Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1882-03-27
Hunting Wild Boar In COnnec.
liant

wild boar hunting in Connecticut"
said an old Windham county farmer
recently, sis something l never expect.
cd to see in my day. Nevertheless, it is
a solid fact that can't be- denied.
The farmers assertion is true. The
finest and most exciting sports in Wind.
ham county this fall and winter has
been hunting wild hogs. In the town
OF Ashford there Is an extensive tract
of sterile land that is nearly all vii.
derness -Large forests cover the lofty
hills, and In the hollows are impassa.
Bile swamps. quagmires, and dense
thickets, and along the hillsides rocky
caves. In this district live and breed
and are hunted the wild hogs. How
the hogs came there is a question, but
1t is the general belief that they are
the offspring of a litter of pigs that
strayed away from the farm of Mr..
Bosworth several years ago, and ne.
came wild. Their mum er now is vari.
ously estimated at from fifty to seven
ty-tive head; and at certain seasons
they do much mischief, prowling a.
round the barns and out-houSes at
night and roofing up fields of crops.
They have returned to savagery. Tlloy
are described AZ long bodied and lean,
covered with coarse, black bri3des, and
are formidable antagonists. Their
tusks are long, sharp and curved.
They Turk in the coverts of The woods,
feeding on nuts and folest twigs, and
when disturbed rush out with loud
snort, and run with the swittness of the
wind. They have long since been
voted a common enemy, and every
hunter earns the gratitude OF the far.
mers by shooting them The hunters
don't like to 60 alone to meet the hogs,
but we'll armed with breach loading
rifles, or guns loaded with buck. shot,
60 i'll strong parties.
About the middle of OJtoher was the
tirsC hunt of this year, and several
hogs were killed after fierce conf ct,
and brought into the village OF Ashford
amid great rejocilng. The carcasses
were completely perforated with buck.
shot Since then several other parties
have tried the sport, bat in each cast
the game was too wary TO hazard bat.
! tie or toe swift for The hunters. III
one instance a big hog, with flaming
eyes and erect bristlet, starred up ou1
of a thlckct ust ahead OF the hunter
and dashed Oft III tu.l view O.
! the sporLsmen, WHO were too aston
ished to shoot
Recently the most formidable and
elaborate hunting expedition of thu
year set OUT from Brooklyn, Windhan
county. -TLere were nine men, al
armed with breach. loa,tiug rifles. A
double wa son loaded with munitions Of
war, and drawn ny a pair of heavy
horses, conveyed theM to the field. A
small domestic pig was carried
along for decoy. A drilling rain
was falling and the ground slippery
The party tramped all day through the
wet underbrush, going over thirty
miles, and got not glimpse of wild
hog. The domestic Pig was a complete
failure as a decoy. 1t was intended
to take the youthful animal into part
OF the forest trequented by the hogs,
and to have one OF The party secreted
in the bush press it to MS breast. II
was expected that the pig would squeal
agonlzlngly in return, and attract the
wild swine to the spot. The man with
the pig secreted himself, according tC
the requirements of the programme,
and squeezed The animal viciously. but
1t would not squeal. He then tried tc
coax it to sound a note OF appeal; lie
plnched its ears and Irod ON its tail,
put not sound would the pig utter
The party accordingly put the animal
in bag, and late in the afternoon, foot
sore and Disguised, rolled home in
their two horse ,enlcle. Their entry in
the village was greeted with shouts OF
derision, and the price of tame pork
rose a cent and a quarter wound.