake me for a hog. The next scene was probably the most intense situation I have ever been in.

I reached the dogs to find the wild hog had one dog attached to one ear, another to the other ear and a dog hanging on to the hogs rear end. I looked back and my friend and his buddy the dog owner were no where to be found. At this time I decided to go ahead on and stick this hog with my knife. Without any instructions I figured that behind the shoulder blade and into the heart was the best place to stick my knife. Man was that not a good idea to do. I was informed later that that was the proper place but i used what they kept calling a butter knife. Not knowing what I was doing and not asking the proper questions ended me up with a 3" gutting knife in my hand and one pissed off hog. The dogs went flying off and the hog came charging at me. I believe that if my buddy did not show up with his friend I would probably still be in a hospital bed.

The hog turned and ran back into the woods and ended up in a rice canal. We ended up getting a bigger blade into this hog and killing it a short time after it ended up in the water. The owner of the dog and another guy ended up in the water with me to finish off the hog. What was relayed to me next kind of made me feel bad and good at the same time. The information once again not obtained before I started this adventure was probably the most crucial. The owner of the dog told me I was nuts and that anything over 150-200 lbs. was usually shot not knifed to death. The group I was with went on how I was crazy, that I needed to put a band-aid on the cut I first inflicted and that once again I was a crazy s.o.b. for going in after such a big hog by myself on my first hunt.

After allowing a couple of days for the adreniline to wear off I looked back on what actually happened. I over came a 250 lb. Russian boar with a pocket knife. I tell you what, I have bungee jumped, shot huge deer with a rifle, shot deer at 20 yards with a bow and been with the same woman for five years and nothing will come close in my life to the amount of fun I had hunting a hog with dogs and knives.