The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-01-13
HUNTING WILD HOGS
THEY IN THE swAMPs AND
ARE FARMERS MAIN RELIANCE.
Money to Be Made in Hunting the An
fmals IL Properly DOne-Some In-
cidents of the Business.
Arkansas Letter in New YORK Post.

Arkansas Letter in New York Post.
In the timbered regions of the lower Mis-
slssippi and its tributaries the settlers early
acquire a most intimate knowledge of hog
hunting, and at this season of the year.
when the wild hogs of the woods and
swamps are getting as fat as butter off the
falling acorns, the work of herding and
hunting the porkers is going on briskly.
The farmers main reliance in many parts
Of these heavily timbered regions is the
wild hogs, and If the pork harvest at home
Is not a fair one, there is no other course
for him to pursue than to beg or starve.
The woods are literally full of wild hogs,
but animals so different from Northern
Berkshires, Chester Whites, and other pedi-
greed stock, that it requires almost a
stretch Of the imagination to believe that
they belong to the same race. In the au-
turnn they get fat and plump, ready for kill
ing. but all through the winter and sum-
mer they roam around after their scanty
food, and gradually get so lean that their
razor-like backs are the most conspicuous
feature of their carcasses.
Although called wild hogs, nearly all of
the animals have owners and carry their
brands. There are hog marks in endless
variety, representing splits, underbits, over
slopes, fancy figures, crosses, rings and
other queer cuts of the hunters sharp
knilt " " POhNi. n 80
hunter knows every one of these marks,
and he can tell at a glance from his pony's
back to whose claim the animal belongs.
Hunting wild hogs is done by means OF
trained '.hog-dogs." These animals are
considered the most valuable that the hum
t~er-farmers can possess and they are
reared and trained very carefully. Inc
hogs are left to take care of themselves,
and to pick up a living in the forests all
Through the year. but the .hog-dogs are
tain in the North are curiously reversed
here. The wild hogs are supposed to be
REQUIRE no looking after except to be brand
ed and kept from being captured by AN
AS there are pickpockets and burglars in
New York, and horse thieves out West,
20 there are hog thieves c down here re s the
different modes Of stealing. All farmers
engaged In trying to mark their ,neighbors'
young pigs, but In every neighborhood there
are di.ssre eg table ch ch,sSS sv w This i mefnods
Sometimes the better class of owners re-
taliate by marking up their own claims IN
this way a quiet warfare goes on at all
times, and to have a hog claim down
vigilance. The owner must be constantly
on the move and watch to satisfy himself
his time is occupied in hunting the wild
fiocks that roam around through the woods.
Should young unbranded UgS be FOUND they
are brought down and marked or delfber-
ately shot.
TREsPAsSING HUNTERS.
There is current an old belief that at one
time all the hogs in the woods were wild,
and that a remnant of these large focks
IS still In existence. The hunter conse-
quently ~justifies his chase of another mans
herd with the remark that he thought pos
sibly they belonged to "the wild bunch"
~ - 49, Atcr1xva~nl thA ,,pfa
rides up to them until he can see the
marks on nearly every animal. If they
run away he pursues, using his hog dogs
to assist him. The hogs are finally rounded
up and examined. A self-respecting hunter
Of the animals is shot to supply the house
with fresh pork. Probably an hour later
another hog claim owner will start up the
same herd and give a second long chase.
In the course of a day the hogs will have
exercise enough in this way to. run off con-
lar tissue to their limbs. In fact, the whole
life of the porker is made up largely of
produced in the fall is anything but tender.
If it were not for the fall crop Of acorns,
which tends to fatten the meat rapidly, the
Southern pork crop would be pretty poor
stun. AS 1t is, the meat is used chiefly
for home consumption. and even some Of
the local markets deal in Western and
Eastern pork.
There is certainly money made in hog
hog claim. properly. attended to. will thrive.
but unless thus looked after it will dwindle
Climate seems to- be- naturally ADAPTED to
raising hogs. and the forest supplies them
S %ltlh al sev ehe m feSa shs sSey gs Get v ossf isan ans
thin, and many die of hunger. If the own
ers would take the trouble to raise a little
corn to tide them over these periods, there
would be more profit and less loss. But
the Southern hog-owner would never heed
the idea that hogs will take care of them
selves, and nothing can convince him other
wise. A few Northern speculatora invested
in hog claims here, hoping to realize large
profits on them. as the former cattle owners
stand their business, or rather the way bust
ness is conducted down in these woods, and
t msS f lGsf h sss North They z i%I opS after a t soSd
claim" and waited patiently for it to in
crease rsn ean , bring In rafGirrtIu fortune nar to them then They
fattsn the hogs on. just before shipping
them to market. SO that better pork could
Informed his employers that their hogs
and that even with a good pack of dogs it
was impossible to start up a score bearing
that the superintendent had played them
false, and efforts were made to prosecute
BUT BUT t the a same re mah I foil6 SSe IN n nls Pla the
Northern owners gave up the work in dis
one, but e number of outsiders. who have
tried 10 take advantage of the natural con-
df4ionS prevailing for hog-raising.
AN INVESTIGATION.
Finally, one astute investor after being
disappointed and cheated out of most of his
herds. appeared upon the scene himself, and
started a private examination. He surveyed
the field of action thoroughly, studied the
characters OF the hog owners. and came to
his own conclusions. Visiting the cabin of
an old hunter-farmer not far from where
his claim had been located, he said:
How many hogs are you raising this
year?'
Mary one" was the reply. "was TUX sick
last winter. and didn't get out ag'in It'll
spring. Thought I'd die. Now / amt got
O pig anywhere that kin show my mark"
"Why. what became of them? Wander
awayg'
''Some did, I guess, but most on 'em was
f1xed with the pocketknife and the shot
gun. That's the way pigs disappear roun'
here. They don't generally die any other
way. Every mans tryin' to mark up his
claim. an he amt allus partickler bout
whose pig tits that he marks. P'haps I've
done IL myself afore now"
This admission tailed with the conclu-
Bions that the shrewd investor had reached.
Looking at the old hunter. he added:
p you want something to do this fall
and winter"
II Jest guess so, stranger" was the
prompt reply.
well. I'll give you an interest in my hog