The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1886-02-26
WILDHOG OF SAN JOAQUIN
: UNKNOWN ORIGIN, AND SAFER
TO TRAP THAN TO HUNT.
Entrapped Through a Partially to Bar
ley-Caught by Means of a DeadfaII-
An Army of Wild Hogs and q Wolf .s
at Bay-A Surprise.

Il don't know whether they do it any more
out there or not" said former resident Of
California now in CHS city, sbut when lived
in San joaquin county we used to have moro
fun than house aflre at the quiet littls pastims
of trapping wild hogs No one ever seemed
to know exactly where the Wild hogs Of the
San Joaquin tule lands came from, but there
they are, at least there they were ten years
ago. They probably origiDated from some
runaway domestic stock. These Wild hogs
were so shy that it was rare that any one
ever got glimpse Of one, and then it would
be only by accident. They held thegaselves
entirely aloof from civilizations, and it was
only b strategy that they could becaptured.
This Is the way we used to. do It: 4. F.is
49, A LIBERAL TRAIN OF BARLEY.
! 1T no trouble to find where a drove of
hogs was feeding, for they left abundant evil
dences Of their presence. = ] never knew who
first found out that they Were partial to bar
ley, but they were, and for that reason we
thought that it was more than likely that the
original stock was escaped distillery-fed swine.
Anyhow, some one discovered that If there
was anything a San joaquin wild hog would
risk his all for it was barley, and SO we took
advantage Of the discovery and went to
tempting the wild hog to his destruction. The
first step in the conspiracy against him was
the building Of a corral, or pen, big enough to
Iosu a oOE-Al IoSS w 49, III CEe SlQe OF the
pen heavy drop gate was set, which was
raised up and held in position by a rope that
extended to the side opposite. The rope was
held taut by being fastened to a sort of figure
four drop, which the slightest touch would
spring. The corral was placed ON the trail Of
q drove of hogs.
The next step was to lay a liberal train Of
barley from the gate of the corral some dis
lance from it along the trail. Barley was
l.,
the gate, and gradually thinned down rs the
deadfall was approached. As soon as the
hogs struck the trail of barley they followed
1t up, crowding and pushing, and each one
trying 70 get the biggest share, / suppose,
inst as natural as tame hogs When they
reached the gate in they rushed, the first one
stopping where the barley lay thickest, until
they wore crowded further in by the squeal-
ing, greedy lot behind. II was only a mat
Ter of few seconds before some one Of the
leaders had TO be damned up agsinst the
deadfall That settled it. Down would
coiiie tho heav Wy gate, and there would usually
De dead hog or two in under it, and a dozen
Of choice fat porkers inside. The old fellows
we butchered with rifle balls ON the spot II
there were any young PIGS in the corral we
laSsoed them and took them home for future
reference.
II never saw a drove OF wild hogs loose but
methods then / was satisfied to hunt them
with barley baited corrals, and leave the free
and open chase to some one else. / was out
shooting birds one day, and as was passing
through dense thicket to get to an open
where | expected good sport 1 heard the I'M
-lis.skable snorting and tusk grinding of wild
nogs. 1 thought some one had a corral set
near by, and had got the drop on some hogs
Is usual. I drew toward the edge of the
frnr and -Iauit ,auI 20 hat tl,o
,nortilg was too volun3inous and the grinding
too far-reaching and penetrating to be made
by dozen penned-up porkers, but kept on.
When l reached the edge of the thicket
peered out into the open. Well that's all
lid. had no desire TO proceed further.
THE WILD HOGS AND THE WOLF
"Such "a sight / never saw before nor since.
I think there must have been 900 wild hogs,
Of sill sizes ages and sexes, congregrated in
that open They huddled together like free
men ct an outdoor ward meeting. Each and
every individual hog was mad-very mad.
Their bristles stood up all the way from their
EARS half way down their backs. JFroth flew
about in that undulnting mass like foam on a
storIn-lashed coast. Rage cleaned from |
every eve, and voiced itself in every snort
stood there, psering out ON the extraordinary
scene, wishing myself ten miles away, and
not daring to move, for fear the furious mob |
among them. 1t was five minutes before |
discovered what was the cause Of this turbu- |
lent gathering and the object Of its fury, |
when l saw, in the midst of the wild con- !
-ourse, poor, lean, and haggard wolf, gath |
sred together on the top OF stump, Just !
beyond the reach of the biggest boar in the |
irove, and with the most abject look Of ter |
ror on his face that it was possible to express.
| don't know what the wolf had done to bring
this ayenging army Of hogs down upon him. |
But there was this vulpine, unfortunate, 4
trembling, and haggard, perched on a PIN
nac,e barely large enough to give room for 4
ais four feet, gazing out over this waving sea !
Of upturned tusks. He was "a cowardly, |
thieving wolf but felt sorry for him
"The hogs never let that wolf rest second. |
Some big fellow would lift himself up gainst |
the stump on ono side, within mort IKE a |
and quick as a fash the wolf |
would turn his face that way. Then another |
long sasked bruts would jump up and let go |
\ howl, and around the woh would 60 toward |
him like a flash. And so it went all around |
the stump, and it was . wonder to me how |
that terruized wolf managed to keep his foot |
ing on the stump at all. BY and by I got |
tired watching the proceedings, and thought |
l would try an experiment. raised my gun |
and fired in the air. That was the climax. 4
The wolf hadn't calculated on that. With the |
report {. Il he lost his presence of mind. !
He lcaped ten feet in tie air ind came down I
twenty feet away. A thousand upraisd |
.us,-s vera resfiy to receive hiai- Thsrc was |
one wild yell Than pieces Of NoK flied the |
air a second, and the vengeance OF thspi,d hog |
vas complete. Now York Sun